The Sun.
London, England, 1868-03-24 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

TIIE LONGDEN MURDER.-At the Shrewsbury Assizes,
John Mapp, aged 35, has been tried for the murder of a
little girl named Catherine Lewis, on Monday, the 22nd
of December last, at a village in Shropihire called
Longden. It will be remembered that the child had been
to chapel, and was seen on the road home walking by the
side of the prisoner, who lived in the same direction. The
deceased never reached home, and her body was found
brutally murdered in a field hard by on the next day. The
evidence was conclusive against the prisoner, although all
motive for such a crime appears to be wanting. He was
found guilty and sentenced to death, protesting his
innocence as he left tne dock.

THE MURDER AT WINSCOMBE. --At the Taunton
Assizes, the case of Alexander Holmes, charged with the
murder of a boy, was disposed ot. The prisoner
was the son of a colonel late of the 12th
Lancers, and had been placed in the care of
a turf dealer on account of a defect in his mental
powers. On Friday, the 13th inst., he went into the
garden to work, but in the evening he presented himself
at the house of Acting-Sergeant Hancock, at Banwell,
and there gave himself up, stating that he had murdered
a boy, and the officer not being in he occupied the interval
by taking tea with the woman with whom the constable
lodged, and narrating the details of the atrocious crime.
He said he felt that he must murder some one, and when
he saw the lad in the field keeping the birds from some
wheat, he could not resist the temptation to murder him.
He beat him about the head with a stick, and then cut his
throat with a pocket-knife, and threw the stick and knife
into a stream, where he washed his hands. The body of
the boy was subsequently found in the place indicated by
the prisoner. Several witnesses were called, who proved
that the prisoner was of weak and unsound intellect at
the time of committing the crime, and the jury acquitted
the prisoner on the ground of insanity.

THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF A FARMER.— -At the
Cambridge Assizes, Robert Lowe, a tall, powerful-looking
man, aged 67, was indicted for wounding James Wil-
liamson on the 26th of December last, with intent to mur-
der him. Williamson, who is a small farmer, took a load
of hay on December 26 *to Cambridge, and sold it for
£5 4s. He left Cambridge the some afternoon, but it was
not until the following morning that his horse and cart
arrived home, he being found huddled up insensible in a
corner of the vehicle, severely wounded about the head,
and his money gone. Evidence was given to spew that
the prisoner Lowe had ridden in the cart with him alter
leaving Cambridge, and although the prosecutor never
properly recovered recollection of the party who was with
him in the cart, he identified a cap and jacket belonging to
the prisoner, as having been worn by his assailant. It was
also found that the prisoner, from being extremely poor,
was in the possession of gold and silver immediately after
the robbery. The jury returned a verdict of guilty, and
the prisoner was sentenced to penal servitude for life.

ATTEMPTED MURDER OF A POLICEMAN.-At the Taunton
Assizes, two men, named Hicks and Bryant, have been
charged with attempting to murder a policeman. Hicks
pleaded guilty. It appeared that about two o'clock on the
morning of the 14th of December, a policeman named
Agburn was on duty at St. George's, about five miles from
Bristol, and saw two men running from the house of a
market gardener. They dropped some fowls. Agburn
attempted to stop Hicks. There was a struggle, and
Agburn was shot in the groin, and it was not considered
that he would recover. A verdict of guilty was returned.
Hicks was sentenced to ten years', and Bryant to five
years' penal servitude.

THE CASE OF PETER MORGAN.—On Monday, Peter
Morgan, alias Mohan, was again brought before Sir
Thomas Henry, at Bow-street, on the charge of inducing
soldiers to desert, and enlist in the so-called Fenian army.
The charge, it will be remembered, was made by a man
named John Malony, who, in November 1865, the time of
the alleged transaction, was a soldier at Woolwich. His
evidence was corroborated by M`Carthy, a soldier belong-
ing to one of the Military Trains, and the prisoner was
remanded.

CUMULATIVE PENALTIES.—A singular case of cumulative
penalties occurred at Macclesfield a few days ago. A
fishmonger was summoned for having on sale a quantity
of shrimps in a decomposed state and unfit for human food.
The police inspector said he had counted the shrimps, that
there were 2,040, and that defendant being liable to pay a
fine of £2O for each shrimp, the total amount of the penal-
ties would be £40,800. The magistrates were doubt'
delighted that the arithmetical shrewdness of the r
gave them such an excellent opportunity for proving the
"unstrained quality of mercy," and they therefore
remitted £40,799 Jf the penalty, and fined the lucky
fishmonger 20s. only.

Their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess
of Wales have signified their intention of honouring with
their presence Mrs. Disraeli's assembly.

It is understood that Captain the Hon. John
Vivian, M.P., and Colonel Lowder, C. 8., Deputy-
Adjutant-General of Marines, will be added to the royal
commission appointed to inquire into the law and practice
of courts-martial.

ARMY EXAMTNATIONS.—The next examination
for admission to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst,
will begin on Monday, June 15; that for admission to the
Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, on Wednesday,
July 1; and that for admission to the Staff College, on
Thursday, July 23.

THE BISHOP OF WINCHESTER.—The health of
the Bishop of Winchester is gradually improving, but it
will be some time before he will be able to attend to the
more active duties of his episcopate. The confirmations
which have been fixed for the next few weeks will be
undertaken by the Bishop of Sodor and Man and the
DitoP 4#Mauritius,