The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-06 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

. SINGULAR CASE.—In the Court of Queen's Bench the
case of Richardson v. Du Bois was heard. It seemed that
Mr. Du Bois was formerly an eminent proctor in Doctors'
Commons, and when the Probate Court was established
the defendant obtained £350 per annum compensa-
tion. At the latter end of 1865 Mr. Du Bois, in
consequence of overwork, had to be sent to a
lunatic asylum. At that period he had purchased and
occupied a house in Thurloe.square, and after his removal
his wife and three children remained in the house,
and in • the year 1867 Mrs. Du Bois called the
plaintiff in to paint and repair the house, which
he accordingly did, and was paid money on account.
At that time he was not aware that the plaintiff was
insane ; but on the death of Mrs. Du Bois the present
action was brought. For the defendant it was first urged
that the wife was not the agent for her husband ; that in
two years she had received a sum of £2,219, consisting of
the allowance in respect of the Probate Court, and sums
kindly and voluntarily allowed by Mr. Du Bois's partner ;
and it was Contended that this sum was sufficient for the
necessary expenses of the wife and family of Mr. Du Bois, and
for all necessary repairs to the house. The jury found for the
plaintiff, believing that the wife was the agent of the
husband.
- ACTION AGAINST THE METROPOLITAN RAILWAY.—In
the Court of Common Pleas judgment was given in the
case of the Metropolitan Board of Works v. the Metro-
politan Railway Company, which involved an important
question of law. The defendants, by their Act of Par-
liament, were to submit the plans of their works to the
plaintiffs for their approval. This they had done, and the
plaintiffs had approved the plans. In the course of work-
ing according to their plans the defendants came within
15ft. of a large sewer belonging to the plaintiffs. The con-
sequence was that there was not sufficient earth to support
the sewer, and it gave way, in consequence of which the
Metropolitan Board of Works bad to expend £lB,OOO in
reconstructing the sewer, and they now sought to uphold
a judgment for that sum against the railway company.
The Lord Chief Justiee.and Mr. Justice Byles held that the
board had no right to the lateral support of adjacent
ground for their sewers unless they had purchased the
ground through which they ran, and that as they had not
done so in the present instance there was no duty cast
upon the railway company to carry on their works in such
a way as to leave sufficient soil to support any such
sewers as might be near. Mr. Justice Willes was of a
contrary opinion, but the verdict was that of the majority
of the court.

ACTION AGAINST THE SHERIFFS OF MIDDLESEX.—In
the Court of Common Pleas an action was brought against
the Sheriffs of London for allowing a prisoner to escape
from their custody. Mr. Chalmers, a stationer, had
advanced one Dolby the sum of £225 upon a bill of
exchange. The bill not having been met, the plaintiff
caused Dolby, who he understood was about to leave the
country, to be arrested. After Dolby was arrested his
father undertook to pay the plaintiff the sum of £l5O on
account within a week, and to give security for the
remainder of the debt. Before the week had expired,
however, the defendants allowed Dolby to escape, and in
consequence Dolby's father refused to pay the money.
Dolby was afterwards prosecuted and sentenced to penal
servitude for forgery. The jury awarded the plaintiff £255
damages.

PROSECUTIONS FOR BRIBERY.-At the Bristol Police-
court Charles Stephens was charged with having at the
late Bristol eiection unlaw:ully and corruptly offered a
bribe to Albert Hawkins, Edward Bennett, and Aaron
Stiles, in order to induce them to vote. Albert Hawkins
stated that he was going to tire poll to vote for Morley,
when Stephens alighted from a cab and asked him where
he was going. He said, " To vote for Morley," whereupon
the accused said, "Don't be a fool ; vote for Mr.
Miles, and I will pay your expenses and give you
103." Edward Bennett said that the defendant offered
him two days' work and "gold" to vote for Miles. Aaron
Stiles gave corroborative evidence, the words used to the
Witness being identical with the language made use of by
the defendant when addressing the preceding witness. For
the defence it was contended that the accused was very
drunk, that he talked a lot of inflated nonsense, wanted to
become member for Bristol himself, and that his offers to
bribe were mere idle words spoken while under the influence
of liquor. Witnesses having becn called for the accused,
the magistrate sent the case for trial.

ACTION BY AN AUTIIORESS.—An action of a rather
novel character has been tried in the Westminster County
Court. The real plaintiff was Mrs. Whitcombe, wife of a
solicitor, who sued Mr. Adams, of the firm of Saunders,
Otley, and Co., publishers, to recover a sum of £5O alleged
to have been agreed upon as the amount to be paid for a
work entitled "Folklore of England." A sum of £3 had
been paid on account ; but the contract was afterwards
repudiated, on the ground that the work was not original.
His Honour decided against the plaintiff, inasmuch as no
written acceptation of the INIS. had been given, and no
verbal contract could be entertained.

THE ELMO CHALLENGE SHIELD. —A corre-
spondent of the Times sends to that journal [the result of
the competition for admission into the "English Eight,"
which took place at Epsom last week. Twentyone
among the best shots in England had been selected to com-
pete, and the highest scores made were as follows:
Metford, 330 ; Paget, 313 ; Nors,,vorthy, 311 ; Martin
Smith, 310; Heaton, 300; Radcliffe, 309 ; Fenton, 307;
Pixley, 303 ; and Purchas, 302.

THE RECENT MELANCHOLY ACCIDENT AT THE
DEVONPORT Rau RAEGE.—The two young gentlemen
accidentally shot on Thurs.lay at a rifle match at Devon-
port have since died at the Royal Albert Hospital, Devon-
port. The medical officers of the establishment having
decided on the necessity of amputation in both cases,
on Friday afternoon Mr. Norman's leg was taken cif
ab.ut midway between the. knee and hip-joint, and that
of Mr. Gard just bcneath the hip. Both operations were
very skilfully performed, and all appeared to be going
well until midnight ; but at 3.',;0 coil. of Saturday Mr.
Norman succumbed to the shock. At ten o'clock his
Lllow-sufferer, Mr. Gard, wal found to be in a sinking
state, and died the same day. The evidence given at the
inquest shelved that the ball did not ricochet, as stated by
some journals. Great excitement has been caused by the
occurrence, and much sympathy is evinced for the friends
of Cie two young men. Mr. Beast, w::o was the cause of
the .accident, is rei ort :d to be w.t'i grief,— in stcrn
Morning Pws.