The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-19 00:00:00

THE SUN, i4ONLON, WEDNESDA Y E V ENING, DECEMBER 19, 1866.

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LAW INTELLIGENCE.—This Day.

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.

(Nisi Prius sittings at Guildhall before Lord Chief Justice
Cockburn and a Special Jury.)
ORMSBY Y. BEESTOS.

This was an action to recover compensation for loss
sustained by a breach of contract.
Mr. Keane, Q.C., and Mr. 'Wharton were for tho plain-
tiff ; and Mr. Moriarty, Q.C., and another learned gentle-
man, for the defendant.
Front the opening statement of counsel, it appeared that
the plaintiff was a civil engineer, and the defendants con-1
tractors and architects. In the October or November o
1861 the defendants had undertaken a contract for the
construction of the Hemel Hempstead Railway, with ex-
tensions, and had entered into au agreement with the
company. At the wish of the defendants the plaintiff
went to inspect the works, and, an his recommendation,
no bill was applied for to Parliament until 1863. In the
meantime the defendants became anxious to dispose of
their contract, and ultimately agreed to assign
the agreement to the phintiff for a consideration of
.£2OO. However the defendztuts thought fit to hamper the
agreement to another party, and the action was brought
by the plaintiff to be indemnified for his expenses and loss
of time iu surveying the works and fir the non-fulfilment
of the contract. The defendants placed different pleas on
the record, to the effect that they did not agree to the as-
signment of the agreement, that there were no breaches
whatever of contract, that the plaintiff himself prevented
the performance of the contract.
The case promises to be very protracted.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT—This Day.

OLD COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Mollor.)
MA.SSLAUGHTER.

Elizabeth Easton was indicted for unlawfully causing
the death cf her husband.

From the evidence it appeared that both had been drink-
ing and quarrelling with each other, when the prisoner
received a blow from her husband, on which she pushed
him out of the door, when he fell on the stones and re-.
ceived a severe injury on the head, after which he died.
The jury returned a verdict of not guilty.
CHARGE OF ATTEMPTED MURDER.

Samuel Rickwood, shoemaker, was indicted for feloni-
ously attempting to murder Hannah Rickwood, his wife.
The prisoner, who was undefended, pleaded not guilty.
The prosecutrix said she had been sleeping at her son's
house, after having had a quarrel with her husband. On
the morning of the 20th of November she was awoke by
the prisoner attempting to cut her throat. Sho called for
assistance, and during the confusion the prisoner left the
place.
The son of the prisoner said he was sleeping in the same
room as his mother on the night in question, when ho was
awoke by his mother screaming out, "Oh, Sam, you've
cut my throat ;" to which prisoner replied, " That's what
I've intended to do for a long while." He saw the knife
in his hand. Prisoner afterwards said, "Ho wished
he had cut his wife's head off." Witness locked
the door, when prisoner said, if he did not let him go he
would jump out of the window. Ile let him out, but fol-
lowed him down the Curtain-road, when he observed him
wipe some blood off his hands. On seeing a policeman he
told him what had taken place, when he took the prisoner
to the station-house.

The surgeon from the London Hospital said tho pro-
secutrix was brought to that institution, sufforing from an
incised wound en the throat, an inch within the jugular