The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-09 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

HOME CIRCUIT.--Chelmsford, Dec. 7.
(Before Mr. Justice WILLIAMS.)
Sarah Jobsan, 14, was indicted for maliciously an.
feloniously setting fire to a stack of straw, value 401.,
the property of William Bacon, at the parish! of
Hempstead.
Mr. Ryland conducted the prosecution, and Mr.
C. Grey appeared for the prisoner.
The prosecutor deposed that he was a farmer, and
resided at Hempstead, in this county. The prisdner
was in his service as nursery-maid on the 16th of
August, and had lived with him for more than six
months in that capacity. About ten or eleven o'clOck
in the morning of the day in question, he was out in
the field harvesting, when he observed some smoke in
the direction of his stack-yard, and, upon going there,
he found a stack of straw on fire, and it was com-
pletely consumed. The value of the stack was 401.
On the morning of the fire he had reprimanded 'the
prisoner for not paying proper attention to the chil-
dren. She did not make him any answer when he
spoke to her. •

Harriet Stock, a servant in the employ of the pro-
secutor, proved that on the morning of the fire, and
just before it broke out, she saw the prisoner come in
a direction from the stack-yard, with her master's
baby in her arms. There had been a fire at the
neighbouring village of Blagden about a fortnight
before, and on the , day it happened the prisoner
said she liked to .see a good fire, and she should like
to see her .master's place on fire, adding, that if the
straw was,fired it would be sure to light the buildings.
On the•day of the fire at the prosecutor's she told the
prisoner that the police had been there malting
inquiries, and had asked some questions about her,
and on her saying this the prisoner appeared very
confused and walked away.
Catherine Rumball, another of the prosecutor's"
servants, also proved that she saw the prisoner come
out of the stack-yard a very few minutes before the
stack burst into flames.

Thomas Moore, a police constable, deposed that he
apprehended the prisoner on the day of the fire, and
she took him to the place where the stack had stood,
and pointed out in the ashes where she first saw the
fire. The prisoner was taken before a magistrate the
next morning. her mother was standing by her, and
she told her she was sure to go to prison, as she Was
taken on suspicion of having caused the fire. The
prisoner replied, "Nobody saw me do it, although I
was in the stack-yard."
David Smith, an inspector of police, deposed that
the prisoner was placed in his charge after .she had
been taken into custody, and he heard her say to a•
woman named Rumball, who was sitting up with her,
" If I said -I had lighted the fire, people would believe
me, but I am not so soft ; no one saw me do it, and
they cannot hurt me." When the prisoner was be-
fore the magistrate, she said she knew nothing about
the fire.

This was the case against the prisoner.
Mr. GRAY briefly addressed the jury, but the evi
dance was too clear against the prisoner to give. him
the least chance of doing so successfully.
Mr. Justice WILLIAMS summed up, and the jury,
after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of Guilty,
but at the same time strongly recommended the pri-
soner to mercy on account of her youth.
The Learned Jonas ordered the prisoner to be
called up for judgment, and, after remarking that the
conduct of the prisoner evinced great malignitv, said
he felt it his duty to sentence her to be transported for
fifteen years. He added that the recommendation of
the jury should be forwarded to the Secretary- of
State, who might, if he pleased, direct the infliction
of a milder sentence.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—York, Dec. 6.
(Before Mr. Justice COLERIDGE )
John APCann was to-day put upon his trial, charged
with the wilful murder of Benjamin Gott. Another
count in the indictment charged him with manslaughter.
This case must be even yet fresh in the recollection
of our readers, as it created at the time of its occurrence
considerable excitement.
Five other persons, named Rogan, O'Brien, Donovan,
Quin, and Power, who had been concerned in the
matter, were tried at the last assizes, and were convicted
of manslaughter.; but in consequence of some legal ob-
jections being raised to the form of the indictment,
judgment was respited, and these persons are still in
custody. Westin at that period was not apprehended.
Mr. Bliss and Mr. Overend were for the prosecution,
and the prisoner was defended by Mr. Wilkins.
The facts of the case were briefly narrated by Mr.
Bliss, and were as follows :—Ou Whit-Monday last,
the 27th of May, there had been a procession of Orange
lodges. On that occasion two bands were engaged, one
of which was called, the Idle and Calverley band, and of
that hand GotC(the deceased) was a musician. As they
Isere passing-through the town of Bradford, the band
playing certain tunes, and amongst others " the Boyne
Water," which gave great dissatisfaction to the Irish
population of the neighbourhood, who fancied also that
a still more offensive tune, called "Croppies, lie down,"
had been played. When the procession was over, and
the musicians were returning home in a straggling
manner, a number. of 'lrishmen were seen coming behind
them, having sticks and other weapons in their hands,
and making.use of threatening. language. The Irishmen
commenced an attack, and the first thing they did was
to knock down the man who who was playing the drum.
They then fell on Gott, and from the violence that was
employed his death resulted. On a postmortem examin-
ation the deceased's skull was found to have been most
severely fractured, and death was attributed to that
cause. Amongst the people in the crowd was the pri-
soner, and he took an active part in the proceedings.
Thomas Thornton, the first witness, was undergoing"
examination, when -
Mr. WILKINS said, he thought it would be idle for him
to attempt to combat the minor charge against the pri-
soner. He had read the depositions over twenty times,
and he found no means of resisting it. He would. there-
fore, with his Lordship's permission, wish to plead guilty
to the charge of manslaughtei.
Mr. Justice COLERIDGE briefly addressed the jury,
informing them of the circumstances alluded to in the
commencement of this report, and recommending them
to find the prisoner guilty of manslaughter.
The jury, without hesitation, pronounced tke prisoner
Guilty of Manslaughter, and sentence was deferred till
the opinion of the fifteen judges could be had upon the
legal objections before referred to. . .
John Critchlow and William Bolton were next placed
at the bar, charged with having on the 25th of August
last, at Sheffield, feloniously and unlawfully attempted
to destroy a certain steam-engine, by the explosion of a
large quantity of gunpowder, the property of John
Wilson, Thomas Dunn, William Jeffcock, and George.
Hounsfield.
This case would have been tried yesterday, but Mr.
Grainger, on behalf of the prisoners, then objected to tits
whole of the jury. A fresh jury was this morning ern-
pannelled for the trial of the prisoners.
Mr. Wilkins, Mr. Overend, and Mr. Smith were for
the prosecution; and Mr. Grainger was for the defence. .
The prosecutors in this case were some of the largest
coal-pit owners in the neighbourhood of Sheffield. In
the month of May last there was a general "turn-out"
of the colliers in that part of England, and the prose-
cutors' pits had been unworked from May until the dale
of this occurrence, in August. Towards the end of
August there were symptoms of returning good sense on
the part of the men, and on the 26th it was determined
that some of them at least should return to their work.
At the mouth of the pit there was, as is frequently the
case, a steam-engine, worked for the purpose of hauling
up the coal, as well as of letting persons in and out of
the pit as occasion might require. This was the engine