The Sun.
London, England, 1861-09-26 00:00:00

3f NSLAIT G lITER

John Spiller, the sailor who was yesterday acquitted of
the wilful murder of William Dixon, but found guilty of
manslaughter, was brought up for sentence.
The learned Judge said it was a very bad case, and ho
sentenced the prisoner to 10 years' penal servitude.

NEW COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Keating.)

THE CASE OF VINCENT COLLUCCI, THE ITALIAN ARTIST

At the sitting of the Court the learned Judge said, since

the application made to him yesterday he had been fur-
nished with copies of the letters of which the leaned coun-
sel had asked to take copies, and having carefully perused
thorn, he found they were letters written by the prosecutrix

to the prisoner; their cont3nts were of a general character,
and did not, in his opinion, at all affect the case ; but, at the
sametime, the charge against the prisoner was one of a very
serious character, and he thought it would be expedient that

the learned counsel for the prisoner should have an inspection
of the letters so as to afford them an opportunity of judging
whet her any of them, or any portion of them, were material
for the purposes of the prisoner's defence ; but at the same

time he should not make any order for leave to take copies,
and he did not think the purposes of justice would be at all
prejudiced by he course he proposed to adopt. The order
he should make would be that the counsel and attorney for
the prisoner—and they might be accompanied by an inter-
preter if they desired—should have an inspection of both the
original letters, the translations and copies, and on the trial
such of them as counsel might consider material might be
produced. If counsel could satisfy the judge who tried
the case they could be put in evidence, and to give effect
to his order, he should direct that on the trial the ori-
ginal letters, with the copies and translations, should be
in court. With regard to the application for the post-
ponement of the trial until the next session, he thought
after the order he had made the prisoner was entitled to
ask that indulgence, The trial would, therefore, be post-
poned until next session.

Mr. Montague Chambers asked the learned judge to
name a day when it should be taken.

Mr. Justice Keating said it would be very inconvenient
;.) make any arrangement this session for the next.

CIIARGE OF RAPE.

A respectable man, named Hearne,surrendered to an in-
dictment charging him with unlawfully knowing Sarah
_ _

Johnson.

Mr. Cooper and Mr. Dickie prosecuted, and Mr. Sleigh
defended the prisoner.
The facts of the case have already appeared at length in
•The Sun. It will be recollected that the prosecutrix was
the wife of a policeman occupying apartments in the house
kept by the prisoner in Upper Ebury-street. The offence
was alleged to have been committed on the night of the
23d of August, whgn the prisoner, during the absence of
her husband on duty, entered the prosecutrix's sleeping
apartment and committed the outrage.
The prosecutrix, a very good looking young woman, having
repeated the evidence she gave at the Westminster Police
court,was submitted to a long and minute cross-examination
by Mr. Sleigh, with a view to show that she was labouring
uneer a delusion, and that the charge made against the
prisoner was altogether groundless. She said—l have cer-
tainly had medical advice lately, but certainly not for any
mental delusion. My husband certainly has never, to my
knowledge, been of opinion that I was subject to certain
hallucinations. I have certainly never had medical advice
on account of the state of my mind. I have been to Dr.
Love, but then it was not that I laboured under delusion.
I felt unwell, and accordingly, by my husband's direction,
I went to see him. He told me I was not seriously
unwell, but that a couple of bottles of medicine
would put me all to rights. I never made charge s
against absent parties in the presence of Dr. Love.
I did not tell him that a Spaniard had been following me
about for months. My husband told him so in my pre-
sence. I never told Dr. Love I was labouring under a
spell put upon me by an old woman. I don't know the
meaning of the term "spell." If Dr. Love said before the
magistrate I was suffering under some sort of delusion he
must have made a mistake. He never told me I waa
labouring under any mental ailment. When I have con-
sulted Dr. Love he has alimys told me I was labouring
under depression of spirits, but nothing further; I know a
Mrs. Blanchard. She keeps a greengrocer's shop, but
nothing more One night after I had some oysters at her
shop. I had a conversation with her, but I never told her I
had just drank half a pint of vinegar. She did not remon-
strate with me upon the subject. I never said my husband
locked me up because lie could not trust me about alone. I
never told Mrs. Blanchard that a Mr. Percival was con-
stantly following me ab,ut and kissing his hand to me. I
never asked a person named Ward about lodgings. I am
certain I never mentioned Mr. Percival's name to him. I
never charged Mr. Percival with kissing me. I have never
made charges against other persons which, on being heard
by a magistrate, have been discharged. Before I was mar-
ried I once went to Dr. Peplers with a message. I
never complained afterwards of an indecent assault being
committed on me by his assistant. I never charged him
with coming into my bed-room and kissing me. I know a
Mrs. Anell. I lived in her house four years. She has
always pretended to be my friend, but I know she has been
bought to give evidence against me.

Re-examined by Mr. Coopor—l never charged Dr.
Pepler's assistant with assault. I once went to his house
to tell his assistant to give him a message. He said " All
right, my dear," in a kind of offhand manner—and as I
was leaving his shop he said something about my crinoline.
Mrs. Hearn told me Dr. Love was a friend of theirs.
By the Judge—The day before the occasion took place
which has led to these proceedings I was going upstairs,
when the prisoner said, " What a nice leg you've got. I
did not let my husband know of that.
Police-constable 39 B said—On the 23d of August I saw
the prosecutrix standing at Mr. Hearn's street door. She
appeared very much excited, and told me she had been very
ill used. Her husband came up, and then Mr. Hearn was
taken to the etatkni When I first saw Mr. Ilea= he wag