The Sun.
London, England, 1868-06-26 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

CLAIM AGAINST A RAILWAY COMPANY.—In the Court
of Common Pleas a case was heard in which Mr. Jabez
Scott, a corn dealer, at Derby, brought an action against
the Midland Railway Company for injuries sustained by
him in a collision on the defendants' line. The liability
was admitted, and the only question was as to the
amount of damages. The plaintiff was about 42
years old at the time of the accident, and the net
profits of his business were in 1863 £B3l, in 1864
£845, in 1865 £1,322, in 1866 £1,824, and in 1867
£2,741. This last year was one in which the profits
in the trade were exceptionally large, and, indeed, the
plaintiff made the sum mentioned in spite of the fact that
he was able to give very little attention to his business.
The plaintiff on being examined swore that he enjoyed
excellent health prior to the accident. It was arranged
that the verdict should be for £2,500.

CURIOUS ACTION FOR INJURIES SUSTAINED.—III the
Court of Exchequer, a young man named Hughes brought
an action against Mr. Millichamp, the potter, of Lambeth,
for injuries sustained whilst engaged on the premises.
The facts are some what singular. One afternoon, towards
the close of 1862, the plaintiff, having his back turned
towards a cylinder, which was worked by a steam-
engine, was in the act of putting on his coat when it
became entangled in the engine, and the plaintiff's arm
being drawn within the vortex of the wheel, it was so
severely torn and crushed that amputation had to be in-
stantly performed. After a time the plaintiff returned
to the defendant's employment, and continued to receive
the same wages as before. The defence was that the acci-
dent was caused by the plaintiff's own negligence, as he
was well aware of the exposed position of the wheel. The
jury gave £2OO damages.
WHAT Is A WELSHER ?—At the Westminster Police-
court, John Murphy was charged under Lord Campbell's
Act with publishing a malicious libel. The prosecutor, a
cigar dealer, had been in the habit of betting and
attending races. On the last Derby day he lost a large
sum of money, some of which was to the defendant
Murphy ; and on refusing to pay, defendant walked up and
down in front of the shop with a placard on his back, which
set forth that the complainant was a " welsher."
The magistrate was clearly of opinion that though the
prosecutor had not acted rightly, the action of the prisoner
was illegal. A similar case was quoted where the plea of
justification was successful. Mr. Arnold replied that such
proceedings were calculated to lead to a breach of the
peace. The defendant was bound over to keep the peace
for twelve months, the magistrate stating that would be
over next year's Derby.
WHAT IS A LIBEL ?—At the Hammersmith Police-
court, Mr. N. T. Hicks, a retired comedian, was charged
with using threatening and abusive language whereby a
breach of the peace might have been committed. The
defendant went into the shop of Mr. Wiggins, a butter-
man, to whom he was indebted, and held up an envelope,
which he had received from a collector, on the corner of
which was " Debt Department," and told the complainant
that a man who sent such a thing as that to a gentleman
ought to be kicked, and used other abusive expressions.
Mr. Selfe said that the defendant had acted wrongly, but
such an envelope as the one produced was calculated to
make a man angry, and if a person were summoned before
him for sending one like it, he should view it as an insulting
libel. The defendant entered into his own recognisances,
and so the affair ended.
STRANGE DELUSION. —At the Marlborough - street
Police-Court, two cabmen, named Webster and Syett,
were summoned before Mr. Knox, for assaulting Mr.
William Milton, of No. 8, Booth-place, Oxford-street.
The complainant said be was a publisher. He had pub-
lished works of his own composition. These works had
excited the animosity of the medical profession, and various
schemes were practised to stop the sale of his publications
and to annoy him. While selling his publications in
Regent-street, one of the defendants purposely drove his
cab against him and hurt his side, and the other used his
whip over him. He was satisfied that the cabmen had been
set on him by certain persons of the medical profession.
The complainant had published a work on the flyleaf of
which was his portrait, which was said by him to be the
means of preventing him from being kidnapped. The
contents of the pamphlet were to the effect that the author
had discovered the secret of causing lunacy as practised by
the medical profession. There were at this moment
41,276 pauper lunatics, but how many among the noble
and wealthy he had no means of ascertaining. The
secret of creating lunacy was by the administration of
strychnine in a peculiar way. A certain heat was
emitted with particular classes, especially bakers, which
caused sickness and feverish anxiety. The complainant
had written to the Clerkenwell News warning him of the
designs of the medical profession towards Prince Alfred
and the Royal Family that in furtherance of these
designs the Prince had been decoyed to Australia, the
setting fire to the booth erected to entertain him at Sand-
hurst having failed of its purpose. In addition to the
lunacy project there was another dreadful scheme
afloat, which had already brought under subjection
39 clergymen, 8 judges, 197 lawyers, 340 merchants, 680
mechanics, 466 farmers, 240 gentlemen, 805 women, and
1,300 rich men's daughters. The new scheme could be
practised as secretly on the bishop as on the most depraved,
on the teetotaler as on the drunkard. The publication
went on in this strain, and was evidently the production of
a disordered imagination. After a good deal of argument
by the complainant, who appeared perfectly rational, the
defendants denied being at the place where the assault
was stated to have been committed, and Mr. Knox dis-
missed the case.

THE IRISH Cnuncu.—We understand that a
petition to the Queen from the women of Ireland has been
received at the Home Office against the disestablishment
and disendownwnt of the Irish Church. The petition has
been signed by 143,235' persons, and it is stated that more
signatures might have been obtained if further time had
been allowed for that purpose. —Timm
FIELD DAY AT WOOLWICH. - Thursday was a
grand field day for the troops at Woolwich, a large por-
tion being reviewed on Woolwich Common. The following
troops took part in the movements : Two batteries of
Royal Horse Artillery, Lieutenant-Colonel Mitchel com-
manding I) battery, and Major Saunders E battery ; five
troops of the 17th Lancers, under Lieut.-Col. Lowe.
Colonel Phillpotts, Royal Horse Artillery, commanded the
whole, under the superintendence of Major-General G.
C. Warde, C. 8., commandant of the Woolwich gar-

riscm.

TITZEE CHILDREN 131,TESED TO DEATII.—A few
days ago, at Douse, near Edinburgh, three children were
burned to death under the following distressing circum.
stances. A man named Gillies, a porter at the railway
station, went to his work as usual, and shortly afterwards
he was followed by his wife, who locked the door, leaving
her three children, one of G years, another of 2 years, and
an infant, in the apartment. She returned in the space
of an hour, and found the house in flames. An alarm
was given, but all attempts to rescue the children were
unavailing. When the fire had burned out the (lanai
remains of the three children were found amono the Ruins
9i OP .4.9%Wf " H• -