The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-07 00:00:00

rnE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 7, 1859.

manner, and he would give the defendant until the
morning to consider the matter, and to make a
declaration that would be satisfactory to Mr. Salo-
mons that he would not repeat such conduct.
The defendant said he was ready to do so now.
H e should never commit such an act again.
Alderman Salomons said he had never entertained
the least ill feeling towards the defendant, and so
far as he was personally concerned he had no desire
that any punishment should be inflicted. The out-
rage that had been committed upon him had very
seriously affected him at the time, and he had on
one occasion nearly lost his life by falling out of a
railway, carriage, so great was the shock to him.
The defendant was put back for a short time, and
he was subsequently brought up, and Mr. Baron
Martin, addressing him, said that there could be no
doubt that he had committed an assault under the
feeling that he had sustained some wrong from Mr.
Salomons, for which there did not appear to be the
slightest foundation. That gentleman, on the con-
trary, appeared to have acted towards him with the
greatest possible kindness, and even since his con-
viction he had expressed a desire that he should not
be punished, and all he asked for was protection
for the future. It was a most gross outrage upon
the feelings of a gentleman to act as he had done,
and he hoped he would avoid doing such a thing
again. He then ordered the defendant to enter
into his own reccognisance in £lOO to keep the
peace, and also to appear and receive judgment
upon the present indictment, if called upon to do so,
and he said that if he remained peaceable he
should hear no more of the matter, but if he com-
mitted any act of violence towards Mr. Salomons
he would be brought up and punished.
The defendant at once entered into the required
recognisances, and was discharged from custody.
George Lelievre, a gentlemanly, looking young
man, surrendered to take his trial for the man-
slaughter of Charles John Williams.
Mr. Sleigh and Mr. W. A. lioldsworth were
counsel for the prosecution ; Mr. Montagu Cham-
bers, Q.C., was specially retained, with Mr. Met-
calfe, for the defence.
The learned counsel for the prosecution said that
the inquiry the jury was about to enter into was
one of a very painful and melancholy nature. The
prisoner was a young man very respectably con-
nected, and there could be no doubt that by his act
the unfortunate deceased, who was also in a re-
spectable position, and in the prime of life, had been
deprived of existence. He then proceeded to give a
narrative of the facts which have appeared very
recently, and the following evidence was then
adduceil :
Frederick Carter deposed that on the evening of
the 31st Dec. he was in the Mile-end-road, in com-
pany with a person named Harris, about 11 o'clock.
The prisoner and another person were there also, in
a state of intoxication, and the prisoner's friend
seemed to have been on the ground. When witness
came up the prisoner asked him to assist him with
his friend, and he laid hold of his arm and walked
a short distance, when the prisoner accused him of
picking his friend's pocket, and made a blow at
him, and he jumped into the road. The prisoner
followed him a short distance, and his friend fell
down, and the prisoner returned to him, and he
went after him, and saw the deceased and the pri-
soner standing together. The prisoner asked Mr.
Williams to assist his friend, and he refused to do
so. The prisoner then challenged the deceased to
come out into the road and fight, and the deceased
replied that he had better sense than to fight. The
prisoner immediately struck the deceased with his
fist three or four times, and the deceased struck at
him again, and they had a scuffle, and. both fell
down. They got up, and the deceased walked away
towards the road, and the prisoner pulled off two
coats and went after Mr. Williams again, and
struck him three or four times about the head, and
they again fell down, and the deceased could not
get up. He was picked up, and some persons were
carrying him across the road, when the prisoner
followed, and was in the act of striking at him
again, when witness's companion, Harris, threw
some stones at him, and they hit him on the back
of the head. The deceased was perfectly sober.
Cross-examined—Witness was first asked to assist
the prisoner's friend, and he did so, and walked
with him about ten yards before he was accused of
picking his pocket. Witness ran away, and the pri-
soner followed him a short distance and then returned
to his friend. At this time deceased came up and the
first thing he heard was the prisoner ask him to
assist him with his friend, and when he refused, a
word or two passed between them, but he could not
tell what the words were, and immediately after-
wards the prisoner challenged the deceased to fight.
There might have been 20 persons present at this
time, and some hooting and laughing was going on
at the prisoner and his drunken friend. The de-
ceased was a more powerful man than the prisoner
—he was a tall strong man. He did not see him
do anything to protect himself when the prisoner
struck him.
Re-examined—Deceased did not make any resist-
ance to the attack made upon him by the prisoner.
Wm. Harris, the person who was in company
with the last witness confirmed his evidence as to
the condition of the prisoner and the deceased. He
also said that he saw the deceased come up, and the.
prisoner asked him to assist his friend and he re-
fused and they had a few words, and the prisoner
challenged the deceased to fight, and the deceased
replied that he had too much good sense to do that,
and the prisoner struck him immediately and they
both fell. He did not see the deceased endeavour
to return the violence in any manner, and he did
not say or do anything offensive to the prisoner.
The deceased was undermost when they fell, and
he was unable to get up, and some men assisted
him across the road, and he was conveyed to the
hospital.
Cross-examined—A good many people were
standing about the nrisoner and his friend. When
Carter left hold of the prisoner's companion he fell
down. He was so drunk that he could not stand
on his legs. The deceased and the prisoner scuffled
together, and fell off the pavement into the road.
Witness threw some stones at the prisoner as he
was following the deceased, apparently with the
intention of striking him. They were only small
stones that he threw at him.
John Roper, a police-constable, deposed that he
was in the Mile-end-road at the time in question,
and heard a cry of " Police," and on going to the
spot he found the prisoner with a drunken
man. He was told that he had assaulted a man who
was on the opposite side of the road, and he took
the prisoner across, and the deceased gave him in
charge for injuring his leg. He observed blood at
the bottom of the trousers of the deceased at this
time.
Cross-examined—Witness told the prisoner after-
wards that the decea..-od's leg was broken, and it
might cost him his life, and he replied; " My God,
you don't say so. I hope not ;" and appeared very
much affected.
Mr. E. Simmons said that he was present at the
coroner's inquest, but was not examined. He saw
the occurrence, and heard an altercation take place
between the prisoner and the deceased, and when
the former asked him to fight, he replied, " You are
a fool."
Mr. Hill, house surgeon at the London Hospital,
proved that the deceased had sustained a compound
dislocation of the ankle joint, and the smaller bone
of the leg was also fractured. A portion of the
broken bone was removed and the deceased was
under his care until the 25th of December, when
he died from mortification of the leg, resulting
from the injury he had received.
Mr. Montagu Chambers made a very able speech
to the jury on behalf of the prisoner, and said it
appeared to him that the unfortunate occurrence
was of that character described by ancient writers
as chance•medley, and that it did not amount to
manslaughter. He then remarked upon the cir-
cumstances of the case, and said there could be no
doubt that the prisoner was somewhat the worse
for liquor, although not so bad as his friend, and
that they were surrounded by a number of people,
who were acting in a manner that was very likely
to have excited the prisoner still more. He should
be very sorry to say a single word to the disparage-
ment of the unfortunate gentleman who had lost
his life, but he could not help saying that it would
only have been an act of kindness on his part if he
had assisted the prisoner in the condition in which
he was placed with his friend, in such a helplessly
drunken state, but instead of doing that he had
no doubt irritated him still more by calling him
a fool. He then urged that there could be
no doubt that a scuffle took place between them,
and that the melancholy result was to a great ex-
tent to be attributed to accident. The learned
counsel concluded by stating that whatever might
be the result of the present inquiry, the melancholy
occurrence would be the source of deep and bitter
regret to the prisoner for the remainder of his
existence.
A great many most respectable witnesses were
then examined, who gave the prisoner the character
of a kind-hearted, humane young man. They also
stated that he was remarkably abstemious on ordi-
nary occasions, and was not at all addicted to
violent conduct
Mr. Baron Martin summed up, and the jury, after
a short deliberation, returned a verdict of guilty.
The learned judge, in passing sentence, said that
the jury had found the prisoner guilty of causing
the death of Mr. Williams by an illegal act, and
they could not have come to any other conclusion
upon the evidence before them. There was no
doubt at the same time, however, that he never
contemplated causing the death of the deceased, and
the thing would not have occurred if he had been
sober. He could not pass over such an offence,
,hout punishment, and. the sentence he

nwpver. wit:

should inflict upon him would be one of three
months' imprisonment, without hard labour.

NEW COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Willes.)
Alexander Kochanowsky, 21, labourer, Myers
Goldberg, 39, waterproofer, and Jacob Goldwater,
43, tailor, were indicted for feloniously having in
their possession, without the authority of the Em-
peror of Russia, steel plates, upon which were en-
graved certain parts of a promissory:note, to wit, a
note for the payment of five roubles.
The prisoner Kochanowsky pleaded guilty.
Mr. Sergeant Ballantine, with whom was Mr.
Sleigh, appeared for the prosecution ; and Mr. T.
Atkinson appeared for Kochanowsky.
The defence set up by Goldberg and Goldwater
was that they had acted as innocent agents for
Kochanowsky.
The jury found them both guilty.
Mr. Atkinson, on the part of his client Kochan-
owsky, said that he was a young Russian of a good
family, but had fallen into the hands of bad advisers.
His lordship, in passing sentence, said that the
conduct of Kochanowsky was, from his position and
education, rendered far more heinous than that of
his companions, whom he had led into the commis-
sion of the offence. They had, however, aided in the
commission of an offence of a very grave character ;
but considering the position m life which they
filled, and that they were ignorant and poor men,
he should make a difference in their sentence, but
still pass a severe one.
Kochanowsky 'was then ordered to be kept for
ten years in penal lervitude, and the others for five
years.
Upon an application being made relative to the
expenses, the court concurred with Mr. Sleigh that
the conduct of Rolls, the engraver, was very
proper.
A letter taken from the prisoner Kochanowsky,
addressed to some one in Russia, proved that an
organised system was in existence to pass off these
false notes.

visitors), who are privileged, some daily and some
weekly, to wait upon criminals to hear a statement
of their complaints and grievances.
More, much more might be added ; but this is
enough to prove that Newgate wants fnrther im-
provement.

PRESERVATION OF LIFE FROM SHIP-

WRECK.

Yesterday a meeting of the Royal National Life-
boat Institution was held at its house, John•street,

Adelphi—Thomas Chapman, Esq., F.R.S., in the
chair. There were also present—Admiral Sir Thos.
Herbert, K.C.B. ; Admiral Gordon, Deputy Master
of the Trinity-house ; Alexander Boetefeur, Esq.;
Admiral Cator ; Capt. Washington, R.N., Hydro-

grapher of the Admiralty ; Admiral McHardy ;
W. H. Harton, Esq. ; Capt. Lambert Perrott ; and
Capt. Ward, R.N., Inspector of Lifeboats to the In-

stitution.

Mr. LEwis, the Secretary, having read the minutes
of the previous meeting, the following rewards were

then voted

Nineteen pounds to the crew of the institution's
life-boat at Caister, Norfolk, for putting off late on
the night of the 15th ult., and rescuing eleven men
from the Portuguese brig. Prophete, which was
wrecked during a gale of wind on the Scroby Sands
that day. The service was attended by great ex-
posure to cold and extreme difficulty in obtaining
an early communication with the wreck. L 4 to the
crew of a lifeboat at Appledore for putting off in
her and rescuing seven men from the brig Felicity,
of Milford, which, during a strong wind and thick
fog, went to pieces on Bideford bar early on the
morning of the 18th ult. The master of the vessel
was at first insensible of the danger he was in, but
was afterwards induced to abandon his vessel, and
on the flowing of the tide she broke up. The life-
boat of the institution stationed at Newcastle, Dun-.

drum Bay, was reported to have saved the crew of
five men belonging to a French lugger from Bor-
deaux, wrecked off Newcastle on the 12th ult. The
lifeboat performed this service with much prompti-
tude. Rewards amounting to £l5 were also voted
to the Yarmouth and Lytham lifeboats for putting
off, in reply to signals of distress from ships, with
the view of saving life. The Lytham lifeboat was
likewise reported to have assisted in bringing the
schooner E. D., of Salcombe, into port in safety. A

reward of £6 was also voted to a 'goat's crew in con
sideration of their laubable conduct in rescuing one
out cff three persons from the smack Catherine
Anna, which was wrecked during stormy weather
off Maryport. The boat succeeded only in taking
off one man on her first trip, but on her second she
was too late to save the life of the captain, who, in
the meantime, had been washed off the wreck and
drowned ; another man had come ashore on a piece
of the wreck. Had there been a good lifeboat, with
an experienced crew, at Mar port, such a calamity
could hardly occur. The silver medal of the insti-
tution and £1 were voted to John Moss, seaman,
in acknowledgment of his gallant conduct in
saving, at the imminent risk of his own life, one
out of two persons who had been thrown out
of a small boat off Dungeness. Moss had sprung
over the bows of .the lugger and secured one man
by tying a rope round him, who was nearly ex-
hausted when brought on board. Moss again,
nothing daunted, darted overboard a second time to
the rescue of another man, and had actually suc-
ceeded, by great exertions, in placing him on the
bobstay of the lugger when a heavy wave washed
both of them off. The man unfortunately sunk
this time to rise no more, and the gallant Moss him-
self only narrowly escaped from sharing a similar
fate. A sum of £4 was also voted to a boat's crew
for saving six persons from the schooner Sealby, of
Maryport, which during a heavy gale of wind was
wrecked off Innishofin Island, on the coast of
Donegal. The boatmen- had put off with much
promptitude, and had succeeded in rescuing the
crew just in time to save them from a watery grave.
£2 was also given to a boat's crew for their credit-
able and' prompt exertions in saving three men be-
longing to the brig Florence Nightingale's boat's
crew, whose boat had been swamped off Arklow
during squally weather. A sum of £8 was also
voted to a boat's crew of four men for putting off
and rescuing - the crew of three men from the
schooner Oaks, of Goole, wrecked during a heavy
gale of wind off Blakeney, on the Norfolk coast.
was likewise granted to a boat's crew in consi-
deration of their laudable conduct in rescuing five
men from the brig Sampson, of Waterford,. which
during stormy and cloudy weather was wrecked
off Badinacorty, near Dungarvan. The institution
is, it was reported, about to send a new lifeboat to
this dangerous locality. Various other rewards
were voted in acknowledgment of meritorious ser-
vices in saving life from wrecks on different parts
of the coast.
It was reported that the institution had during
the past month sent new lifeboats and carriages to
Cullercoats, near Tynemouth, and to Carnsore and
Tramore.

Payments amounting to £721 Bs. 3d. were
ordered to be made for various lifeboats and their
equipments.
A. tabular statement showing the services of the
lifeboats of the institution during the past year was
laid before the meeting.. The boats had attended
upwards of 40 wrecks, and had saved more than
100 lives. The society had paid its lifeboat crews
nearly £6OO for their laudable services on those
occasions.
It was stated that the institution was much in
need of funds to maintain in a state of thorough
efficiency its 80 lifeboat establishments • that the
committee had been compelled to draw largely on
its small reserved fund to meet their large out-
goings; and that the present income of the society
is very inadequate to meet its necessarily increas-
ing expenditure.