The Sun.
London, England, 1868-07-25 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE

HEAVY FINE FOR CRUELTY TO A SHEEP.—At Lambeth,
George Rudge, a butcher's boy, was charged with cruelty
to a sheep. A witness saw the accused strike the animal
on the nose with such force that the cartilage was broken,
and the animal bled very much. A fine of 25 was ii,flictel,
with the alternative of two months' imprisonment.
SERIOUS CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER.—At the Appleby
Assizes, George Davis was indicted for the manslaughter
of George Birkett. The prisoner was lodging at the house
of the deceased ; a dispute arose between them about the
drunken habits of Davis, and a struggle ensued. The
wife interfered, and after a few blows had been exchanged
the prisoner took the poker and struck Birkett the blow
from the effects of which be died on the 19th of April
The accused was sent to penal servitude for five years.

EXTrAGEDINARY CHARGE OF AEDUCTION.-At the
Lincoln Ass:z s, John Fletcher and Ann Parr were in-
dicted for the abduction of Julia Louisa Farrow, a girl
under 16. the girl, on coming home from London about
Clr:stmas, was ill, and was attended by the male prisoner.
Subsequently she visited the female prisoner, and after
sleeping at the house of that person, met Dr. Fletcher
about a mile fr')m the house, and he drove them in his
pony carriage to Peterborough, and thence they took train
to Cambridge, where they slept at an hotel, the prisoner
Fletcher and Julia Farrow occupying the same bedroom.
The defence was that the prisoner thought the girl 16
years old, and that she was a consenting party. The jury
found the female prisoner not guilty, but convicted the
other prisoner, who was sentenced to one year and ten
weeks' imprisonment.
THE BURGLARY AT LORD HOLHESDALE'S.—At the
Maidstone Assizes a young man named Simmonds was
charged with having been one of two persons who broke
into Lord Holmesdale's mansion at Linton Place, near
Maidstone, in the month of February last. The prin-
cipal witness against the prisoner was George Sells,
a night watchman employed on the premises. While
going his rounds this man observed a dim light in a por-
tion of the house. He at once went to investigate the
cause, and on entering one of the passages met the two
burglars face to face. A desperate struggle ensued, in the
course of which the unfortunate watchman, who behaved
with remarkable intrepidity, was frightfully beaten on the
head. He fought as long as he could, but at last was
rendered insensible. The man, however, was able to
identify the priswer, as were also two female servants.
Having been found guilty, the accused was ordered to be
kept in penal servitule for ten years.

POISONING FISH. -At the Exeter Assizes, Samuel
ilisdon and James Strong were indicted for maliciously
putting a quantity of chloride of lime in certain water
belonging to Mr. John Henry Hippisley, with intent
to destroy the fish in the water. About eight o'clock on
the morning of the 15th July, Risdon was caught in the
water, throwing the chloride of lime into it, and Strong
was assisting him. Four trout were lying on their backs
dead. The prisoners were taken into custody. Strong
said he had had no work for three weeks, and he would
not starve while there were fish in the river, and he would
catch all the fish there were. The jury found the
prisoners guilty, and they were sentenced to nine months'
imprisonment.

THE KIDSGROVE MUEDER.-At the Oxford Assizes,
oefore Baron Pigott, William Hancock, 40, furnace-man,
was indicted for the wilful murler of Mary Ann White-
burst, on the 10th of June, at Kidsgrove, in the parish of
Wolstanton. The deceased was sleeping at the prisoner's
house. The household was aroused about two o'clock
the following morning by the prisoner, who, in a
state of uncontrollable violence, was shouting, cursing,
and attempting personal violence towards his
wife. The prisoner's wife and children became
terror-stricken and fled from the house, taking
refuge at the next-door neighbour's. Unfortunately
they left the deceased behind them, and the prisoner, after
leaping through the bedroom window into the street,
returned to the house, and, seizing hold of the unfortunate
little creature by the legs and arms, battered her head
against the kitchen floor until life was extinct. The
learned judge having summed up, the jury acquitted
the prisoner on the ground of insanity, and his lord-
ship ordered him to be detained during her Majesty's
pleasure.

THE QUEEN'S VISIT TO THE CONTINENT. —The
Army and Nary Gazette says the Channel squadron, under
the command of Rear-Admiral F. Warden, C. 8., will
escort her Majesty the Queen to Cherbourg, on or about
the 4th of August.

WIGS AND COATS. —The heat in court at Lewes
Assizes was productive last week of peculiar results.
Baron Martin drove up to the Shire Hall without
a wig, and sat all day on the bench with head uncovered.
Several barristers imitated his lordship's example,
but no counsel addressed the court in that irregular
habit. The jury wore evidently infectel by the
contagion, for three or four of those gentlemen
took off their coats and considered their ver-
dicts in their shirt sleeves. Mr. Serjeant Gaselee
thinks that a man has a right to be hanged in public. On
the same principle, we suppose, a criminal ought not to be
sent into penal servitude by a wigless judge and a coatless
jury. On Wednesday the Judge Ordinary intimated
that the barristers in his court might dispense with their
wigs, and set them the examp'e. We do not know
whether Sir J. Wilde was aware of the precedent at
Lewes, but it is to be hoped that no opportunity has been
afforded for the intervention of the Queen's proctor.—
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IdAig Jame,.