The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-23 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORFOLK CIRCUIT.—CAMBRIDGE, JULY 22.
(Before Mr. Justice Wightman.)
THE PARSON DROVE MURDER.

This was the only case left for today, and was
called before Mr. Justice Wightman. The prisoner,
Augustus Hilton, bad been put back on Saturday,
but his was the only case remaining for this morn-
ing.

'The prisoner, who is about 28 years of age, on
being placed at the bar, was formally arraigned for
that he did feloniously and wilfully kill one Char-
lotte Hilton, his wife, at Parson Drove, on the 2d of
March, 1861. Prisoner was arraigned on the magis-
trate's committal, and under the coroner's warrant.

On being asked how he pleaded, he said, in a
firm and collected voice, "Guilty.'
His Lordship (to the prisoner)—l am not quite
sure that you clearly understand the precise nature
of the charge against you. The charge is that you
not only killed your wife—and I beg you to under-
stand this—but that you killed her with deliberate
intent so to do, or, as the law expresses it, "of
malice aforethought,"—that is, too, without such
circumstances of exculpation or provocation as
might, in the eye of the law, reduce your offence to
manslaughter. I may further say that I believe
that the interests of public justice would be best
served in this case, as in others of a similar cha-
racter, if you were fairly and openly tried; and so
I earnestly advise you to reconsider your plea, and
to put yourself upon your trial. I must add that
you must not expect any mitigation of your sen-
tence by reason of your pleading guilty. I advise
you to withdraw that plea, and to plead " not
guilty."
Prisoner—l shall not, my lord; I shall not alter.

Judge—l cannot prevent your persistence in
that plea, but I ask you again, eolemnly, do you
still persist in your determination of pleading
guilty P
Prisoner--Yes, my lord, I shall not alter.
A conference here took place between his lord.
ship and the clerk of arraigns (Mr. Edgell), in the
couse of which, Mr. Metcalfe, (prisoner's counsel)
entered the court.

His Lordship (to Mr. Metcalfe)--I have to inti-
mate to you, Mr. Metcalf, that your client has
pleaded guilty ; that I, not being sure that he
thoroughly understood the gravamen of the charge
against him, have explained it to him in all its con-
sequences, and he persists in pleading guilty.
Mr. Metealfe—l can assure your lordship that
the prisoner's friends have taken every care for his
defence. I took the opportunity on Saturday of see-
ing the prisoner, and endeavoured to persuade him
to alter his determination as to his plea. I advised
him not to plead in the way he has done to-day, but
he would persist.
Judge (to Mr. Metcalfe)—You know that I have
no power of altering his plea: I cannot compel him
to plead not guilty against his will.
(The prisoner at this moment was a model of cold
calm determination, and really appeared the most
disinterested person in court.)
Judge (to prisoner)—ho you really persist in
your plea ? Once again I ask you.
Prisoner—Yes, my lord. I shall not alter.
His
a proper interval, or-
deredthe prisoner,
who being asked why sentence of death should not
be passed upon him according
the clerk
arraignsafter
to
,6
call"
to law, answered
calmly "Nothing."
His Lordship, then formally assuming the black
cap, said—Augustus Hilton, you have, after full and
anxious consideration and warning, confessed your-
self guilty of the foul crime of deliberate murder. I
should have been better satisfied, and I cannot but
think that the ends of publicjustice would have been
better satisfied, if the circumstances of your guilt
had been fully known, had been fully exposed in
the course of a public investigation. It is right,
however, that I should say that the depositions
leave no doubt of your guilt whatever ; they leave
no doubt that after some altercation between
you and your unfortunate wife yu, on the evening
of, and consequent upon, such altercation, followed
her upstairs with the deliberate ittention of taking
her life, the wound inflicted, the nature of that
wound, the instrument with whici that wound was
effected, and your expressions afterwards leave no
doubt as to your intention. It is no part of my
duty, and most certainly it is no part of my desire
to aggravate the horrors of your situation. You
have, by reason of the dreadful crime you have com-
mitted, by the laws of both God and man, incurred
the fearful punishment of death in the flesh. I sin-
cerely hope the penitence you have expressed since
you have been in confinement is sincere. For the
short time that you have to remain here, let me call
on you to cast your thoughts beyond the grave ; en-
deavour by earnest praper and sincere repentance to
obtain that mercy of which I can hold out no hope
to you here. My only remaining duty is to pass on
you the dread sentence of the law.
His Lordship passed sentence of death in the usual
form, and the prisoner was removed from the bar,
to all appearance rather relieved in his mind than
otherwise.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—YORK, JUly 22.
NISI PRIUS COURT.
(Special Jury.)
THE QUEEN Y. CHABLESWORTH.
At the opening of the court this morning,
Mr. Overend stated that he had been instructed
by the Attorney-General to apply to his lordship to
enter a verdict of not guilty upon the sixth and
seventh counts in the indictment in this case, those
counts having been abandoned by the Attoraey-
General during the trial on Saturday. These counts
bad reference to the money given in bribery to Jahn
Wainwright and Simon Speak, two of the voters.
Mr. Mellish, on behalf of the defendant, said it
ought to be taken that his lordship directed a ver-
dictwith respect to these counts.
on these two counts.
The learned Judge remarked that to his belief ht
did state, in summing up,
Mr. Baron Martin said e was no evidence
Mr. Mellish observed thatuats..
co that there
taken that his lordship it was quite right to. be
said so. The verdict given
was in a peculiar sta.
it upon himself to he thought he should take
these two counts. ,
whisatlo.rdship added—l will tell
He. ct a verdict of not guilty on
you, Mr. Mellish
the others ; and I directa
ainsdmihee
jury count,
—d
discharged
h verdictarged on
f
the course of the trial.
not guilty on the sixth seventh counts, which
were abandoned during
THE QUEEN V. CROWTHER.
hf e
an t d
the an
(Special Jury.)
Mr. Overend, Q.C., Mr.
~ Monk, Q.C., Mr. Cleasby,
Q.C., and Mr. West were for the Crown ; Mr. Price,'
Q.C., and Mr. Maule were for the defendant.
This was another of the Wakefield bribery prose -
was an active partisan of
tWakefield election in April,
1859, and he was charged with having expended a
considerable sum of money in bribing electors to
vote for Mr. Charlesworth, and in offering bribes to
others. There were five specific charges against him,
namely, two instances in which he had actually
elNillrti.°Cnhs'arlTeshweote
money
in bribing Mr. Charlesworth's
parted with m
voters ; and three cases in which he had offered
bribes to electors, but the money had been refused.
Mr. Price, Q.C., for the defendant, contended that
his client had been very harshly and cruelly treated.
Ha had a just right to complain, having
spoken the
truth to the best of his knowledge when before the
commissioners, on the promise and assurance of pro-
tection, that there should be any prosecution insti-
tuted against him in violation of that promise. The
learned counsel contended that the offer of bribes
had not been made seriously, but in chaff and in
joke, and in conclusion he called upon the jury to
throw their shield of protection around the defen-
dant, and rid him of the circumstances which would
result by the success of a harsh and vindictive pro-
secution, merely because he had been an active and
zealous political partisan of Mr. Charlesworth.
Mr. Overend, in reply, contended that the charges
against the defendant had been clearly proved by
several respectable witnesses, and that the Crown
were perfectly justified in instituting the prosecu-
tion, which was not one of a harsh and vindictive
character.
Mr. Baron Martin, in summing up, said the real
question was whether certain witnesses who had
been called had spoken the truth, and if they had
not perjured themselves the defendant was guilty
of the offence of bribery. If the defendant did in
reality offer the men money to vote for Mr. Charles-
worth, he had in point of fact done that which the
act of Parliament declared to be a misdemeanour.
The jury must carefully consider the whole of the
evidence which had been adduced, and decide ac-
cordingly.
The jury retired, and were absent for 40 minutes,
when they found a verdict of not guilty.

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