The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-13 00:00:00

ASSIZEtN TELLIGENCE

NORTHERN ClRCUlT.—Lanea.qer, Aug. 11.
The assizes for the northern division of the county com-
menced here this day. Mr. Justice Cresswell sat on the civil,
and Mr. Baron Rolfe on the criminal side. There are only
five cases in the caler;dar. One prisoner stands charged with
rape, and one with shooting at the Rev. Mr. Moore, at Preston,
on the 2d of this mouth. On the civil side sixteen cases are
entered for trial.

(Before Mr. Baron ROLFE.)
The Court was engaged a great part of the day with the
trial of a case of rape, w hich terminated in the acquittal of the
prisoner.
Richard Bennett was indicted for having at Preston dis-
charged a loaded pistol at the Rev. Richard Moore, with in-
ttnt to murder him.

Mr. Huston conducted the prosecution ; the prisoner was
defended by Mr. Brandt.

It appeared from the statement of the Rev. Mr. Moore,
that he is the clergyman of Lund, and a magistrate for the
county. Has been in the commission for many years. Lund
is about two miles from Kirkham, where the prisoner resides,
and about seven miles from Preston. The prisoner is a shoe-
maker, and about two years ago was before the prosecutor on a
charge which was di missed. On the 2(1 of the present month,
the prosecutor was passing along Fishergate, in Preston, on
his way to the Town-hall, when he heard the discharge of a
pistol or a gun close to him, and was instantly enveloped in
smoke. Immediately after some hard substance struck him on
the breast. He looked round and saw the prisoner four or five
yards off. He was endeavouring to get away, but staggered as
if in great alarm. The prosecutor seized him, and a man came
up at the moment and assisted in securing him. Witness said,
" He has struck me," and the man replied, " He has shot at
you," and produced a pistol he had picked up. The prisoner
said nothing.
John Harrison, the person who had picked up the pistol,
stated that he was close to Mr. Moore's right hand when the
pistol was fired. The prisoner pulled the pistol out of his
pocket with his right hand, and fired it straight at Mr. Moore.
He then flung the pistol at Mr. Moore, and it struck him on the
breast.
On cross-examination, the witness said that he was an old
soldier, and that he thought had the pistol been properly loaded
it must of necessity have hit Mr. Moore.
Adam Capstick, who was also close to Mr. Moore when the
shot was fired, said he thought he heard someting whiz past his
head.

Wm. Kirby also deposed to the fact of the prisoner firing
the pistol.
Robert Williams, a policeman, produced the pistol. It was
a common screw-barrel pocket pistol. Witness had searched
for traces of a ball, but could find none, There was, however,
a low thatched building on the other side of the street a little
further down, in which it might have lodged.
On his examination before the magistrate the prisoner said,
"He has accused me of a crime of which lam not guilty. I
want to make it known."

This was the case for the prosecution.
Mr. BRA NDT addressed the jury for the defence, contending
that there was no evidence that the pistol was loaded with any-
thing calculated to do grievous bodily harm, but, on the con-
trary, even in the case fur the prosecution, the testimony went
to show that it could not have been so. Had the party had
any serious intent to injure Mr. Moore—bad the pistol con-
tained a ball or any destructive material, the contents must in-
evitably have passed into the body of the prosecutor. He ap-
prehended there could be no question in the case, except as
respected the common assault, of which, should the evidence
establish it, the prisoner might be found guilty on this indict-
ment. Even as to that he (Mr. Brandt) had a case to set up,
which he did with reluctance, but which he thought it his duty
to lay before them. The evidence would show that the pri-
soner was a person of a very peculiar temperament, liable to fits
of despondency and absence of mind, in which he wandered
about in a state of apparent vacancy. He had written also a
great number of letters to his attorney, bearing every mark of
a disordered mind, and was, it would be proved beyond all
doubt, frequently in a state in which he was not accountable for
his actions, and which gave great alarm to his relatives and
friends.

Mr. Thomas Shaw, a surgeon at Kirkham, said he had
known the prisoner seven or eight years. He was a person of
very reserved manners, and frequently would net enter into
conversation with any one. He seemed in a state of vacancy,
and in the opinion of the witness was not at such times in his
right mind. In the June of last year he was quite insane.
Witness attended bim about a week. He could not sleep.
Witness saw him a day or two before this occurrence, and he
then seemed not in his right mind.
Andrew Lewis and Peter Barnett gave similar testimony.
Mr. Robert Ascroft, an attorney at Preston, said that about
two years ago he received three anonymous letters from the
prisoner. They were destroyed. The contents of the first
were—

Sir,—l am going to put a ball through my thick head for
a foolish thing I once did. I wish to know if you have any
commands for the shades below."

About six weeks after witness received another, which con-
tained simply—
Who steals my purse steals trash."
" SHAKESPEARE."
The third was received some time after, and was as follows :
" If you had a friend in whom you placed confidence, and
who either deceived you or betrayed you, what would you do
with him ?"

Several other letters, of a similar nature, received lately, were
produced and read.
This was the case for the defence.
His LORDSHIP summed up, and
The jury, after a few minutes' deliberation, returned their
verdict, acquitting the prisoner absolutely of the felony, and
acquitting him of the minor offence of assault on the ground of
insanity.

His LORDSHIP, after examining the Acts as to persons ac.•
quitted on the ground of insanity, said he had some doubt
whether they, or either of them, applied to a case like the
present, where the prisoner was indicted for the felony, and
acquitted of the minor charge only on the ground of insanity.
He should, however, direct the prisoner to be kept in custody
till her Majesty's pleasure should be known, and the question
as to the construction of the Acts might be considered else-
where.

On the civil side nothing of public interest occurred.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MAN SION- HO USE.
The case relating to the tea warrants, which occupied
a great deal of the Lord Mayor's time on Friday last,
was further inquired into yesterday, but after much
discussion between counsel employed upon both sides,
was adjourned to this day. There were some remark-
able circumstances connected with the subject, which
caused very intense interest ; but, for obvious reasons,
we omit the report until the decision of the Lord Mayor
shall have been declared.
A woman named Ann recrun, who had the appearance
of the wife of a decent tradesman, was brought before
the Lord Mayor.
It. Cobb (policeman No. 658) stated, that as he was
walking
along Wormwood-street he saw the defendant
apparently in great agony, rubbing her knee, at the step
of the hall-door. She was very loud in her lamentation,
and upon being questioned, said she had had a violent
fall, and had sustained desperate mischief. Witness
took her to the station house and caused her to be
examined by a surgeon, who told her to rest a little and
she would soon get over the injury, if she had been in-
jured. In the station-house she became, apparently, a
greater object of compassion, for she complained of pains
in both legs, and it was considered necessary to take her,
on account of her agony, to the hospital. She became
extremely violent upon the stretcher, but was at last de-
posited on a bed in the hospital, and examined by Mr.
Travers, who, after due investigation, stated that nothing
whatever was the matter with her, and signed at certifi-
cate to that effect, fia- the inspection of the magistrate
before whom it might be considered necessary to take her.
The Loan MAYOR—Y,,u charge her, then, with being
an impostor ?—The policeman .aid there was no doubt
at all that she had complained of pain for tha purpose
of exciting compassion. She requ,,sted that witness
would allow her t go away, when she saw he was de-
termined upon inquiry, and there was reason to believe
that she had been lately engaged in stripping children of
the:r clothes in the unfrequented lanes and alleys.
The prisoner said she had been attacked with violent
pains in consequence of a fall she had had, and that she
never had been guilty of deception or plunder of any
kind.—She was remanded for a few days.

GUILDHALL.
THE. LATE EXTENSIVE ROBBERY ON THE GREAT WESTERN
RAlLWAY.—Yesterday, Mr. chair, Maynard, an estate agent,
of No. 10, Howland-street, Fitzroy-square, was brought before
Alderman Hughes Hughes, for re-examination, charged with
unlawfully attempting to take a reward on account of helping
Mr. V. Prance, solicitor, residing at Bridgewater, to recover a
writing-case, containing bills of exchange to the amount of
2,0001., which bad been stolen on the Great Western Railway
the early part of tact month.
Mr. Clarkson, with Mr. Nask, from the firm of Swaim!,
Stevens, and Co., solicitors to the railway, appeared to con-
duct the prosecution, and Mr. Humphreys defended the
prisoner.
On the 7th ult., a Mr. Prance, solicitor, residing at Nether
Stowey, near Bridgewater, was a passenger from London by
the Great Western Railway, and he delivered bia luggage to