The Sun.
London, England, 1832-03-03 00:00:00

AYLESBURY, ALtacm 2.

The Judges have this evening concluded the business in this
county, and will to-morrow open the Commission in Bedford,
Mr. Baron Gurney having disposed of all the Civil Bill cases
last night, both Judges sat to-day for hearing the remaining
criminal ones. The calendar, as observed by the Judge in his
address to the Grand Jury, has been unusually heavy this
Assizes ; hut, notwithstanding there are nmic to die, no prisoner
has been sentenced to severer punishment than transportation.
The number of prisoners tried for sheep-stealing, gild also for
horse-stealing, was unually large, particularly for the foirrir
offence; in the case of Ranee, who was tried yesterday, as it
was proved that the prisoner had resisted the constable with a
weapon, and had wounded him, the Judge deferred passing
sentence till this evening. The Jury recommended the
prisoner to mercy, and his Lordship attended to the re.
commendation and sentenced the prisoner to transporta-
tion for life, addressing him at the same time at consider-
able length. The son of the prisoner, who was produced
as evidence for the defence, was at the same time severely lec-
tured by the Judge upon the contradictory testimony which he r
gave. Those of the prisoners who had not received sentence •
were placed at the bar, mid severally sentenced to imprisonment
and transportation.

A case of poaching was the most interesting tried tc,day.—
The defence was conducted by Mr. SYUYey TAYLOR, and, Di his
address to the Jury, he commented, at some length, upon the
extreme severity and injustice of the Game Laws. The
JunGE, on the other hand, in summing up, defended their jus-
tice and necessity. The two prisoners were found Guilty,—one
sentenced to 14 years' transportation, and the other to one year
in the House of Correction and hard labour.

A case of attempted arson was tried before Mr. Baron GUR-
NEY, but the evidence failed, and the prisoner was acquitted.
The people in the Court showed a strong disposition to applaud
when the verdict of acquittal was returned.
The Assizes terminated about five o'clock.

NORTHAMPTON, MARCH 2.

THE SIBBERTOFT MURDER.

The Jury having been sworn, William Grant, aged 4d, wall
placed at the bar, and arraigned on the Coroner's inquisition,
and on an indictment charging him with the wilful murder of
Mary Wright, otherwise Mary Cheney, at the parish of Sibber.
toft, near Welford in, this county, on the 30th of August last.
Mr. Serjeant GOULBURN and Mr. HUMFREY were
Counsel, and Mr. MARSHAL of Kettering, one of the Coroners I
for the county, was solicitor, for the prosecution. No Counsel •
appeared for the prisoner.

Mr. Serjeant GOULBURN briefly stated the principal
facts which he proposed to call witnesses to sustain.
It having been intimated to the Judge by Mr. Grant, the
humane Governor of the county gaol, that the prisoner was
very deaf, he directed that gentleman to stand by the prisoner
and repeat to him the answers of the witnesses as the case pro.
ceeded.

Mrs. Maria Manton examined—l am the wife of Mr. John ,
Manton, of Sibbertoft, and knew the deceased, Mary Wright;
she was in my service, and had been with me ten or eleven
months. I know the prisoner, who is a gardener, living at Sib.
bertoft, he used to come to see the deceased occasionally, and he
also worked sometimes in our garden. I have asked him se.
veral times when he has come, what he wanted ; and he used
to reply, " You know what I want—l want the girl I love."
He used those words when he called about three weeks before
her death. I told him I should not call her, and he said he
would not go out of the yard until he had seen her. I then
went and called her, and she came down and spoke to him. As
far as I could observe, he appeared to be courting her, and to be
fond of her. I recollect Sunday morning, the 28th of August,
the prisoner came to my house that morning, Mary Wright was
standing out of the door, and I saw the prisoner speak to
her, and ask her how site did, in a kind manlier ; she
said, " I don't know." His mother was recently dead, and he
asked her to follow her to the grave, as her funeral was to take
place on that day; he said it was his mother's last wish she
should ; I refused to let her go; the prisoner then went away.
On the following Tuesday, I sent Mary Wright for some barm
to Mr. Bates's, who lived about a quarter of a mile distant ; she
not returning home for some time I went into the yard to see if
she was coming. I could see through the gate up part of the
road, and saw the prisoner and Mary Wright; they were about
two hundred yards off when I first saw them, and they stopped
when they got about fifty yards from me ; they appeared to be
talking together ; I called out, Mary, and she turned her
head ; at this instant I saw the prisoner put his hand
down towards his side ; he seemed as if he took some.
thing out of his side pocket ; he struck his hand towards
the ground, and he then struck Mary Wright upon the
breast and then a little lower down ; there was a man
with me of the name of Burdett who ran out of the gate
with me; we called out " murder;" the prisoner I think could
hear Burdett call out, he did not offer to run away, I saw the
deceased fall on the ground, the prisoner fell also, I heard
Mary Wright scream murder : the prisoner seemed to rise upon
his knees, and when I got up he was kneeling upon her, I went
within three yards of them, I then returned again towards the
house, I was so confused. When I got up he was cutting her
throat, I could see he had a knife, it seemed to be a pruning
knife. I saw blood running from the wounds, I called for
assistance. In running back to my house, I looked behind,
and saw Mary Wright walking, and the prisoner with a great
many men round him.

William Holdhan—l am a grazier at Sibbertoft. I knew the
deceased and the prisoner; the latter from a child; he latterly
assisted his father as a gardener; he was formerly a soldier. On
the 30th of August, about a quarter_past seven in the evening,
as I was going up the street, I saw two persons on the ground.
I found them to be Mary Wright and William Grant. Grant
was kneeling upon her; I saw him strike her several times.
When I got up to them, I struck the prisoner on the back part
of his head with my milking yoke. The prisoner said," What
are you going to be about ?" I said, " You rascal, what have
you been about ?" He replied, " Oh, I have done for her!" I
pulled the prisoner off': I could not then.. tell but that Mary
Wright was dead ; but with assistance she got up after a consi-
derable time. The prisoner said, while I was holding him, " I
have done for her, as I always said I would. I told her grand.
mother and mother they should sup full of sorrow, and they
now have it by spoonfuls." The poor girl died the next day,
The prisoner made no defence.—Verdict—Guilty.
He is to be hanged on Monday.