The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-11 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
NORFOLK ClRCUlT.—Norwich, April 8. . 1

CROWN SlDE.—(Before Mr. Serjeant A.TcrizaLesr.)
William Hall sad Robert Sexton stood indicted for bur-
glariously entering the dwelling-house of Maria. Starr, and
stealing a watch and other articles, her property ; the indict-
ment further charged that the prisoners Wore and at the time
of the committing of that felony beat and used violence to the
prosecutrix.
Mr. Palmer appeared for the prosecution, Ur. O'Malley
and Mr. Turnley for the prisoners.
The prisoners are young men of stern and forbidding
countenances, and the prosecutrix is a very old lady, residing
in a lonely house in the village of Mundesley. It appeared
that about the hour of two o'clock in the morning of the ,
21st of December last she and her " little maid," a child
of some 10 or 11 years of age, who were in bed, were alarmed
by a noise below, which sounded to their affrighted ears like
the breaking open the shutters of one of the windows below.
The maid first heard the unwonted sound, and woke her
mistress. They sat up in their beds for some minutes, dur-
ing which they heard various frightful noises underneath
their room, and at length all was silent. 'I hey then crept
very cautiously out of bed, and listened at the door, when
they heard the sound of knives and forks, the uncorking of a
bottle, and ever and anon the daring invaders of the house
were heard laughing and talking. The prosecutrix barred and
bolted the door, and cautiously placed a chair against it. She
and the young child then silently struck a light, dressed them-
selves, and in a state of the most fearful suspense awaited the
issue of this extraordinary proceeding. Long, so at least it
seemed to them, did they thus remain, every moment expect-
ing that the robbers would make their appearance ; nor with-
out too much reason. They heard the intruders push their
chairs from under them, and throw down their knives and
forks, and almost immediately the sound of the footsteps
of men ascending the stairs reached their affrighted ears.
The child hid herself in one corner of the room, and
the prosecutrix, as the robbers, having found the door
fastened, demanded instant admission, ran to the win-
dow and shrieked out for help as loud as her feeble and
trembling voice enabled her. The burglars upon this, with
many oaths, burst open the door, and rushed in. They had
their faces blackened, apparently with soot, and the shorter
of the two men ran up to the prosecutrix, seized her, and
aimed a fierce blow at her head with a bar of wood, which
it afterwards appeared had formed the insecure " fastening"
of the window by which the ruffians entered. They then took
an old family watch from its place at the bed's head, and with
horrid menaces demanded money, which was given them.
The men insisted that the prosecutrix had more than the sum
she had surrendered, and upon her saying that the had not,
the man with the wooden bar gave her a terrific blow with it,
and knocked her upon the floor senseless. During all this
time the child had remained unnoticed in the place to which
she had fled for safety, and saw what was going on. The taller
man, who carried the light which they brought with them,
held it during a part of this scene in such amanner as to enable
her to see that he was the prisoner Sexton, notwithstanding the
blackening of his features. She hadknown him for the greater
portion of her short life, but prudently kept her knowledge to
herself until the robbers had quitted the house. When they had
done so, she crept from her place of concealment, and admi-
nistered what'aid she could to her mistress, who after some
time recovered her senses, and then the little creature told her
that Sexton was one of the men. This happened on the morn-
ing of the shortest day, and they had still some hours to pass
before their neighbours were astir or the morning dawned.
At the sound of the first friendly step they called for assistance,
and the person, who was going to his work, made his entry by
the door which the robbers had left open in their escape. It
was then discovered that the burglars had eaten and drank
whatever they found in the widow's cupboard including a
bottle of rum, which they uncorked, and the greater portion o f
a bottle of brandy. Assistance was immediately obtained, and
Sexton's house searched. He had just risen from his bed as
the police and their followers entered, and Hall, the other
prisoner, was in the bed. They were of course both taken
into custody, and their faces, albeit not so much begrimed with
soot as they were a few hours before, were still very black and
dirty, and the bedclothes on which their faces had rested were
very much marked with soot. Hall is a shorter man than
Sexton, and his dress corresponded exactly with that of the
second robber, the man by whom the violence was inflicted upon
the prosecutrix.
Mr. Sergeant ATCHIRLET summed up the evidence with
his accustomed clearness and. fidelity, explaining the law and
commenting upon the facts as he proceeded.
The Jury found Hall Guilty of the entire charge contained
in the indictment,, viz., burglary attended with violence, and
Sexton Guilty of simple burglary, he having endeavoured to
persuade his more brutal companion against using so much
violence, and refused to give him a pistol when he called for
one during the bed-room scene.
The Learned JironE, after commenting most impressively on
the enormity of the offence of which the prisoners were con-
victed, and the necessity of throwing around the dwellings of
the poor and humble the protection of the laws, sentenced
Sexton to be transported for 15 years. With respect to the
prisoner Hall, his Lordship said he should consider whether it
was necessary that the law should take its course, by leaving
him to expiate his crime on the gallows.
On the frllowing morning the Learned JUDGE desired Hall
to be placed at the bar, which having been done, and silence
proclaimed, his Lordship sentenced him to be executed, ex-
horting him, in an address replete with feeling, not to indulge
any vain hope of mercy, but ko spend the short remainder of
his days in penitence and prayer to his offended Maker.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.
NEW COURT.

_• • -
Peter Mollor Dane) was indicted for stealing a coat
of the value of .305., the property of G. Rennington
Tetley, Esq. The prigtmer claimed his privilege, and
demanded to be tried by half foreigners, and also "the
benefit of an .interpreter, although it was stated, '.and
apparentrthat he was acquainted with the English lan-
guage. The evidence--was very conclusive, and the:Jury
found him Guilty. Sentence seven..yeare transportation.
Wm. Andrews, aged 20, a printer, was indicted :for
stealing one hundred of Chambers's Edinburgh Journal,
anatwenty-five reams of paper, of the value of 251. 12s. 6d,
the property of Messrs. Bradbury and 'Evans, his em-
ployers, and Charles Carter, a pamphlet vender, was
charged with receiving the property, knowing it to be

Mr. F. M. Evans Stated that he is a printer, in partner-
ship with Mr. Bradbury, in Whitefriars, and the pri-
soner Andrews (who pleaded guilty) had been his ap-
prentice two years. Witness is the only printer of
Chambers's Ed:nburgh Journal in London. They are
sold to the trade at 13id. a dozen. The prisoner worked
in the machine-room where they were printed.
Thomas Selby and Robert Macaulay proved that on
the night in question they saw Andrews in Fig-tree-
court, Temple, with a quantity of printed sheets under
his arm, wrapped in a wrapper.
Mrs. —, a newsvender in Holy well-street, stated
that early in March the prisoner asked her if she could
dispose of any of Chambers's Journal, as he could ren-.
der them at 10d. a dozen. • He said he had dealings with
a bookseller, and was obliged to take 100 dozen of the
publication weekly. She said she would inquire, and he
afterwards brought her 100 copies, half folded in folio
instead of quarto. They were quite wet, as if just from
the press. She gave information, and delivered up the
copies produced to the officer.
Witnesses were called to prove the deficiency in the
stock of No. 528 of the publication—it was very consi-
derable. The warehousemen to Messrs. Orr, of Amen-
corner, the publishers of the journal, and the folders,
were also called to prove that they never delivered
copies only " once folded." They were published in quarto.
The Jury pronounced them both guilty.
The COMMON SERGEANT told Andrews that it was ne-
cessary, in an establishment containing 200 persons, for
them to know that flagrant acts of dishonesty could not
go unpunished. The Court was bound to pass the fol-
lowing. sentence:—That he be transported for seven
years, and Carter for fourteen years.

POLICE IN TELLIGENCE.
MARYLEBONE.

Samuel Lewis was placed at the bar, charged with cut-
ting and maiming Jane Hemmings, with intent to do her
some grievous bodily harm.
Jane Hemmings, the prosecutrix, being sworn, stated
that she lived at No. 15, Providence-place, Lisson-grove.
Mr. LONG—What are you ? Witness--Why, some-
times Ido one thing, and sometimes another—some-
times I work, and sometimes I don't work, and sometimes
do nothing at all.
Mr. Lotto—l suppose you live with the prisoner ?
Witness—Yes, worse luck. On Friday I had been out,
and on returning home found Lewis lying on the bed
drunk. I said, "Lewis, you seem all right ;" and he got
up and struck me.
Mr. LO-4G—What do you mean by all right ? Wit-
ness—l meant that he was drunk. He then got up and
struck me on the side of the head, and knocked me down
on the ground quite stunned with the violence of the
blow, which brought the blood to my mouth.
It appeared, in continuation, that while she was on the
ground, he went to the cupboard and got a knife ; in the
mean time she got up, and endeavoured to get out of the
room, but the prisoner pursuing struck her again on the
head, so that it was, as she expressed it, like a " pummy ;"
while she lay once more almost senseless he made an ef-
fort with the knife to cut her throat, but she (Hem-
mings) putting up her hand to defend herself, he merely
inflicted a deep gash upon her left wrist. Frightened
out of her life at the profusion of blood which flowed
from the wound, she cried murder several times, and then
by dint of struggling got away from the prisoner, nm-
bled head long down stairs, rasied herself again, and
ran out into the open air. In Harcourt-street she met
a policeman, who took her first to a surgeon, and then
to the station-house. The cut was very deep, and the
doctor had told her she was a lucky woman not to have
lost her hand.
The surgeon of the infirmary having deposed as to the
serious nature of the wound, and the prisoner, having
ascribed the case to drunkenness, was committed for trial.