The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-11 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—York, March S.

The judges arrived in this town at seven o'clock
last night, and Mr. Baron Rolfe inumAliately pro-
ceeded in the High Sherifi's carriage to open the
commission at the Castle for the county, and at the
Guildhall for the city.
Their Lordships having attended divine service to-
day at the cathedral, proceeded to the castle at
twelve o'clock, and opened the business of the as-
sizes.

The calendar contains the names of 106 prisaners,
of whom three are charged with attempting to mur-
der, two with rape, five with manslaughter, 14 with
cutting and wounding, seven with horse and sheep
stealing, 12 with burglary, six with sacrilege, three
with forgery, two with perjury, three with bigamy,
and 23 with larceny.
The cause list contains an entry for the West Rid-
ing of 33 causes, and of 21 for the East and
North Ridirgs, of which 16 are marked for special
juries.

The Civil Court was occupied the greater part of
the day with undefended actions, after which M.
Baron Alderson, who eat in this court, tried several
prisoner?.
CROWN COURT.—(Pfore Mr. Baron ROLFE.)
George Furniss, aged 20, William Brayshauy, aged
19, William Cannon, aged 27, and James Taylor,
aged 21, were indicted for sacrilege, et St. George's
Church, at Leeds, and stealing therefrom five
blttles of wine, a communion table cloth and napkin,
some wax candles, three clergymen's scarfs, and
two books.

Mr. Hall and Mr. Johnston appeared for the pro-
secution. The prisoners were undefended.
It appeared that early in the present year St.
George's Church, in Leeds, required repairing, and
workmen were engaged in repairing it. On the night
of the 4th of January last the sexton, the father of the
prisoner Furniss, locked the doors of the church Efter
the workmen had left, and next morning it was found
that the church had been broken into, and that the
articles mentioned in the indictment had been stolen
from it. It also appeared that all the prisoners lived
together. One of the prisoners, Furniss, having
pleaded guilty, was called as a witness for the Crown,
and from his testimony it appeared that all the priso-
ners went that night to the church, whilst the work-
men were at work in it, and having concealed them-
selves in one of the pews, remained there until the
workmen had gone, and the doors were locked, after
which, collecting together the things stolen in the
vestry, the door of which they broke open, they un-
bolted one of the doors and got out of the church.
Suspicion alighting on the prisoners, Taylor's house
was searched, and a missing Bible and Prayer-book
were found there, which had been stolen out of one of
the pews.
The jury found the prisoners Guilty.
Brayshaw and Cannon were sentenced to one year's
imprisonment, and Taylor to be transported ten years.

Marcie 9.

NISI PRIUS COURT. (Before Mr. Baron
ALDERSON.)
FOTHERGILL V. TODD.

In this case the plaintiff is a member of the London
Stock Exchange, and the defendant reside 3 at Leeds,
and is also a member of the London Stock Exchange.
The action was brought to recover the difference in
the price of 50 great Northern Railway shares sold
to the defendant, and which he refused to accept.
There were various pleas, amongst others that the
shares sold had not been tendered.

Mr. Martin, Q.C., Mr. Sergeant Wilkins, and Mr.
Atherton appeared for the plaintiff; and Mr. Knowles,
Q.C., and Mr. 11. Hill for the defendant.
The contract of sale was given in evidence, and it
was proved that under that contract the shares in
question had been transferred to the defendant in the
books of the railway company on the sth of May last.
It was also proved that a tender of the shares had
been made in London about eleven o'clock that day,
and also by letter the day after at Leeds. The de-
fendant refused then to accept them, and the shares
were sold, the difference in price being 5571.
For the defence a point was raised that the shares
were not in point of fact tendered.
The objection was overruled by his LORDSHIP, who
held both tenders to be sufficient, reserving to the
defendant leave to move to enter a nonsuit on the
point raised.
A verdict fur the amount of the difference in price
proved was then taken for the plaintiff.
The other civil causes tried to-day were wholly de-
void of interest.

CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Baron ROLFE.)
In the course of the morning the grand jury came
into court, and by their foreman complained to Mr.
Baron Rolfe that they had been waiting an hour and
a half without any business before them.
Mr. Baron 110Lra—Well, gentlemen, I am sorry
for that ; but I believe the officer has gone to see
after it.

One of the officers in court here said that the
new printed regulations did not require the attend-
ance of witnesses in the cases fixed for that day until
twelve o'clock.
The Learned BARON referred to these regulations,
and informed the grand jury that this was so.
The Foreman—Whence, my Lord, do these regu-
lations proceed ?
Mr Baron ROLFE—That I cannot tell, but they
are framed fur the saving of expense to the public.
The Foreman—We think it very inconvenient.
Mr. Baron ROLFE—If you ask for my opinion, I
think that grand jurors ought to be in attendance
during the whole assizes.—(Laughter, during which
the grand jurors seated themselves in their gallery.)
After a pause the Foreman again addressed his
Lordship—" I did not intend to trouble your Lord-
ship with any observation?, but if grand jurors get
through their business satisfactorily, if they are not
to be discharged then, we think it will tend to dete-
riorate the character of grand jurors, and a difficulty
will be found in getting gentlemen to give their at-
tendance."

Mr. Baron RoLrE—Well, gentlemen, if you then
again ask my opinion, it is this—that there are the
same means to compel grand jurors to perform their
duties as there are to compel petty jurors. I re-
member in one county inflicting fines of 201. on many
grand jurors for their non-attendance. I must say,
however, that I think such a course not likely to be
necessary in this county, where I have always found
the grand jury list well filled up.
Thomas Atkinson, aged 20, was indicted for having
on the 15th of December last, at Leeds, assaulted and
robbed John Fozsrd of a sovereign, four half-crowns,
and ss.

Mr. Ellis appeared for the prosecution, and Mr.
Campbell Foster defended the prisoner.
It appeared from the evidence of the prosecutor,
that on the afternoon of the 14th of December last he
had received 1/. 15i. in payment for a coffin, which
he had made as a joiner ; that he placed this money
in his watch fob; and that afterwards he went to a
publie-house in the Free Market, called "No. 2,"
where he remained drinking till about 8 o'clock.
When he left there he was rather "fresh." On his
way through Regent-street he was suddenly seized
by two men, one of whom pinioned his arms behind
him, whilst the other cut away his watch fob and
money. They also robbed him of his spectacle-case
and tobacco-box. After this they knocked him down
on his face on the pavement, and his face was much
cut. He did not know either cf the men, and could
not speak to the prisoner. Two boys were then called
who stated that they saw the prisoner at about 8
o'clock in Regent-street have hold of one of the arms
of the prosecutor, and another man have hold of his
other arm ; that suddenly one let go his hold of him,
and ran away, and the prisoner pushed the prosecutor
backwards and forwards until he threw him down on
the pavement. The witnesses assisted him up, and
went with him home. His face was cut with the
fall, and he complained of having been robbed. They
both knew the prisoner.
For the defence it was elicited in cross-examina-
tion that the public-house called No. 2 was resorted
to by persons of bad character, and that five persons
were drinking in the room with the prosecutor; that
the prosecutor had not seen his money from the time
when he first put it in his watch-fob ; that ho was
very drunk, and that the two boys saw the prisoner
and the other man leading him like n drunken man,
when one gave him a push and he fell down.
The Learned CoussEL for the defence contended
that there was no evidence to connect the prisoner
with the robbery. The prosecutor might have lost
his money in the public-house and have concluded he
was robbed by the prisoner and his companion, or he
might have been robbed by other two men prior to
the boys seeing the prisoner and his companion lead •
ing him along ; and that the evidence was perfectly
consistent with the prisoner and his companion inno-
cently assisting the prosecutor borne, and wantonly
pushing him about in his drunken state.
His LORDSHIP having summed up the jury Ac-
quitted the prisoner.
Ann Healey and Elizabeth Pawson were charged
with having, at Wakfield, on the 11th of last Decem-
ber. forged two orders for the payment of money.
The prisoner Pawson pleaded Guilty.
Mr. Hall and Mr. Hardy appeared for the prosecu-
tion ; the prisoner Healey was not defended by
counsel.

It appeared that the prisoner Pawson, in December
last, was servant to Mrs. Harriet Harrison, of Field-
head, near Wakefield, and that Mrs. Harrison kept
her securities fir money in a bag, which nhe
at her bed head, and amongst them was a depositreceipt for 801., which she held as an ackw)wledge-
merit for that sum deposited in the bank of Messrs.‘
Leatham, Tew, and Co., at IVakefield. Pawson
having stolen this note from the bag in which it was
kept, induced the prisoner Ilealey to endorse "Hir-
riet Harrison" on it, and also to writo a note in
the name of Mrs. Harrison, requt2ating the bankers
to pay 101. on the deposit note. The prisoner Pawson
then took the note to the bank and received 101, the-
note being exchanged fur a deposit note of 70/. is .c.