The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-16 00:00:00

ASSIZE INT.ELLIGtENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT—CHELMSFORD, July 15.
CROWN SIDE.
(Before the Lord Chief Baron.)
MURDER.
Charles Finch, 26, a sullen, determined-looking
young man, was charged with the wilful murder of
Harriet Freeman, by cutting her throat, at the
parish of Ravenhall, on the 24th May.
It appeared from the statement of the learned
counsel for the prosecution, and the evidence ad-
duced to support it, that the prisoner was a labour-
ing man belonging to Ravenhall, and that during
the Russian war he entered the Land Transport
Corps, and was employed in the Crimea, and re-
turned from thence about a year and a half ago.
The deceased was a respectable young woman be-
longing to Kelvedon, but a few days before the
24th May, which was on Sunday, she had been in
the service of a farmer named Upson, at Ravenhall.
The prisoner and the deceased had been what
is termed keeping cOmpany together both before and
after the prisoner bad been to the Crimea ; but it
would seem that shortly before the fatal occurrence
he entertained the impression—f)1. which, however,
there did not appear to be the slightest foundation
—that during his absence the deceased had received
attentions from another man, and he was repeatedly
heard to declare that he would do her some injury.
They were walking together on the 19th of May,
and the prisoner a day or two afterwards told one
of the witnesses that he had a razor in his pocket
at that time, and that he was jealous of her in con-
sequence of her having been intimate with some
young man in London, and that he would do for
her the first opportunity that offered itself. On
the following afternoon the unfortunate young
woman left her master's house, about three o'clock,
for the purpose of going to church, and just as she
arrived at a stile iu a field near the town the pri-
soner suddenly jumped over the stile, and without
saying a word he inflicted a wound on her threat
with a razor. He then wont away a short distance
and returned and ga-Ve her another wound ou the
throat, and subsequently a third, one of them
severing the windpipe, and being of a very dan-
gerous character. The deceased contrived to make
her way to her master's house, where Mr. Tompkins
a surgeon of Wiham, promptly attended and
dressed the wounds, and for some time there ap-
peared a prospect of her recovery. but on the 26th
of June she became worse, and died on that day ;
and upon a post mortem examination it was dis-
covered that the injuries the deceased had received
had caused extensive inflammation of the windpipe,
and that this was the cause of death. The prisoner
was taken into custody sitting in a ditch near the
spot where the dreadful deed had been committed,
and his jacket and cap, covered with blood, were
found near him ; and a razor, which was the in-
strument he had made use of, was picked up close
by him. He appeared to make no secret of his
having committed the crime, and was ortinally
committed to take his trial for wounding w ith in-
tent to murder ; but upon the event of the
death of the deceased. subsequently taking place,
the coroner's jury returned a verdict of wilful mur-
der against the prisoner, and he was now triel upon
that inqui-ition. -

The jury returned a verdict of guilty. Sentence
of death was passed in the usual form.

NORFOLK.OIRCUIT.—AYLESBURY, JULYI4.
(Crown Court.—Before Lord Campbell.)
Charles Doprell, aged 27, and Edward Birch,
aged 33, were indicted for a burglary at the resi
dance of Mr. Mitchell, the lessee of the St. Jamea's
Theatre, on the sth of May.

Mr. Payne was counsel for the prosecution ; Mr.
Metcalfe defended the prisoners.
Mr. Mitchell owns a house at Iver, but is sel-
dom in residents. However, on the 4.h of May
be went to enjoy his °Gum, curn dignitate at Iver,
and ret red to rest at the usual hour. In the dead
of night his man-servant was disturbed byfootsteps
below, and, stealoag to the top of the staircase in
his nightshirt, heard two men walking about the
hall and drawing-room. He at once called our,
" Who's there ?" and received for answer, " Who's
that, you - ? Lay down, or we'll blow your
brains our." The valiant butler, nothing dauntel,
rejoined, " Will you ? I'll soon be down upon
you," and repaired to his bedroom, where hung a
prodigious old sword. Drawing this weapon from
its rusty sheath, the butler sallied down to the
lower floor, where he made such good use of his
voice and weapon that the burglars beat a sudden
retreat through the window by which they had
entered, but not before they had collected a few
valuables from the drawing-room. Early next
morning a constable fell in with the two prisoners,
in whose posiession most of Mr. Mitchell's pro-
perty was found, besides which awkward fact the
butler identified one of them by his voice.
Mr. Metcalfe having waived his address to the
jury,
The Chief Justice commended the learned coun-
sel for his judgment and discretioe, as the case was
too clear to admit of argument, and when that was
the case it was the duty of counsel to abstain from
attempt•ng impossibilities. .

The jury having ac once found the prisoners
gu lty, they were both sentenced to five years'
penal servitude.

- James Ranter, aged 32, was indicted for malici-
ciouily firing certain furze growing on Hud well-com-
mon, in the parish of Eddlesborough, the property
of the Earl of Powis' the sole acting trustee uuder
the will of the late Earl of Bridgewater.
Mr. Mills conducted the case for the prosecution.
The prisoner, who is an Irish tramp, called at the
house of a farmer on the 17th of June last, and
asked for relief, and being met by a refusal he was
afterwards seen to go into the high furze growing
close to the homestead, and deliberately to set file
to it in two places, after which he made off. The
labourers who had witnessed the transaction, pur-
fired and overiook him, and when one remarked
that it was a mercy he bad not set fire to the stacks
and all the place he replied with an oath, •` That's .
just what I meant to do. I should like to burn the
- to a cinder."
The jury found the prisoner guil.y, and he was
thereupon sentenced to three years penal servi-
tude.

Caroline Mason, aged 44, was indicted for the