The Sun.
London, England, 1832-03-08 00:00:00

SPRING ASSIZES.

LINCOLN, .111.4scK 5.
The business of the Assizes for this county commenced
to-day, Mr. Baron BAYLEY presiding in the Nisi Prius
Court, and Mr. Justice J. PARKE on the Crown side.
Thirty-three causes are entered for trial ; but the only two
defended cases tried to-day were devoid of any general in-
terest. The calendar contains the names of 34 prisoners,
six of whom are charged with arson, and the others with
offences of more ordinary occurrence.
Jane Harrison was indicted for wilful and corrupt per.
jury, in falsely swearing a child to an elderly gentleman
named Hewlett, then 76 years of age, and since dead.
The defendant was confined of an illegimate child in the
beginning of the summer of 1830 ; and in five weeks after
its birth, she was overheard by three men, when convers-
ing under a hedge with a man named Francis, the sup-
posed father of the child, to say, in reply to some remon-
strance on his part, that he was the father and nobody
else. When Mr. Hewlett, overseer of the parish, had her
taken before a Magistrate, she told the constable on the
way, that if he (the constable) did not take care, she would
swear it to him. On Mr. Hewlett attending to make her
swear the child, she stated on her oath that lie (Mr. Hew-
lett) himself was the father, although Mr. Hewlett was 75
or 76 years of age, was so ill as to be carried on pillows
before the Justice, and had, besides, a complaint of the
bladder, which put him to great pain. She was ordered
by the Magistrate to be imprisoned for twelve months as a
lewd woman. On her liberation, she went to Mr. Hew-
lett and begged his pardon for what she had done, ad-
mitting, bAire his daughter and servant, that she had for-
sworn herself.

She was found Guilty, and sentenced to seven years'
:ransportation.

CHELMSFORD, March 7.
James Griffith, aged 13, labourer, was indicted
for stealing a till, containing three shillings' worth of half-
pence, from the shop of William Hopkins, of Strat-
ford. The prisoner appeared to have been a very accom-
plished thief: he succeeded in opening the shop-door, and
obtaining an entrance, without ringing the alarm-bell
attached to it by a spring, and to have been in full retreat
with his plunder when detected. Is.n interest was excited
by this trial on account of the prisoner being the captain
of the notorious gang of " forty thieves," by which London
and its suburbs are infested. He was found guilty of steal
ing, but not of breaking open the shop, and recommended
to mercy. The gaoler of Hertford deposed that he was an
old offender, and that he had the mark of the " forty
thieves" on his person.--Sentenced to seven years' trans-
portation.
William Jcwers, aged 24, Francis Jewels, aged 18 •
and Stephen Jetvers, aged 28, labourers, were capital];
indicted for stabbing William Barker. This was a very
mysterious case, and excited intense interest in the Court.
It appeared that about seven o'clock on the sth of De-
cemllrr last, the three prisoners were together at the Red
Cow public-house, near Colchester, in the neighbourhood

of which they reside, using the most horrible and dia.
gusting language, asserting that there were body-snatchers
in the house ; that they had a weapon about them that
would do for any man ; that if they met a man and he
did not speak, they would do for him ;
men should capture them.and that no three

Mary Ann Fenning, the hostess of the house, deposes
to these facts, and also to there being no person on the
premises at the time but themselves. They departed in a
short time, perfectly sober, and shortly after were met by
the prosecutor, William Barker, to whom they were all well
known. Francis and Stephen passed by him, without no-
ticing him, but upon his coming abreast of Wm. Jewers, he
received from his band a desperate wound in the loins, in-
flicted with a knife, afterwards identified as William's, who
exclaimed, " You have caught it old boy." The pri-
soners then passed on, and the prosecutor made for the
house of one Byam, a labouring man, within a few rods
of the spot on which be was wounded. The clothes sad
shirt were here produced ; tbey were perfectly saturated
with blood, and presented a horrible appeal anoe. The
prisoners next morning were taken into custody.
The Jury returned a verdict of guilty against William
Jewers, and acquitted the other two.

The JUDGE immediately informed him that he should
defer pronouncing sentence till the next day, bat advised
him to be prepared to suffer the extreme penalty of the law.

SPARLINC V. HADDOII.

This was an action for a libel contained in a report
which appeared in the Colchester Gazette, of which de-
fendant is the printer and publisher. The plaintiff is an
attorney, and brought the action to vindicate his character.
He had been employed for a person named Appleby, in an
action brought against a butcher named Lines, residing at
Thorpe, for a breach of promise of marriage. This action
was tried at the last Chelmsford Spring Assizes, when
Appleby got a verdict for 300/., and Lines, the butcher,
was subsequently summoned before the Bench of Magis-
trates, to provide for the maintenance of the lady to
whom he promised marriage, she being also pregnant by
him. In the report of these proceedings, which appeared
in the Colchester Gazette, it was stated that Mr. Appleby►
said, " I have been put to great expense by the conduct of
Mr. Lines towards my daughter, and hitherto I have re-
ceived no remuneration for it ;" and that Lines replied,
" Then you should have employed a more honest lawyer :
you wish the money to be paid into his hands." Upon
which Mr. Appleby rejoined, " I now give you public
notice to pay no more money to him."
Mr. Serjeant SraNue amused the Court with a ha-
mourous speech of some length : the result was a verdict
of 20/. damages for the plaintiff.