The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-11 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

BANKRUPTCY AND LAW COSTS.—The Judge-Ordinary
has had before him a question as to costs, and effect of the
discharge of a bankrupt, which is of some interest. It
was a case in which the petitioner obtained a decree for
dissolution of marriage, and £3,000 damages were assessed
against the co-respondent ; whereupon he became bankt
rupt, and the que.ition was, whether his discharge there-
from discharged him also from liability to pay damages
and costs awarded against him. Sir J. P. Wilde said the
damages ass?ssed were proveable debts, raid the discharge
of the bankrupt therefore cleared him from any future

SINGULAR CHARGE OF FORGERY.-At the Maidstone
Assizes, on Tuesday, before Mr. Justice Byles, William
Barwick was charged with feloniously forging and uttering
an acquittance for the sum of £5 with intent to defraud.
This prosecution was instituted by the Post-office authori-
ties. The real prosecutor in the case was a young woman
named Jane Prior, who had a sum of money in the
post-office savings bank at Walmer, where she had
once resided. The prisoner lived at Wa'reer, and he
and the prosecutrix had been sweethearts, and there
did not appear to be any doubt that the latter was still
very much attached to the prisoner, as she gave her
evidence against him most unwillingly. It appeared that
during last year the prosecutrix went into service in the
neighbourhood of Croydon, but she still corresponded with
the prisoner, and in the month of November he wrote her
a most affectionate letter, in which he called the prose-
cutrix his " dear love," and requested her to send him her
bank book, in order that he might draw out her money ;
putting some of his own to it, he said he would place it in
the Bank of England for their mutual benefit. The prose-
cutrix at first objected, but afterwards sent him the book, and
he shortly afterwards presented himself at the post-office
at Walmer, with a depositor's receipt for £5, purporting
to be signed by the prosecutrix, and asked for the amount
to be paid to him. Suspicion had, however, been created
by the prisoner's proceedings, and he was given into cus-
tody. He then wrote a letter to the young woman, in
which he requested her to say that the signature to the
receipt was in her handwriting. She, however, refused,
and prisoner was consequently committed to take his trial
upon the present charge. The prosecutrix, in her evi-
dence, said that she did not believe that the prisoner
intended to defraud her of her money. The prisoner
was found guilty and sentenced to five years' penal ser-
vitude.

APPREHENSION OF AN OFFENDER.—CURIOUS POINT OF
LAW.—A man named Marsden was charged before Mr.
Justice Smith at the Nottingham Assizes with feloniously
cutting and wounding George Wesson and George Raison,
two police constables. The offence was proved, but the
objection was raised for the prisoner that after the
assault there was no continuing pursuit of the
prisoner ; that the constables went away to get
help, not returning for an hour to apprehend the
prisoner ; and yet they had arrested him without a
warrant. His lordship said there must be a proof that
there was continuous pursuit, and directing the jury to
find the prisoner guilty, he ordered the prisoner to be re-
tained in custody, the case being reserved for the Court of
Criminal Appeal.

WOUNDING A CONSTABLE.—Michael Donovan was con•
victed at the Aylesbury Assizes with burglariously entering
a dwelling-house and stealing a watch therefrom ; and also
of wounding a constable. The wounds inflicted by
prisoner were eight in number, and of a very serious nature.
Mr. Baron Martin sentenced him to ten years' penal
servitude.

•
THE ATTEMPT TO MURDER POLICEMEN.—OH
Tues-
lay the Irish shoemaker, Thomas O'Haran, charged with
having discharged five barrels of a revolver at two police-
men in the neighbourhood of Finsbury-circus, was brought
up for examination at the Clerkenwell Police-office. The
question having been distinctly put to the police, it was
stated that there was no reason for supposing the pri.
Boner was connected with Fenianism. He was committed
for trial.

The following is the subject for debate at the
next weekly meeting of the Oxford University Debating
Society :—" That this house regrets that it should hav)
been found necessary to entrust the post of Prime Minister
to so dishonest a politician as Mr. Disraeli." Moved by
Mr. Alcock, llrasenose.

In consequence of a late revaluation of land on
the Marquis of Ailesbui y's estate, the rental of the farms
has been considerably increased (in some cases upwards of
33 per cent.), and the terms of holding have been greatly
altered. Provision has been made for quarterly instead of
half-yearly payments, and for twelve months' notice to
quit to be given on either side. All game and rabbits are
reserved to the landlord, and the tenants are to keep the
buildings good repair, to pay one-half the cost of labour
for
in
landlord's repairs, and one-third the cost of outside
painting. The new arrangerrrn.ts have given great di I
satisfaction to the talantry.