The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-04 00:00:00

Mr. Sergeant Wilkins and Mr. Otter conducted
the prosecution; the Hon. A. Liddell defended the
prisoner*. _

It appeared that, on the night of the Ist of Novem-
ber last, John Roddam, gamekeeper to Mr. Riddell,
of Cheeseburn Grange, in company with another man,
was going his rounds through Mr. Riddell's preserves.
O❑ reaching the Low Fell plantation they heard the
discharge of an air-gun, upon which Roddam desired
his companion Currie to lie in wait, while he went for
further assistance. "While Roddam was absent,
Currie saw the three prisoners come out of the
plantation, two being armed with guns, and
the third with a bludgeon. Roddam shortly,
returned with Mr. Riddell and six other per-
sons. Some stopped at the Bog plantation, while
others went in another direction. Mr. Riddell hearing
the poachers in the wood, went with Roddam and a
man named Havelock, towards them, and having got
near to them, the prisoner Clouton asked them what
they wanted, upon which Mr. Riddell was proceeding
to take him into custody, when he was knocked by
the blow of a gun into a dyke. Roddam then pro-
ceeded after Clouton, who cocked his gun, and point-
ing it at him, threatened to blow his brains out.
Roddam said, " It's of no u3e, I have a gun as well
as you." The two other prisoners then came up to
Clouton's assistance, when Roddam was knocked
down with the butt end of a gun and beat about the
head while on the ground. The prisoners then re-
attacked Mr. Riddell, whose assistants having come to
his succour, a regular melee took place, and guns
were fired on both sides. Mr. Riddell was wounded
in both legs, having seventy-four shot wounds in his
left leg, and six in his right. Roddam, the keeper,
was severely hurt in the back part of the head, and
also on the neck and ear. The prisoners were like-
wise wounded in the affray.
Mr. LIDDELL having addressed the jury for the
prisoners,

- HIS LORDSHIP summed up.
Verdict Guilty. Sentence, ten years' transpor.
tation.

Mr. Sergeant Murphy tried the prisoners in the
grand jury room.

Richard Short, who was yesterday convicted of a
Post-office felony, was this morning sentenced by Mr.
Baron Rolfe to ten years' transportation, his lordship
not considering the objection of the prisoner's counsel
valid.

March 2.
Mr. Baron Rolfe sat in the Crown Court this morn-
ing to try the remaining prisoners, but none of the
cases were of importance. The judges will proceed
in the course of the day to Durham.

WESTERN CIRCUIT, Winchester, March 2.
CROWN COURT.—Before Mr: Justice TALFOURD.
Thomas Harkey was indicted for having, while in
the employ of the Post-office, stolen a gold signet
ring, the property of the Postmaster-General.
Mr. Rogers and Mr. Poulden appeared for the pro-
secution, and Mr. Saunders defended the prisoner.
The facts of this case were very simple. In June,
1848, a gold signet ring was taken to the shop of Mr.
Hewett, a jeweller, at Portsea, to be repaired. He
sent it up to a Mr. Bird, a working jeweller at
Clerkenwell, London, by post. Mr. Bird repaired it
arid on the 14th of June, 1848, put the ring into a
box, put it in a letter and posted the letter, which
was directed to Mr. Hewett at Portsea, at a branch
post-office in Clerkenwell. This letter would in due
course have passed through the post-office at Portsea
on the 15th. In this office the prisoner was employed
as a stamper, and the letter would in due course have
passed through his hands. The letter, however,
never reached its destination, and nothing was heard
of the ring until June last, when, owing to some sus-
picion falling on the prisoner, :his house was searched,
and in a secret drawer of the prisoner's desk the ring
was found. On being asked how he came by it he
said he had bought it of a jew three years before, and
gave ten shillings for it.
The defence set up was, that the ring was not
clearly identified to be the same ring as sent by Mr.
Bird through the post. Bird, however, swore dis
tinctly to his work in the repairs of the ring.
The jury found the prisoner Guilty.
Sentence deferred.

The Nisi Prius Court has been occupied the whole
day in trying a right of way through a passage lead-
ing out of a street in Portsmouth. The case is not of
the slightest interest, except to the parties immediately
concerned.

OXFORD CIRCUIT, Abingdon, March 1.
Both Courts sat this morning at nine. The Nisi
Prius continued sitting till seven, and the Crown
Court till eight in the evening.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Baron PLATT.)
Henry Gosling, aged 22, a groom, was indicted for
having on the 6th of February, in the parish of Fa-
ringdon,
feloniously assaulted and
cut and wounded
Henry Maskelyne, his master, with intent to maim,
disfigure, and kill him.
Mr. Cripps conducted the prosecution, and Mr.
Carrington the defence.
It appeared that the prosecutor was a surgeon, and
the prisoner was his groom ; that on the day in ques-
tion the prosecutor, on returning home, went to his
stables, and finding his horses grossly neglected, spoke
in very angry terms to the prisoner, who was then
under notice to leave, and that the prisoner, on the
prosecutor turning his back, struck him with hi,
hand on the head and knocked him down, and then
beat him, when on the ground, in a most brutal
and savage manner, till the family ran out and saved
him. The prosecutor had only just recovered from
a severe illness, and was therefore the less able to
protect himself. He was insensible for a considerable
time, and for some time his medical advisers feared
that he had suffered a concussion of the brain. lie
bled profusely, and there was also a large extravasa-
tion of blood in the head. On the close of the case
for the prosecution,
Mr. CARRINGTON submitted, on the authority of
the case of "R. v. Stevens," 1 Moody's Crown Cases,
409, decided by seven judges against six, that the
charge for cutting and wounding under the statute
could not be maintained, as the prisoner had used no
weapon.
After some discussion, his LORDSHIP said that he
was reluctantly obliged to yield to the authority of
that decision.
Mr. CARRINGTON then said that he could not
struggle against a conviction for a common assault.
The jury pronounced the prisoner Guilty of a bar-
barous assault ; and after a suitable addrress upon the
barbarous brutal, and cowardly character of the as-
sault which he had committed, he was sentenced to
be imprisoned for 18 calendar months.
James Clark, aged 31, a sweep, was indicted for a
felonious assault on one John Humphrey, at the
borough of Reading, on the 19th of January last, and
cutting and wounding him, with intent to maim and
disfigure him.
Mr. Carrington appeared for the prosecution, and
Mr. Williams for the defence.
This case arose out of the protection meeting at
Reading. The prosecutor was a farmer who at-
tended the meeting. On its being broken up he went
homeward, down along Friar-street, followed by a
mob of 300 persons, and when he reached the end of
that street his hat was knocked off, and the prisoner
came behind him, and gave him a violent blow with
a heavy-handled whip on the back of the head. There
was some difficulty in afterwards tracing the prisoner,
and ono of the circumstances which led to his
detection was the discovery at his house of the
whip with which the blow was inflicted, covered
with blood.

On being convicted of a common assault he was
sentenced to be imprisoned for six months.

CIVIL SIDE.— (Before Mr. Justice PATTRSON and
a Special Jury.)
SCOTT V. BARON ROTHSCHILD.
Mr. Keating, Q.C., and Mr. Gray appeared for the
plraintiff; and Mr. Whately, Q.O , and Mr. Phipson
fo the defendant.

This was an action by the representative of Henry
Scott, the celebrated racehorse trainer at Ascot
Heath, against Baron Rothschild, for 2741., the
balance of an account alleged to be due to the deceased
for the keep, training, &c., of horses belonging to the
defendant in the years of 1843, 1844, 1845, and
1846. Scott died in November, 1847, and soon after
his death the plaintiff sent in an account to the de-
fehicndant, charging him with a balance of only 661,
wh he at opaid. Soon afterwards this was
discovered to be a mistake, and the real balance was
said to be 274/. 10s. 3d. The defendant paid 701.
into court, and denied his liability to any greater
amount; he also pleaded a set-off to the extent
of 500/.

The case had not proceeded far when it was re-
ferred to arbitration.
The Court was engaged the rest of the day and
night; up to sem o'clock; with an iuterpleAder ;sue.

field adjoining, when they saw four men going along,
the line of the plantation. Smith anti the watchers
made a turn, ran before them and faced. them ; where-
upon the four men drew up, three bein4 armed with
guns, and the fourth with a stick. The keepers ap
proached, upon which one of the poachers said, " keep
back, or we'll make your wives 'widows." They
then put their guns to their shoulders and aimed at
Smith. The prisoner Richardson pulled his trigger,
but, fortunately, the gun did not go off. One of the
poachers not taken then fired his gun, which black-
ened Smith's face, stunned him, and blew off his cap,
the charge riddling it. The poachers then ran away,
arid Smith let fly both barrels of his gun amongst
them. The two prisoners fell among the turnips,
though not from the effects of the gun, and were
secured; but while being secured Richardson managed
to draw his knife and cut the thick trowsers of Smith
quite through.

Mr. OYBREND addressed the jury' for the prisoners.
Verdict, Guilty. Sentence, ten year's transportation.
Alexander Clouton, William Rainshaw, and David
.Ridley, were indicted for shooting at John lioddam,
with intent to murder him.