The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-31 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCES

HOME CIRCUIT.—MAIDSTONE, JULY 30.
(Before Mr. Justice Blackburn.)
Henry Croucher, a young man, surrendered to
take his trial for the manslaughter of Henry Miles.
Mr. Russell prosecuted, and Mr. Ribton was
counsel for the defence.
It appeared that the prisoner was employed to
frighten birds from an orchard, and he had a gun
loaded with shot for that purpose. While he was
watching he saw something black in a tree at some
distance off, and imagining it to be a bird he
thoughtlessly fired at the object. It unhappily
turned out that the deceased, a young lad, had
climbed up into a cherry tree, and that he was the
object aimed at. He received the whole of the con-
tents of the gun in his body, and died almost imme-
diately afterwards. The unfortunate deceased, it
appeared, was trespassing, and had. no business
whatever to be in the tree, and the prisoner ex-
pressed the deepest regret at what bad taken place ;
and there was no doubt that to a certain extent the
unhappy catastrophe was the result of accident.
Mr. Ribton made a very able address to the jury
on behalf of the prisoner, in the course of which he
earnestly urged them not to add to the misery he
had already undergone by convicting him as a
felon. when it was perfectly clear he had not the
slightest intention to injure the deceased, or any
reason to believe that it was a human being in the
tree when he fired.
The jury returned a verdict of not guilty.

(Before Mr. Justice Williams.)
George Brett, an aged man, who appeared to be
paralysed and hardly able to walk, surrendered to
be tried upon a charge of bigamy.
Mr. Meadows conducted the prosecution.
This was rather a singular case. It appeared
that the prisoner was first married at Canterbury
so long ago as the years 1823, and a few year after-
wards the prisoner's wife left him, and in 1843 he
was again married to a woman named Mary Anne
Leman. The second wife, it appeared, was aware
that the prisoner had been married before, but he
told her his first wife was dead, and they continued
to live together until last February, when the
second wife became lunatic, and she was removed
to her legal settlement at Camberbell, in her maiden
name of Mary Anne Leman. From something that
subsequently transpired the relieving officer of
Camberwell went to make some inquires of the pri-
soner, in anwer to which he told him that his mar-
riage with his second wife did not hold good, as he
had a wife living at the time. The relieving officer,
upon hearing this, told the prisoner he would get
into trouble if he did not mind; to which he said,
" I trust in the Lord, for I have taken the advice of
one of our divines (the prisoner, as it appeared, was
a Wesleyan), and he told me that under the cir-
cumstances of my wife going away and committing
adultery, I could marry again."
The prisoner, when called upon for his defence,
made a rambling statement to the effect that he
lived with his mother, and she became so old that
she was not able to do up the house, and Mary
Anne Leman, the second wife, came to the place as
charwoman. The period of seven years having
passed away, he said that people used to come to his
house and say, " Brett, you look very comfortable ; i
you may as well marry Mary Anne Leman." He
said that his first wife went away with another
man, and he did not know whether she was alive
or not, and, under the circumstances, he thought he
was justified by the Bible in marrying again. He
thought that as he had not heard from his first wife
for so many years he was free to receive Mary Anne
Leman as his wife for her kindness to him during
a period of seven years. At the time he married
her he had not heard of his first wife for eighteen
years, and when she went away she told him that
she would rather break her legs then come back
again. (Laughter.) She went to London with an-
other man, and he heard nothing of her till very
shortly after the second marriage, and he then saw
her getting out of the train, and she said to him,
" John, I should have been down here before if I
had know.wwb at you were about." (Laughter.)
The jury found the prisoner guilty, and the
learned judge said he would consider what punish-
ment, under the peculiar circumstances of the case,
ought to be inflicted upon him.

and that he assaulted the police in the execution of
their duty. The plaintiff was conducted to a cell,
and the magistrate heard the case on the following
day. After they had adjourned it they dismissed the
case. The plaintiff thought that his liberty had been
invaded. He did not bring the action to make a profit
of it, but he believed that the law had been stretched
against him. He had. offered to stay proceedings if
the defendant would c onsent to give LlO to the Devon
and Cornwall Hospital and LlO to the Female
Orphan Asylum, to pay all expenses, and insert an
apology in various papers, but this was taken no ,
notice of. If a superintendent of police was the fit
person to judge of that which was irreligious, he
would necessarily state what political doctrines
should he promulgated. The learned advocate
concluded by remarking that " trath was great and
would prevail"—that if the police were permitted to
interfere in such a manlier, our liberties would be
endangered, and no man v,7ould be safe. The plain-
tiff expected no syMpathy from the jury, but he
merely asked to have justice done him.
For the defence it was ostended that Icono-
clast threatened to knock any policeman down who
came near him; that then a row ensued, and that
he did push the defendant, upon which he was taken
the plaintiff—damages one farthing.
into custody.
Verdict

POLICE INT.ELLIGENCE-July 30.

MANSION-HOUSE.—Adam Rogers, John Glee
son, and William Percival were brought before the
Lord Mayor, charged with violently assaulting
Richard Hodson, and stealing from his person a
pocket-book containing two bills of exchange for
£lOO and £34, and some memorandums and five
keys, a pocket•handkerchief, and some letters.
It appeared from the evidence of the prosecutor
that he was in the Whitechapel-road, when a man
went up to him and begged for a penny, which he
gave to him, and likewise took him to a publichouse
and gave him half a pint of beer. At the same time
the three prisoners, with three or four others, went
into the publichouse, and after a few minutes went
out again, and when he left they were all waiting
outside, and followed him. He tried to get away
from them, but could not, and he gave them two
pots, after which they followed him about until he
came to the Minories, where they took him to a
publichouse, and he paid for two more pots of
I beer. When they left there it was about half-past
three. When he got near the church he heard a
whistle, and in a moment Rogers gave him a ter-
rific blow on the forehead and knocked him down,
and the other two, Gleeson and Percival, rifled his
pockets, and a pocket-book containing two bills of
exchange and some keys was taken from his side
pocket. Rogers came up to him again and asked
him if he had got his purse, and he felt in his in-
side coat pocket and took it out, upon which Rogers
made a snatch to get it and missed, after which he
made a desperate struggle to get possession of it.
Chas. Oliver, police const able 31, deposed to search-
ing the prisoners and finding five keys, a pocket-
handkerchief, and some letters on Percival, all of
which were identified by the prosecutor as his pro-
perty.
The prisoners said they had been drinking with
the prosecutor all night, and they were all drunk
together, he as bad as they were, and they had no
idea of robbing him.
The Lord Mayor said that the evidence was too
strong against them to justify him in discharging
them, but he would remand them that inquiries
might be made.
The prisoners were remanded accordingly.
Richard Tobin, who was brought up a few days
ago charged with stealing a horse and cart, con-
taining a quantity of meat, value together about
£5O, from Leadenhall.market, was brought up yes-
terday for final examination, and was fully com-
mitted for trial.

SOUTHWARK.—Matthew Tunstall, a decent-
looking man, a shoemaker, was brought before Mr.
Burcham, from' St. Thomas's Hospital, charged
with making a most determined attempt to com-
mit suicide by cutting his throat.
Police-constable 49 L said that on Wednesday
evening last, about 9 o'clock, he was on duty in the
Blackfriars-road. when he saw a crowd in front of
the Old King's Head public-house. On going there
he perceived the prisoner with his throat cut, and
some one had taken a shoemaker's knife from him.
Witness conveyed him to St. Thomas's Hospital,
where he had since remained.
Mr. Burcham asked the prisoner what he had to
say for himself.
He replied that about sixteen months ago he was
foolish enough to marry a second wife, and having
had great confidence in the first he trusted her, but
soon found out his mistake, for she turned out not
only a drunkard, but a thief. She robbed the land-
lord, and was sentenced to three months' hard
labour at the Lambeth police court. When she came
out of prison he received her again, and in a few
days she returned to her old habits, and robbed him
of everything she could lay her hands on for gin,
and her conduct had so upset him that he did not
care what became of himself.
Mr. Burcham asked him why he made such a
wicked attempt on his life ?
The prisoner said that his wife had actually sold
the last thing she was possessed of, and meeting her
in the street he remonstrated with her. She abused
him so much that in the heat of passion he foolishly
cut his throat. He was sorry for it, and would pro-
mise not to make such an attempt on his life again.
Mr. Burcham told him that if he had a bad wife
he should live apart from her and not seek to take
his life. As he promised not to make such an
attempt again he should discharge him.