The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-10 00:00:00

A TALE OF REAL LIFE.

Among our Borough Assize Intelligence will
be found the case of Mrs. Burrell, the midwife,
charged with the manslaughter of Sophia Stanley,
and the judge's reiterated opinion as to the un-
called-for verdict of the coroner's jury ; but
one or two points of interest we have reserved
for separate mention. The deceased was the
wife of a framework-knitter, living in Royal East-
street, and had had twelve children before; she was
always weakly, and suffered much at every confine-
ment, but she had full confidence in Mrs. Burrell, and
begged her not to hurry or think of sending for extra
assistance—she should do very well. When, how-
ever, she found Mrs. Burrell sending word down to
her husband to go for Mr. Macaulay, and the husband
came up into her room to get his coat for that purpose,
she had by that time become sensible that her case
was desperate. " She said she was dying," the
heart-broken husband stated to Mr. Justice Patteson,
" she would not let me go ; she begged me to stay by
her, that she might hang upon my neck." The poor
fellow could not resist such an appeal, and he re-
mained with her; then it was that Mrs. Burrell, after
entreating the poor woman to be easy " just for ten
minutes," started for Mr. Macaulay's, and went there
and back in that time, no easy thing for a woman of
65 to do. Before this, moreover, she had told the
deceased never to mind about paying for the doctor;
for that she (Mrs. Burrell) would be answerable for
any expense so incurred. Well might Mr. Justice
Patteson say, and repeat, that the Coroner's jury had
dealt hardly with Mrs. Burrell. But there are still.,one
or txo points to be noticed. The husband, who seemed
scarcely to know what passed around him, in
whose eyes there was "no speculation," in reply
to a question, stated that he was receiving relief from
the union-9d. a day for eleven hours' work. His
Lordship—everybody in the court—was astounded
at the reply ; and one of the barristers said,
" Good God, and that is what is called relief!"
How many children the poor fellow had to keep
out of this 9d. per day did not come out. At the
conclusion of his evidence, Mrs. Burrell wished him to
be asked, whether he did not think she had done all
in her power for the safe delivery of his wife? Mr.
Justice Patteson (who evidently had a struggle to
conceal his emotion during a great part of the trial),
said he was sory he could not put the question in that
shape—he was very sorry. The poor man,
Stanley, however, had no such scruples to
contend with ; and• in a voice rendered almost
inarticulate by his tears, he begged his Lordship
not to hurt Mrs. Burrell, for she had done all
she could." " Your request is highly credit-
able to you, my good man—highlycreditable," replied
his Lordship. In conclusion, we would suggest to
the Board of Guardians the propriety of making
speedy and kind inquiry into this poor man's case; to
depart for a season from the strictness of their regula-
tions, and grant relief without exacting work in re-
turn. A fellow-being thus heavily visited with afflic-
tion should meet with commiseration and considera-
tion.—Leicester Chronicle.

CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE.
A woman, fifty-two years of age, the wife of a
small fanner named Bonvoisin, residing at Epre-
ville, was tried on the 27th ult., before the Court
of Assizes of the Eure, for the murder of her
brother, Pierre Vautier. It appeared from the
indictment and the evidence, that the brother
and the sister had for nearly fifteen years been
on bad terms, in consequence of the anger felt
by the latter at her brother having a larger portion
of the property left by the father than she thought
right, and that Vautier, in his just resentment
against his sister, who was a woman of the worst
feelings, had made a will bequeathing his property
(about 16,000 f.) to a friend. The mother, however,
being attacked with severe illness, and therefore
desirous of seeing her daughter, Vautier, who resided
with his mother, consented to receive his sister, and
at the death-bed of the parent a reconciliation took
place. Vautier having about the period of his mo-
ther's death broke his thigh, the sister remained at
his house to nurse him ; and although her selfish
disposition was again shown by her desiring to
have the whole of the household furniture of the
deceased, and a quarrel ensued, yet Vautier, as a proof
that the reconciliation made by the bedside of his
mother was sincere on his part, revoked the will which
he had made in favour of his friend, and executed
another, in which he left everything to his sister.
This act of generosity caused his death. The prisoner,
anxious to get immediate possession of the property,
and taking advantage of his feeble state, entered his
room at night, and with a club beat out his
brains. Early on the following morning she went
to a neighbour, and told him that during the night
some thieves had broken in, and after robbing the
house, had murdered her brother. The character
of the woman, however, created suspicion, and the
officers of justice had soon proof that the murder was
committed by her. On the trial the evidence was
such as not to admit of a doubt of her guilt ; but the
jury, to the surprise of the Court, declared that there
was no proof of the murder having been com-
mitted with premeditation. She was, therefore,
only sentenced to imprisonment for life, with hard
labour. A remarkable fact was revealed on the
, trial, showing that even the most calculating cri-
initials frequently commit great oversights. The
murderess had taken the precaution, after the
consummation of the crime, to proceed to a neigh-
bouring spring, and wash away the stains of blood
from her hands and some of her clothing, but she had
placed a bloody hand upon a latch on the inner side
of a door which was locked, and the key of
which was found in her possession. Her story
of thieves having entered the house was
contradicted by this fact, for they could not subse-
quently have locked a door of which they had not the
key ; the marks of blood were also those of the left
hand, and it was proved that the prisoner was left-
handed.—Galignaiii s Messenger.

FATAL ACCIDENT AT SIR JOHN RENNIE'S FAC-
TORY.—At an early hour this morning a man, named
William Wren, expired in Guy's Hospital, from the
effects of a severe fall from a scaffold, which was erected
on the premises of Sir John Rennie, the eminent engi-
neer, whose manufactory is situated in Holland-street,
Blackfriars-road. An inquest will be held on the body
this evening, before Mr. W. Payne, the City Coroner.
THE LATE FATAL OCCURRENCE ON THE RIVER.—
Yesterday, Mr. Baker, the coroner, resumed and con-
cluded an inquest at the Gun, Wapping, touching the
death of William Morgans, aged 19, a seaman, who,
together with Edward Everest, lost their lives on the
25th of October last, by the skiff, in which they and four
other persons were crossing the Thames from Rother-
hithe to Wapping, being upset by the Waterman steamer
No. 6, coming in collision with them. The evidence was
precisely the same as that adduced on the trial of Samuel
Sims, the captain of the steamer, at the Central Criminal
Court on Saturday week, on a charge of manslaughter,
in having caused the death of the man Everest, on which
he was convicted and sentenced by Mr. Justice Maule to
four months' imprisonment. The body of the deceased,
in the present inquiry, was found floating off Wapping
New-stairs, on Thursday last, by a man named Scott,
and was, from the length of time (six weeks) it had been
in the water, in a dreadful state of decomposition. The
Coroner, at the close of the evidence, summed up,
charging the jury, that, from what had been stated, it
was a clear case of negligence, and as such amounted to
manslaughter, and the jury without hesitation returned
that verdict. The witnesses were all bound over to pro-
secute ; consequently, at the expiration of his sentence,
Sims will have to be arraigned on this second charge.
ASYLUM FOX FEMALE ORPHANS.—Yesterday, a
special general court of this charity was held at the
Asylum, in Lambeth, fur the purpose of electing 15 girls
to be received into the establishment. William Skelton,
Esq., presided during:the meeting, and the election closed
at three o'clock. There are 138 orphan girls at pre-
sent in this establishment, to which the present number
elected will be added. Since the commencement of the
institution in 1758, to April, 1844, there have been ad-
mitted 2,362 children, of whom 194 died in the house,
2,022 were placed out, 3 were employed in the house,
and at that time (April), 143 were in the asylum.
POOR MAN.—Poor man ! There he sits in the
corner, emaciated with labour, and, in this dank weather,
hard set to get his breath. He belongs to Buckingham,
and becauseihe could not stand to work any longer, his
little home was broken up, and he immured amongst
strangers, his wife and part of his children torn from
him ! Resolved to die rather than remain in the bastile,
he came back, and with a little better health he tried
again to provide for his family. Sickness overtakes him
again, and, because he becomes " troublesome" to the
parish, he is told, " he is liable to be imprisoned" for
not staying at his own town, where it was impossible to
get a living. He asks and begs for a little relief, but is
refused, and may live or die for anything the relieving
officer cares for him. While such " inhumanity of man
to man" exists, may we exert ourselves to rescue the
dependent portion of our fellow-creatures, and, by giving
them the full benefit of their labour while in health,
enable them to lay by a little against sickness, instead
of sending them to the cold charities of the parish.—
The Struggle.
PRAYERS FOR THE RELIGIOUS WELFARE OF
ENGLAND.—A prayer has been published in Belgium,
humbly asking God to be pleased to reconcile England
to the Catholic faith. This prayer was compiled by
the Belgian bishops, according to the request of the
Hon. G. Spencer, who conformed some years since to
the Popish persuasion.

GAME IN BUCKS.—On Monday last as a labourer
of Quainton was crossing a field belonging to the Duke
of Buckingham, he saw a great number of hares, and had
the curiosity to count them. In this one field ho counted
no less than 270 hares, which was of course much less
than the number he saw, as there were many he could
not count. While labourers are starving for want of
food and employment, here are vermin allowed to con-
sume and waste this food, and by their depredations to
lessen the farmer's means of employing the poor,
Aylesbury News.
Lord Alfred Paget will give a cup of 501. value on
the occasion of a grand steeple chase, to take place in
the neighbourhood of Olton-hall early in January. The
horses will be those belonging to the officers of the 7th
Hussars.

COMMON SENSE.
Common sense is the best of all sense, and it is-no
small recommendation of the principles of free trade
that they have been described by the Secretary of the
I Home Department as those of " common sense:'
The principles of monopoly, and the practices cf
monopoly, are, therefore, opposed to common sense.
Common sense means that which every body, in
their straightforward course of life, would act upon.
If there be one road hilly and circuitous, another
straight and level, common sense would lead the tr,-
yeller to take the latter in preference to the former.
We universally prefer good articles to bad ones, cheip
articles to dear ones ; common sense prompts us to
this. Hence it is, sophisticated as we please, that w e
cannot resist the conclusion that free trade, which
means buying good instead of bad, cheap instead of
dear articles, is "common sense.
Common sense, again, may be considered as that
which guides the every-day actions of the mass of the
people. " Where is the cheapest shop for potatoes ?"
" Where do you get the best flour, and most for
money ?" I always get best served with tea and
coffee at such a place." Peter so-and-so kills capital
meat, and sells it lower than any body in the row."
These are the expressions of common sense, and de-
velop its workings among the people at large.
Why should we depart from these in national
matters ? Why should we buy in the dearest market,
and sell in the cheapest? Is there any connnon
sense, or any other sort of sense, in placing a barrier
in the way of those who would bring us plenty
of the best food, and at a much lower price than
we at present give ? Is there any sense in saying
to the nations, " We will not sell you our cloth-
ing; we will not allow you to employ our people, be-
cause you can only pay us in food, though it be the
article of all others we want most ?"

We do occasionally hear of exclusive dealing, but
it is deprecated by all persons of good sense or good
principles. Monopolists' notions, however, are all
on the exclusive dealing principle. England says
to America, we could do well with your flour,
your hams, and your cheese; but we have a grudge
against you, and we will punish our own people
in order to punish you. Every monopolist nation
makes enemies instead of friends, and thus violates
the great principle of common sense. Exclusive deal-
ing on one side begets exclusive dealing on the other,
and hence arise feuds, and wars, and bloodshed.
Peace is common sense, and free trade leads to peace.
—The Struggle.