The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-02 00:00:00

OXFORD CIRCVIT.—READING, MAncrt 1.

(Before dr. Justice Crompton.)
Isaac Woodyear, 28, labourer, was charged with
setting fire to a rick of barley, the property of Thos.
Lanfear, at Avington, on the 26th Dec., 1858.
Mr. Griffiths appeared for the prosecution. The
prisoner was undefended by counsel.
It appeared by the evidence of a little boy that
at about one o'clock on the. afternoon of Sunday,
the 26th December last, the prisoner was walking
along the road from Hungerford to Newbury, by -
the prosecutor's fields, which. abut upon the road.
The boy lost sight of the prisoner for about twenty
minutes, when he again saw him in the road,-, arid
was told by him that a rick was on fire. This was
found to be the fact, the rick being in a field about
300 yards off. Some footmarks were traced from the
spot where the boy had lost sight of the prisoner,
and these led towards the rick, and back again, and
along the road in the direction in which the pri-
soner. had gone; and, in order to show that
these were the prisoner's footmarks, impressions in
lead were taken of them, and produced in court, and
compared with the prisoner's shoes.
The prisoner handed in a well-written defence.
This was readby the officer of the court, and showed
considerable knowledge of criminal jurisprudence.
He chiefly relied for bis defence on the entire ab-
sence of motive for the commission of the crime.
The jury found the prisoner guilty, and a previ-
ous conviction was found against him for setting
hay on fire in 1851, when ho was sentenced to
seven years' transportation.
The prisoner then said that now he was found
guilty he admitted he was guilty ; and added, that
if her Majesty had sent him out of the country when
he was convicted before he might now have been
as respectable a man as the prosecutor. He did not
wish for mercy, and had set fire to the rick in order
that he might be sent out of the country.
Mr. Justice Crompton said, prisoners were not
tried and convicted of offences to.be sent out of the
country as honest emigrants, and the prisoner would
find that the sentence he was about to inflict was
not a light one. His lordship then sentenced the
prisoner to eight years' penal servitude.
(Before Mr. Baron Channell.)
Edwin Nash and Henry Brown, labourers, were
charged with feloniously wounding Gaius Mason,
with intent to do him some grievous bodily harm,
on Jan. 23, 1859, at Sonning.
Mr. Carrington appeared for the prosecution ;
Mr. J. J. Williams defended the prisoner Nash.
Brown was undefended by counsel.
It appeared that about five o'clock on the morn-
ing of Sunday, Jan. 23 last, the prosecutor, who
was head gamekeeper to Mr. Robert Palmer,
M.P., heard the explosion of a maroon, placed
to give an alarm when trodden upon, like a fog
signal used on a railway. Soon after, he heard
the report of a gun, which came from a cover of
Mr. Palmer's. The gamekeeper, with an assistant
named Early, went towards the spot, but finding no
one there, they went to another cover of Mr. Pal-
mer's, called Skinner's copse, where they heard an-
other gun fired. Directly afterwards the two pri-
soners emerged from the cover, Nash having a gun,
and Brown a pheasant and a stick. A conflict at
once ensued between the keepers and the prisoners,
in which the assistant got away Brown's stick.
The prisoner Nash then divided his gun into two
parts, giving Brown the stock, and keeping the
barrel himself. After this, a sort of running
wrangle and fight was kept up between the parties,
the prisoners from time to time threatening to kill
the gamekeepers. As the night was very light,
the gamekeepers were thus enabled to distinguish
the men. M hen they had all proceeded in this way
for about a mile the prisoner Brown struck the
gamekeeper on the head with the butt-end of the
gun-stock, and the prisoner Nash struck him many
times on the body with the gun barrel. After this
violence the gamekeeper fell insensible, and his
assistant was obliged to run away. The game-
keeper afterwards recovered so far as to be able to
go to Reading to give information, but he was ob-
liged to be taken home to Sonning in a fly, where
he had ever since remained under the care of Mr.
Davis, a surgeon. Evidence was also given to
identify the prisoner Brown by his footmarks.
Mr. J. J. Williams having addressed the jury for
the prisoner Nash,
_ _

The jury found both prisoners guilty, and
Mr. Baron Channell sentenced them each to four
years' penal servitude.
The business of the assizes was brought to a close
a little before four o'clock p.m.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT, March

OLD COURT.
(Before the Recorder.)
Amelia Charlotte Collins, a respectable looking
woman, surrendered to take her trial for misde-
meanour.

Sergeant :Ballantin© was specially retained with
Mr. T. Salter to conduct the prosecution ; Mr.
Ribton appeared for the defendant.
The charge against the defendant arose out of a
claim set up by her to a house in the Cornwall-road,
Lambeth, and an action was tried in the Court of
Queen's Bench a few days ago, when the whole of
the facts were published. The prosecutor was a
Mr. Thomas, who, it appeared, purchased the house
in question, with other property, about eight years
ago, and he remained in quiet possession of it until
October last, when defendant got into the house,
and she was ejected by force. On the 4th No-
vember it appeared that the defendant went to the
place, armed with a hammer and chisel, and she
forced down the shutters and then broke a window
and tried to get through the opening head
foremost. In so doing it appeared that she
stuck fast, and the position in which she was placed
of course afforded very great amusement to the
crowd that assembled. She at length contrived to
get into the house, and° it was with considerable
difficulty that she was removed. The defendant
subsequently brought an action against Mr. Thomas
for assault and false imprisonment, but the jury
gave a verdict in his favour, and the defendant was
now indicted for what is, in law, termed a forcible
entry into the premises in question. It transpired
in the course of the case that the house did formerly
belong to the defendant's father, and it was alleged
that she was in possession of the house, under an
agreement with a person named Mr. Grett, who
was a tenant of the prosecutor.

The defence set up for the defendant was, than

she had only acted in accordance with what she
believed to be her legal right, and that . the prose-
cutor had no right to eject her by force.
The jury, without any hesitation, retv trued a ver-
dict of guilty, . and the defendant was %called upon
to enter into a. recognisance to appear and receive
judgment if SILO was called upon to do so, upon the
understanding titiat no further proceedings would be
taken if she refra fined from giving the prosecutor
any further annoyance. ,

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.—March 1.

WORSHIP-STREET.—Francis May Cray, 48.
was charged with drunkenness, furious driving and
thereby cam ing severe injuries to an old man of 87
years of age.
Mr. C. Inc e, printer, Curtain-road, stated that on
the evening c Saturday last he saw the defendant
and another t nan, both intoxicated, in a horse and
chaise, proce.c'ding along the Hackney-road. Defen-
dant was driving at a furious rate, and after pass-
ing an omnibn s, crossed to the wrong side of the
road, where an old man tending a stall stood close
by the kerb. The horse, or one of the shafts, came
in contact with that person, who was dashed to the
ground screaminj fearfully.
The constable v, 'ho had charge of the case pro-
duced a certificate' from the house-surgeon of the
London Hospital, t o the effect of the poor fellow
being severely injured by bruises about the thighs,
body, arms, and havds. He had, however, been
able to leave, and was an out-patient..
The old man hobbled. to the front of the court
and told the magistrate that he was lame in conse-
quence of the fall in que stior.. Such an accident
had never occurred. to hint before although he had
kept a stall for above forty years.
Defendant, who said that he had offices in
Billiter-street, City, and resided in the New North-
road, expressed his grea t regret for what had
occurred. He had. given I the, injured man a sove-
reign and supplied him wit h all he required; more-
over, he would take care th at he should never want.
Magistrate—What answ -er do _you make to the
charge of drunkenness ?
Defendant—Why, sir, tl te factis that I and some
friends, shortly previous t. t. this unfortunate affair,
were amusing ourselves by shooting at a lighted
candle with my gun, and endeavouring to snuff it
out in that way, so we gt )t inebriated over it.
Magistrate—Highly reprehensible as your con-
duct has been, it certain: ly does appear that you
have done all in your pa wer to recompense this
poor old man for the injurit .s received at your hands.
I shall fine you o& for dru] ikenness, and order you
to pay the expenses of th e witnesses, the surgeon
who first attended, the cab. fare, and expect you to
keep your word.

MARYLEBONE.—Job xi Jones, a cab-driver,
badge 13,282, was charge 3. before Mr. Broughton
with being drunk while d. riving his cab, and with
assaulting police-constable s. s Wheeler, D 84, and
Crutcher, D 180.
It appeared from the evi dente that about half-
past nine on Monday nigh t the prisoner was in
Baker-street driving his cab, and was in a state of
intoxication. ' The attentim 1 of police-constable
Crutcher was called by a gent %leman to the conduct
of the prisoner, who was vary violent towards
the gentleman, by whom he wos given in custody-
Witness took hold of the prisons r's horse, and led
it as far as Duke-street, when c looking behind
him he found that he had gon,tl off the box. He
gave the cab in care of a const able, and ran after
the prisoner, whom he overtook i St. James-street,
Oxford-street. He then seized 1. hold of the pri-
soner, when he was knocked dm cn by him. They
had a struggle together while o- a the ground, and
the prisoner bit him in his ha aid. At this time
police-constable Wheeler came u tp and rescued him
from-the prisoner.
Wheeler stated that, upon taking the prisoner off
the last witness, he (prisoner) m tide an attack upon
,both of them, and they all fell. The prisoner was
on the top of witness, and said -that he would do
him(witness) a serious injury. He then laid hold
of witness's trowsers, behind, anal attempted to put
his threat into execution. He t ore his (witness's)
trowsers and drawers, and seriously injured him.
Two constables came up, and as they were carry-
ing him along the prisoner bit him in the right
thumb three times.

Mr. Broughton—Do you feel the effects of his
attack ?

Wheeler—Yes, sir ; I had no sleep last night.
and I am now in much pain. (Vie constable showed
his hand to the magistrate, which had on it some
adhesive plaister.)
The prisoner was fined 205., or a month, for being
drunk, 15s. for the damage dons to the clothes of
Wheeler, and one month's imprisonment for the
assault upon him.