The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-15 00:00:00

Vt Erb lattion

SUN OIeFICE, Seven o' Clock.

RAILWAY COMMITTEES.

Group E.
NEWCASTLE AND BERWICK LINE.
Mr. Hudson, the Chairman of the Company who promoted
this projected locomotive line, occupied the attention of the
Committee during the entire day, in showing the immense
local advantages which would be derived from its adoption.
His evidence chiefly tended to prove that the atmo-
spheric system of railway would not work the same
quantity of goods as that worked by the locomotive, and that
the public would not be convenienced by having such fre-
quent trains as were advocated by the Northumberland At-
mospheric Company.

Group F.
(Continued from our Afternoon edition.)
THE LONDON. WORCESTER, AND SOUTH STAF-
FORDSHIRE RAILWAY,

Mr. Joseph Chester, examined by Mr. HOPE—Lives at
Leicester. Is engaged in the wool and coal trade. Believed
the watEr• cirriage for wool better adapted than the
railway 'under the present arrangement of the line. The
break of gauge on the Gloucester line was very inconvenient to
the traders on the line. The inconvenience arises from the
great and unavoidable delay occasioned by the break.
Mr. W. R. Lloyd, examined by Mr HOPE—Ia a merchant
at Birmingham. Trades with Gloucester, Bristol, and Hull,
and other places. A meeting of. the merchants of Birming-
ham was held on the 9.oth of December last. The meeting was
convened by themselves. It was a very important meeting,
and its object was to consider the propriety of having a con-
tinuous gauge from Birmingham to Bristol. The first reso-
lution was moved by Mr. Muntz, M.P.
CtrArrotANHere comes the Hon. Member to answer for
himself.

Mr. Muntz here made his way to the table amid much
laughter.
Examination continued,—The resolution was favourable
to a continuous gauge. The meeting was unanimous for an
unbroken gauge.
Cross-examined by Mr. TALBOT.—One gentleman named
Chance, who attended the meeting, wrote a letter by desire
of the meeting to Mr. Laing of the Board of Trade, in favour
of a continuous gauge from Bristol to Birmingham.
Mr. Chance spoke in favour of the broad gauge, but the
meeting did not approve of it; their immediate object was
a continuous gauge, and not as to whether it should be
broad or narrow. Was himself in favour of the narrow
gauge, though if the gauge were to be continuous the
inconvenience would be materially diminished.
Re-examined by Mr. Hot.E.—Competition would be
very beneficial if it could be kept up where two
lines ran together. This would, however, be very
soon got rid of by the two Companies combin-
ing. Would prefer a Government regulation to any
other for the security of fair rates. There would be
more trouble in loading the trucks on the broad gauge than
on the narrow ; the loading would be far more inconvenient.
The small gauge would be generally more compact and un-
objectionable.
By the CHAIRMAN—On the whole, if he had his choice, he
would give the preference to the small gauge.
Mr. lion,: said he would have to claim the indulgence of
the Committee. At that moment he was unable to call any
further general evidence, in consequence of the witnesses
being under examination in another Committee. He would,
therefore, propose to put in the tables of traffic.
The tables of traffic were then put in, and a few witnesses
were called, who were briefly examined as to their general
accuracy.
The Committee then adjourned till twelve o'clock to-
morrow.

Group V.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
Mr. BAINES, on the part of the promoters of the Bill, read
extracts from the report of the Board of Trade recommend-
ing this line. Ile stated that it was intended to extend it
to a distance of thirty-two miles, and that it would connect
the producing districts of South Nottingham and South Lin-
colnshire, with the markets of Yorkshire and Lancashire. By
forming a junction with the Midland Railway at Chesterfield,
they could communicate with Manchester, Leeds, and Barns-
ley; and he would produce evidence before the Committee
to prove that the traffic would be amply sufficient to
anaintain the line, and return a profit to the Company. The
line would not interfere with any existing interest. The
Learned Counsel, after giving returns of the export trade of
Newark in the articles of malt, flour, coal., lime, &c., pro-
reeded to call witnesses in support of his position.

John Thorpe, malster and coal merchant, proved that a very
cons;lerable export trade existed between Newark and the
market, of South Lancashire in the articles of malt and flour,
and that coal was imported in great quantities from Derby-
shire and Nottingham. Ile was certain that if the line were
made it would increase in a very great degree the value of
property in Newark. The popular feeling was strongly in
its favour.
Mr. Bramston, Mayor of Newark, gave similar evidence.
The Committee adjourned till to-morrow.

TATTERSALL'S.-THIS EVENING
Six O'CLOCK.

DFIRBY.

2 to 1 agst Dias
9 to 1 agst Weatherbit
12 to 1 agst The Libel
15 to 1 agst Pam
16 to 1 agst I'antasa
18 to 1 agst Alarm
18 to 1 agst Old England
20 to 1 agst Doleful
40 to 1 agst Titmouse
40 to 1 agst Young Eclipse
50 to 1 agst Laird o' Cockpen
50 to 1 agst Remorse
50 to 1 agst Fuzbos
50 to agst Maynootla
50 to 1 agst Jinglepot
CO to 1 agst Columbus
OAKS.
No betting.

THE LATE MURDER IN

ST. GILES'S.

CRIMINAL COURT.-(THIS DAY.

OLD COURT.
TRIAL OF JOSEPH CONNOR.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)

_
Mr. BALLANT,NE then proceeded to address the jury
on behalf of the prisoner. He said—When he was
first called upon to defend the prisoner the had
felt that he should have been able to offer a fair
defence in his behalf, but be was wholly unprepared for
the fregli evidence that had been adduced, and he almost felt
the weight of the responsibility thus thrown upon him—
almost' too great for his abilities. He called upon
them Ice 'dismiss from their minds all that they had
heard out of doors, or from the public newspapers.
in reference tosthe prisoner, and, as unprejudiced men, :to
arrive only at a conclusion warranted by the evidence they
bad heard. He held that the motives which had been as-
signed for the commission of the crime by the prisoner were
not of a character to entitle them t., come to an adverse de-
cision respectingthim. The prisoner was hurried to Newgate
-with only half of the case heard against him, and complained
that he had not been supplied with the depositions
of the witnesses who were to be examined on his trial.
Thus he had to answer evidence which he had no idea would
be brought against him. Was it possible that the prisoner,
a young man of two or three and twenty, could have had
intercourse with a woman of the age of the deceased—a
woman leading-the most loathsome of all occupations, in the
most wretched and lowest district of the metropolis—a
district where, of all others, the lowest class of indi-
viduals and the lowest kind of vice was to be found?
The threats were not such as were used by persons in the
same class of life as the prisoner, and it could not reasonably
be inferred from them that he intended to destroy the
woman's life. It was unlikely that the prisoner, who was
about to be married, and whose betrothed had in no way dis-
appointed his affections, would commit so horrible a crime
as _this. Then, as to the identity of the prisoner.
There was a. belief that he was the individual—
a belief which might be excited by many causes, and
by the similarity of the prisoner to some other person.
Belief showed a defect of some nature—that the person using
the term was uncertain of matters in his testimony. Let
them look at what opportunities the various witnesses had of
specifying; that the prisoner was the man who committed
the murder. Mary Palmer and Mrs. Hall, who had oppors
tthlity of seeing him—the one, at the very time he was
conimitting the murder, if he was the man—yet they
could not swear positively that the prisoner was
the person. Might they not have associated their
belief • with certain descriptions which were given of
the person by whom the murder was really committed. So
much doubt was there, that men as old as forty or fifty were
taken upon suspicion. When Allen saw the prisoner, whom
he said was the companion of reputed thieves, run out of
the house hastily, was it not extraordinary that he did not
arrest him—why did he stand still at the corner of the street?
The aspersion cast upon the prisoner by the police-
man was refuted by the evidence of the witness
from Messrs. Garrard's, and from the evidence of the
pri,Soner's father, by whom it was shown that he was
both .hard-working and honest, and consequently obtaining
hie livelihood in a respectable manner. Then with respect
to the evidence of Mr. Oldham. Persons were, no
doubt, continually calling at his shop to purchase
knives, and it was singular that an ordinary indi-
vidual,. making such a purchase at an ordinary time,
elsould have been so strongly impressed on his mind.
His daughter said that • the person who purchased the
knife bad a blotch on the side of his nose, yet none of the
eight witnesses who saw the prisoner on the night of the
murder were asked the question by the Counsel for the
Crown. When Mr. Oldham said "That is the man," that
inference was no doubt drawn from reasoning on the proba-
bilities that the prisoner was the individual. The voice
was molt fallacious, and changed more than any other
organ by deep emotion. Was it not 'likely that the
prisoner's voice, speaking as he did, under deep emotion, and
under painful and trying circumstances, might have been
husky, and like the voice of a person merging from youth to
manhood. Ile was not positive that the prisoner was the
mars-mho bought the knife until he heard him speak some
half sdozen words. He held that this was not a reasonable
test,, and could not be entertained by the jury. The object
of the prisoner in pointing out Mrs. Tape in the street as the
person who had communicated a certaiNdirmase to him, was
for the purpose of holding her up to shame her corn-
paniens, and not as a prelude to a dreadful and
inusder. Secrecy was ne part of his conduct. He made no
secret of his aversion to the woman, and of the
injury
he supposed he had received from her. The coa
which the policeman stated was stained with blood ought to
have been sent to some scientific person to ascertain if the
marks on it were blood or not, for surely in the advanced
state of science there was some means of arriving at such a
result. There.was"nothing to show that it was not rouge, or
that, it was not the result of some slight wound. If the
prisoner committed the murder, was it not likely that in-
stead of there being spots cf blood on the coat,
it would have been deluged in blood? It was proved that the
woman was tall-and stout, and it was unlikely that the pri-
Soner;.who was not a powerful man, could have committed
the murder without meeting with great resistance, and of
having the knife wrested from his hand by her. It was
shown that the prisoner came home as usual and went
to bed with his father, and that his parent, whose testimony
was .not .biased, as, from the position in which he stood
towards the prisoner, might be supposed, saw nothing differ-
ent irons his ordinary conduct. Was it not likely that, if he
had;gommitted the murder, that he would have been dis-
turbed with the consciousness that he had destroyed the life
of diotbar? Such, however, was not the case, and this was
an additional reason why he was not. the man. If,
as • was stated, that he went home a short
time before the murder, why could he not have

obtained a knife there, instead of exposing himself in the cut-
ler's shop ? He conceived that Cochrane had committed per- I
jury. His evidence, and the assertions contained in it, were
inconsistent with truth, and could be little more than in-
vention, in which he had been assisted by the police, who,
he believed, had basely tampered with him. The name of
Connor had been associated with that of " the murderer,"
and many, Cochrane among the rest, no doubt
considered him guilty. His name had been mixed
up as " Connor the murderer" in litigation between
public officers, and in the newspapers—who could help con-
sidering him guilty? The assertion that if the women came
forward he would be sure to be tucked up, merely denoted a
morbid state of mind, and that he was labouring under great
apprehension as to the threats he had used towards the un-
fortunate woman. After referring to other matters in rela-
tion to the case, he concluded by a powerful appeal on behalf
of the prisoner.
The Learned Counsel then called the following witnesses
on behalf of the prisoner :
Mr. John Webster, gold and silver chaser, Soho, said the
prisoner was in his employment when a boy, and that he was
peaceable and well-conducted.
Mr. George Robinson, carpenter and builder, had known
the prisoner for three years, and he had borne the character
of a quiet, inoffensive young man.
Mr. John Barnett, confectioner, 10, Great Suffolk-street,
had known the prisoner six or seven years. He was quiet
and well conducted. He was in his employ for eight months
about two years ago.
Mr. Baron ALDERSON having summed up, the jury retired
to consider their verdict, and had not returned into Court
when our report left.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

(THIS EVENING.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

The SPEAKER took the Chair for the first time after
the Whitsuntide recess, at Four o'clock.
Colonel THOMAS WOOD presented a petition
against the Westminster Improvements Bill.
ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAY.

Sir G. STAUNTON presented a petition, signed by
upwards of 16,000 persons, in favour of the application
of the atmospheric principle to railways.
Colonel W EMYSS presented a petition against the
Edinburgh and Northern Railway.
Mr. BROTIIERTON presented a petition against the
Chichester, Guildford, and Portsmouth Railway.
CROYDON RAILWAY.
The following Bills were severally read a first time,
and ordered to be committed:—London and Croydon
Railway (Enlargement); London and Croydon Railway
(Chatham and Gravesend) ; London and Croydon Rail-
way (Maidstone, Ashford, and Tonbridge); London and
Croydon Railway (Orpington Branch) ; London and
Croydon Railway (Chatham to Chilham).