The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-02 00:00:00

WINTER ASSIZES.

(NORTHERN CIRCUIT. —LIVERP3OL, Nov. 30.
Mr. Justice Wightman arrived here at half-past
four o'clock on Saturday afternoon, and at once
proceeded to open the commission in St. George's-
hall. This morning at 11 o'clock his lordship took
his seat in the Crown Court, and delivered his
charge to the grand jury. The learned judge having
entered at some length into the various offences
enumerated in the calendar observed that, though
in point of number there were fewer prisoners than
upon the last winter assize, the number at that
time being 118, whereas in the present instance the
number was 101, nevertheless the crimes were some
of them of a very aggravated nature, including
three cases of murder, various others of man-
slaughter, and several offences of burglary and high-
way robbery.
Alfred Fletcher was indicted for burglary at the
house of Mary Child; at Manchester, on the 17th
of August last.
Mary Childs, the prosecutrix, stated that she re-
sided with her sister in Back Ann-street, Man-
chester, and upon the night in quesdon she retired
to bed about half-past 10 o'clock, having secured
the house in the usual way, and at a quarter to five
on the following morning she was aroused by a
woman named Knox, who resided opposite to her,
and upon examining the house she found that an
entry had been effected through the kitchen win-
dow. The apartment down stairs was in great dis-
order, and she missed a shawl, a cap, and a cotton
bAbin which had been there when. she retired to
rest.

Mrs. Knox stated that she was working at her
house very early that morning, and saw the pri
Boner about 20 minutes to five press open the par-
lour shutters, force up the window, and enter the
house, upon which she immediately went in quest
of a policeman, and upon her return the prisoner
was in the act of getting out of the window with a
shawl under his jacket. The prisoner, upon seeing
the constable, ran off, dropping the shawl, but
upon being captured the cap and cotton bobbin
were found upon him, also some lucifer matches
and a piece of candle.
The jury having found the prisoner guilty,
and a
previous conviction having been proved against
him,
The learned Judge alluded to the circumstances
of the prisoner's previous career. In 1851, when
18 years of age, he hid been convicted of robbery ;
and in 1852 he had been found guilty of burglary,
and sentenced to 10 years' transportation ; and yet
ho found the prisoner at liberty, without any as.
siguable reason for the mercy which had evidently
been extended to him. Th 3 sentence of the Court
was that he be kept in penal servitude for 10 years.
Benjamin Kenyon and John M‘Dermott were
charged with robbery and violence from the person
of Thomas Morris, at Manchester, on the 27th of
Sept. last.
Mr. John Cross prosecuted, and Mr. Wheeler
defended M`Dermott.
It appeared that the prosecutor was a smith re-
siding at Manchester, and about a quarter past 12
o'clock on the night of Saturday, the 27th of Sep-
tember, he was returning from his club, and on
passing St. Jude's Church he saw the two prisoners
at the bar standing in company with six other men,
and on passing them one of the prisoners asked kim
for is. to drink, which he said he could not give
them ; whereupon Kenyon. struck him a violent
blow upon the eye, and M`Dermott seized him by
the throat, and during the scuffle they snatched
away his watch, which was suspended round his
neck by a guar]. The other men had gone away,
but the two prisoners were seen by the prosecutor
running away up an entry, and upon his giving in-
formation to the police the prisoners, who were well
known to Morris, were taken into custody, and
after the prosecutor described his watch as having
the words "improved patent" inscribed upon the
face of it, a witness named Humphreys, who also
knew the prisoner, came forward, and stated that
on the Sunday evening after the rAbery he was in
the house of a person named Vickers, and he saw
M‘DermAt offer Vickers a watch for sale ; that he
had the watch in his own hands, and he distinctly
remembered that it had the words " improved
patent " inscribed upon the face.
Mr. Wheeler having addressed the jury on behalf
of M`Dermott,
The learned Judge summed up, and
The jury found the prisoners guilty.
Previous convictions having been proved against
thrm, his lordship sentenced each of them to four
years penal servitude.

CROWN COURT, DEC, 1.
(Before Mr; Justice Wightrnanl)
John Haigh was charged with having, on the