The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-11 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

NORTHERN ClRCUlT.—Lzverpool, Dec. 10.
Ann Ball was indicted for having at Southport, on the
24th of July last, attempted to murder her new born
male child, by suffocating it in the sand.
Mr. Joseph Pollock and Mr. Sowler prosecuted; the
prisoner was undefended.
The prisoner had been indicted for murder at the last
assizes, but after the evidence of the surgeon had been
given, the Learned Judge who tried the case directed an
acquittal, and ordered her to be detained in custody,
that she might be indicted for an attempt to murder at
these assizes.
It appeared that on the day in question an old man
proceeding across th© sands at Southport, thought he
saw the sand move. On going to the place he found
that it was caused by a child, who was partially buried
in the sand. [having procured the assistance of Mr.
Mercer, who lived close by, and fearing that the child
would die, they took it to the Roman Catholic priest,
Mr. Newsham, and had it baptized by the name of
James. On the Saturday following the child grew
worse, at♦d eventually died on the Monday morning.
The unfortunate woman had been observed by a wit-
ness to have been in an advanced state of pregnancy
for some time previously to the day the child was
found, and on making some observation respecting
the propriety of providing clothes for it, the prisoner
replied, "It will come naked into the world, and
it shall go out naked." And she then went away cry-
ing. Shortly before the child was found, the prisoner
was seen by a witness named Berland to come out of a
petty with something in her apron, which moved about,
and he thought he heard a cry like the cry of a fowl
when-it is being killed. Subsequently she was seen to
go towards the spot in the sand where the child was
discovered. The police, having been informed of the
circumstances, went widi Dr. Barron to the prisoner's
house, end it was then discovered that the prisoner had
been delivered of a child in the course of the day. This,
however, she stoutly denied. continuing her work, which
was that of brushing the floor, and asked the officer if
she looked as if she had been delivered of a child that
day; and then walked with him to the lock-up, which
was about a mile and a half off. She, however, after-
wards confessed at the station that she had been con-
fined, and that the child was born alive. A post mor.
tern examination was made, and it was discovered that
the child had died from inanition and exposure in the
sand.
The prisoner, on being called on far her defence,
briefly denied that she had said that the child should go
out of the world naked as it had entered.
The Foreman of the jury said that he was at South-
port at the time, and he had heard that the prisoner was
insane.

His LORDSHIP—We have nothing to do with that. We
have no evidence about it.
The jury returned a verdict of Guilty.
His LORDSHIP, in passing sentence, said that the crime
of which the prisoner had been convicted was so near
murder, that it was difficult to say that she did not com-
mit that crime; he supposed she was acquitted of mur-
der because it could not he distinctly made out of what
the child died. That it was her intention to kill the
child no man could doubt, and to bury it alive in the sand
was the most barbarous mode of putting it to death. The
c inie was one of the worst that could be commiLe 1, and
the duty of the Court would not be discharged without
sentencing the prisoner to be transported for the term of
ber natural life.
Samuel Healey was charged with the manslaughter of
Eliza ClAgg.
Mr. Monk and Mr. Kay conducted the prosecution;
Mr. Joseph Pollock defended the prisoner.
The prisoner was an overlooker in the factory of Mr.
Edmund Howard, at his mill, in Mill-street, Rochdale,
and the deceased was a girl who worked in a room in
the factory of which the prisoner was the overlooker,
and had wetrkpd for Mt. Howard nearly four years. In
the f_renoon of the 13th -of August last the prisoner
went, to the deceased, who was working between
the loving-frames, and asked her, how it was
-Sat she could not keep her frames regularly
going, to which she replied that she kept them
as well as she could, and could do no more. The pri-
soner then told her to go home; she said she would not,
but would go and see the manager, Mr. John Pilling.
This she did, and he told her to return to her work, and
that he would see the prisoner about it. On her return
the prisoner brought another worker to the place where
the deceased had worked, and ordered her again to go
home.; this she refused to do, upon which the prisoner
took hold of her and pushed her towards the door of the
room, where she laid hold of a perpendicular rod of
iron, which is attached to the bell at the top of the mill.
The prisoner broke her sway from this, and pushed her
out through the doorway on to the stair-landing; here
she laid hold of the door-handle, from which the pri-
soner forced her away, and on her letting go her hold
the prisoner threw her down a flight of nine steps and
then followed after her. Here a souffle appeared to
have taken place, and the unfortunate deceased was
thrown down another flight of steps, and fell with her
head against the wall at the bottom. Several of the
workers came up and picked her up, when it was found
that she was insensible and unable to stand, or to swallow
some water that was offered to her. A surgeon was
sent for, who found that she had all the symptoms of
concussion of the brain, and had a wound on the back
pert of her head. She was then taken home, when she
died than same evening at six o'clock.
Mr. PoneocK addressed the jury for the prisoner.
His LORDSHIP summed up, explaining to the jury the
law as regards manslaughter.—Verdict, Guilty.
His LORTISHIP, in passing sentence, said that this was
another case which showed the danger of placing power
in the hands of uneducated people. It was the-prisoner's
duty to have exercised his authority mildly, and with
Christian charity, towards a fellow-creature, especially
when that fellow-creature was a female, He felt bound
to protect the unprotected, and therefore he must pass a
severe sentence, which was (taking into consideration that
the prisoner had been in gaol since August) that he be
imprisoeed for nine months.
PISI PRILIS COURT.—(Before' Mr. Justice TAL

FOTTRD.)
William Threlfall, who yesterday pleaded guilty to
uttering forged promissory notes, was this morning
placed at the bar to reciive sentence.
His LORDSHIP, in passing sentence, said—You have
pleaded guilty to an indictment charging you with
having knowingly uttered a forged bill of exchange
for 1,0001., and I thought it my duty to understand
all the circumstances of the case before I made up
my mind as to the sen!ence which should be pro-
nounced; and I find teat ycu have been the fabricator of

a most extensive scheme of forgery, and that tho

vials found in your possession— ai the time of your ap-
prehension proved that you -were psrty to a most gi-
gantic scheme of forgery and feaud. It has bean urged,
and rightly urged, in your behalf, that 'at the time you
committed these forgerie3 you contemplated preventing
the effects which would be the natural-result, and that
you only sought to obtain a fictitious credit by timing
the period when the bills would brcome due in such a
manner as would enable you to meet them. I cannot

conceive that that circumstance lesions your guilt.
You cannot but remember that at an early period of
your life numbers suffered capital punishment for the
crime which you have committed, and had your case
happened in those days your life would have been for-
feited. I rejoice that the law is altered. Think of the
commercial character you have forfeited, and the shock
it would prove to the commercial interest if such frauds
as these should go undetected, and if .detected should
not be severely punished. Your good character will no
doubt make your punishment more severe, as a large
portion of your life will have to be spent in exile and
degredstion. The sentence which it is my painful
duty to pass, is that you ba tran=ported for fifteen years.
Benjamin Francis Mllnes was indicted for a feaud
upon the Excise.

'Mr. Sergeant Wilkin9, Mr. Outer, and Mr. T. Atkin-
son, conducted the prosecution"; the defendant conducted
his defence in person.
It appeared from the opening of the Learned Ser-
geant, and from the evidence, that the prisoner bray an

„
Excise officer at Bel:on, having a salary cf 1001. a year.
His duties wore deafly defined both by the several Acts
of Parliament relating to the Excise and by the orders
which were from time to time issued by the Commis-
sioner. It was th. ptisoner's duty to receive applica-
tions for licenses from the different traders, and to fur-
nish each applicant with a notice, which gave them all
the necessary instructions, and which also informed
them that eli payments of money were to be made to the
collector, and not to the prisoner, who was only what
was termed a ride cilicer in the district. As soon as; an
applicatioulvas made, Ile pritouet'a duty was to get un