The Sun.
London, England, 1850-05-20 00:00:00

THE SUN,

BOW-STREET.---(THIS DAY.)

A tall, masculine-looking female, named Ellen Clif-
ford, was charged with :tettling a watch.
Mr. Blake, an officer in the Customs, stated that on
Saturday evening he was passing down the Haymarket
between 8 and 9 o'clock, when the prisoner came up and
wished him to treat her. He, however, would have no-
thing to do with her, and walked rapidly on, but the
prisoner still followed him, and at the bottom of the
Haymarket he turned to look for a policeman. While
he was so standing the prisoner suddenly tore open his
coat, waistcoat, and the front of his trousers, leaving him
completely exposed; but, thinking she bad done this out
of spite because he would not treat her, he took no notice
of it. Directly afterwards two men passed by and she
pushed against him as if to allow them to pass, and then
be discovered that his watch, which was worth between
4/. and 51., was gone. The prisoner immediately ran
sway, but he pursued her, dodging her up and down
courts and bye-lanes, till they got to the Horse Guards,
when the prisoner suddenly stopped and asked him what
he was following her for. He told her that when he came
up with a policeman she would discover that;
whereupon she exclaimed, " I suppose you think I
have stolen your watch." Previously, however, be had
said nothing about a watch, and even now he did not
tell her what he had lost, but in a few minutes a police-
man came upon the spot, and he gave her into his cus-
tody, telling her for the first time what it was that he
accused her of.
Mr. HALL—Was the watch found upon her? Witness

—No.
Mr. HALL—Had she any opportunity, then, of dis-
posing of it? Witness—She passed close to the two
men, and I imagine she must have transferred it to one
of them. I had two shillings and a half-sovereign in
my waistcoat pocket. The latter was safe, but the former
were gone. Two shillings, and only two, were found
upon the prisoner at the station house.
The prisoner denied all knowledge of the watch.
She was fully committed for trial.

MARLBRO'-STREET.-(THIS DAY.)
A BRUTAL HUSBAND AND A WOMAN'S LOVE.—
Henry Postlethwaite, an artist, residing at 76, Margaret-
street, Cavendish-square, was placed before Mr. Bing-
ham, charged with violently assaulting his wife
Henrietta, and threatening to kill her by blowing her
brains out with a pistol.
The complainant, a delicate woman of lady-like ap-
pearance, stated, on Saturday evening, about 7 o'clock,
as she and her husband were sitting at dinner, the latter
without the least provocation whatever started up from
his chair, and said, in a most excited manner, that he
would kill all foreigners, as he thought there would be a
war between France and England, and as a beginning,
he would kill her first, and would do it by shooting her
through the neck. She said, " What have I done that
you should use such words to me, and why do you
always get so excited after dinner." He replied it was
not only after dinner that be had those feelings, he always
had them. He then rushed upon her and, catching
her by the throat with both hands, tried
to strangle her. With great exertions she contrived to
get from his clutches, and ran to the window. He fol-
lowed her, and throwing up the sash, said if she did not
throw herself out he would do it for her. She screamed
most violently and ran towards the door, when he took
up a loaded pistol, which was lying on the sofa, presented
it at her, and swore he would shoot her. Before he pre-
sented the pistol he took a cap from the mantle-piece,
and placed it on the nipple of the pistol. Believing that
he re ally intended to murder her, she ran out of the room,
and, in order to escape his violence she threw herself
down the kitchen stairs, calling upon the landlord of the
house to protect her. Her landlord came to her aid, and
a constable was sent for, and the prisoner was secured
and conveyed to the station. She did not now wish to
harm hire; all she wanted was protection from his vio-
lence, as he had on many occasions threatened to take
her life.

The accused, in defence, said he occasionally laboured
under very excited feelings, which deprived him of all
power to restrain himself from committing violence. He
denied a greater portion of his wife's statement, which
was totally false.
Mr. BINGHAM ordered him to find two sureties to keep
the peace for six months, and directed that a medical
man should see him in order to examine him as to the
state of his mind.

Bail not being forthcoming, the prisoner watt about
being led from the dock to his cell, when a most affecting
scene in court took place. The complainant rushed
from the witness- box, and, crying bitterly, threw her
arms round her husband's neck, and begged the officer
sot to take him from her. The husband likewise begged
the magistrate not to separate him from his " dear "
wife. They embraced each other so closely that it took
the united strength of two officers to separate them.
The complainant was then carried out of court in a state
of insensibility.

CLERKEN WELL.—(T HIS DAY.)
A fierce-looking lad, named James Fitzgerald, was
placed at the bar before Mr. Tyrwhitt, charged with
brutally ill-using and maltreating a cat.
Mr. Thomas attended to watch the case on behalf of
the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
A little girl, named Fanny Glover, who lives with her
parents in Waters-court, Islington, said on Friday fort-
night she saw the defendant run up the court after the
cat and seize hold of it by the neck, and then lift it up
and apply a piece of lighted paper to its tail. The poor
creature struggled and writhed severely from pain and
fright, and at length succeeded in escaping from her
assailant, but he followed her and beat her so unmerci-
fully with a stick that she shortly afterwards died.
Mrs. Phillips, who also lived in the purlieus of Waters-
court, corroborated the testimony of the preceding wit-
ness, and added that the cat, which was a strange one,
had taken refuge in her house, and that when she re-
monstrated with the defendant about his cruelty, be told
her he would kill fifty cats and her too if she did not
take care. She attributed the conduct of the defendant
to some which his family had against her, be-
cause she appeared as a witness against his mother,
who was charged several years ago with breaking open
a person'i head. Ever since then she had been in hot
ater with them.
MAGISTRATE—Why don't you leave the neighbour-
hood? Witness—Not because I like it, your Worship.
It is no very beautiful place, I assure you; but my bread
lies there.—(A laugh.)
The defendant did not deny the charge, but said the
cat was in a rabid state, and that he had been requested
by the neighbours to kill it.
MAGISTRATE (to witness)—Was the cat rabid or mad?
Witness—Mad! oh no, sir. It could eat its victuals as
well as you or I.—(Laughter.)
The MAGISTRATE said the case was a very cruel one,
and he should order the defendant to pay a fine of 205.,
or be imprisoned for a month.
The defendant was then removed.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
LATEST BETTING AT THE WEST-END.
DERBY.
5 to 1 agst Lord Airlie's Clincher—take 11 to 2
6 to 1 agst Mr. W. Edwards na Bolingbroke—taken
to 3.000/.
9to 1 agst Mr. Gratwicke's The Nigger—t freely

9 to 1 gist Mr. Hill's Pitsford—taken
9 to 1 agst Mr. Bastard's Mildew
14 to 1 agst Lord Zetland's Voltigeur
20 to 1 agst Mr. Meiklam's The Italian—taken to 300/,
20 to 1 agst Lord Eglinton's Manors—takeu to 3001.
30 to 1 agst Mr. Gannon's Deicoon—taken
33 to 1 agst Duke of Richmond's Ghillie Callum
33 to 1 agst Mr. Dixon's Blarney
35 to 1 agst Mr. Greville's Cariboo—taken to 2001.
50 to 1 agst Sir G. Heathcote's Lady Geraldine colt
—taken freely
50 to 1 sgst Mr. 14lerry•s Brennus—taken freely
50 to 1 agst Major Martyn's The Swede
4,000 to 60 agst Mr. Disney's Captain Grant—taken
1,000 to 15 agst Mr. Thomas's Royal Hart—taken
2,000 to 20 agst Mr. Breton's Pyton—taken

THE OAKS.
7 to 1 agst Captain Delme's Gillyflower
12 to 1 agst Mr. Gratwicke's Countess
15 to 1 agst Sir J. Hawley's Tingle—taken •

ALLEGED MURDER.--Considerable excitement has
been created in the neighbourhood of Newport and Berkeley,
Gloucestershire, within the last few days by an alleged mur-
der, said to have been committed on the person of Mr. Daniel
Knight, a small farmer residing at Woodford, near Newport.
On Friday an inquiry into the circumstances attending his
death was entered into before Mr. W. Joyner Ellis, the co-
roner for the eastern division of the county, which resulted
in the committal of three men, named William Trethery,

John Nelmes, and William Lovell, to take their trial foil;
manslaughter at the next ensuing Gloucestershire assizes.
The facts elicited are briefly these :—lt seems that the un-
fortunate deceased had an idiot daughter, named Elizabeth
Knight, who on Monday last attended some festivities which
are annually customary at Berkeley, and although her father
told her he wished her to be at home, she persisted in dancing
till a very late hour, when he took her forcibly away, and it
is stated that on their way home he chastised her somewhat
severely with a whip. This act, it appears, was witnessed by
the three prisoners abovementioned, and it so exasperated
them that they waylaid the deceased, beat him most unmer-
cifully about the head, and left him for dead en the spot. He
was there found by the Berkeley police with his skull dread-
fully fractured ; he lingered till Wednesday, but was unable
during the intervening period to articulate a distinct sylla-
ble. The medical evidence adduced at the inquest clearly
showed that death resulted from the wounds on the head of
the deceased. In addition to the three prisoners committed
for trial, two others were charged before the jury, but they
were acquitted.
ASIITON•UNDER-LYNE, MAY 17'.--This morning an
event of an extraordinary and melancholy description took
place in the parish church. The Venerable Archdeacon
Rushton held his annual court in the church for the admis-
sion of churchwardens and sidesmen, elected at the recent
Easter vestries. Amongst the wardens presenting them-
selves for admission were those from a chapel of ease in the
parish, known as Cocker-hill chapel. The congregation and
office-bearers of the church and their pastor, the Rev. Mr.
France, had long been estranged. It appears that this year
there was a contest again for churchwardens, the rate-
payers electing one and the pastor another. This brought
Mr. France to the Archdeacon's Court this morning. The
circumstances of the double election were stated, when the
Archdeacon decided in favour of admitting the minister's
warden, and Mr. France thus triumphed over his opponents.
The triumph of the unfortunate gentleman, however, was
but of momentary duration ; the instant after the Archdeacon
had announced his decision, Mr. France sank down on the
floor of the church, and expired before any assistance could
be obtained. The cause of death is supposed to have been
apoplexy.
COURAGEOUS CONDUCT OF A CLERGYMAN.—AS
the Rev. Thomas Bull, of Corby, was driving between liar-
borough and Farndon on Tuesday evening last, he observed
in a field adjoining the road a ring formed and two men en-
gaged in a pitched battle. Alone and unattended, he, leav-
ing his horse and gig under the care of a person in the road,
immediately made his way up to the assembled crowd,rushed
through the ring formed and separated the combatants,
keeping them from each other at arm's length, and calling
upon them to desist from such a disgraceful proceeding. 10
this the mea actually engaged seemed disposed t 0 acquiesce,