The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-06 00:00:00

COURT OF EXCISE, Dee. 5.

(Before Captain I'ERCY, J. F. STEPHBNBON, Esq., and

T. HARRISON, Esq.)
ADULTERATION OF BEER,—Richard Knock, of the
White Hurt public-house, White Hart-yard, Drury-lane,
was charged upon information with adulterating his beer.
John Austin, supervisor of Excise, stated that on the
10th of August last he went, in company with Mr.
Butler, another officer, to the house of defendant, and
requested to examine his stock of spirits. He went into
the cellar, and on the top of one of the ale casks he found
a tap-tub containing liquor. He tasted it and found that
it was sweet, with a little undissolved sugar in it. He
culled Mrs. Knock, who said that the ale being hard she
had put 31bs. of coarse sugar into it. He collected the
contents of the tub in a bottle (produced), which is very
sweet, and took samples of the beer.
Mrs. Knock remarked that although she had told the
officer she had sweetened the beer, such was not the case,
as she was so nervous she scarcely knew what she said.
She then called a servant girl to prove that she never put
anything but linings into the beer, and that the tub found
by the officers was used in the making of elder wine.
The COURT considered the case proved, and fined the
defendant in the mitigated penalty of IA
SUNDAY MORNING DRAM•SIALLERS.—Josiah Campbell
Pegg, owner of a small garden near the Bee Hire,
Newington, was charged with retailing spirituous li-
quors, beer, and tobacco, without license.
Two officers of Excise proved being served at a cottage
in defendant's garden with beer, spirits, and tobacco.
Other personi; were present smoking and drinking. They
were charged at the same rate as in the houses of licensed
victuallers.
A solicitor addressed the Court for the defendant, but
in his address admitted all and even more than had been
proved by the officers, and was told by the Court that he
had seriously damaged the case of his client.
The Court inflicted a penalty of 20L-71. for beer, 10/.
for.spirits, and 3L for tobacco.
IMPORTANT DECISION..—Thornas Brady, keeper of the
tap of the Black Lion, Water-lane, Fleet-street, was
charged with selling liquors, &c., without license.
The defendant pleaded that he sold under the license
of the keeper of the Black Lion Hotel, which the Court
declared to be altogether illegal, and fined him in Ogg pe-
nalty or 25/.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
HOME ClRCUlT.—Chelmsford, Dec. 5.
William Suckamore, aged 18, was indicted for a
felonious assault upon Eliza Juniper.
Mr. J. D. Chambers conducted the prosecution, and
Mr. Marsh defended the prisoner.
The circumstances under which the charge was
brought against the prisoner were of a most aggra-
vated character. It appeared that the prosputrix,
who is between forty and fifty years of age, and the
wife of a labourer at Great Stambridge, in this county,
was going home from church, accompanied by her
son, a lad ten years old, in the middle of the day, in
August last, when she was met by the prisoner, who
accosted her,_ and asked what o'clock it was ? She
replied that it was half-past one ;to which he an-
swered, " There is time, I will," and immediately
thrust the prosecutrix into a ditch, and there, with
great violence, and in the presence of her son, com-
mitted the offence imputed to him.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty.
Mr. Justice WILLIAMS, in passing sentence, ob-
served, that he did not recollect ever having heard
of a more aggravated case than the present ; and
but a short time ago, the prisoner's life would un-
doubtedly have been forfeited. The Legislature had
abolished the penalty of death in such cases, but it
gave the Court no discretion to pass any other sen-
tence than the one he was about to pronounce, which
was, that the prisoner be transported for the term of
his natural life.
Just as the Court was about to rise, Mr. RODWELL
resumed his application on behalf of Miss Richardson
for a postponement of the trial until the next Assizes,
and he put in the affidavits of two medical gentlemen,
to the effect that she was suffering under severe ill-
ness, and was not in a condition to attend the present
Assizes on that account.

Mr. RYLAND, on the part of the prosecution, said
that the affidavits appeared to refer to some former
illness, which information must have been derived
from the statement of other persons. If, however,
the Court thought they were sufficient, he, of course,
would not oppose the postponement. lie would merely