The Sun.
London, England, 1828-04-07 00:00:00

LENT ASSIZES.

HOME CIRCUIT.—,KINGSTON, Aran. 5.

John Campbell Lunn, a man of most respectable
appearance, and who for thirty years had borne his
Majesty's commission in the Army, and had attained
to the rank (as we understood) of Major, but of
which he had divested himself a few years back by
the sale of his commission, ivas indicted, for bigamy,
in having intermarried with Sarah Davis during the
a
life-time his former wife, Mary West.
Mr. West proved the marriage of the prisoner to
his sister, on the sth of October, 1820, and his de-
sertion of her a few months afterwards. His sister
died in 1823.

Mr. Bell, Sexton of St. George the Martyr, in
the Borough, proved the marriage of the prisoner, by
license, on the 9th of June, 1821, by the name of
John Campbell Brown Davis, to one Sarah Davis :
witness's wife officiated as bride's maid; they
brought no friends with them.
_ _

Air. George Offar, in September, 1821, met a
lady on board an Ostend packer, who described her-
self as Lady Davis, and said she was going to Paris
to meet her husband, Sir John Davis, a Knight and
Baronet. Witness was introduced to the prisoner,
who passed as Sir John Davis, a few days subse-
quently ; they were living in style, and kept their
carriage : he had been on visiting terms with them
ever since.

Mr. Joseph Shaw proved the signature " Sarah
Davis" to the second register, to be the hand-
writing of a lady he had formerly known as Mrs.
Sarah Dors,"

, This was the case for the prosecution.
The prisoner, in his defence, put in a long and
ably-written paper,, of which the following is the
substance :—He had for thirty years held a corn-
mission,in the army, and had served his Majesty,
with honour to himself and advantage to the coun-
try. He attributed his'misfortunes and present dis-
graceful situation, solely to a fatal passion for
gaming—that most destructive vice. After losing
large sums at different houses in London, he was
at last driven to the sale of his commission, and, in
the hope—the vain hope—of retrieving himself, had
ventured its proceeds at the gaming table, where it
soon disappeared. Driven to despair by his folly,
he determined on turning upon his plunderers, and
accordingly commenced actions against Crockford,
Rogier, Laporte, and others. These actions were,
some of them, still pending, and it was to get rid of
them (he said) that the present proceedings were
adopted. Crockford, that noted gaming-house-
keeper, whose splendid edifice mocked the laws of
the land, had an interest in his conviction; as he
(the prisoner) had an action pending against him in
the King's Bench. It was his belief Crockford had
contributed towards the expenses of this prosecu-
tion. He denied that he had been guilty of the
crime imputed; and, in proof of his innocence, he
would produce as a witness the lady with whom he
was said to have contracted the second marriage,
and who would prove he was not the person she
married.

Mrs. Sarah Davis was then called—She admitted
being a party to the marriage deposed to by Mr.
Bell, but denied that the prisoner was the other
party. The person she married passed himself upon
her as a Baronet, and took her vp France, where in
less than a month he stripped her of a large fortune,
and then absconded. A few days afterwards she
became acquainted with the prisoner, and it was
agreed between them that they should pass by the
name and title of her quondam husband, but that
they should sleep separately. It was., a. ,r4t.'oaic
marriage, and it was while they were '• 71#'41is
state she introduced the prisoner
,to'Mc.:., .;as Sir
John Davis. It was not till two yti‘fa'l- 'wards
that they slept together.
The Jury, after an hour's deliberation, returned a
verdict of Guilty. Sentence—One year's iinprison-
ment.

John Savage stood arraigned under the Coroners
inquisition (the bill having been ignored by 'the
grand jury) for the manslaughter of Patrick SWeeny,
by running over him in the Broekelbank, GraVesend
steam-boat, while -the deceased was engaged with
others in sweeping the river for a barge's rudder.
The jury pronounced a verdict of Not quilty.
FRIDAY, APRIL 4.
Mr. Robert Tate, the insurance-broker, was put
upon his trial for maliciously shooting at Hugh Par-
nell, on the 6th March, with intent to murder him,
The particulars of this case have been already fully
detailed,
The Jury found the prisoner Not Guilty. The
prisoner was also acquitted under a second indict-
ment, which charged him with having fired a loaded
pistol at Mr. Bellamy, on the same day, and under
circumstances similar to those described in the fore-
going case. The Judge and Counsel engaged in the
ease consulted for some time,',and it was ultimately
arranged that Mr. Tate should remain in custody
until his friends procured his reception into some
asylum ; Mr. Broderick, on behalf of the proSe-
eutor, stating that allowing Mr. Tate to go at large
might be attended with serious consequences to his
client.

OXFORD CIRCUI C.-GLOUCESTER, Amu, 4.

This being Good Friday, the Learned Judges at-
tended Divine Service at the Cathedral in the
morning, and went into their respective Courts at
one o'clock.

THE KING V. WILLIAM THOILNTOY, ESQ.
• This was a criminal information which had been
granted by the Court of King's Bench against the
defendant, for publishing certain malicious and scan-
dalous libels in the Gloucester and Cheltenham
Herald, charging Captain Marshall, the Master of
the Ceremonies at Cheltenham, with having been
guilty of cowardly ungentlernanlike conduct, and
asserting that he was unfit for the situation he held.
The Jury found the defendant " Guilty."

APRIL 5.
GRIFFITII V. GARDNER AND BELLCHAMIERS.

This was an action brought against the defendants
to recover a compensation in damages for a libel of
and concerning the plaintiff, published in the Glou-
cester and Cheltenham Herald.

An apology, signed by Mr. Gardner, was put in,
and read by the Court, after which

Mr. Justice PARK said, the apology is very ample,
Gentlemen, and the defendant (Mr. Gardner) sub-
mits to your verdict for 1,000/. damages, and you
will have to find a verdict for the other defendant
Bel!chambers.

rl WESTERN CIRCUIT.—TAUNTON, APRIL 3.
The business of this Court has been in general
very uninteresting. Two whole days have been oc-
cupied in a case which Mr. Sergeant WILDE said,
was, except to the plaintiff and defendant, the most
uninteresting in which he had ever been engaged.
The case of Gillimni, who is committed to take
his trial for the murder of Mary Bagnell at Bath,
has been expected every day ; bnt Mr. Justice LIT--
TLEDALE has now signified his intention, not
taking the case until some day after Monday next.
An itinerant, exhibitor of little curiosities has come
to this town, and shows a model of the young wo-
man's body as it appeared after the murder. It is
expected that, in consequence of the feeling excited by
this public exhibition, Mr. Sergeant Bompas will,
beforetthe Court rises to-night, attempt to have the
trial put of to the next assize. A motion has been
already made, with a view to restrain the exhibition
of the model ; but Mr. Justice Littledale did not
think that he had power to interfere. It will be re-
collected that Gillham made before the Magistrates
a full confession of hie having committed this murder.
He now disavows the confession, and puts the pro-
secution to the proof of his guilt. 'As the evidence
is all circumstantial, the trial, when it does come •on,
will probably occupy a very long time.

MIDLAND CIRCUIT.--AVARWICK,'• Aran, 4.
James Wilson, otherwise James Wood Wilson,
was indicted for having, on the 12th of July, 1823,
at the parish of SY. Michael, in the city of Coventry,
feloniously stolen in -the dwelling-house of Thomas
Wilmot, and -others his cO-partners; quantity of,
promissory notes for the payment of divers sums of
money, amounting to MI., then due and unsatisfied,

and .14 sovereigns, the property of the said Thomas
Wilmot and Co.

,There,were other counts in the indictment vary-
ing the charge ; and there were three other indict-
ments against the prisoner, charging him with having
stolen other sums of money from the same parties.
who were his employers, to ?II of which he pleaded
"Not Guilty."
After the case for the prosecution had been de-
tailed,
Mr. Justice HOLROYD observed, that the notes
were described in the indictment as being then due
and unsatisfied, whereas it appeared, from the learned
counsel's statement, that they were the prosecutor's
own bank-notes, which they had paid. They could
not, therefore, taken to be valuable securities for
money in their hands, and consequently, the indict-
ment could not be supported.
The Jury having returned a verdict of not guilty
upon this indictment, the prisoner was then about
to be given in charge upon the amended indictment
mentioned by Mr. Reader,_ when his Counsel, Mr.
Sergeant ADAMS and Mr. DENMAN contended, that
as this was in effect the same charge as the last, or
at least was partly so, as both indictments charged
him with stealing 14 sovereigns, as well as the batik
notes, to try the prisoner on this indictment would
be truing him asecond time for that for which he had
already been placed in jeopardy and acquitted, and
that therefore he had a right to plead autre fois
acquit.

After a long conference between the Learned
Counsel on both sides and the Learned Judge, his
Lordship said he would take until to-morrow morn-
ing to consider of the question.

SATURDAY, APRIL 5.

James Wilson was aglin put to the bar this morn-
ing, and the indictment to which the prisoner was
yesterday about to plead autrc
_pis acquit having
been abandoned, he was arraigned upon another,
which charged him with stealing 3331. in Bank
notes, the property of Messrs. Goodall and Co., his
employers, in the dwelling-house of Thomas Wil-
mot. In a subsequent count, he was charged with
embezzling this sum.
The Jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
The announcement of the verdict was received
with marks of approbation by the auditory.
The prisoner will be tried en another indictment
on Monday.

NORTHERN CIRCUIT—YORK, 111Aacii 29.

JEFFERSON V. HARDY.

Mr. WEIGHTMAN, in opening the pleadings, said,
that the action was brought to recover compensation
for work and labour performed by the plaintiff. The
defendant pleaded he was not liable, upon which
they joined issue.
Mr. Sergeant JONES stated the case for the
plaintiff. He said, that in this action, the plaintiff
Jefferson was an attorney at Pontefract, an ancient
Parliamentary borough, and the son of a physician
in that town. The defendant was a gentleman, a.
Learned Friend of his (Mr. Jones's), whom he saw
not far from him, the Recorder of Leeds, who was a
candidate at the last general election for the repre-
sentation of that ancient borough. Lord Pollington
and Mr. Houldsworth had been the Members for

that place during the last Parliament; but his
Lordship declined the honour again, and that cir-
cumstance was no sooner known than a number of
gentlemen were applied to, to commence canvassing
as candidates for the last election ; and amongst
the rest, his friend Mr. Hardy, who was the.
first to offer himself for one of their future
representatives. Parliament was dissolved in June,
1826. But as early as the month of March, Mr.
Hardy and his friends made a thorough canvass of the
whole borough. Mr. Mitton, a solicitor of that town,
was his general and confidential agent, and he had
no doubt the cause of the dispute between Mr. Jef-
ferson and Mr. Hardy arose in some way or other
between Mr. Mitton and Mr. Jefferson, from some
circumstances of which Mr. Hardy could not have
heard, and over which he could have no controul.
The first canvass occupied nearly four days. Mr.
Houldsworth next declared himself a candidate ; and
Mr. Hardy then stood the second man. There is,
however, a very ancient and laudable custom at Pon-
tefract—viz., always to take care and support the
third man.—(A laugh.)=-He was sure to meet with
consitlei able support; and with many of the burgesses,
if they had never seen him before, he was sure to be
a great man. There are from nine hundred to one
thousand voters professing the elective franchise of
that borough; and many of them keep themselves
disengaged from the other two candidates, until the
arrival of the third malt, that they may have an op-
portunity of voting the more according to their own
consciences. In the management of an election of
that sort it required considerable activity and atten-
tion, on the part of the agents, that the voters should
not improperly be approached by the ?dverse party.
If, for instance, the agent of one party was seen
taking a walk to a voter not quite steadfast in his
principles, or decided as to the party with whom he
should identify himself, it was the duty of the other
party to go and neutralize his effort, by inducing him
to rally round his own standard. For these reasons,
Mr. Mitton was anxious that Mr. Hardy should have
a right number of agents, as well as a good show of
voters, the two being connected like cause and
effect; and there was also a sort of etiquette or
point of honour about it, which he did not like to
see lacking in Mr. Hardy ; for Mr. Houldsworth
had three agents • Mr. Starkie had three agents;
and Mr. Mitton thought that Mr. Hardy should also
have three agents on his side : there seeming to be
in the eyes of the free and independent electors of
IPontefract, a peculiar virtue in that number. Mr.
Hardy h'ad already two ; and for a third Mr. Mitton
employed the plaintiff. Mr. Jefferson accordingly
attended Mr. Hardy on his first canvass, and also
on his second canvass, when Mr. Hardy and his
friends were thrown into a state of alarm on hear-
ing the news of the third man having started. But
Mr. Jefferson's services were not confined to the
period of the actual canvass • for he believed that
more good was done during the intermediate periods
than at the canvass itself, and in this way Mr. Jef-
ferson rendered great assistance. Mr. Mitton, how-
ever, had stated as one ground why the plaintiff was
not to be better paid, that lie had not much busi-
ness in his profession ; but he (Mr. Sergeant Jones)
thought that was a good reason why he should
be better paid, because it showed he had more lei-
sure time to devote to Mr. Hardy's interest. In
the event, the third man was successful ; from what
cause, whether owing to the splitting of the votes, or
what else, he could not say. He regretted that his
learned friend did not win the race. He really
thought the judge ought to have placed him firsti
but it appeared that was not to be his fate or his
case. Mr. Jefferson was extremely anxious to stand
well with Mr. Hardy at the election, and even
now. But he felt that when there was an attempt
made to deduct so large a sum-from his charges, a
sense of duty impelled him to come there that day,
to ask a jury Nvhether the pittance he had already re-
ceived was sufficient for the arduous services he had
rendered to the great cause impersonated in Mr.,
Hardy._

Mr. Wm. Wood, examined by Mr. WEIGHTMAN.
—Said he was an attorney at Pontefract. At the'
last election he was employed in behalf of Mr.
Starkie, whose canvass began early in March. Mr.
Hardy had been announced as a candidate some time'
before that. Mr. Jefferson is attorney' at Ponte-
fract, and was employed by Mr. Hardy. His father
is a physician there. Saw Mr. Jefferson first about
the latter end of February. He was busy prevailing
on the inhabitants to promise their votes to Mr.
Hardy. Had seen him frequently with Mr. Hardy
and Mr. Mitton. He carried a book with him, in
which he made memorandums of those who appeared.
favourable, and those who would not vote at
The first canvass lasted three or four days. The'.',
second was in,March, which continued two or three
days. Mr. Hardy came to Pontefract several times:
after that, in a more' private way, up to a short perio&
befoie the eleCtion which took place en the 9th ofi
June. If Mr. Jefferson had k eeeived 1001. for his'
services, he would not have been overpaid.
By Mr. BROUGHAM.—He did not think he should