The Sun.
London, England, 1868-08-22 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER.—At the Central Criminal
Court, William Wright, a carman, pleaded guilty to
having caused the death of Thomas Shelford. On the
night of the Bth August the prisoner and deceased
were in company at Paddington, and appeared to have
partaken rather too freely of liquor. The deceased got
quarrelsome, and struck the prisoner twice, knocking
him down. The prisoner retaliated by striking him a
blow on the chest, and the deceased fell, his head striking
the kerb. He got up again, and the prisoner offered to
shake bands with him, but he refused, and said be-would
fight him again in a week's time. They then parted.
The deceased afterwards became ill, and died on the fol-
lowing day from concussion of the brain, which resulted
from the fall. The judge did not think it a case calling
for punishment, and discharged the accused.
CURIOUS CHARGE OF UNLAWFUL WOUNDING.—At the
same court Thomas Arnold, carpenter, a respectable-
looking man, was charged with feloniously wounding
William Purser, a glazier, with intent to kill and murder
him. The prosecutor lodged with the prisoner, and on
one occasion went out with him to drink. On re•
turning the prosecutor sat down, and the prisoner's wife
asked for a key which she could not find, and got in a
temper about it, and was telling Purser that her husband
had endeavoured to cut her throat a short time
previously. At this time the prisoner " crawled"
from under the bed and dealt the prosecutor a violent
blow on the head. In reply the accused
impugned his wife's fidelity, and there seemed to be good
reason for his so doing. The prisoner pleaded guilty to
the count charging him with unlawful wounding, and the
leArned judge, after remarking on the great provocation
received by tl e pri: over, sentenced him to three months,
hard labour.
ACTION AGAINST GAMEKEEPERS.—At the Barnsley
County Court an action has .been heard in which a
furnaceman, named James Birch, residing at Penistone,
was the plaintiff, and John Smith and Isaac Sheen,
gamekeepers to Mr. R. C. Clarke, Noblethorp Hall, were
the defendants. The action was brought to recover £lO,
• the value of a spaniel dog which had been seized, and
was now held by the defendants. On the 10th of May
last the plaintiff and a companion were walking out in a
road near to Silkstone, when their dogs ran into a drain,
and they began to dig them out. It was alleged that a
rabbit ran into the hole, and that the dogs followed it. The
keepers got the dogs out, and took them to Noblethorp,
as well as the men, who, it was said, for the defence,
agreed to pay 2s. 6d. and forfeit their dogs on Mr. Clarke
agreeing not to summon them for trespass. Mr. Hamer,
who appeared for the defendants, put in a document from
Mr. Clarke, as lord of the manor, to Smith, one of the
defendants, which authorised him to seize nets or other
instruments used for the purpose of taking game. His
honour gave a verdict for the plaintiff for £5, or the dog to
be given up, it not being proved that it was used for the
nurpose of taking game.
MANSLAUGHTER OF A WIFE.—At the Liverpool Assizes
Thomas Howard, 40, indicted for the murder of his wife
by stabbing her, on the 4th instant, was found guilty of
manslaughter, and sentenced to penal servitude for life.
The prisoner and his wife had quarrelled about a parrot.

A French paper mentions that a gentleman
whose cellar had been greatly infested with rats, found
that they disappeared very soon after he placed a cask of
petroleum in the place.

The Tintamarre has assuredlywritten the drollest
thing in connection with the marriage of Mdlle. Patti. It
runs thus :—" A Horrible Drama.—During the marriage
of Patti an unknown person who had been hidden for some
time behind one of the pillars of the church, suddenly
plunged a long dagger into his side, and raised a loud cry,
On hearing this Madame la Marquise do Caux turned
pale, and came forward to see what it was. And what did
she see? Why Art, to which she had hitherto been
affin need !"

NOVEL DEITIES. —A singular entertainment,
almost approa-ling the grotesque, says the Gazette de
France, was offered to the King of Prussia lately, on his
visit to Wiesbaden. On a small islet on the Rhine vas
constructed in woodwork a grand portico, semi-circular,
supposed to represent Olympus, and artistically
ornamented with the statues of all the divinities.
The tallest men of the regiment of infantry
were selected to personate these gods and goddesses.
They were clothed in white drapery, strongly starched,
so as to imitate the rigid appearence of marble; then each,
having his face covered with white paint, was raised
upon his pedestal. On the right of all was posted a
colossal sub-commissioned officer, charged with the
preservation of order. He cried out " Steady !" to the
divinities whenever the royal steamer came in view.
Strict prohibition was pronounced against liquors being
o.3ervecl to the statues during the Ute.