The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-23 00:00:00

prisoner had—foolishly, no doubt—been in the
habit of carrying a pistol about him. The case, he
submitted, was one of extreme mystery. There
was nothing to show but that this woman had gone
from Bristol with some other man, and the prisoner
might foolishly have taken away the poor woman's
boxes, but even that not with any felonious intent.
He then submitted that, even if the jury should
be of opinion that the woman had met with her
death by the hands of the prisoner, it did not ne-
cessarily follow that it was a murder. The death
might even have been accidental.

• Mr. Justice Willes, in summing up, said the pri-
soner was charged with the wilful murder of Char-
lotte Pug,ley. No doubt there were cases in
which the charge of murder contained an alternative
of manslaughter—in which there might be evidence
to reduce it to something less than murder ; but,
with reference to the observations which the learned
counsel had addressed to them, it was his duty t,
say that if a person took away the life of another it.,
was prima facie murder, and there must be some-.
thing to show it was not before a jury should jump,
to a conclusion that it was not the greater crime:
There was not in this case a shadow of evidence
upon which, if theyshould be of opinion the prisoner
took away the life of the woman, they could in law or
common sense find him guilty of anything less than
the offence of murder. He thought it right to make
these observations, because the learned counsel had
used an argument which was not founded o❑
the facts or on the law. The woman was found
not only with a bullet in her brain, but with her
throat cut, and there were no appearances of her
having made any resistance to the violence offired
to her. If they were of opinion that she came to
her death by the hands of the prisoner they ought
to find him guilty of murder ; if they were not of
that opinion they ought to acquit him.
The jury found the prisoner guilty, and the
learned judge, in an impressive manner, sentenced
him to death.

MIDLAND CIRCIIIT.—WA-awicK, Dzc. 21.
(Before Mr. Baron Chappell.)
.ALLEGED ROBBERY OF GOVERNMENT STORES.

We resume our report of this case :
The learned Judge, in summing up, directed the
jury that they had first to inquire whether the pri-
soner was proved, to their satisfaction, to have sold
and delivered the guns contained in the case No. 2 ;
secondly, whether those guns belonged to her Ma-
jesty ; and thirdly, whether he sold them knowing
they were the property of her Majesty. As to the
remarks which had been made upon the witness,
Clarke, he must tell them that although they might
not in all respects approve of his conduct, still, if
they believed him to be the witness of truth, they
must act upon his evidence.
The jury returned a verdict of guilty.
Sergeant Hayes said they did not propose to offer
any evidence on the second indictment.
Sentence deferred.

William and George Brueton were next tried,
charged with having, at Birmingham, on 31st Oct.,
wittingly and knowingly, in their custody and po,
session, certain stores of war and goods, marked as
in the statute in that behalf is expressed, 29 gun.-
stocks and 29 gun-barrels, the property ofthe Queoo.
The same counsel appeared as in the last case, Mr.
Elers only being retained for the Bruetons.
This case was, in many respect@ similar to the
last, but some of the evidence showed additional
particulars ; a to how the goods were obtained. Itap-
peared that the prisoner, William, was in the em-
ploy of Mr. Turner, contractor, for the setting up
of Gore nnent stores. Guns were given to him
(Brueton) in their screwed-together state, in order
to be completefy finished. During the year upwards
of 100 had been so issued to him, but not many
more than 50 returned. Some time ago Mr. Turner
ordered him not to take any guns from the manu-
factory, but work at them there. Williams was
much in the company of the Bruetons, and on his
being seen by Blaudtord to bring guns from a shop.
which they (the Bruetons) occupied, they were ap-
prehended. They took the officer to their shop, and
upwards of 30of the mis iinggurt were there. Evidence
was given, not only that the guns were Govern-
ment stores, but that some of them had been in
Mr. Turner's establishment, and had been given
out to Brueton, there being remarks made by his
different workmen upon them.
At the conclusion of the case for the prosecution,
Mr. Elers submitted that there was no case to go to
the jury against George Brueton.

His Lordship, agreeMg in that view, directed a
verdict of alquittal.
Mr. Elers then addressed the jury on b2lialf of
William Brueton, ,contending that there was not
sufficient evidence upon which to convict.
His Lordship having summe•l up, the jury re-
turned a verdict of guilty against William Brueton
and Williams.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—DAIRMAIK, DE.c. 21.
(Before Mr. Justice Crompton.)
The court resumed this morning at nine o'clock,
Oswald Storey, 50, silversmith ; George Harris,
26, shopkeeper; John Hepburn, 59, jeweller;
James Cunningham, 24, publican, and James
Atkinson, 24, watchmaker, were indicted for having,
on the 15th November, at Sunderland, s'olen a
quantity of jewellery and other articles, the pro-
perty of Thomas Wilson Ranson.
Mr. W. D. Seymour and Mr. Lowers prosecuted.
The Hon. A. 0. Liddell defended Atkinson ; Mr.
Price defended Harris ; Mr. Davison defended
Cunningham.
Mr. Seymour briefly opened the case for the pro-
secution, and called,
Mary Ball, who said she was servant with Mr.
Ranson, the prosecutor, and left her master's house
on the afternoon of Sunday the 15th November,
belting all the doors wh, n she went. On return-
ing, about nine o'clock, she found the back street
door, the kitchen window, and the door leading
from the kitchen to the yard wide open.
Thomas Wilson Ranso3, solicitor, son of the
Mayor of Sunderland, said he left the house iu
charge of the last witness, on the 15th November.
She came to him in the evening, and on going
home with her they found the house in the condi-
tion she hsd de,cribed. Went to his wife's bed-
room, and found that his wife's dre,sing-case had
been broken open, and the jewellery and mountings
of the case taken away. The mountings bore the
initials of his wife's name, "F. D." An oval tea-
pot, which bore the initial " R." on one side, and
"J. and A. W." on the other, was also taken.
His dressing-case was broken open, and three sets
of shirt-studs and a breast-pin abstracted.
David Marks, a jeweller, in Newcastle-on-Tyne,
deposed that on the 18th November Atkinson
cave to his house and offered to purchase some
watches, which he proposed to pay for with a tea-
pot and some silver heads of a work box. The tea-
FA was broken up, of an oval shape, and bore the
letter "R" on one side. He did not take the
silver.

John Elliott, sworn—Am Inspector of Detec-
tive Police at Newcastle. On the Ist December
was in Pilgrim-street with Detective Douglas, and
saw Atkinson come out of Mr. Sufton's pawn-shop,
where he works, and join Hepburn, with whom he
went to the house of the latter, in St. Nicholas
Churchyard. Followed them, and saw Hepburn
put his hand haw-it), into his pocket. Took hold of
it and found it contained a Scotch pebble brooch.
Charge! then with the robbery at Sunderland.
Atkinson said he got the brooch fr In Harris.
Harris, when apprehended, said he had found the
brooch on the Quay-side, with some more stone,.
At the s'ation-house Harris told me to look in his
collar box, in his bedroom, and I should find some
shirt studs and stones in it. Found them as he
directed, together with a hair necklace. Storey,
on being apprehended and interrogated,- denied
having bad anything alio with any silver and
gold belonging to Harris. Cunningham, when
told that Harris had said that Cunningham had
given him some old gold and silver, said he wished
he was as sure of the kingdom of heaven as he was of
being free of that. Harris sent for me to the cell, and
said be wished to make a statement, and have it taken
down in writing. The other prisoners were called
in, and Atkinson stepped forward and said he wished
to make a statement too.
The statements of Atkinson and Harris, which
were rather voluminous, were read. Harris's state-
ment was to the effect that he had received a quan-
tity of old gold and silver to sell for Cunningham,
and that the stones and studs found in his collar-
box were portions of it. Atkinson said he got the
goods which were traced to his possession from
Harris, not knowing they were stolen, and that he
offered them for sale to Mr. Marks, and that even-
tually Hepburn sold them for him.
Detective Douglas corroborated Elliott's testi-
mony.
John hoed, a newsagent, spoke to having seen
Harris near Mr. Ranson's house on the night of
the robbery.
James Craven, a cabman, deposed that he saw
Cunningham and Harris is the vicinity of the house
on the day before and the evening of the robbery.
Mrs. Ranson identified a trooch, hair-chain, a
pearl, and two amethysts, and Mr. Ranson identi-
fied the shirt studs found in Harris's collar-box.
Mr. pike c intended that Thrris's statement was
tr 152., and a bona fide account of the transaction.
t
hx,h? Hon. 4. Liddell called .witneeses to prove
Atkinson was at his house at Walls-end on the
night ofthieuro:ibery, and in addressing himself to
the count,
t
Hatris,s
siaieni,ivnii: ,the dtiietrent charging his client with
felc niounly rec'ei
pioperty, contended that
germs gated Atkinson'e, and
that the evidence went to show that Atkinson did
not know it was dio:ionestly obtained.
Mr. Davir_on briefly addreisedthe court on be-
half of
thinning am
The jury retiredior about half an hoar, and re-