The Sun.
London, England, 1844-11-06 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSION S

The criminal business for the November Sessions com-
menced yesterday before the Assistant Judge and a lull
bench of Magistrates, at the Court-house, Clerkenwell-
green. The names of 78 prisoners appeared in the calen-
der, of which 63 were charged with felony, the remain-
der being misdemeanour. Most of the cases were of the
ordinary description.
The Learned ASSISTANT JUDGE in addressing the
grand jury,alluded to the recent alteration which had been
mad," in the criminal law, inconsequence of which he now
appearei before them in a different capacity from that in
which he hat: the honour of last addressing them. '1 his
alteration would :e3:llten the mass of business at the Old
Bailey, to the great 5 wing of time to the prosecutors
and witnesses. He trustee; it would also put an end to
the evening sittings, which were attended not only with
the greatest inconvenience, but also Tve7n2 much to be re-
probated in a moral point of view. In speaYing of the
building of the New Prison, the Learned Judge c-!enr.. -
cated strongly any attempt to introduce a general system
of solitary confinement in that gaol. In his opinion nothing
could tend more to brutalise a man than when
turning the key of the prison upon him he was never to
see the face of a fellow-creature. Such a course would
debar all chance of reformation. The solitary system
had been strongly and successfully protested against by
the magistrates of this county, and its injurious effects
had been made manifest by Mr. Kilsby, the Governor c f
the New Prison, so that the public need be under no ar-
prehension of this inhuman system being introdue,d.
The Learned Judge then briefly referred to their duties,
and remitted the grand jury to their room.
l'omoE TEsTprostY.—.Eatily Mills was indicted for
stealing one sovereign, the property of John Brown.
The prosecutor, who was a man of colour, and cut a
most ludicrous figure in the witness-box, stated that he
was a seaman, and being paid off met the prisoner, who
eventually robbed him of the sovereign.
A constable of the K division, who took the prisoner
into custody, told a quite different story to-day in Court
from that which he stated before the magistrate. In
fact, there was not the slight.st similarity between the
two statements, which he made upon his oath, against
the unfortunate prisoner.
Tile Learned ASSISTANT JUDGE strongly denounc:4l
the conduct of the constable, and said, that while he
would always protect the police when right, he should
also condemn them when wrong. He should take care
and let the inspector know and hear his (the police-
man's) evidence.—The jury acquitted the prisoner.
.A KIND MASTER.-Martha Money, aged 17, was in-
dieted for stealing several napkins and other articles,
the property of her master, Henry Hugh Campbell.
She was also indicted for stealing other articles from
John Anderson, her previous master.
The prosecutor, Mr. Campbell, stated that he received
an excellent character with the prisoner, but suspicion
having been excited, her boxes wore searched, and all
the articles named in both indictments found. lie
wished at the same time, considering her previous good
conduct and her youth, to recommend her to the mercy
of the court.

.-. •
The prisoner, in her defence, denied taking the arti•
eles, and attemptt.d to insinuate that the reason her
master gave her into custody was, because she resisted
some improper overtures made to her.
This the prose tutor indignantly denied.
A verdict of Guilty having keen returned,
The Learned ASSISTANT JUDGE said that in conse-
quen,•q of the kind recommendation of her master
(which, :ndeed, she scarcely merited) he should inflict a
light senttoce,deb was, that she be imprisoned and
kept to hard labour for three months.
A number of prisoners were convicted and sentenced
to terms of impriso,lnaent varying from three to nine
months for picking-pockets on the occasion of her Ma-
jesty's late visit to the City to open the Royal Exchange.