The Sun.
London, England, 1832-03-21 00:00:00

LEWES ASSIZES, MARA2O.

~ rite assizes commenced -this-morning. The charge to
the Grand Juty was delivered by Sir N. TINDAL. The
'learned Judge lamented that though the calendar was net
numerous, it contained several offences of a very aggrava-
ted nature. The first to which his Lordship alluded was
the case of Ann Kennet, charged as an accessory after the
fact, in the murder C. Holloway (the wife of Holloway
who was executed for the murder last winter, whose cave
is already well known to the public.) There were also
three eases of arson, a crime which had sprung up only
of late years, and which must have its origin in the most
dark and malignant feelings. There were also two cases
of violence offered to females. On these cases the Grand
Jury would use caution in the examination of the evidence,
and the same observations would apply to a charge of a de-
testable nature, which was also in the calendar. It was
better, where such cases could not be fully made out
against the accused, that the details should not be made
public. There was another case for forgery. The re-
mainder of the charges were of a minor character, and it
was creditable to the police of the county that they were so
few in number.

John Skinner, aged 33, was convicted of stealing a
lamb on the 16th of January last, at Battle, the property
of Mr. Quaife. The offence was clearly proved.—Death
recorded.

The Court has got through several cases of no import
anc, and at Nisi Prius nothing has yet been tried of
public interest. The calendar contains a list of forty
eight prisoners, and there are twenty. eight civil actions,

SHREWSBURY ASSIZES.

(Before Mr. Justice TAUNTON.)

CRIM. CON. -- STREW, 'ESQ. V. OFFLEY CREWE, ESQ
_ _

Mr. JERVIS stated that there were some subjects which
overwhelmed the mind, and some distresses which it was
impossible: o describe. This was a case in which these
had occurred. This was an action for a criminal conver-
sation, accompanied with every circumstance of aggrava-
tion. The plaintiff resided at Tunetall Hall, and possessed
a fortune of about 4,0001. a year. The defendant was
the son of the Rev. Offley Crewe, who had large prefer-
ment in the Church, and a very considerable estate in
Montgomeryshire. It was an affecting circumstance that
the parties were both the only sons of clergymen ; they
had been schoolfellows, and were membeis of the same
college. The plaintiff had met the lady at Buxton, she
being then a beautiful girl of 18, and he soon after mar-
ried, in the year 1818, her beauty and her accomplish-
ments brine her only dowry. The defendant had also
married a lady of great beauty and accomplishments, the
daughter of Admiral Lake. The plaintiff and defendant
resided at a distance of only a mile and a half; and that
friendship which had commenced at school, and had been
matured at college, continued after the marriage of both;
and scarcely a day passed without some intercourse be-
tween the families. The lady who was the subject of
this inquiry, had a family of six children, the youngest
not much more than a year old. The defendant, too, WU
a parent ; and it would appear that, on the 13th January
last, in consequence of suspicions, the servants resolved to
watch the defendant ; for the plaintiff hsrl, not the slightest
suspicion of the infeleli•y of his wife.:.pu that day Mr.
Clive had invited friends, some of Whom were to take
beds at his house, as they were to join in the chase the fol-
lowing day. The plaintiff was invited, and the servant
who brought the note mentioned that he had also a note
for the defendant, and the latter coining to lunch at the
plaintiff's on that II ay, there was no doubt that the assigna-
tion was made. It would be proved that when the hour
of eleven arrived, the defendant said he was obliged to re
turn home, to meet a person from 'Wales, who came on
business respecting his estates. The servants of the
plaintiff suspecting sotne,hing which he would not state,
it was arranged that the butler should station him-
self at a window which commanded a view of the
plaintiff's bed-room door ; and that the ke?per and
coachman should station themselves in other places.
Mrs. Strey had ordered the servants to bed, but
they went to the places appointed to watch, and
at about a quarter past eleven o'clock MIA. Strey
came out of her room in her night-dress, and, after
listening for a short time, she went down and unlocked
the outer door, and then went to her bedroom again,
leaving her room-door a-jar. After this a horse was
heard, and the defendant was seen to enter Mrs. Strey's
bedroom. The next morning Mrs. Strey got up about
four o'clock, and she inquired if any of the servants had
been up. He could not describe the sensations that the
plaintiff experirnced when the matter was communicated
to him. However, under the advice of some friends, the
plaintiff had to inform his unhappy wife that she must
quit his house for ever. The Monday following, the
plaintiff sent her away in his own carriage, attended by
his oam medical man, to her mother at Cheltenham. His
client might say, in the language of the Psalmist, " Oh,

it was not an open enemy alai has done me this dis-
honour, neither was it an adversary, but it was even thou,
my companion." Another aggravation was the plaintiff's
children, the eldest, a daughter, scarcely old enough to
know the loss she had sustained, and the youngest (a
son) was born only last January twelvemonths, and there
was but too much reason to fear that he was the son of the
45ft.ndant. What must be the feelings of the plaintiff
when, in this child, be saw in him the likeness of the
man who bad injured him so irreparably? The plaintiff
had had no pursuits but in his family. He had bad no
happiness but in the wife he had adored and the children
that he had loved. He might well say, speaking for his
client,

" Had it pleased Heaven
To try him with affliction; had it rain'd
All kinds of sores and shames on his bare head ;
Steep'd him in poverty to the very lips ;
Given to captivity him and his utmost hopes ;
He would have found in some part of his soul
A drop of patience : but, alas ! to make
A fixed figure for the hand of scorn
To point his slow and moving finger at !
Yet he could bear that too ; well, very well ;
But there, where he had garner'd up his heart;
'Where either he must live, or bear no life"—

If he should be shown to have been the most affectionate
of hu-bands, the kindest of fathers, and the sincerest of
friend, no damages would be sufficiently large to compen-
sate him for the injury he had received. He addressed
husbands and fathers, and would ask any one of them if a
awn of 20,0001., or indeed any other pecuniary compen-
sation was a sufficient atonement for ouch an injary ?
Henry Clive said—l live at the Stryche. On Friday,
the 13th of January, the plaintiff and defendant dined with
me, and the plaintiff remained all night. Before dinner
the defendant said he could not remain all night, as a per-
son from Wales had come upon business. He left my
house at about eleven o'clock. The following morning
the keeper came to see the plaintiff, who was at breakfast.
He was called out. He seemed much depressed and con-
fused. I had opportunities of seeing that the plaintiff and
his wife appeared to live together on most affectionate
terms, He conducted himself with the greatest kindness.
Cross-examined—The defendant has a wife and five
children, and he lives with his father, who is more than
eighty years of age.
The statement in the Counsel's speech was corroborated
by the evidenc, of the coachman, game-keeper, nurse,
house-maid and butler of the plaintiff.
Mr. Thomas Thomas Charlton said—l am at Eton. I
am the nephew of the plaintiff. The 13th of January I
went to bed at about ten; my uncle was at Mr. Clive's ;
the butler and coachman came to consult me before it was
light ; next morning my uncle came home, and I saw him
before be had seen Mrs. Strey; he appeared much agi-
tated ; I saw him after he had seen Mrs. Strey ; he ap-
peared.very unwell, and be has not recovered his health
and spirits since; my uncle and aunt seemed to live very
happilytogether, and they appeared very fond of the
children.

Mr. John Cadine, an architect, said—l was employed
by the plaintiff to make alterations at his house. The
alterations came to between 4,0001- and 5,0001. I occa-
sionally dined with the plaintiff and Mrs. Strey; their
manner was affectionate, and they appeared fond of their
children.

The Rev. George Maddox said—l knew, the plaintiff
and defendant at school and at college; they continued
their intimacy there ; they lived near each other after
they left college, and, to the best of my knowledge, they
have continued their intimacy up to the last year.
Mr. Williams said—l ant a surgeon. I was called in
to attend Mrs. Strey on the I fth of January. She was
in a state of insensibility, and it would have been mist&
that she should have been removed on that day. The
plaintiff was in the greatest distress int 4ginable.
Sir Andrew Corbet, Bart.—The plaintiff was remark-
ably kind to his wife, and was a very affectionate father.
Lady Corbet said the plaintiff and his wife seemed to
be very affectionate towards each other. They appeared
very fond of their children.

Mrs. Tayleure—The plaintiff and Mrs. Strey appeared
to live on most affectionate terms.
Mr. Warren, a ent of the Norwich Insurance-office,
proved that the defendant had insured his furniture and
farming buildings at Llandinnon, in Alontgomeryshire, at
1,4001.
The will of Mr. Bagot Read was put in to chew that
the defendant's father had a life interest in an esta'e
in Wales, and the defendant the remainder after his
father's decease.

Mr. CAMPRELL. implored the Jury not to be led away

by tie Learned Counsel for the plaintiff, who had used
some very beautiful quotations, which, however, were the
yommon places of all el im. con. causes, and so much
Matter of technicality that they are generally settled the
night before the trial at the consultation. It was proved
that the parties lived affectionately together, and had shown
the same affection to their children down to the very last.
Did not this lead to an inference that the defendant had
been exposed to temptations which he ought to have re-
sisted, but could not ? He admitted that no blame what-
ever was to he imputed to the plaintiff, and it was not
the defendant's wish that any blame should be at-
tached to Mrs. Strey; but still it was necessary for
the Jury to ascertain whether, in fact, there had
been any if the arts of seduction used. There were no
long correspondences, no love verses, no poems, written to
Mrs. Strey, nor prayers composed by him for the use of
her children ; for these were all species of seduction that
he had heard of. No ; they found this lady walking with
the defendant in the shrubbery, his arm being round her
waist, and she nothing loth; and he would appeal to the
good sense of the Jury, whether this was not cogent evi-
dence that the advances, in the first instance, came from
Mrs. Strey? What sort of woman must Mrs. Strey have
been, who could keep up this sort of double intercourse
with her husband and her paramour ; she still keeping up
the appearances of the fond wife and the tender mother?
The Jury retired, and after a short consultation, re-
m:led a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages 5,000/.