The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-25 00:00:00

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

John Parker, a labouring man, was on Wednesday
brought before Mr. Maltby, by Lacy, the messenger
of St. George's Hanover-square on a charge of
having caused the death of his wife, by refusing to
allow her sufficient support.
The case was not gone into, as an inquiry before
the Coroner is to take place. The short facts appear
to be, that a suspicion arose some time ago that the
deceased was kept in a starving state by her hus-
band. The parish authorities were applied to, and a
warrant was issued against the husband for neglecting
to supply his wife with proper maintenance. The
woman died before the warrant was executed, and as
an impression got abroad that her death had been
accelerated by her husband's unfeeling conduct, the
warrant was put in force, and the man was taken into
custody.
Mr. MALTBY directed the prisoner to be remanded
until the result of the investigation before the Coroner
was known.
Captain William Breedon was charged with having
committed an unprovoked assault on a gentleman
named Falconer, living at No. 7, Wilton-street.
The complainant said he was walking along the
Haymarket at twelve o'clock last night, when he
suddenly received a blow on his body from the de-
fendant, who was a total stranger to him. The blow
was so violent as to deprive him of his breath, and to
cause considerable pain to him ever since.
Mr. Willis, of No. 4, Trafalgar-square, saw the
assault, which was 'premeditated and perfectly unpro-
voked. He had previously watched the defendant,
who, as he passed along the street, menaced persons
with his cane ; but he took special care to avoid any
man whose bulk appeared likely to secure retaliation.
The prisoner said he lived at Kennington. In re•
ference to the assault, he merely said he had been
quarrelling with his wife, and this had operated on his
temper. fie had no intention of assaulting the com-
plainant.
Mr. MALTBY inflicted the full penalty of 51., or two
months' imprisonment.
UNIONJIALL.

Thomas Stelwell was charged before Mr. Trail with
stealing two bushels of oysters, belonging to William
Smith, a green-grocer at Clerkenwell.
The prisoner was employed by the complainant to
carry home two bushels of oysters. Instead, however,
of taking the oysters home the prisoner absconded, and
was taken into custody the preceding night.
In reply to Mr. num', the prisoner said that being
hungry he ate the oysters.
Mr. TRAML (with surprise)—What ! two bushels of
oysters I Why, you have achieved greater wonders in
gluttony than the man Dando, who was notorious for
consuming large quantities of the same description of
shell- fish.
Prisoner—lt's a fact, Sir, I ate them all.
-Mr. Ta.tn.i.—Then I shall commit you for trial.—
Committed aceordiugly.
Wednesday, Eliza Dasis, late inmate of the Female
Penitentiary at Pentonville, was brought up on re-
mand, charged with robbing William Wyatt, in the
employ of a mercantile firm in the City.
When the case was called on, Mr. Payne, the bar-
rister, said 'that since the previous examination, Mrs.
Lune, the matron of the Penitentiary, had been com-
municated with, and she distinctly denied ever having
had such a conversation with the prisoner as she al-
leged, with respect to a meeting in Bond-street to
arrange matters. That Mrs. Lane was now in at-
tendance to disprove the assertion alluded to, if it
was deemed necessary to ask her ; but that, under all
the circumstances, Mr. Wyatt, the complainant, had
avowed he erred himself on the occasion in suffering
himself to be. entrapped by the prisoner into an un.
fortunate liason with her. Although it would be
proved she had robbed hint of the property, yet that
lie had no desire of proceeding with the charge, his
main object being throughout to openly avow that,
he had not authorised her to take the various articles.
As, however, the complainant admitted he had erred
himself on the occasion, he (the Learned Counsel)
fully agreed that it was his best plan not to press the
charge, unless the magistrate or the prisoner herself
desirous he should proceed with the prosecution.
weAllrPayne then complained, on the part of his
of ',u inaccuracy in the report of the previous
examdescribing that the com-
client,
had authorised the prisoner
somei nine
ot ironni
ng j.-011;
tieavcsiling paper, and copied into
that being the case,
y
the complainant throughout the 74101 e proceedings tpol at
iankaen htisdipdronpoetrtdye.nySo from
de-
nied that he had ever given her such .74t116ritY•
Mr. TitAILL having questioned the pr.:^nee as to
whether she wished the case to proceed or to n:" it
withdrawn, and her answer being in accordance with
the latter, she was therefore discharged.

George Henry Brenton, an apothecary in Newport

street, r. ambetl walk, was placed at the bar forexa•
urination, charged with assaulting and causing the
death of Mary, his wife.
The deceased's brother attended, and stated that the
inquest was held on her holy the preceding day, and
that it was postponed with a view to have the attend-
ance of two gentlemen whose evidence would be likely
to turn out of the utmost imp3rtance.
Mr. TRAILL inquired if a pod inortem examination
had taken place, and the witness replied in the affirma-
tive, and at the same time handed in a certificate of
two medical gentlemen, which declared that her death
was attributable to disease of the lower portion of the
spinal column, which appeared to have been produced
by violence.
Mr. TRAILL—Was there any testimony adduced of
the lady having received any violence at the hands of
the accused ?

The witness,,in reply, said there was none but that
of the nurse, who heard the scuffling in the bedroom

on the night of the alleged violence.
The accused inquired.if Mr. Fisher was present at
tbe post modem. Riamination ;a his wife, .that gentle;;
man having attended her accouchement,- and there-
fore qualified to describe • her; particular condition
during that period, and thedangerous'symptornS un-
der which she laboured, and which would accnunt
for her dissolution ?—The witness, in answer, said
that the coroner had ordered .the attendance of the
gentleman alluded to; upon which the prisoner-•re.
quested that Mr. Jones might.be_summoned to attend,
as he could also give some important testimony in

-
the case. • .
The prisoner was then remanded until Friday.
WORSHIP -STREET.
Wednesday Thomas Smith, alias Richard Sheldrick,
who has been many times examined with Henry Mil-
ler, Sarah Dewar, alias Miller, and the rest of a gang
who have carried on a most extensive system of
swindling, was placed at the bar before Mr. Brough-
ton, upon a distinct charge of forgery.
Mr. Michael Levy Green, and. Ephraim Levy
Green, his brothr, clothiers, in Houndsditch, proved
that early in September two persons, who called
themselves George and James Truman, of Acton, or-
dered goods to the amount of 501., giving a reference
to Mr. Dewar, 22, Ashford-street, Hoxton, an.l Mr.
Ephraim Green proceeding to that place to make in-
quiry, saw a girl, who said she was Mr. Dewar's
daughter, and that her father was out, but she went
for him, and in a few minutes returned with the pri-
soner now at the bar, who, on being asked, said that
his name was Henry Dewar, and spoke so highly of
the two prisoners calling themselves Truman, that
the 501. worth of goods were supplied, 201. being paid
in cash, and the prisoner's acceptance taken for the
remainder. On .the 9th of September, a bill for

291. 18s. was accordingly drawn up in the presence
of the prisoner, who accepted it in his assumed name
of Dewar. It was not due till the 12th of November,
but in the mean time the parties had disappeared, and
the house was shut up, and the complainants being, a
few days since, applied to by Sergeant Dubois, found
the prisoner in custody at this Court in the Lame of
Thomas Smith.
The bill was produced, and the acceptance identified
as having been written by the prisoner.
Mr. Healey, of Newington-green, stated that he is

owner of the house referred to at Hoxton, and in the
month of July let it upon a written agreement for
three years certain, to a person who then called him-
self Henry Dewar. That person, however, was not
the prisoner now at the bar, but the other prisoner in
custody, of the name of Henry 21iller. The witness
had never received any rent, and had lately regained
possession of his house.
The prisoner now said he did not deny what had
been stated, but he handed in a letter and another
paper, purporting to be a written authority to accept
the bill in that name.

Police-constable Wood, 277 N, proved that when
he and the other officers were in possession of the
house in Harvey-street, Hoxton, to which Miller and
Sarah Dewar,: who passed as his wife, were. traced
afpr ,they •had decamped from Hammersmith, the
prisoner now at the bar knocked- at the door, and,
seeing the witness there, became agitated, and said
he wanted to see Mrs. Dewar. When told that he
must be detained, he declared that he was a respect-
able tradesman at Mitcham, and his name Richard
Apsell. •An officer. being dispatched to Mitcham
without loss of time, found that the prisoner had re-
cently taken a house-of business there, and obtained
possession of a heap of letters and papers relating to
the proceedings of the swindling gang in various
other places.

Mr. BROUGIITON said that, in his opinion, the charge
now before him was a clear case of forgery, and he
should remand the prisoner, to be ultimately com-
mitted upon that as well as the other cases.
The prisoner was identified as having, in the year
1832, been committed from WorAilp-street to Istew-
gate, with a person named Frost, for stealing a quan-
tity of wine and brandy, which they had ordered from
a house in the City. On that occasion he gave his
name Richard Sheldrick, and he and Frost were trans-
ported for seven years,
William Thompson, alias Johnson, with his wife and
daughter, another party of the numerous gang of
swindlers, were brought up for reexamination, and
committed upon several charges, but remanded upon
others.

The male prisoner in this case was stated to have
been before committed, and his son, Charles Jones,
alias Fetch, alias Thompson, who is in custody at this
Court upon a separate charge, has also been convicted
and transported.
Alfred Edwards, the young man who has been a
considerable time in custody, and repeatedlyexamined
upon a charge of having murdered Jane Gregory, by
infusing poison in some brandy and bitters that he
had given her, was brought up on Wednesday for some
additional evidence.

The Coroner's jury returned a verdict of " Mur-
der" against the prisoner several weeks since, but the
evidence was very defective, and last week the body
was exhumed, and some of the viscera extracted for
further chemical analysis.
Mr. Leeson, lecturer on chemistry at St. Thomas's
Hospital, who had, in the first instance, extracted some
metallic lead from the coats of the stomach, stated on
Monday:that in the kidneys he had, by the application
of chemical tests, discovered what appeared to be
minute traces of some combination of mercury and
lead, but unless he could produce the metals them-
selves he would not positively affirm their presence.
He stated yesterday, however, that he had since Mon-
day completed an analysis of a portion of the kidney,
from which he obtained a distinct globule of mercury,
and was now enabled to say positively that some pre-
paration of mercury and of lead had been taken by
the deceased. These metals combined would cause
death, and he had no doubt, under all the circum-
stances, that the deceased had died of poison.
Mr. 13ROUGHTON said that, upon the Coroner's jury,
the prisoner must be tried for murder, but it was such
an important case, requiring such minute investiga-
tion, that it could not be properly prepared for trial
at the present session, and he should therefore remand
the prisoner until the next. The witnesses were
bound over by the Coroner for the present session, but
the Court would be moved for a postponement of the
trial, and it was intimated that the law officers of the
Crown would act for the prosecution.
The prisoner, who seemed exceedingly dejected,
was then removed from the bar.

CONVERSION OF SIX HUNDRED
ROMAN CATHOLICS TO PROTESTANTISM.

The remarkable conversion of an entire commune,
consisting of upwards of six hundred Roman Ca-
tholics, has been effected by the simple reading of the
Scriptures, circulated by the agents of the London
Bible Society. The commune is called Villefavard,
and is situated in France. We take the following
account of the conversion from a letter of Mr. D.
Pressensee, published in the Bible Society's Monthly
Extracts :

" I have already spoken to you of the labours of the
Bible Colporteurs in the department of the Haute
Vienne (Limoges), and of the good effected by them
in a commune consisting of six hundred and more
Roman Catholics, where the reading of the Scriptures
has led the people to make inquiries after a religion
more consonant with the truths of the Gospel. I
have also already mentioned that the Popish clergy
have done all in their power to stop this movement,
and the active and strong manner in which they have
been seconded by the authorities ; yet, notwithstand-
ing all this, the perseverance on the part of the in-
habitants of Villefavard (the name of the commune
here spoken of) has triumphed over every obstacle.
They have come to the happy conclusion, not by
violently resisting the authorities and the priests, but
by declaring as one man (fur not a single individual
among them manifested the smallest hesitation) that
they were firmly resolved to embrace the Protestant
Evangelical religion.
" On Sunday, the 7th Sept., the church, on which
the seals had been placed by order of the Sub-Pre-
fect, with a view to prevent the Gospel from being
preached in it, was at length opened, and given up to
the inhabitants, whose property it is. The labours at
this time carrying on in the fields kept many from
attending ; but still the church itself was not only
full, but there were 'as many as it held standing on
the outside. Mention is made of 1,820 persons from
Villefavard and the neighbouring communes having
been present. During the two hours that the service
lasted, the crowd, in the church and outside, re-
mained stationary, attentive, and deeply affected.
Three pastors officiated on the occasion. At the con-
clusion of this meeting many persons from the sur-
rounding communes, who had previously entreated
the minister recently established at Villefavard to
visit them and to converse with them on the Holy
Scriptures, repeated their request afresh; and there
is reason to hope that the spark, which has thus
fallen in the midst of the department, may soon be
I;:ntiled, and burn in all directions.
"<
in - the meantime,' writes the friend from whom
nn has been obtained, ►we behold a
air gurge. (that is, their
consisting .4 more than 600 souls, passing
et ho the
m aboveune,
over, with their mayor,
former cure, converted to Protestant.. ¢m' and become
a teacher), and their church to the Protes:a nt faith,
or at least to the Protestant worship ; and if all f:',7
not converted to the Lord, all will at least have, in
future, an opportunity of hearing the Word of God.
Even at present, the reformation which has been
effected in the Commune of Villefavard maxifests its
influence upon those around them who are still Ro-
man Catholics, by compelling their clergy to be less
haughty and less exacting.' "