The Sun.
London, England, 1850-12-16 00:00:00

MONDAY

it. The plaintiff then said he never did reside there,
and inquired if the company had delivered his goods at
75, Castle-street. Witness said the company had done
so; to which he replied, that it was nothing but a rob-
bery. Witness and plaintiff then went to Castle-street
together. After they had made inquiries at Castle-street
witness asked plaintiff if he had any suspicion of anybody.
He said he did not suspect any one except a man of his
named Wilkins, who had robbed him while he had
been in America, and whom he had left in charge of
his premises. Plaintiff also said that Wilkins was now
in affluent circumstances, though he had been before in
the greatest poverty. Witness asked plaintiff where
Wilkins lived; he replied Hemming's-row, and he was
only waiting for an opportunity to catch him. Witness
asked why he had not applied for his goods before.
He he had been at home only two or three weeks,
and that he had been travelling in the North of England.
Witness asked if there was any one in Liverpool who
would be likely to know when his goods were there. He
said, "No; only a young man who had crossed the
Atlantic with him." Witness engaged to meet him again
in the evening at Mrs. Sear's. Witness met him
there, and they went together to Mr. Heather's, in
Cirencester-place. Mr. Elam pointed out a marine store
shop as that of Mr. Heather. Witness did not go in.
He said, " Shall we go in ?" Witness said he had no
orders to do so. They parted, and witness never saw
him again.
Cross-examined—Witness had not been keeping out
of the way to avoid being subpoenaed by the plaintiff.
After the examination of several other witnesses,
Mr. CHAMBERS replied, and contended that the plain-
tiff had endeavoured to get his property out of the bands
of his creditors, and there was nothing whatever to
warrant the belief that he had fraudulently attempted
to obtain it from the defendants. Indeed, all the evi-
dence tended most strongly the other way.
Lord CAMPBELL summed up, and left it to the jury to
say whether the plaintiff was privy to the sending of the
goods to Castle-street. If he was, the verdict must be
for the defendants; if otherwise, for the plaintiff.
The jury retired at a quarter-past six o'clock, and, after
an absence of three-quarters of an hour, returned with
a verdict for the plaintiff, thus finding that the company
had wrongly delivered the goods.

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
NORTHERN ClRCUlT.—Liverpool, Dec. 14.
NISI PRIUS COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice
TALFOURD.)
The following case was taken on Friday too late
for our report : _ _ _

John ICilshaw, 31, was indicted for having, with a
certain loaded pistol, feloniously shot at one Joseph
Forster with intent to do him some grievous bodily
harm.

Mr. Blair prosecuted ; and Mr. Sergeant Wilkins
(specially retained), Mr. James, and Mr. Pollock, de-
fended the prisoner.
It appeared that the prisoner in this case was the
son of a respectable gentleman residing in Liverpool,
and the prosecutor, Joseph Forster, was by profession
an engineer. Upon the 10th of October last, accord-
ing to Mr. Forster's statement, he was at the Globe
Inn, Lawrence-street, Liverpool, and was playing at
cards with the landlady, when the prisoner came in
and said to the landlord, "Do you see that black
whiskered fellow playing at cards with your wife ?"
and used other very insulting language in reference
to him. As the prosecutor was leaving the house
shortly afterwards the prisoner called him a thief,
upon which they began to fight, but were soon sepa-
rated. On going out into the street the prisoner
presented something at the prosecutor's breast, and a
young woman who was standing by told him to run, as
the prisoner had got something in his hand. He did
in consequence run away, and after he had gone a
few yards he felt something strike him behind. He
was taken immediately to a druggist's shop, and sub-
sequently to the dispensary, where it was found that
be had been struck near the spine and his coat acid
waistcoat had been perforated. He fell when he was
struck, but he was able to walk to the dispensary.
On cross-examination by Mr. Sergeant WILKINS,
Mr. Forster said, he had not been employed profes-
sionally for twelve months. He had formerly worked
at Mr. Robson's foundry at Newcastle, but left twelve
years ago ; but could not remember whether he had
given any notice previous to leaving. In answer to
some questions put to him relative to his acquaint-
ance with a Mrs. Chaplin, who it appeared was a
widow with whom he lodged, he indignantly denied
that he lived with her as his wife. He said that he
was supported by his father, and that he got quite
enough money from him to live on. His father was
a spirit merchant retired from business. The pro-
secutor admitted that he had had " the gloves" on
occasionally ; but he had not had lessons in boxing from
a man who seemed to have been known by the name
of " Jackey Davy." He was quite sober on the
night in question. He defended himself as well as
he could, but could not say whether he had knocked
any of the prisoner's teeth out. The prisoner fol-
lowed him out of the house, and ran up Scotland-
road, as soon as he saw the prosecutor come up to
him. It appeared also that three sovereigns had been
offered to the prosecutor by a man named Jeffers, but
he had refused to take them, and had told the police
of it, and he had the money now in his pocket.
On cross-examination the prosecutor said, the three
sovereigns had been put into his pocket by Jaffers,
who bad then run away. The prisoner had said he
did not know what he was doing, and was very sorry
for what had taken place.
A consultation here took place between the
Learned Counsel for the prosecution and the defence,
after which

Mr. Sergeant WILKINS stated that he could not
hope to do more that to reduce the case to a common
assault, upon which
The Learned JUDGE said, it would be better to
examine one of the medical men as to the nature and
extent of the injury.
Mr. Leather, surgeon, stated that the injury was
but trilling. He did not think that the clothes had
been perforated with either a bullet or wadding.
Mr. JAMES observed that, as the pistol was not
proved to have been loaded, the charge of felony
could not be sustained.

His LORDSHIP then summed up, and directed the
jury to return a verdict of " Guilty of a common as-
sault ;" which they accordingly did.
Mr. Sergeant WILKINS then said that at the last
assizes he had defended the prisoner against a charge
of assaulting the police, on which occasion the pri-
soner received some severe sabre wounds on the
head, and since that time he became so excited when-
ever he took anything to drink that he was quite
unconscious of what he was doing.
His LORDSHIP then addressed the defendent in a
feeling manner, and warned him to abstain from
drinking in future, sentencing him to imprisonment
for one month, with hard labour, and requiring him
to find sureties—himself in 1001. and two of 501. each,
to keep the peace for one year.
The prosecutor then came forward and said, he
should wish, if the suggestion met with his Lordship's
concurrence, that the prisoner should be at once dis-
charged on his own recognizances. He did not wish
the prisoner to be further punished, as he believed he
had done the act with which he had been charged
quite unconsciously.
His LORDSHIP said, the suggestion was very cre-
ditable to the prosecutor, and he should certainly
gratify him by discharging the prisoner on the terms
he had suggested.
Mr. Sergeant WILKINs then said that after the
honourable conduct of the prosecutor he begged to
apologise to him for any insinuations he had thrown
out against his character on cross-examination. He
now thought that both himself and the respectable
gentleman who had instructed him had been misin-
formed, and he felt great satisfaction at such a ter-
mination of the case.

The prisoner, after thanking his Lordship and the
prosecutor for their clemency, was discharged.
Robert Harrett was indicted for shooting at his
wife, Mary Harrett, with intent to do her some
grievous bodily harm.
Mr. James prosecuted ; the prisoner was undefended.
It appeared from the evidence of James Eaves, bar-
man at the Jamaica vaults, Ridley-street, Liverpool,
that about half-past eight o'clock on the night of the
20th of November last, the prisoner came into the
vaults, and his wife directly afterwards. He asked
her to hare some whisky, which she took and drank.
The prisoner then said in the hearing of the witness,
" I'll blow somebody's brains out to-night before I
sleep;" and on being asked for payment of the
whisky he threatened the witness and put the muzzle
end of the pistol towards him. Soon after he went out,
taking the pistol with him, saying that he would
go and buy some caps. His wife followed him. In
about a quarter of an hour he returned, and called for
a glass of ale. He was served with this, and soon af-
terwards his wife came in again, upon which he said
to her "Po from my presence, or I'll shoot you." She
turned round to go out, when the prisoner presented
the pistol at her. She saw it, and seized hold of the
muzzle end with her right hand. The witness then
saw the prisoner pull the trigger, and the pistol went
off and shot her in the hand. The witness then
went away, and on his return found the prisoner only
in the vault. He said to him, "Have I shot my
wife ?" Witness told him he bad. Upon which he
said, "Is she dead ?" and, upon hearing that she
was not, he said, " Let her come in, then," and began
to cry and said, " Take this pistol from me ;" and
he gave the pistol to witness and went out. The
woman was subsequently taken to the Northern
Hospital, and the surgeon who examined her wounds
said that her right hand was severely injured—the
fore and middle fingers being completely shattered,
there being great laceration of the hand. Two fin-
gers were amputated. The wound was a dangerous
one, and it would be some time before she could be
removed from under his care.

The prisoner, in his defence, said that he was well
known in Liverpool by the name of " Mickey Free ;"
and that he had engaged, for a wager, to walk 1,000
miles i❑ as many hours, at the Strawberry Gardens,
Liverpool. The pistol was bought for the purpose of
waking him at night. When he finished his walking
he took the pistol home with him ; and he said, that
since that time, whenever he had got anything to

EVENING,