The Sun.
London, England, 1845-08-05 00:00:00

AUGUST 8, 16451

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
HOME CIRCUIT.—Croydon, August 4.
CROWN COURT—(Before Mr. Justice COLERIDGE. )
Frances Mary Wilson, the young women who was acquitted
on Saturday upon a charge of robbing her master, again sur-
rendered this morning to answer the other indictments that
had been preferred against her.
She was first arraigned upon a charge of stealing a cambric
handkerchief, the property of Thomas Cook, her master.
Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Creasy again appeared to support the
prosecution, and Mr. Clarkson and Mr. Hawkins (who held
Mr. Ballantine's brief) were for the prisoner.
The evidence of Mr. Cook, the prosecutor, was to the effect
that he purchased 18 cambric handkerchiefs at a Custom-house
sale, and that he put his private mark upon them, and brought
them into his stock on the 14th or 15th of May, at which time
the prisoner was in his service. On the night of the same day
he counted them, and found one was missing, and, upon his in-
quiring about it, every one employed on the establishment de-
nied any knowledge of it; and on his questioning the prisoner,
she said that she had not sold one, and she likewise said she
knew nothing about the handkerchief. He afterwards found
the handkerchief in one of the prisoner's boxes when it was
opened by the constable Collier ; and it was produced, and he
swore that it was his propeaty.
Cross-examined—He did not say at the station-house " the
will get ten years, and I will get her fourteen if I can,"
but he did say that she was a wretch. He did not say that the
prisoner denied knowing anything about the handkerchief
when he was before the magistrate, at the examination of the
prisoner. This was not because he had not forgotten it, but
because he was not asked anything about it.
The prosecutor was then asked by Mr. Clarkson whether he
had not had some conversation with Inspector Collier outside
the Court that morning, arid he said he had, but he declined
to state the particulars of the conversation, as they were per-
fectly irrelevant.
Mr. Justice COLERIDGE told him he must answer the ques-
tion. If he chose to talk to the witnesses, he was bound to
state what took place.
The prosecutor then said that he was standing outside the
Court, and Collier told him that the prisoner's father had re-
ported that he, the inspector, and witness, had been in commu-
nication together respecting the property, and he replied that
it was entirely false, for he had not seen the officer since the
conclusion of the proceedings on Saturday.
Cross-examination continued—Witness suspected the pri-
soner was robbing him for a month before she was taken into
custody, and the young men were set to watch her. One of
them reported that a piece of cambric had been taken from her
" playfully," and that he could identify it from its having his
writing upon it, and on the morning before the prisoner was
taken into custody it was intimated to him it would be better
the piece of cambric should be given back to the prisoner. He
did not recollect who said it would be better, but they had a
consultation about it, and it was arranged that the piece of
cambric should be thrown about " playfully" by the young men
in the shop, so that the prisoner might have an opportunity to
take it, which she did, and put it in her pocket ; and it was
understood that when it was in her possession the inspector
should be sent for to take her into custody. He had consulted
Collier upon the subject, but he did not tell him anything about
the manner in which the piece of cambric in question had
come ;into the prisoner's possession on the morning of the
18th of June.
Mr. CLARKSON asked the prosecutor whether the object he
sought to attain was not for the inspector to find, as it were by
accident, this piece of cambric upon the person of the prisoner?
The prosecutor denied that he had such an object; but it was
admitted in the course of further cross-examination, that when
he first applied to the inspector, on the morning of the 18th of
June, he did not say a word to him about the piece of cambric;
and it was only after his return to the shop, where the " play-
ful" scene was enacted, and the prisoner got it into her pos-
session, that the inspector was immediately called upon to take
the prisoner into custody.
The prosecutor was next asked whether he did not, while
the prisoner was at the station•house, use most opprobrious
epithets to her, and he denied most positively having done so.
Inspector Collier was the next witness. He merely produced
the handkerchief, and deposed that he found it in one of the
prisoner's boxes.
Upon being cross-examined, he said that the prosecutor
came to him on the morning of the 18th of June, and told him
he suspected Miss Wilson had been robbing him, and referred
to a transaction that had taken place that day, when the pri-
soner cut off a small quantity of glazed lining for a dress, and
gave it openly in the shop to a dressmaker named Grainger.
Mr. Cook went away for about 20 minutes, and when he came
back he told him to ge with him immediately and apprehend
the prisoner. He likewise said it was very probable he told
Mr. Cook that he had never in all his experience heard of a
felony being committed in the presence of so many people.
The prisoner was in convulsions nearly all the time the case
was under examination by the magistrates, and while she was
in that state he heard the prosecutor say that hell was too good
for her.
Mr. Cr... RKSON—Did you hear him also call her a
? Witness—l did not hear him use that expression,
but he did use a vulgar and opprobrious epithet, and I rebuked
him for it. He also said that hell was too good for her.
Mr. CLARKSON—And this was while the prisoner was in a
fainting and almost insensible state? Witness—lt was.
The witness was then questioned as to what conversations
had taken place between him and the prosecutor, and he swore
positively that he had not made any such statement as that de-
posed to by the prosecutor as having taken place outside the
court that morning.
Some other persons, in the serviee of Mr. Cook, were then
examined, to show that they had not sold the handkerchief to
the prisoner, and that she had net made any mention to them
of its being in her possession.
Mr. CLARKSON then addressed the jury, and commented
with considerable severity upon the conduct of the prosecutor,
and urged upon the jury the impossibility of placing any re-
liance upon such testimony as had been given in support of the
prosecution.
Mr. Justice COLERIDGE having summed up, the jury re-
tired, and were in deliberation about five minutes ; when they
returned into Court,
The Learned JUDGE, in reference to the scene that took
place on Saturday, said, that before the verdict was delivered,
whatever that verdict /night be, he requested no person would
presume to exhibit any manifestation of feeling. It was very
improper, and he should certainly commit any ono who was
observed to be guilty of disturbing the Court.
The jury then returned a verdict of Not Guilty.
Mr. BODKIN said, that after what had taken place, he should
not offsr any evidence upon the other indictment, and verdicts
of " Not Guilty" were accordingly recorded.
The prisoner was ordered to be immediately discharged.
The business on the Civil Side has been entirely uninterest-
ing, and Lord Chief Justice Tindal was occupied the whole of
to-day in disposing of three petty cases of trespass. The spe•
cial jury causes will not come on before Wednesday.

OXFORD CI RCUlT.—Monmouth, Aug. 2.

CROWN COURT—( Before Lord Chief Justice DE N MAN.

Edward Price, 66, was indicted for the violation of Ann
Hall, at Abergavenny, on the 18th July and found, Guilty.—
Sentence one year's imprisonment
George Jenkins, 23, surrendered to an indictment, charging
him with violently assaulting Maria Meyrick, on the 16th May,
at Newport.
On the night in question, a young woman named Higgins,
slept in their house, and was awoke about two o'clock by
hearing screams, which proceeded from the unfortunate wo-
man, who ran into the room, followed by the prisoner, who
called on her to go down. She refused, on which he said it
should be worse for her, and went down stairs. In a short time
he returned into Higgins's room with a poker in his hand, with
which he struck the victim of his brutality several blows. He
then dragged her down stairs again and renewed his vio-
lence ; she cried out. Higgins went to her, and found
her lying on the bed, in her night clothes, covered
with blood, and the prisoner sitting on a chair opposite to
her. Higgins took the poker and hid it from him. The two
women then went in their night clothes to the station-house,
and Meyrick was taken to bed at a neighbouring house, by
direction of the police authorities of
.the borough of Newport,
who instituted the present prosecution. A brush handle,
broken in two pieces. was found on the bed. When taken, the
prisoner said, " I did it, and I kicked her several tunes."
Having been found Guilty,
Lord DENMAN sentenced him to he transported for fifteen
years.
William Pritchard, 30, Henry Johnson, 22 (a man of
colour), and Richard May, 22, were indicted for burglariously
breaking open the dwelling house of Charles Arkwell, at Caldi-
cot, on the night of the 21st April, and stealing a side of bacon,
three spoons, and other artieles therefrom.

The prosecutor and his wife, two old people, live in a
small cottage in a solitary place. On the night in question,
the prisoners broke into the house, which consisted of two
rooms only, both on the ground floor. The old people heard
the door broken open about two o'clock, and Johnson with
Pritchard immediately came in, one standing on each
side of the bed. The old man had risen up in bed, and said,
" What do you want?" Johnson replied, " Money, arid money
we'll have, or blow your brains out." He pushed the old man
down in the bed, and pressed his hand over his mouth,
Pritchard standing over the old woman with a great bludgeon
in his hand. They said, " Its no use, if we can't do it we
have got a lot more outside, and we'll bring 'em in." Ark-
well, on this said, " Take all we've got, but spare our lives."
The prisoners then opened the boxes, and ransacked about for
nearly an hour. Pritchard then asked the old lady for the
key of the other room, and she gave it to him, and they both
went in, leaving the old couple locked in their bed-room.
The prosecutor heard them go away in ten or fifteen mi-
nutes after. They were obliged to get an iron bar to open
their bed-room door after the robbers were gene, and they
found that the articles named in the indictment had been
taken away by the burglars. Pritchard took the old man
by the shoulder when they first came in, and said, " Give
up yourself and money, or you shall hang." Mrs.
Arkwell looked out through the window, and by the light of
the moon, which was shining brightly, saw May standing at
the garden-gate, leaning on his left arm, to whom Johnson
went out and spoke. He came back and said to Pritchard,
" Can't thee find anything? Look again. They've got some,
and we'll have it." She was more frightened when they went
into the next room, as she thought they were going to get
something to kill her with, and begged them not.
Several witnesses were called to prove an alibi, but the
prisoners were found Guilty. Johnson and Pritchard were
sentenced to 15 years' transportation, and May to one year's
hard labour.

John Jones, who was yesterday convicted of stabbing Henry
Morgan, was sentenced to 15 years' transportation.
John Brothers and William Jones, convicted of a burglary,
were also sentenced to 10 years' transportation on the first in•
dictment, and to be fined Is. on the second.
The business of these assizes concluded about five o'clock
y 1 T

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