The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-11 00:00:00

THAMES.

Isabella 3P Lean' a Highland woman, was on Monday
brought before Mr. Broderip, charged with the following ex-
traordinary conduct. Whilst in the dock she vainly endea-
voured to check the laughter which shook her sides through-
out the whole inquiry.

Edward Yates Denton, proprietor of the Dundee Arms
public. house, Wapping-street, St. George-in-the-East, stated
that the prisoner was his servant. On Saturday afternoon
his sister desired her to prepare the tray for a gentleman who
was in the habit of dining at the house, but though the di-
rections were repeated three or four times she never moved.
Complainant, who witnessed her conduct, took her by the
arm, and asked her why she behaved in that manner, but
she onlv laughed in his face.
Mr. 131wpm-tn.—Why she is laughing now, and has been
ever since she came into the Court.

This observation only increased the mirth of the prisoner,
who laughed till the tears ran down her cheeks.
The prosecutor proceeded to state that since the very ex-
travagant manner in which the prisoner conducted herself,
he sent his boy for the woman by whom she had been re-
commended, and before he was aware of what she was about,
she ran to the engine, and opening several of the taps, rum,
gin, brandy, &c., began to flow away. He stopped them at once,
but she soon seized another opportunity and set them flowing
again. He then, seeing his property so wantonly destroyed,
thought it Ile,
time to send for a constable, but even then
she made another attempt to set the liquor afloat, and kept
laughing all the time. More than this, she attacked the
customers at the bar. One man came in for half a pint of
beer, and as he was drinking it she hit the vessel on the bot-
tom and cut. his mouth. To another man who had a pot of
half-and-half, she cried out, " What do you want here? 'We
are all drunk here." And in proof of the assertion she turned
the pot of beer upside down.
Mr. BRODERIP—Was she drunk? Complainant—l don't
know, Sir. She has no opportunity of getting spirits at my
place.

Mr. Bnonnuir —What did she say for cutting the man's
mouth and spilling the beer ?—She only laughed, your Wor-
ship, as she does now. The loss sustained by her operations
on the engine was not more than a few shillings.
Gilbert, 245 K, the constable who took her into custody,
said that when he came he found the landlord trying to keep
her from the taps.
➢lr. BRODERIP—Was she intoxicated? Constable—She
smelled very strong of spirits. your Worship. I advised her
to quit Vic place, but she tried to get at the counter, and
when I prevented her she struck at me, kicked me violently,
and endeavoured to bite me, but she laughed still.
Mr. BRODERIP (to the prisoner)-15 hat have you to say
to this conduct ?

The:prisoner, after a strong effort to check her laughing
propensity, said she was sorry for it. •
Mr. BRODERIP—Your lips express sorrow, but your de-
meanour exhibits the contrary, and my experience here has
taught me that female servants imagine that they can do
anything with impunity. Unfortunately too much lenity
has been extended to them ; and, presuming upon this you,
after destroying the order of a peaceable family, when the
nuisance is about tobe abated, attack the officer, kick at him,
and bite at him whilst in the execution of his duty. I wish
it may be publicly noticed that I will not countenance
female servants in the supposition that they can do what
they please. You seem to think it a matter of mirth, for you
have been laughing the whole time you have been in the
dock. but I'll change your tone. You shall pay for the da-
mage you have done to your master's property, and for the
assault on the constable ; I shall send you to prison for three
weeks. The worthy Magistrate miscalculated his power. He
did not change her tone, for she laughed as she left the dock ;
laughed in the gaoler's room, laughed in the cell, laughed in
Gaelic with another Highland dame, who was allowed to see
her before going to prison, and laughed loudest and longest
on entering the prison van.
HAmmErtsmlTH.
Yesterday John Leyden, a man having the appearance of an
engineer, who has been in custody since the 12th of October
last, was brought up before Mr. G. Clive, the sitting magis-
trate, for final examination, on a charge of having attempted
to murder Frances Wheeler, a woman with whom he had
been cohabiting.
Frances Wheeler, who was not a voluntary witness, but
attended on a summons, deposed that she was the wife of
George Wheeler, and lived at No. 2, Oakum-street, Chelsea.
She had been parted from her husband for eight years, and
had been living with the prisoner for nearly the last seven
years. Eight or nine weeks back they had a quarrel, and
witness left the prisoner, but used to go to him for money to
support the three children she had had by him. On the
night of Saturday, the 11th of October last, after witness
had received some money from the prisoner, she went home
with a man of the name of Langston, and while talking to
him in the presence of his (Langston's) daughter and son-in-
law, the prisoner came in and ordered witness out of the
house. Witness refused to go, and the prisoner left the
house. Soon after Langston's daughter and her husband
left the house, witness remaining. Langston wee drunk and
went to bed. Witness's child, eight months old, that witness
had with her, she put into the same bed. Witness then sat
herself on the bed, and about two o'clock on the Sunday morn-
.ing the prisoner came to the window, and asked witness
again to come out. Witness again refused, and the prisoner
said, " If you don't come out I'll make you." Witness locked
and prevented him coming in at the door, and he then
broke in and forced himself through the window and struck
witness a violent blow with his fist in the face. Witness en-
deavoured to get away from him and fell over a chair. Di-
rectly witness got up the prisoner struck her three or four
blows, and she tken fell against a carpenter's bench and hurt
herribs. The prisoner then went away. Witnessfound that
she was 'viable to walk, and a police-constable afterwards
came and took witness to St. George's Hospital, where she
remained until Wednesday. the 29th ult. Witness is still an
out-patient of St. George'spospital. . .

Mr. Nichols (the clerk) informed the Magistrate that the
witness could have told a great deal more had she chosen, but
she was a most unwilling witness.
George Langston deposed, that he lived in a cottage in
Holmes's brickfield, Gloucester-road, Kensington. On the
night of Saturday, the 11th of October, the witness Frances
Wheeler went to witness's cottage to spend a few hours with
witness's daughter and her husband. Between one and two
o'clock in the morning witness was tired and a little the worse
for liquor, and went to bed, leaving Mrs. Wheeler and wit-
ness's daughter and her husband in the next room. Shortly
afterwards witness was awoke by hearing the prisoner's
voice. Witness got up and ordered them all out of the
house. When they appeared quiet witness went to bed
again. Some time after that witness heard another voice,
and, on raising himself up in bed, saw the prisoner upon
Frances Wheeler, who was upon the ground, and he then
saw the prisoner stamp upon the lower part of her person,
and strike her.with his fists a number of times. Witness
then jumped out of bed and seized a pistol, and said to the
prisoner, " Leyden' if you don't get off my premises I'll blow
your brains out." The prisoner than ceased ill-using her,
and witness again returned to his bed. Between 6 and 7
o'clock the next morning witness was called up, and then
found Frances Wheeler lying on the ground by the car-
penter's bench. Witness then went in search of the prisoner,
and found him at the Ceach and Horses public-house, Ken-
sington, and said to him, "Do you know what you have
done ? You have been guilty of housebreaking and murder ;"
to which the prisoner replied, " You old fool, I'll serve you
the same." Witness then procured a cab, and, with the as-
sistance of a policeman, conveyed the injured woman to St.
George's Hospital.
By Mr. CLIVE—While the prisoner was striking Frances
Wheeler he said, " You old fool, I'll murder you ;" and he
dragged her along the floor and kicked her violently.
Henry Trumpfield deposed, that he lived at No. 1, Angus-
tus-conrt, Lawrence-street, Chelsea. On the morning in
question he went to Langston's cottage, and there saw
Frances Wheeler lying in the corner of the porch by a
carpenter's bench. l'he prisoner was there, and said to
witness, "Come in and look at her." The prisoner then
took Frances Wheeler by the hair of her head, and flung her
over a block 10 incises high, and then kicked her violently.
She was at that time insensible, and the prisoner declared
he "meant nothing but murder."

Mr. A. Johnson deposed that he was house-surgeon of St.
George's Hospital. On the morning of Sunday, the 12th tilt ,
Frances Wheeler was brought to that hospital. She had
most severe bruises and contusions, principally over the fore
part of the head, the face, chest, trunk, and legs. She also
had fractures of the Bth and 9th ribs on her right side. She
was at that time sensible. but in a state of great exhaustion.
She remained in very imminent danger for many days. She
was made an out-patient on the 29th ult. The bruises ap-
peared to have arisen from severe kicks and blows.
Policeman Henry Tells, B 69, deposed that on the morning
of Sunday, Oct. 12, about half-past 10 o'clock, he was fetched
to the witness Langston's house. On going he found Frances
Wheeler lying on a bed covered with blood. She said her
ribs were broken. Witness took her to St. George's Hospital
in a cab. On witness's return he found the prisoner in
custody.
Policeman Amos, T 157, deposed that on Sunday, Oct. 12,
from information he received he took the prisoner into
custody. Witness told him that he took him for a most
murderous assault upon Frances Wheeler, to which the pri-
soner replied, " I wish I had broken her head."

. .
The prisoner, in answer to the charge, said he was very
sorry for what he had done, but he had received great pro-
vocation. He was sorry as soon as he was right in his mind.
Mr. Cuvt; said it was his duty to commit the prisoner for
trial on the capital charge, and as he considered it a case in
which the Government should prosecute, he should write to
the Secretary of State for the Home Department to that
effect.

The prisoner applied to be admitted to bail.
Mr. CLIVE said he was aware he had the power to admit
him to bail, but he did not feel disposed to do so.
The prisoner was accordingly committed to Newgate.

DUNDONALD, Nov. 3.—Harvesting can only be
said to have new been completed here. On Saturday the
last of the outsanding grain was secured in the barn yards.
Many acres of potatoes still remain to be dug up, and in
many cases the farmers hesitate whether to raise them or
not. The disease amongst them was at first believed to be
only partial, but time has shown it to have been too general
and extensive in its ravages. With ono or two exceptions,
there is not a farmer amongst us but has already lost one-
third of the crop; some have lost the half, with the prospect
of the remainder soon following the others ; and in some
cases the crop is entirely gone. It is astonishing to witness
not only the humble cottager, but the wealthy and intelli-
gent agriculturist, following the very reprehensible practice
of feeding their cattle upon the diseased potatoes. Some
give them raw, others boil them ; and, though we have heard
of no injurious effects following their use, yet there cannot
be a doubt that the continued use of unwholesome food—
however slightly it may be diseased—must, sooner, or later,.
injure the general health of the animal, deteriorate the lecre-
tions—.milk, for example—and ultimately generate disease
and death.--Ayr Observer.
EXTRAORDINARY CATCH OF FISH.—On Thursday
morning a large quantity of fine bass, the fish weighing from
7 to 8 lbs. each, were brought into Plymouth, and landed at
the Barbican, by some Cornish fishermen, who bad caught
upwards of two tons weight, in Mount's Bay, on the pre-
ceding night. Most of the fish were packed in baskets, and
sent by coach to the Bristol, Bath, and London markets.
The bass, which is very similar to a salmon, is considered a
good fish.— Penzance Gazette.
The Indian mail just arrived brings the intelli-
gence from Bombay that Brigadier General Hughes, C. 8.,
commanding the northern division of the Bombay army, ob-
tains a colonelcy by the demise, at Edinburgh, of Major-
General Mayne, 0.13., colonel of the 26th regiment native
infantry. Gen. Hughes is married to the youngest daughter
of John Taylor Gordon, Esq., Mpg formerly of Caledonia-
place, Clifton, and so well known in this city as Dr. Taylor,
and to whom plate was presented from H.R.H. the Duchess
of Kent and others, styling him the " Poor man's friend."...
Bristol lifer cury.