Star.
London, England, 1827-06-22 00:00:00

HIGH COURT' cwii

'LCIARY.

EDINBURG Jams 18.

SPRING Geas.—This day James Crew, gamekeeper
to the Earl of Home, was placed at the Bar. The !
Court, consisting of the LORD JUSTICE CLERK, Lord
Gliwice, Lord PITKILLY,Lord MACKENZIE, and Lord
HALLOWAY, gave thlfir decision as to the relevancy of
the indictment ; which was argued by the SOLICITOR-
GINERAL on the part of the Crown, and by Mr.Jerrases
and Mr.' COCKBURN for the prisoner, on the 6th
instant. Their Lordships delivered their opinions at
considerable length, and their unanim us decision
was—That the act of setting spring guns, or other
engines of a deadly n Imre. wa; illegal, and that as no
man could do that indirectly against the life of another
which it was not by law allowed to him to do by direct
means, the present indictment was relevant to go to
a Jury.
Mary Ams Alcorn was put to the bar, on a charge of
administering poison, on the 18th of April, to Mr.J. B.
Roache and Mrs. Roache, residing in Portobello, with
intent to commit murder, or to do them some grievous
bodily harm, by mixing with the gravy of meat, a quan-
tity of tartar emetic, or powder of antimony, or other
deleterious drug or liquid, to the prosecutor unknown.
The panel pleaded not guilty.
Mrs.Roache was the first witness called. She deponed-
-1 live at Portobello. The panel was a servant in my
family in April last. Mr. Roadie and I were taken ill on
the 18th April. Mat y Alcorn was the only servant in the
family, and had the charge of cooking the victuals.-
1 gave her, on the 18th of April, a piece of beef to be
cooked, part of which beef bad been previously partaken
of by the family without being followed by any bad con-
sequences. Mary carried the beef to a baker's to be cooked,
and also brought it back. I observed, when it was
placed on the table, that the gravy had a white appear-
ante. I did not eat much ; Mr. Roache, however, made
a hearty meal. He poured part of the .gravy upon a
rice pudding, and eat it. I was taken ill in about half
an hour after dinner, became sick, and felt great pains
in the stomach, with swelling, and my extremities were
cold ; Mr. Roache became ill a little later in the even-
ing. the symptoms being more violent upon him. I
suffered great pain, and was ill all Thursday, Friday,
and Saturday. Was attended by Dr. Thompson of Por-
tobello ; I asked the panel if she had put any thing on
the meat. She said she had not; but subsequently ad-
m tted shelled put a little powder on the potatoes under
the beef, stating that she did it only fora a bit of fun."
An officer afterwards came to the house, when she gave
a more detailed account of the matter. She said she
got the powder from Margaret Paterson, Dr. Valance's
servant, who told her that it would do no other harm
than to make us a little sick, and she might take a part
of it herself. She siid that the powder had been in her
possession for a month, but she was always afraid to
use it; that she did not put in a tea-spoonful—just a
large snuff; the remainder was thrown into the fire.—
Mr. Roache and witness were previously in good health.
Mr..l. B. Roache gave a similar account of the trans
action with his wife. He said—l took a hearty dinner
of the meat, and washed it down with a glass of strong
whisky grog. Was taken ill about four o'clock, and
felt a swelling about the stomach; at six took another
gl iss a grog and a walk in the garden. At eight I
sti:l felt ill and had some coffee, after which I becathe
worse, and have not yet, and am afraid never shall get
the better of the dose; about midnight still felt unwell;
and took a glass of brandy and peppermint. I then
turned giddy and fell across a table, being just able to
say, " Lord have mercy on me." At three o'clock its
the morning I swallowed three of Anderson's pills,
washing them down with a glass of grog. Was at-
tended by Dr. Thomson.
Dr. Thomson, of Portobello, described the condition
of his patients. He considered Mr. Roache as not very
ill, yet not out of danger; nor was he out of danger
till the Sunday. Considered the poison as a prepara-
tion of lead rather than tartar emetic or powder
of antimony.
Professor Christison had heard the symptoms de•
scribed, but could only give a conjectural opinion as to
w hat the poison might be. He first conjectured that it
had been tartar emetic ; but two circumstances led him
to doubt that—first, the lime it operated; and secondly,
that the effect of taking coffee was to make Mr. Roache
worse when it ought to have relieved him. All the
symptoms, indeed, might have been produced by natu-
ral disease; but he was led to conclude poison had been
administered from the circumstance of two persons
being taken ill at the same time, e id) similar symptoms,
within the period in which poison generally acts, and
affected proportionally to the quantity of the substance
stated to have been taken lb y cads. Under these cir-
cumstances, the impression Om poison had been admi-
nistered amounted to a probability neat to a certainty ;
but he could form no opinion of what kind of poison it
was which had been administered.

The girl's declarations were :earl, in which she ac•
knowledged putting a powder into the gravy, and stated
that she did so at the suggestion r f Margaret Paterson,
who gave her the drug, assuring her, at the same time,
that it would do no harm beyond making the parties
sick ; that she took part of the meat herself, and suffered
in the same manner as her master and mistress.

Mr. ADAM addressed the Jury, and gave up the first
allegation of adn,ini:tering poison with intent to com-
mit murder, confining his observations to the charge of
giving a deleterious mixture with an intent to do serious
bodily. injury. He said it could not by possibility
bake been proved tbat any other individual was impli-
cated in this foul transaction; the public prosecutor
would assuredly have endeavoured to have brought
that pencil to trial.
Mr. LESLIE MELVILLE, for the panel, expressed ber
sorrow at what had happened, but stated that she had
no intention to do them serious bodily injury. The
panel was a poor girl, of 16 years of age, who admitted,
and had done so from the beginning, the putting the
powder into the gravy; and the question for the Jury
to try was, had she put that substance there with a ma
ficious and felonious intention? He contended she had
not, and the only evidence on this point was that of her
master and mistress, bosh of whom had described her

as a good girl, who they did not believe had any design
to du them great injury. He ci aved a verdict of Not
Proven ; or, at all events, thAt the Jury, i they con-
•icted, ►liould accompany their verdict with a recom-
mendation to mercy. _ _

The evidtnce having bren summed up by the LORD
JUSTICE CLERK. the Jury. after a tee m:nutr',' consul•
titian, f. and the panel Gailly of athntvibtzting an in-
jurious substance to Mr. autl Mrs. It ache. a, libellvd;

but, on account of her previous good character, recom• I
mended her to the leniency of the Court. She was
sentenced to twelve months' confinement in Blidesell,
and to be kept at hard labour.
The panel is a poor artless-looking girl. She seemed
to feel her situation, and shook dreadfully when she
heard ber punishmetl announced.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.
BETTING-ROO:4, TATTERSALL'S, June 21.
The principal business done today at the Rooms, was between
horses for the St. Leger and Great Gloucestershire Stakes, at
Cheltenham, the ensuing Races. The company was very small, and
the following will be found an exact state of present odcle-
GLOUCBSTAISKIIIII STAKE&
2 to 1 agat Doctor Faustus 3 to 1 apt Liston
4to 1 apt El Dorado I 6to I apt Yates's
JOLT STAItIII—(NRWMAILLI7).
S to 2 agst Zeal.
DONCASTZIL ST. LitOilt.
9to 2 apt Dimetube I 35 to t apt Ssncho

81 to I cast Granby
I I to 1 ape Nonplus
II to 1 agst Reviewer
17 to 1 apt Lunaria
18 to 1 apt Matilda
20 to 1 apt Pedlar

25 to 1 agst Antiope
25 to 1 apt Dielk
50 to 1 apt Lumley's Tramp
55 toll apt Tom Jones
50 to 1 apt Translation
1000 to 15 apt Coalition

EDINBURGH RACES—JowI 18.

The Producritake;;isZ is.eaci, was won by Mr. Douglas's
hay colt, beating Mr. Baird's Corsair, and Sir A. Ramsay's b. f.
Polly. A beautiful race, and won by a neck.
A Produce Stakes of WO sows, was won by Mr. Baird's b. e. by
Champignon, beating the Marquis of Tweeddale's b. c. Won easy.
---

TOZSDAY.

Thee Edinburgh Plate of i 0 sous. won after three heats by
Mr. Gray's ch. e. Conjuror, beating Mr. Fobares b. c.
Mr. Tamplin, Chairman of the Race Committee, received on
Tuesday a letter from Sir William Knighton. announcing his Ma-
jeety's intention of giving a gold cup, of the value of 100 gs. to be run
for as usual, at the ensuing Brighton twee—Brighton Gazette.

UPROAR AMONG THE FANCY,
AT Tilt TUNIS COURT.

Yesterday Big Brown, of Bridgenorth, who has furnished so much
talk of late to the sporting world, had his Court-day, and there was
a better attendance of company than has been for some time past.
The day was fraught with novelty of incident. In the first place,
many of the pugilists were of opinion that Brown was not entitled
to their support, they would only set-to on condition of being paid.
Old Col. Lennox and his subaltern Clark, as usual, opened the
sports.
Murphy and the Wool Baker fought their battle over again.
Murphy improves rapidly.
Gidgeon (Ramey Aaron's Russian Jew) and Donovan.—The
foreigner was most impetuous, but he soon wore himself our, and
was thrown. He came forward stated, that be was a" Rushing"
Jew (which, by the bye, wu evident from his sparring), and was
ready to make a match with any man of his weight for £lO or
£2O. There were no takers.

Scroggins capered to Dick Ayres a little; but Dick took rather
more pains with it than Scroggy fancied, and he soon left off to look
after the "browns."

Cassels had Young Spring to twist himself to him. Cassels is the
most likely one that has tried to meet the flexible balance-master—
but when Bob began to work hard, the spring went off.
Stockman and Raines had an excellent set-to—by the bye, Harry
Jones ought to mind his points. Stockman sheaved himself no joker.

Bill Sivage and Tomßeddie had a slashing sex to.
Young Molineux and Joe Fisher mounted. /Racket rushed to
the prey like a lion, and bored in with his superior strength upon
the Fisherman." He promised to be a black day'a work towns,
one. In close fighting be beats away rarely at the Victualling
office, and his strength, although clumsily applied, appears " pro-
digious."
Young Richmond and Burgess---Richmond made this set-to
vastly amusing; in capering, dancing, attitude, and grimace, he
leaves Jack Scroggins behind half a life-time; and his petite bow
at the end of every bout elicited so much applause as to tickle the
conceit of Massa so, that when Burgess left the stage, the man of
colour insisted upon meeting another customer, and was removed
only by the fair persuasion of the Master of the Ceremonies.
Tom Bekher and Harry Harmer gave a friendly taste of science
in its pure state, and were much applauded.
Young Molineux appeared, and said, he was ready to spar with
" Big Massa Brown. The announcement was received with ac-
clamations, and Blackee waited for his man with no small portion
of pomposity. Immediately Brown made his bow, and was warmly
greeted with plaudits ; but he was followed by Hill Elks, and the
set-to was announced " Big Brown and Bill &ales." Here began,
to use the words of a bye-grander, " a gallows row," and a confusion
of tongues. Cries, of " Rale., off, of—Macke, and Brown, and
shirts off" Blackee immediately peeled and sported his chest of
ebony; he was then induced to leave the stage, and Roles was
making ready ; but the next minute p ted Molineus again as a
candidate for Brown's favours, Josh Hudson insisting that he
should meet the hero of Bcidgenorth. Brown refused to set-to
wish him.

Tom Belcher endeavoured to get a hearing, but found it impos-
sible. RAN kept off, and on alternately trying to please every
body, calls of different descriptions were mingled with cheers and
groans, and the Court was quite uproarious.
Ben Burn appeared and stripped his coat to have the tarn wit►
Brown, ►ut he still declined any one but Hales.
In the middle of this mess, Reuben Martin mounted, and he too
doffed for Brown, and on being refused, offered to fight him for
101. Brown said be would fight him for 2001. but such was the
noise in the Court, that it was impossible to hear distinctly what
passed. Poor Brown stood pent up in a corner amidst the storm
of tongues, with four candidates contending for a turn with him,
and at length he left the stage, amidst a fresh volley of groaning
and cheering.
Bill Bales and Tom Belcher tried to make a wind op. But the
people would not leave until Brown should appear, and set-to. In
vain did Mr. Jackson reason on the impropriety of harassing the
men—he could not stop the calling for Brown.
Gas then mounted to have a shy at Molinari, and a few sharp
bouts they had; again did the Black's strength show off amazingly,
but he did not like Gas . jobbing, so he soon gave up.
The cries of •• Crown, Brown," were renewed with fresh vigour,
and the audience seemed determined to stand fast. A Gentleman
amateur mounted, and stated that Brown was desirous to have a
hearing to thank them, and speak regarding his match with Ward.
That he had come there to spar and nut to fight, and he thought it
unfair that he should be bated with four men; when, accordiug to
arrangement and usage, one good scienced man had been presented
to them with hint. Brown re-appeared, and repeated what the
Gentleman had stated, and said that under the circumstances be
could not think of setting-to. As to his match with Ward, he
could come to no other terms than to fight him for 2004 on a stage
and 3001. on the turf, but he would nowise alter these terms.

Rueben Martin aid, he waa ready to stake 251. to-nlght for
Ward, if 2001. on the turf would satisfy hlm
This Brown refused ; but stated, that he would be in town until
Tuesday next, and would be ready to stake en the terms he bad
mentioned. lie left the stage again amidst the same confusion,
shouting, and groaning, and thus ended the row at nearly six o'clock.