The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-05 00:00:00

nesses:—
James Rushmere—l live at Felthorpe, and I know
the plaintiff, Miss Harriet Thraxter. I have known her
and her family seven or eight years. I have known the
defendant, Shepheard, a little longer. Miss Thrait -r
has been in the habit of living with her father end mo-
ther. Mr. Thraxter had two brothers and sisters. One
brother married a sister of the defendant. I went three
times to the house of Miss Thraxter's father about a year
and a half before her confinement. About seven years
since I stayed there a week. I saw Mr. Shepheard there
almost every day. He came courting to Harriet. Mary
Ann Bulmer was there, and she became my wife. I
visited there a second time, about a month before Miss
Thraxter's confinement. My wife was there at that
time. Then went to the house of Mr. Shepheard's fa-
ther to tea one evening, at the invitation of young Shep-
heard. I heard some conversation in Mr. Thraxter's
kitchen, and John Shepheard said to Miss Thraxt-r,
" Harriet, do not make yourself unhappy, for I'll m Ace
you my wife, and no one else." She replied, " That is ae
old tale, John;" and he said, " I'll do it, Rushmere you
are a witness to it." I said " Yes." He talked to me next
day on the lawn, and said he wanted to get a situation
on a farm that he might marry. I heard him say to
Harriet that nothing kept him from marrying, only the
want of a situation. He was living with his father at
that time. He went with me and my wife to the house
of his father, who received her very comfortably indeed,
and when she left, kissed her forehead and bade her good
night. Any person could see that she was in the family-
way at that time. About two years after I went to the
house of Harriet's father, and John Shepheard still came
coursing as usual, and he seemed very fond of the child
indeed. The child was about two ) ears old and ran
about. I had some conversation with Shepheard, and he
said "if it pleated Ged to take my father I should take
the farm and marry Harriet Thraxter." This conver-
sation was with me alone. His father is since dead.
Cross-examined, but nothing material was elicited.
Mary Pommel! said —I know Miss Thraxter and Mr.
Shepheard. I lived at his f ether's house, arid he used to
come to see her, and he seemed to be very found of her.
I have known them to bo acquainted for ton or twelve
years. I was the nurse of their child burn on 13th Nov.,
and now seven years old. During her confine aent Mr.
ehepheard came to see her on the Sunday after she was
confined. He went into her bedroom and found her crying
He took hold of her hand, and said, " Harriet, dear,
what do you fret fer? I en, an t) make you my wife, arid
no one else." He told me to get her well as soon as I
could, and he would pay me. He came again on Tuesday
and said, " Dear me, Harriet, what makes you fret ?
If I slighted you, you might have cause to fret." lie
stayed as long as he pleased, and then went away. He
was always used as one of the family when he came, and
he came very of►en. He said he would marry her, if he
had a situation to take her to. He wished me to name
the child Elizabeth Shepheard, and she was so named
and christened. Mr. Shepheard's father has been dead
about four years. I know Miss Thraxter'► family. Her
brother and sisters are married. Her father is a small
farmer, and the Thraxters have been always reckoned
very respectable people.
Cross-examined at some length, but her evidence was
not shaken.
Aim Goddard deposed that the defendant occupied a
farm of 300 :scree.
This was the case, and some legal discussion ensued on
the point, whether the count in the declEvation as to the
time of the breach of promise was supported by the evi-
dence. Untimately an arrangement was made as to the
amount cf damages, and we understood 401. to be the
amount agreed on.
A juror was withdrawn, and the rest of the jury were
discharged.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
BOIV-STREET.

John William Broach, a constable of two years'
standing in the la division, was charged with commit-
ting a series of violent assaults while in a state of in-
toxication.

A shoerw
str ker named Wyson, living in Dudley-
; street. St. Giles's, with his companion, John Apthorp,
were walking along Drury-lane at about two o'clock
in the morning of the 27th ult., when they saw the
defendant intoxicated, followed by a woman who was
abusing him. They told the woman to "abut up ;"
' upon which the defendant turned upon them, and
called: them "b-- Chartists and housebreakers."
Wyson said he would compel him to prove his words
in another place, and then the defendant drew out his
truncheon and struck him a blow, which left him
stunned and bleeding. The constable was followed
by the other complainant, who received still worse
treatment, being struck down and injured so seriously
, as to compel his removal to King's College Hospital,
where he remained several days.
The inspector described the injuries received by
the young men, and stated that the constable was
drunk when brought to the station, for which he had
been suspended. He was not on duty at the time.
At a former examination the case was remanded to
admit of the attendance of Apthorp from the hospital
but now both the complainants expressed their wish
to withdraw from the prosecution.
Mr. HALL asked if the defendant had offered them
any money to compromise the case ?
The complainants replied in the negative, and
Wyson stated that he was actuated by a consideration
for the defendant's wife and family.
Mr. Duncombe who attended for the defendant,
hoped that his worship would consider the punish-
ment inflicted by the Police Commissioners, in dis-
missing him, as sufficient under the circumstances;
especially as the complainants themselves had been
drinking.
Mr. HALL said it was a very bad case. Whether
on duty or not a constable was bound at all times to
observe the discipline and regularity of conduct essen-
tial to his position as a guardian of the public peace
and morals. As Apthorp's statement had not been
submitted to the Court, he could be allowed to exer-
cise his discretion as to proceeding with the charge;
but the case of the other complainant was before him,
and he (Mr. Hall) should not allow it to be compro•
mised. The public were generally too ready to com-
plain of the police, and such an outrage as this—
which, owing to the excellent management of Super-
intendent Pearce and his brother officers, was happily
of very rare occurrence in the division—would be
likely to increase their unpopularity in quarters where
a prejudice already existed: His Worship then fined
the constable 51, which was paid.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
Lord George Gordon Lennox was summoned be-
fore Mr. Bingham to show cause why he refused to
maintain the illegitimate offspring of Elizibeth
Beatty, of which he was alleged to be the putative
father.

Mr Ballantine attended for the defendant, who did
not personally appear.
Elizabeth Beatty said she lived at No. 19, Queen's-
square, and on the 24th of November last she was
delivered of a female child, of which Lord George
Lennox, the defendant, wag the father. No letters
had pasted between the alleged father and herself, and
no money had been paid in the presence of witnesses
for the support of the child. On one occasion his
Lordship said, in the presence of a witness named
Sidney, in a joking way, that he was the father
of her chill

Cross-examined—Could not recollect the exact
time when the connexion with his Lordship first took
place, but believed it was about the middle of Anril,
at an "introducing" house, in Bolton-place. HO
never been intimqte with any man in April, 1849,
except his Lordship. Before witness became ac-
quointed with his Lordship she followed the dress
making line. First met his Lordship at the Casino,
in Windmill•strk,et. llad seen gentlemen in an " ac-
commodation" housr, in Tenterden,street. Knew
who Old Charley was. Had sent to a Air. Clark
for money. itt!ctived 10s. and afterwards 5/. from
Mr. Clark, but it was from charity.
_Never sent any

0.,e to the Alfred Club to ask if " Old Sir Robert:"

iu town. The present was not witness's first
child.

Ai a material witness was absent, Mr. Bingham
decided on adjourning the farther investigation of the

case for a fortnight.

IMPORTED PICTURES.—In the Art Journal for
April is published the following curious statement of the
!timber of pictures impixted into the United Kingdom in the
year 18119 ;--From PrusAa, 31; Germany, 1,066 ; Holland,
1,916; Belgium, 9,420; France, 3,49 S ; Spain and Portu-
gal, 326 ; Italy, 1,723 ; other countries, 1,678 :—total,
P,691.

The jury ultimately returned a verdict of Guilty,
with a recommendation to mercy on account of his
previous good character. .
His Lonosnir deferred passing sentence on the
prisoner.
NISI PENIS COUR P.—(Before the Cu-1u CATION )
13 REACTI OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE -TUTU:NM It V.

SIIEPREARD.
This was an action for breach of promise of marriage.
Mr. Prendergast and Mr. Couch for the plaintiff, and
Mr. O'Malley for the defendant.
Mr. COUCH opened the pleadings. The declaration
stated that the defendant had promised during the life-
time of his father to marry the plaintiff within a reason-
able time after his father's death, which took place on
May 2, 1846, but that the defendant had recently mar-
ried another person. To this the defendant pleaded,
first, that he did not promise; secondly, that the pro-
mise had been obtained by fraud, coven, and misrepre-
sentation; and thirdly, that the defendant made the
promise on the supposition that she was a just, modest,
and good woman, but that he afterwards discovered that
she was not so.
Mr. PRENDERGAST, in stating the eaae,said the plain-
tiff, Miss Harriet Thraxter, was the daughter of a re-
respectable farmer, living at Llindolveston, in this county,
and the defendant, Mr. Shepheard, was a farmer living at
Melton Constable, an adjoining parish. These families
ha i been long and intimately acquainted, so intimately
indeed that two brothers of the plaintiff married two
sisters of the defendant. It could not be considered that
a marriage between the defendant and Miss Thraxter
would be unequal, as they were in the same rank of
life, and had been for a number of years very intimate
and on friendly termq. Mr. Shepheard at the present
time was 46 years of age, and the plaintiff 34. The
courtship between theincontinued for a consideraale time,
it being commenced when Miss Thraxter was only 24 or
25 years of age ; and it would be shown tha; the ac-
quaintance between them was of a very intimate descrip-
tion. The Learned Counsel proceeded to detail the facts
as given in evidence, and then called the following wit-