The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-17 00:00:00

Central Criminal Court—This Day.

OLD COURT.
(Before the Common Sergeant.)
The September sessions of the Old Bailey commenced
this morning.

The calendar contains the names of 147 prisoners for
trial ; some of the offences charged are of a very serious
description. There are for arson 2, burglary 19, embezzle-
ment 6, forgery 2, murder 3, feloniously wounding 3,
manslaughter 1, and the remainder consists of misde-
meanours and larceny.
The Common Sergeant, in charging the grand jury, said
he regretted that the calendar was of a much more serious
description than he thought ought to have been the case
considering the short time that had elapsed since the ad-
journment. One of the cases that would have to be
disposed of was the indictment against Mary Butcher,
who stood charged with murdering her two children.
The second case of murder was that of Thomas Murphy, who
was charged with the murder of a man named Sullivan, at
Whitechapel, by stabbing him after a drunken quarrel. The
coroner's jury in this case returned a verdict of man-
slaughter only against the prisoner, but he was committed
by the magistrate upon the charge of wilful murder; and
their duty would be to ascertain whether there was a
prima facie case against him. If so, their duty was to
find a true bill, although the petty jury might, if they should
think fit, upon the evidence, convict him of manslaughter
only. There was also a third charge of murder against a
man named Jefforys, for hanging his son, a boy between
six and seven years of age, in a cellar in St. Giles, and it
would be their duty to hear the whole of the evidence,
and then say whether there was sufficient to enable them
to return a true bill. They would have nothing
to do with the state ;of mind of the prisoner,
that would be matter for the consideration of other parties.
The prisoner, it appeared, gave himself up to a constable
at Halifax, because, as ho said at his examination before
the police magistrate, suspicion naturally pointed to the
father as the person who committed the crime. The con-
stable, however, said the prisoner confessed to the murder,
and upon that admission he was taken into custody and
brought to London. The evidence was clear, and in it there
were many very important points, one of which was that
the portion of the handkerchief found tied round the hands
of the boy when the dead body was discovered was pre-
cisely of the same description, and bore strong resemblance,
to ono of which it was known the prisoner pos-
sessed. However, they would consider the whole
of the facts of the case and say whether there
was sufficient to place the prisoner on his
trial for the capital offence. There was a charge against
a prisoner for causing the death of a child by not having
proper control over the horse he was driving. The pri-
soner was sitting on the shafts of the vehicle, and the un-
fortunate child was in a perambulator, which was over-
turned by the horse, and the child killed. They would
have to say what the offence amounted to. 1 here were
various other charges of the ordinary description, none of
which, he anticipated, would occasion them any difficulty.

NEW COURT.
(Before Mr. Commissioner Kerr.)

George Thomas Johnson was indicted for unlawfully
uttering
samelknowing the same to be
time in his possession
counterfeit,
d having coin,
a t
the
other counterfeit coin.

The prisoner pleaded guilty.

Locky- or said the prisoner had previously been convicted.
1173-had undergone a sentence of twelve months' imprison-
ment for felony.
The Judge sentenced him to seven years' penal
servitude.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—This Day.

MANSION-110IISE.

STEALING FROM THE PERSON.—Mary Ann Williams, a
respectable-looking middle aged woman, was charged be-
fore Mr. Alderman Lusk, M.P., with stealing ono sovereign
and two shillings in silver, from John Marten, a clerk
living at Sutton- street, Commercial-road East.
The prosecutor said that on Sunday morning, about 20
minutes to two o'clock, he was coming over London-
bridge, in the direction of the City, and was accosted by
the prisoner. She dragged him into one of the recesses
on the bridge, and he heard the clink of money. He put
his hand into his waistcoat and found that the money in
question was gone, and he caught hold of the pri-
soner whom he detained until a policeman came up,
when he gave her in charge. The money had dropped out
of her hand on the ground, and ho picked it all up with
the exception of 6d., which was found by a witness whom
he would call.

The prisoner here accused the prosecutor of having
attempted to take liberties with her, and she said she
wanted the policeman to take him into custody, but that
he refused.

The prosecutor said that thero was no truth in this
statement.

Edward Harris, who had been eighteen months a com-
missionaire, and who said that he worked at the water-
side at present, gave evidence tending to corroborate that
of the prosecutor, of whom ho said he had no knowledge.
H. Bell, G.P. 470, said that ho took the prisoner in
charge, and she did not ask him to take the prosecutor into
custody, as she had just stated. The prosecutor had the
money in his hand when he gave the prisoner in charge.
There was another man who accompanied the parties to
the station, who said ho was present at the occurrence,
but he was not in attendance.

Tho ,prisoner in her defence adhered to her previous
statement, and described the conduct of the prosecutor to-
wards her as being most indecent. She knocked off his
hat in defending herself, and his money fell out of his
pocket. Sho accounted for being out so late by stating
that she had been spending the evening at her brother-in-
law's,'where she had some drink.
Mr. Alderman Lusk said he was bound to credit the
testimony of the prosecutor, as it was corroborated by the
statement of Harris, a disinterested witness • and the
policeman's evidence was at variance with the version she
had given of what had taken placo between her and the
prosecutor. As she was not known to the police ho would
presume that it was her first offence, and deal leniently
with her. He sentenced her to 14 days' imprisonment.