The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-26 00:00:00

August !4.

CROWN SlDE.—(Before the LORD CRDIEP BARON).
William Swanston was indicted fur the murder of his
wife at Wigan.
Mr. Sergeant Murphy and Mr. Segar conducted the
prosecution. The prisoner was defended by Mr. Wilkins
and Mr. James.

It appeared that on th© evening in question the pri-
soner came home from the fsctory in which he was em-
ployed as an overlooker. He went up stairs, and found
his wife lying intoxicated on the floor. It would ap-
pear that he had given her a kick in the hinder part of
her person, and shortly after he came down stairs and
mentioned to a little girl, his eldest daughter, that her
mother was drunk, and there was no supper ready. He
afterwards went again up stairs, and finding his wife still
lying on the floor, apparently in much pain, he carried
her down, put her in a chair, and sent for a doctor. By
the time lie arrived, the seat on which she sat and her
clothes were drenched with blood. Tho medical man
had her again taken up stairs, and on examination found
that the kick the prisoner admitted he had given her had
displaced the bone at the extremity of the spine, rup-
tured the bladder and some blood vessels, of the hemor-
rhage from which the unfortunate woman finally died.
She was sinking, indeed, when the doctor was first called
in. Some brandy was administered to her, which she at
first refused, saying she did not like it. The prisoner
then remarked, " if, thou hadst not been so fond of it,
this would not have happened." He expressed, how-
ever, great sorrow at what had occurred. He had al-
ways borne an excellent character, but the unfortu-
nate deceased had latterly been given to habits of intoxi-
cation.

Guilty of manslaughter.—Sentence deferred.
James Burgess was indictment for an attempt to mur
der his wife.

_
Mr. Brandt conducted the prosecution ; the prisoner
was defended by Mr. J. Pollock.
The prisoner was a machine-maker, and about two
years ago, being then 18, was married to his present
wife. They had one child. Some family disputes arose
between the wife's family
and him, and he finally sold
off his goods with the intention of going to America,
she returning to her friends. The windows of his
father-in-law's house having been broken, the prisoner was
accused of having done it, and he asked his wife to meet
him at the house of a mutual acquaintance, to try and
make it up. She did so, and they being left alone in the
house, he asked her to go into the other room. She re-
fused. lie then put out the candle, seized her by the
throat, and strangled her, as she said, until she was
blind, and then with a knife attempted, as she supposed,
to cut her throat. The neighbours hearing an alarm,
broke in the door, and found the prosecutor standing on
the floor leaning against a table, and nearly insensible.
Her throat was much bruised, but no wound had been
inflicted, it having apparently been the back of the knife
which had been used.
Evidence was given of the prisoner having threatened
on more than one occasion to cut his wife's throat.
Verdict—Guilty of an aggravated assault. To be im- ,
prisoned two years.

OXFORD ClRCUlT—Gloucester, Aug. 23.
CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Sergeant ATCHERLEY.)
John Smith, aged 50, a bill discounter, was charged
with forging aad uttering an endorsement to a bill of
exchange, with intent to defraud Thomas Gardener.
Mr. Godson (Queen's Counsel) and Mr. Greaves con-
ducted the prosecution; Mr. Keating, Mr. Cooke, and
Mr. Gruy, the defence.
This case was rendered more interesting than similar
investigations usually are from the singular circumstances
disclosed in the progress of the inquiry.
The prosecutor and prisoner had been intimate asso-
ciates for years in the business of bill discounting, but
had recently disagreed. The alleged forgery, an en-
dorsement to a bill of exchange drawn by prosecutor,
took place in March, 1842, when notice of its being dis-
honoured was given to the prosecutor by the attorney for
the prisoner, who commenced proceedings against the
acceptor, and recovered the amount in an undefended
action at the Gloucester Summer Assizes, 1843. In
March last, a bill for forgery was presented to the grand
jury, without any previous inquiry before a magistrate,
when the trial was postponed to these assizes, the pri-
soner being admitted to bail. Numerous witnesses were
called to state their belief that the endorsement was not
in the prosecutor's handwriting, but, as usual, they all
varied on cross-examination as to the parts of resem-
blance and non-resemblance.
After a very powerful and searching speech from Mr.
KEATING,
The Learned JUDGE summed up the evidence, and a
verdict of Acquittal was pronounced.
The trial lasted until half-past ten at night, when the
business of the assizes closed.
At one o'clock Chief Justice Tindal left the town on
his way to London to prepare the judgment in the Writ
of Error upon the Irish State Trials, which is to be de-
livered on the 2d of September. On the 4th of Septem-
ber we understand that that very learned and most 'ex-
cellent person starts on a continental tour.

WESTERN CIRCUIT.—Bristol, Aug. 23.
(Before Mr. Justice PATTESON and a Special Jury.)

PARFITT v. THOMPSON AND OTHERS.
Mr. Crowder, Mr. Sergeant Manning, and Mr. Ball
conducted the case for the plaintiff, and Mr. Cockburn
and Mr. Butt that for the defendants.
This action was brought to recover the amount of the
loss on a policy of insurance for 2,0001, which had been
effected on a vessel called the " Hutchison" by the Forth
Marine Insurance Company, of which the defendants
were members. The ship was built in 1825, and pur-
chased by the plaintiff in 1838, when she was repaired
at an expense of 1,500/ In 1841 she was el artered by
Laurie, Hamilton, and Co., on a voyage to Sierra Leone,
and then this insurance was effected. On the 10th of
March, 1841, the vessel sailed from Bristol, under the
command of Captain White. In the Bay of Biscay the
weatheriwas very bad, but the vessel arrived in the Mala-
couri river on the 15th of April, where it remained till

the 9th of July, when she sailed for England. When
off the Isle de Los there was very rough weather, but
when off Cape Verd, the windlass, anchor, &c., were
lost, and the vessel became leaky, and with some diffi-
culty reached the Gambia river. An agent of Lloyd's
then surveyed the vessel, and it being found necessary
that very considerable repairs must be done, and which
could not be completed there, it was considered best to
sell the vessel, which fetched 411/. The defendants
contended that they were not liable for a total loss, but
only a portion, and they paid 4001. into Court, and
alleged that the question was, whether the vessel had
sustained the damage by the perils of the sea or through
unworthiness.

Mr. Justice PATTESON having summed up.
The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff; the
amount of damage to be regulated by Mr. Powell, of
London.

Several common jury cases have been tried, but they
have been chiefly brought under the Interpleader Act,
to determine as to the proprietorship of goods and fur-
niture, and their interest was confined to the locality.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT,
OLD COURT:

(Before Mr. Baron GURNEY and Mr. Justice WIGHTMA.N,

John Donny('liff was indicted for cutting and
wounding Sarah Powell. Mr. Gur wood prose-
cuted, and Mr. Prendergast defended. It appeared
that on the day in question, the 23d of June, she met
the prisoner, and went to a public-house with him,
where they had some drink. They went afterwards
to other public-houses, and both eventually got tipsy.
They then went to prosecutrix's lodgings, where they
quarrelled, and she aggravated him very much, upon
which he struck her in the face, and then took a knife
from his pocket and stabbed her in the breast. The
prisoner was convicted, and sentenced to be impri-
soned fur four months.

SENTENCES.—Faith Bowerman, aged 17, who was
on Friday convicted of the manslaughter of her new-
born infant, was brought up and sentenced to be im-
prisoned and kept to hard labour for two years.
Sarah Hyland, aged 22, convicted of concealing the
birth of her new-born male child, was also brought
up and received a like sentence.
John Le Grand, aged 50, described as a merchant,
was indicted for breaking and entering the dwelling-
house of Robert Anwyl, and stealing 180 dozen of
lace caps, capes, collars, &c., value 601., the property
of John Byng Banks.
It appeared that Mr. Banks occupied rooms as a
warehouse in the dwelling of Mr. Anwyl, at 82, in
Lawrence-lane, and that the property in question was
deposited in the rooms used by Mr. Banks. The rob-
bery in question was committed on Christmas eve,
and was first discovered by a man named Jones, in
the employ of Mr. Anwyl, who went to the house to
get his master's rooms ready for him. He found
Mr. Banks's door had been broken open, and imme-
diately fetched the police, who discovered everything
in confusion. On Mr. Banks being informed of the
circumstance he repaired to the premises, and dis-
covered that the goods in question had been ab-
stracted. It was subsequently discovered that a Mr.
Lafitte, a dealer in gloves and French goods, in
Addle-street, was selling goods which resembled
exactly those stolen from Mr. Banks. On inquiry,
it turned out that the prisoner had sold 180 dozen of
caps to Mr. Lafitte, which, on being examined, turned
out to be the caps stolen. That person had given
271. 10s. to Le Grand for the caps. This being the
case, the police received orders to apprehend the pri-
soner, which they did, and on searching his rooms
discovered some collars, which had also been stolen
from the warehouse of Mr. Banks.
The RECORDER said he did not think there was
sufficient evidence to convict the prisoner of having
broken into the warehouse, although there was some-
thing against his character. At any rate it was
doubtful whether he had come honestly by the goods.
He was only one degree removed from the other per-
sons who had sold the goods.
The jury immediately returned a verdict of Not
Guilty.

NEW COURT.
(Before the COMMON SERGEANT.)
Louisa Saville, aged 17, and Mary Saville, 16, were
convicted of stealing one shawl, value 95., the pro-
perty of Sophia Green, 26,111igh-street, Islington.
The prisoner Louisa was sentenced, at her own re-
quest, to transportation for seven years, having no
other means of procuring her livelihood except by
prostitution ; but the Common-Sergeant, taking into
consideration the youth of the prisoner, the sentence
was afterwards respited, it being mentioned that an
attempt would be made to get the prisoner into the
douse of Occupation.
The other prisoner was sentenced to two months'
imprisonment.
FELONY.— William Day, 32, was indicted for steal-
ing one tablecloth and two napkins, value 31., the
property of Mary Ann M'Cragan, and one scarf and
one gown-piece, value 41., the property of Clara Brown,
in the dwelling-house of James M'Kean, Spurney -
street, Leicester-square, on the evening of the 4th
of August.
Witnesses were called, who detailed the facts of the
case, and swore positively to the prisoner's identity.
Mr. PEACOCK addressed the jury for the prisoner.
Several witnesses were called to prove an alibi.
Each underwent searching cross-examination. The
jury, disbelieving their evidence (though the wit-
nesses swore that the prisoner spent the day in
question in their company) found him Guilty.
He was sentenced to transportation for seven years.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
(SATURDAY.)
MANSION-HO USE.

William Laidler, who stated that he had been a
seaman on board the ship John Campbell, of Liver-
pool, a vessel of 600 tons, in the palm oil trade, ap-
peared before Sir John Pirie, for the purpose of
making a declaration relative to a mutiny on board
that vessel, and a series of cruelties which, he stated,
had been crowned with murder.
Sir J. PIRIS, upon looking over the statement con-
tained in the declaration, said it was quite impossible
for him to allow such a paper to be declared to be
true before him, with the view to publication, until
he should have made application to the owners of tke
vessel on the subject. He was, he said, aware that
many awful occurrences took place on the coast of
Africa, but parties interested not unfrequently ex-
aggerated, and sometimes wholly misrepresented
matters, and were themselves sometimes chargeable
with mutiny, the very apprehension of being accused
of which induced them to be the first to complain.
The seaman solemnly pledged himself to the truth
of the statement, which was to the following effect :
'l'he ship, John Campbell, left the Liverpool Docks on
the 21st of October last, bound for Old Calabar, on
the African coast, in the palm oil trade. Two weeks
after the ship sailed the skipper (Robert Nelson) died
of Madeira, when the supercargo assumed the com-
mand, in defiance of the senior officer on board, who
should have asserted his right according to the usages
of merchant ships in such cases. About a month
after our skipper died the supercargo reduced our
daily rations to a very serious extent. We had now
gained our destination, working hard under an African
sun unloading the ship, but finding ourselves oppressed
with heat, and languishing for the want of food, we
consulted, went aft, and respectfully complained to the
proper officer, the first mate, that in consequence of
the reduction of our rations we felt weak and unable
to do our work. The officer referred us to the
supercargo. 'We then addressed ourselves to that
personage, who also refused our request, on
the ground that the ship's provisions were
short, and should be reserved for the home-
ward passage. We knew this to be an evasion of our
just claims, and a falsehood, as the owner, Sir Joseph
Sharp, at the time we signed the ship's articles, said
we should have plenty to eat and be well used. After
our humble petition was derided and denied, we re-
turned quietly to our duty, whilst the supercargo
sent off to some of the ships in port, and having con-
versed with their skippers and supercargoes, several
of them accompanied him on beard the John Campbell.
We now believed our usual allowance of food would
be granted to us, and being satisfied, we gave them
three cheers as they passed over the side, being under
no apprehensions. On this occasion the supercargo
was told that the John Campbell crew did not recog-
nise him as master, but were ready to obey the senior
ship's officer on board. The supercargo did not re-
turn on this day, but remained all night ashore, and
next morning he sent for half the ship's crew, no rea-
son having been assigned for this unusual order.
This mysterious request having excited our sus-
picion, all hands refused to comply until the intent
was known. When the messenger returned, he said we
might look to ourselves, as the war canoes were pre-
paring to come off. Our amazement may be con-
ceived; and there now ensued a scene of barbarity
and cruelty that could not be exceeded by the most
ignorant savages on the coast, and inhuman and blood-
thirsty as the natives sometimes are, they cannot be
excelled by the butchery and bloody purpose of
the orders issued in this deplorable instance. We saw
about fifty armed war canoes put off, with from 18 to
20 natives in each, chanting their war-songs of blood
ai.d slaughter, with the supercargo at their head.
They soon drew up in a circle round the ship, and
swept her deck with volleys of shot and poisoned ar-
rows. Being astonished at such an extraordinary at-
tack, and shuddering at the idea of instant death, we
stood on the defensive with such weapons as came to
hand, but becoming weak from wounds and loss of
blood, the ship was easily boarded, and nine of us
tied with cords, and thrown, covered with gore, into
the canoes, and taken ashore and paraded through
King Yambo's town, where every species of cruelty
and insult was also inflicted upon us. The natives
having exhausted their cruel energies, we
were stripped, our clothes taken away, and
ourselves put in chains, and suffered to lie
on the damp ground in separate huts, and
fed on water and half a pound of biscuit a day during
43 days, two of our number having died from this
brutal treatment—the carpenter and Edward John-
son. the crew being now in chains, and the ship

defenceless, the natives turned upon the supercargo,
and plundered the vessel of her gear, and every move-
able article upon which they could lay their hands.
This was but a slight portion of retributive justice
upon the supercargo. The paper of the applicant,
after some particular details of severities alleged to
have ben practised by the supercargo, states, " On
the 10th of May the French brig-of-war Alloinella
arrived, when we were, thank God, all put on board
of her, and landed at Gambia on the 11th of June,
and lodged in gaol, but were instantly liberated as
soon as the magistrates had examined the case, no
crime being recorded." The statement concludes
with the expression of determination to bring the
supercargo to public justice upon the arrival of the
other injured parties, and gives the names of the men
who were ironed, viz., Alfred Benness, Samuel Gil-
lin, William Hall, Edward Cadogan, Edward John-
son, Joseph King, William Laidler, and' the carpen-
ter; and the names of those stated by the a:iplicant
to have been murdered, viz., Edward Johnson and
the carpenter.
The statement, which is dated, " Gambia, Ist July,
1844," is signed William Laidler and William Hall.
Sir JOHN PIRIE—How do you say these men were
murdered ?—They were poisoned in the but ; some
of the poison was found, and pronounced by the me-
dical men to bc., destructive of life.

Sir JOHN PIRIE —Have you brought any certifi-
cate or paper with you relative to the case ?—No.
William Hall and I are the only men here ; all the
rest are scattered about.

Sir JOHN PIRIE—Is the ship in which you were
employed arrived yet ?—I do not know. We are only
just arrived. We were brought from Gambia in the
Rowena schooner ; Sir Thomas Ingram, the Go-
vernor, sent us over to England.
The applicant then showed one of the poisoned
arrows, which he said had been sent against the vessel
from the armed canoes.

Sir JOHN PIRIE—WeII, I shall write to the owner,
Sir Joseph Sharp, at Liverpool, immediately, upon
the subject. It is scarcely possible that such things
could have happened without the owners having, by
this time, received some intimation of it.

The applicant most solemnly declared that every
word he had written was perfectly true, and that as
many of the crew as survived would testify to the
accuracy of it.
Sir JouN PIRIB then sent the seamen to a place of
refuge, and wrote to the owner of the vessel, alludi,,g
to the matters detailed, and requesting information
on the subject.