The Sun.
London, England, 1859-11-05 00:00:00

a very simple process, which is not used in ninety
nine cases out of a hundred. The inquest is now
over, and the jury have found a verdict acquitting
everybody of blame. The proceedings have not
thrown much fresh light upon this terrible tragedy
of the wreck of the Royal Charter, but it will stand
recorded in our English chronicles as among the
national calamities of the year 1859.

MIDDLES_EX SESSIONS, Nov. 4.

(Before the Assistant-Judge.)
George Chapman, a carman, was indicted for
maliciously assaulting William Thomas, and. also
for a common assault. By the advice of his counsel,
Mr. F. H. Lewis, the defendant pleaded guilty to
the latter charge.
ikif. Cooper called the prosecutor, who stated
that he was driving in his phaeton towards Stam-
ford-hill, and the defendant was in charge of a team,
which was ahead of him. The defendant was allow-
ing his horses to straggle across the road, so that it
was impossible for any vehicle to pass by ; so he
touched the fore horse with his whip to move him
aside ; the horse moved to the other side, and de-
fendant then rushed upon him and belaboured him
with his whip, drawing blood, and used language
of the basest description, so much so that, for the
sake of a lady he had with him, he (prosecutor) was
compelled to drive on, so disgusting were the words
he uttered.
• Mr. Lewis urged that the defendant was on his
right side of the road, and on the impulse of the
moment struck the prosecutor for, as he considered,
improperly interfering with his horses.
The learned counsel called the defendant's em-
ployer, Mr. Humphreys, of Chingford-hall, who
deposed that he had been in his service over 20
years, and had always borne the character of a civil,
well-conducted, honest, sober man.
The Assistant-Judge, after commenting on the
circumstances, said he felt it his duty to sentence
the defendant, who had been guilty of a gross and
unwarrantable outrage, to three months' Imprison•
went, but without hard labour.
John Davis was indicted, with Charles Harris,
who surrendered, for stealing an oil cask and a vat,
value £4, the property of Sir John Hare, from
premises belonging to him in Kent's-place, North
-Wharf-road, Paddington.
Mr. Cooper prosecuted.
After the evidence had been given, the Assistant-
Judge withdrew the case as. against Harris from
the consideration of the jury, and left them to de-
cide as to the guilt of Davis.
The jury found Davis guilty.
Sir John Hare stated that the prisoner Davis had
been in his service, without a stain on his charac-
ter, except for drinking, up to this transaction, for
nearly 40 years.
Henry Griffiths was then tried for stealing, and
also for receiving, a vat and four casks, the property
of Sir John Hare, from the same premises.
Mr. M'Donnell defended the prisoner.
The jury fully acquitted him.
The Assistant-Judge said he thought it necessary
to caution him.
Prisoner—l be innocent, sir. I bought the things
in a fair sort of way, and sold. 'em to get a bit of
profit if I could, and when I've made a shilling,
why, I've saved it in a right way. I'm no thief,
gentlemen, and don't want nothing but what's my
own.
The Assistant-Judge—You are discharged. We
have had a good character of Sou; if we had not
you seem disposed tet give yourself one.
Prisoner—Thank'ee, sir.
Davis was sentenced to 18 months' hard labour.
Mr. F. H. Lewis, who defended Harris, said he
might be allowed to state that, though he had not
the opportunity of calling witnesses, his client was
a man who had borne an-unexceptionable character
for 30 years.
George Aldridge, 21, was indicted for stealing a
coil of wire, the property of W. H. Potts and
another.
The prisoner went to the prosecutor's :lop, 65,
York-street, Westminster, to make a purchase, and
was seen to secret a coil of wire, which he took
from the counter, under his coat. He was found
guilty, and sentenced to hard labour for a month.
Mr. Langford prosecuted; Mr. C. nth was
counsel for the prisoner.
(Before Mr. Creasy.)
Nicholas Doynen surrendered to take his trial on
an indictment for assaulting two police-constables
in the execution of their duty.
Mr. Cooper and Mr. Langford prosecuted, and
Mr. Itibton and Mr. Dickie were for the defence.
The jury, after a long deliberation, found the de-
fendant not guilty, giving him the benefit of a doubt
as to his identity.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE, Nov. 4.

LAMBETII.—TFrE EXTRAORDINARY AND
HEARTLESS CASE OF BIGAM Y. —Henry Willcox,
who has been in custody for three weeks on a
charge of bigamy, and who was on the point of
getting married to a third wife when he was appre-
hended, was placed at the bar before Mr. Selfe for
final examination.

The case exhibited in a striking manner the ab-
solute necessity for a public prcsecutor, or some
change in the criminal law by which witnesses
coming from a distance may be allowed their tra-
velling expenses, for had it not been for the perse-
verance of Mr. Selfe in writing to the Police Com-
missioners and pointing out the necessity of paying
the expenses of a witness from Wakefield, as impu-
dent and, as heartless an offender as ever was placed
at the bar of justice must have been discharged and
enabled to laugh at his unfortunate victims.
It will be recollected, from what transpired on
the former examinations, that in the year 1851 the
prisoner had been married at Wakefield to his first
wife, and at Camberwell, in 1854, to his second.
He lived with the latter until the early part of last
month, when he deserted her at Hull, leaving. her
in a state of great destitution. She followed him to
London, and from information which she received,
she proceeded to Wakefield, where she found out
his first wife, and on her return to town gave such
information to the police as led to the prisoner's
apprehension. At the time of his being taken into
custody, the prisoner was residing at Dalston, near
Hackney, with a dashing female, late the kept mis-
tress of a gentleman, who had made a handsome
settlement, and to whom he was on the point of
marriage, the bduns having been published at a
neighbouring church. This female, dressed in the
first style of fashion, attended the first examination
of the prisoner, and engaged a solicitor to defend
him, but from some remarks that had fallen from
the second wife, the report of the proceedings
brought forth a husband for the lady in the person
of a smart artilleryman, named Grey, who had been
to Hull on a recruiting party, and who had been mar-
ried to her about two months ago. Grey, on reading
the account in the papers, waited on the magistrate to
know what he could do in the niatter, and subse-
quently proceeded to the residence of his wife, at
Haggerston, and having previously learned from
the officers that, on the morning of his apprehen-
sion, the prisoner had delivered up to hern valuable
gold watch and chain, insisted on having these
articles given up to him, and the lady, rather than
submit to a further expose, consented to do so, and
gave him £l5 in cash besides, which he pocketed,
and walked back to his quarters at Woolwich.
The necessary witness to the first marriage now
a,ppeared, the Commissioners of Police having, in
consequence of Mr. Selfe's letter, sent her a suffi-
cient sum to defray her expenses, and her evidence
having clearly established the prisoner's marriage
with Elizabeth Beaumont in February, 1856, and
the fact of that person being at present living, and
in the enjoyment of perfect health, the testimony
of the second wife was admissible, when she clearly
proved the prisoner's guilt. _ _

George ILII, 164 Icdeposecl, that in consequence
of information received from tho last witness, and
obtaining from her also the certificates of both
marriages, he took the prisoner at Dalston. He
told the prisoner that he had learned he was about
to be married to the female he had seen in his com-
pany, upon which the prisoner laughed, and said
it was so, but that the lady had two husbands
already ; and while passing along Kingsland-road
he pointed out a publichouse on which they had
paid a deposit, and said that if his second wife had
kept quiet he should have remitted her plenty of
money from that publichouse.
The second wife, who appears a very respectable
woman, was recalled, and in reply to the magis-
trate's questions said, that at the time of her mar-
riage with the prisoner she had £3OO in cash, but
expended every farthing of it in advancing
the prisoner's interests, and also in furnishing a
house. Her furniture, which she said would be a
little fortune to her now, was left in the charge of
a Mr. Ellis, at Peckham, where her husband and
herself went to.

Hall—And this person now refuses to give it up.
Mr. Selfe said he had no right whatever to de-
tain it from her, and regretted he had not the power
to compel him to give up the furniture, as the value
of the goods placed the ease beyond his jurisdiction.
He should advise her, however, to apply to a re-
spectable solicitor, who no doubt would recover the
property for her.
The poor woman replied that there would be very
little use indeed in her going to a solicitor, as she
had not a shilling in the world, having been brought
to the utmost distress.
On hearing this, Mr. Selfo humanely recom-
mended her case to the kind consideration of a soli
oitor present on other business, and that gentleman
undertook to do all that was necessary to recover
her goods.

The prisoner was then committed for trial, and