The Sun.
London, England, 1868-09-21 00:00:00

711 E CASE OF JAMES BELL.

It will he remembered that on the 28th of lurchc
last a young man named James Bell was convicted
at the Middlesex Sessions, and sentenced to five
years' penal servitude for sheep stealing. The
1%1;
deuce given on that occasion was to the effect To
the prisoner was a cattle drover, in the service
of a Mr. Goodge, who was employed by i‘lessr-.
Elmore and Co., meat salesmen, in Pewter Platte;
yard, to drive 58 lambs to their slaughter-houses
on the 27th of February. On their arrival Bell sub
to his master that the lambs should be counted',b
adding, " lest some should be taken away in the
night." They were accordingly counted, and °D
the following morning twelve had been stolen.
was afterwards stated by three policemen that the 4
sa4 the prisoner driving some lambs from
direction of the yard to the Islington-market at to
o'clock the same morning, and he was given i°
custody. At the station-house he asked a boy ,to
he
tell his mother that he was " nicked" for ".
sheep. At the trial his father, mother, and brothel;
in-law were called, and stated that the prisoner
was in bed at the time he was sworn to ha'a
been driving the sheep. The jury disbelieved
the alibi, and the prisoner was sentenced
to five years' penal servitude by the Assistallt
;
Judge (Sir William Bodkin). Immediately after o-:ro
sentence, Mr. Guerrier, a salesman, believing there
had been a miscarriage of justice, interested hicnshio
in the case, and spared no endeavours to get 5t re,
truth. Through his exertions and those of the. re,
latives of the prisoner Bell, they learnt that he "g
perfectly innocent of the charge, and that the
air,
culprits were Thomas Daley and Edwin ria
who had since been convicted of sheep-stealing,
and Frederick Winder, the brother of the 135.01
named. On the 28th of August last Frecierio
Winder was brought before Mr. Sergeant c
Avg
at the Middlesex Sessions, charged with stealth
39 sheep belonging to Henry Cook. The coll,gYl
Daley and Edwin Winder were then made witav—they
against him, and they proved conclusively th°,h'tig•
were the real thieves, and that Bell bad ticsroo
whatever to do with the robbery. Them d
bad arisen through Bell being very like Daley' t'ivg
through the witnesses for the alibi prevariea
in some essential particulars. Bell was 5t jay
liberated after having served six montl3e, "rs,
prisonment, and Messrs. Elmore, the prosectleecl
took him into their service. The judge sentence
Winder to 14 years' penal servitude, it a,,et,
proved by Inspector Thomson that he had 1)00
a sheep-stealer for years. Mr. Guerrier,
cur,
salesman, had been put to great expense ill sner.p.,
ing Bell's liberation, and Mr Alderman Lusk, '-'sse
had applied to the Home Secretary to via'l3 '
let-
these expenses. On Monday last he receivci a
t gr.
ter from Mr. Adolphus Liddell, stating th 3 to
Secretary Hardy was prepared to recommen'_ria
the Lords of the 'freasury to repay to gr. GueLoor
whatever reasonable and proper expenses 811 d de-
have incurred in connection with' this case, iletl
siring him to furnish, with that view, a dietd
account of the money so expended to the see
of the Treasury.

PLOUGHING MATCHES.— rrtle
At Warwick, on - ,t
day last, and at Faringdon, on Thursday, all tlio 111. w
prizes in the won's classes were won with ItauS°lll°
ploughs.