The Sun.
London, England, 1829-01-19 00:00:00

Q.LI) 13A11.13Y.--(THIS' DAY.)

• OLD COURT.
(Before qtr. Justice PARK.)
Pagi. was convicted of burgleriously en-
teritig the: honse of Sarah Anti Barnet, of Frier's,
Robert Bai.lon-was iedieted for tittering a forged
cheque on Masterman and Co., with intent to de-
fraud them; and the prisoner was also charged on
outer counts with intending to defraud Thomas Paul.
'Dir. CARRINGTON stated the case to the Jury, and
Mr. CLARKSON defended the prisoner.
Thomas Pnul was at the office of the King's
College, in Patliament-street, on the 30th of Octo-
ber last. The prisoner came into the office, and
asked for a prospectus for a Mr. Robert Grant, of
St. John's Wood, and went away, but shortly after-
wards returned, and said that he was directed by
Mr. Robert Grant to pay in. a donation for the
King's College of 51., at the same time tendering
a cheque for 101. on Messrs: Masterman. Witness
gave him 51. in change, and. on presenting the
cheque, discovered. that no such person as a Mr.
Robert Grant kept cash there.
By Mr. CuttmeoN, for the prisener.--It was in a
bark room that the office is kept, and the weather
was rather. haeyat the time he received the cheque
from the prisoner. The cheque is dated 30th Octo-
ber, 1828.
A clerk of Messrs. 'Masterman proved that no
Robert Grant had kept cosh at their house for the
last 15 years.
Robert Clements, a police-officer, had etiqu'red
in St. John's Wood, and could find no such person
there us Robert Grant.
Alfred ToPperethe postman of St. John's Wood,
deposed to the same fact.
Mr. Robert Drees Grant resides in-the Regent'e-
parle; 'Lever kept cash at Masterman's house, or
signed such a cheque as that produced.
Thos. Paul recalled and examined by Mr. CLARK-
so.—llad been repaid the 51. which he had given
the prisoner in change, and had not been the loser
of it himself.
The prisoner then produced a very copious \vi it ten
defence, which he was preparing to read, whoa
Mr. CLARKSON, his Counsel, requested leave of
the Court to he allowed to look over it before the
prisoner reed it.
Mr. Justice PARK recommended it most strongly;
but the prisoner declined allowing his Counsel to see
it, and commenced reading. He ,lid not eppear to
think that it was at ail necessary to exculpate him-
self from the present charge, but entered into a long
tirade against the false notions at present entertained
respecting the crime of obtaining mceey on instru-
ments not bearing the name of any livieg person.
Mr. :it:slice PARK informed him seeee r'
to be lubouriuj under a great fallacy ; that it i.Ati
J,ecn decided 70 years ago that the clime of uttc.ing
a cheque, bearing the name O'r' person who did nut
exist, Nvas just es mirdi a forgery as if his (Mr. Jus-
tice Park's) mane had been used.
The prisoner then compared the crime of forgery
with that of murder, seduction, housebreaking, and
high Way rubbery, and attempted to prove by the
most phrenzicd sophistry, that it was productive, but
of little injury to society, either as a Moral or mer-
cantile crime. lie accused the clerk (Paul) of
great negligence in being so foolish as to take a
draft from a stranger.
Mr. Justice PARK explained to the Jury that the
• magnitude of the crime or the propriety of the re-
' sent laws on the subject were not under their con-
sideration. The fact they had to try was, whether
the prisoner had uttered this cheque with intent to
defraud.
'The Jury returned a verdict of Guilty.
The prisoner then wished to retract the plea of not
guilty to two other indictments for similar offences,
and to plead guilty.
Mr. Justice PARK cautioned him that with three
such convictions he could not expect nine') mercy.
The prisoner persisted, arid the verdicts were re.
corded.

(Before-Mr. Baron TAUGITAN.)
ALLEGED MURDER.
James Steward, aged about 23, was. indicted for
‘..e wilful murder of James Soppet, at Kensington,
on the 24th of December list, by wilfully driving
a cart against the right side of his head.
Mr. ADOLPHUS and Mr. BOLLAND conducted the
prosecution, and Mr. LAW and Mr. CLARKSON the

defence.
Mr. ADOLPHUS stated to the Jury that this case
came before them in rather an unusual manner, in-
asmuch as that the Coroner's Jury had returned a
verdict of manslaughter, and the Grand Jury had
fousrd a hill for murder. The Learned Counsel
then detailed the facts, and called the following
witnesses :
Maria
Soppet, the widow of the deceased, James
Soppetovae walking with him at Teddington, on the
24th of December; it was about half-past live, and
twilight. Deceased was about four yards behind
her. Saw a cart meeting them at full gallop; a
woman on the road cried out, and witness turned
round, and saw her husband lying on the road ; he
never rose again alive.
By Mr. Law—Her husband was not in her view.
Teddington church-yard has some white torah-stones
projecting close to the road, about 200 yards -from
the spot. First saw her husband lying on the road,
and not the footpath. Deceased had been a whole-
sale grocer, was an elderly man, and lived on his
property. Her husband was in the act of crossing at
the time of the accident.
Jonathan King, a fisherman, of Twickenham, was
present on the road ; saw a cart and horse pass the
church-yard; the horse took fright at some tomb-
stones, and the man in the cart struck the horse
over the head or neck ; this was 250 yards or more
from the place of the accident; when the horse was
struck he was gullopping as hard as he could; heard
a woman scream out and witness ran to the place.
Wm. Turner showed witness a man lying on the
road; witnesslifted the man out of the road on to
the path; the man stopped the horse and returned
to the man; witness said when he lifted him up, that
the man was dead; the man in the cart replied, "
Is
he by —!" could not see the prisoner's face, it
was too. dark ; the man in the cart asked William
Turner if he would go into the village for the surgeon.
Turner refused, and the man then asked witness, who
also refused, saying perhaps he might kill him.
The man then said that he might be then,
and said something about seeking redress, and used
a most contemptuous expression, and rode off.
This witness prevaricated and hesitated so much
that the learned Judge, Mr. Baron 'VAUGHAN, ex-
amined him closely as to whether he had had any
communication with the prisoner since, the Grand
Jury had found the bill.
By Mr. CLARKSON—There is an awkward turtl-
ing at the church-yard, the tombstones were very
likely to frighten horses; witness had seen many
horses shy them. When prisoner struck the horse
the latter had shyed, and was running out of the
road, when the prisoner struck it on the side of the
head, to bring it hack. The part of the road
where the accident happened was so dark, from
the trees and wood, that a person who was en-
gaged with iris horse could. not have seen
a person in the road. The body was
lying on the left side of the read, with the feet
about a yard from the path.. Before the prisoner
had abused witness. and the others, wit-aess
abused the prisoner, before he replied contemptuously.
Before the horse shyed it was trotting gently.
Esther O'llarow was walking along the road,
close to Mr. Soppct. She saw a cart coming at a
furious rate. Mr. Soppet was crossing from one
footpath to .another when the horse knocked him
down. Could only sea the cart for twelve yards
before it got up to her. The man turned his cart,
and witness told him he had done murder, and
begged him not to rim over him again. A man
then picked up Mr. Soppet, and abused the
prisoner, who replied, that they might seek a
recompense and be —, arid might cash him
if they could. He offered before that to
take either of the men in his cart for a surgeon; but
they refused to go with him, anti went by there•