The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-21 00:00:00

• ,
ASSIZE LYTELLIGE NCR.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT--IYARlvicii., Vec. 20.
,John Kington, aged 22, was indicted for the wil-
ful murder of .Elizabeth Ann Kington, his wife,.at
Coventry, on the 12th of November last.
Mr. Spoouerrand Mr. Adams appeared for the
prosecution. ,
The prisoner pleaded guilty.
The learned Judge said that he trusted that•the
prisoner had not adopted such a course under any
hope or persuasion that it would be better, for him
in this world if he did so.

The prisoner in a low voice said that it was of no
use, and that he could not plead against his con-
science. _ _

A plea of guilty having been recorded on the
coroner's inquisition, the, prisoner handed in a writ-
ten paper, the perusal of which occupialthe learned
judge for some,minutes. On concluding it his lord-
ship said he trusted that the prisoner did not wish
the contents of, the paper to be read publicly.
The prisoner persisted in his resolution of having
it read in pUblic, and expressed a *wish that the
clergyman who had acted as his spiritual . adviser
should be called.

The Rev. Mr. Widdrington, vicar of St. Michael's,
was then sworn, and stated that the, prisoner had
acted under his advice in pleading guilty, and that:
other Wise his spiritual ministrations would have,
been unavailing to the-prisoner. He had made:in-:
quiries respecting the case, and had examined the'
evidence given before the magistrates and the coro.-'
ner, and he could come to no other conclusion than
that the proofs were overwhelming, and that the
prisoner had committed an atrocious murder. He
had assisted in drawing up the written statement,
in conformity with the wishes of the prisoner, and
for the:purpoie of its being handed to the judge.
The learned Judge said that the rev. gentleman
seemed to have mistaken the effect of the plea of
not guilty, which was only to put the prosecution
upon proof of the crime.
11Ir.Widdrington replied that the prisoner had sug-
gested to him, that he did not wish the last act of
his life to be the pleading a false plea. He assented
to a suggestion from the learned judge that the
paper had been drawn up under his advice.
The learned. Judge then said-1 have ,read it
through. It Appears to me that it is not advisable
that it should be read in public. You knoW to what
I allude.

Mr. Widdrington at once admitted the force of
the observation, and, after some little persuasion,
the prisoner was induced to forego the reading of
the paper.
The learned_ Judge then put on the black cap, and
said—Prisoner at the bar, you have been found
guilty on your confession of the murder of your
wife. I have read through the depositions of the
witnesses before the coroner and the committing
magistrates, and having done so, and finding their
evidence conclusive,, it is not a matter of surprise or
regret to me that you have thought it better, to
plead guilty, not in hopes of obtaining mercy in
this world, but from a consciousness that the evi-
dence was overwhelming, and in order to avoid the
pain of hearing the details of your crime proved by
the witnesses in face of the public. You have
handed in a paper, which I have read, and which I
will take care shall be forwarded to the proper
quarter. But lam bound to say 'that there is no-
thing in it to justify you in hoping that mercy will
be extended to you. I have prayed you not to have
that paper read in public. It contains imputations
on others of the most dreadful kind, and I should
regret that the last act of your life should have been
to impute to others such-a dreadful crime as that
which you have suggested. I have no wish to in-
crease your pain, but it is my duty to pass upon
you the sentence of the law, and I can hold out to
you no hope of mercy in this world The learned
judge then. proceeded to pass sentence of death in
the usual form.
Mr. Widdrington said that he was satisfied that
a proper course had been taken in respect to the
readil°, of the statement, and that he was anxious
that it should be understood that he was convinced
of the innocence of the party implicated by it.
The circumstances of the case were of a shocking
description. The prisoner is said to have been sub-
ject to fits. His marriage had been an unhappy
one. He had ill-treated his wife, and appears to

havo nourished suspicions as to her conduct. On
the day in question they were living apart, but he
met her in the streets of Coventry; took her to a
field on the foot road from Goventry to Stoke,
knocked, her down and cut her throat, severing the'
carotid artery, the windpipe, and,.indeed, all the
arteries leading to the spine.
The business of the assizes terminated shortly
after three o'clock this afternoon. •

MID T,LEBX SESSIONS.—Dec. 20.

(Before the Assistant-Judge.)

William 'Strongthorn, 22, and Henry Mathews,
40, carman, were indicted for stealing four decan-
ters, value 12s 6d, and other articles, the property
of Geo. P. Bone and Co., the masters of MatheWs.
Mr. Metcalfe was for the prosecution; Mr. Sleigh
defended 'Mathews ; and Mr. F. H. Lewis appeared
for Strongthorn, who by his advice pleaded guilty.
The prosecutors are glass dealers, and had a ware-
house in Charlotte-mews, Tottenham-Court-road,.
and the prisoners were detected in the act of remov-
ing property therefrom ; and from the fact of their
detection being the result of suspicion,. it was in-
ferred that the samelhing had been carried. on for
some time.
The jury found Mathews guilty, and the learned
Judge-sentenced him to 12 months and Strongthorn
to 6 months' hard labour. .7 •
In the ease of the Queen v. Farina, which had
been several times adjourned, against Pietro Farina
for indecent conduct in the Regent's-park in .the
presence of • females, the defendant had absconded,
and was, it was believed, now in Madrid.
Mr. Sleigh, en the part of the Associate Institute
for the Protection of Women, applied to the eotirt
for the costs .and.the discharge of the recognisanees
of the witnesses for the prosecution, as there wns.
no chance whatever of the defendant being taken
or surrendering.
The court made-the order.

Sohn Braisher, 27, was indicted for feloniously
receiving a gold watch and chain, value £l5, the
property of Thomas Berry.
Mr. Sleigh prosecuted. The prisoner was de-
fended by Mr. Ribton.

This case Occupied the attention of the court the '
greater portion of the day, but its nature may be.
given in a few, 'Sentences. The prosecutorkept a
public-house called the Great Western, in Hamp-
ton-street, Harrotv-road, and in March last he had
in his service a .briv, who was persuaded by the
prisoner, who psed to frequent the house, to rob his
master: The cash-box *as the first thing he sug-.
gesfed, but as that was not obtainable, the prisoner
told him to get him anything he could, and he
would reward him. The boy unfortunately yielded
to this solicitation, and stole his master's watch and
chain from his bed-room, giving them to the pri-
soner, who compensated him with a shilling. Lately
information was obtained by Sergeant Potter; 348
A, a detective attached to the D division reserve,
which led him to find the boy; who was then in a
respectable situation, and had maintained an honest
.character; end when'he asked about the watch• he
burst into tears acid told all about it—how he got
it, who had it, and what he got fore: the theft. In
consequence -the prisoner was apprehended, and
evidence was • adduced 'corroborative of the boy's
statements. Of course he was the principal witness
against the prisoner on his trial to=day-, and the
defence mainly relied upon by the learned counsel
for the prisoner was that there was not that amount
of corroboration which alone would justify a jury in •
convicting a prisoner upon the evidence of an ac-
.eornplice. After a•most careful sum Ming up by the
learned judge, the jury retired, and,'d considerable
time haying elapsed, came into court and pro
flounced the prisoner guilty. A foriner conviction'
for felony was then proved against him. The
Assistant-Judge said the prisoner had been 'ably
defended, and everything bad been sifted which
could :ell in his favour. He felt bound, liowever,
to say, not only that 'he concurred' in the 'verdict,
but that he thought no twelve reasonable Men could
have arrived at any • other conclusion ; and. the
verdict had only been• given after careful and de-
liberate consideration.

Sergeant Potter said he could produce four other
boys'whom the prisoner had tutored to thieve for
his benefit.

The Assistant-4-udo-esaid it would be an idle and
0
useless waste of words to dwell upon the enormity
of the prisoner's conduct, and the sentence upon
him was that he be kept in penal servitude for 15
years.
Ilis-lordship said that comment having been Made
as to the officer Potter, he wished to say, publicly,
that his conduct had been that of an active, zealous,
and praiseworthy officer. The prosecution had
been a most useful one, and had resulted in a most
dangerous person beinc, removed from society
—a
person who had induced innocent children to commit
c;ime for his benefit.

Charlotte HON; convicted of slopliftiNT, on a°
prosecution of' the .Society for the Prosecution of