The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-03-09 00:00:00

COMMITMENT TO THE ASSIZES.—A r
Edward Riley underwent an examination before

of the name of
Mr

Rush-

ton and Mr. Earle, in the magistrates' private room, on a
charge of having committed a rape on the person of a young
woman named Ann Manning. The charge was substantiated
so far to the satisfaction of the magistrates that, the prisoner
was committed td take his trial at the approaching assizes.
LICENSED 'VICTUALLERS' BALL.—The ball this evening
at the Town-hall, it is anticipated, will be very numerously
attended. Some of the first families in the town, we believe,
have intimated their intention of being present. The object
is so extremely good, that we trust the hopes and expecta-
tions of the promoters will not be disappointed.

Rocs HARMONICON.—This charming toned instrument
we are happy to find attracts every Thursday a very nume-
rous auditory. The performances are to be repeated on
Thursday next. Shakspeare says that there are sermons
in stones ;" if he had heard this instrument he would have
admitted that stones also " discovered most excellent music."
Leigh Hunt had once a beautiful article in the London
Journal on a pebble : we wish he could hear the Rock Har-
monicon and report thereon. It is the greatest curiosity
now exhibiting in Liverpool, and highly diserving of notice.
Mr. Davies (whose quadrilles and march we noticed in our
last) might write up " Professor of the Rock Harmonicon."
We believe that many blind persons have been to hear it,
and have been greatly pleased with it, expressing their asto-
nishment on discovering its form and construction.

EXTRAORDINARY CASE

OF SUSPICION OF FELONY

On Friday, a fashionably-attired young man, who gave his
name as William Stewart, and a genteel-looking youth, of
about 14, who called himself Thomas Collins, were placed at
the bar of the police-court, on suspicion of having abstracted
a quantity of money from the shop of Messrs. Mander and
Co., hat-manufacturers, Castle-street. Mr. William Allan-
der, partner with Mr. Mender, said that about half-past two
o'clock on Thursday afternoon, the prisoners came to the
shop and purchased a hat for the younger of the two, who
wore a cap, and wished to put it on, and take it with him as
soon as it was craped. The elder prisoner gave two sovereigns
in payment, and witness went to a cup in a desk in the back
shop, in which money was kept,—put into it the two sove-
reigns, and took out three shillings and sixpence in change,
which he handed over. There was another customer at the
time in the front shop, and, as was usual in such cases, the
prisoners went into the back shop, which forms a continua-
tion of the other, there being an archway but no door be-
tween them. There they waited a short time for the hat,
which a girl was busy craping, behind the partition on one
side of the archway, the desk being behind that on the oppo-
site side of it. In two or three minutes witness had occasion
to go again to the money cup, to get change for the other
party in the shop, and found the cash-16 or 17 sovereigns—
was gone. The two prisoners then abruptly, as be thought,
left the shop, without waiting for the hat, which was nearly
finished, directing that it should be sent up immediately to
where he lodged. Mr. Allander suspected they had taken
the money, but from their very respectable appearance, had
some doubts. A boy had passed through the back shop
whilst they were there, with four hat boxes from the cellar
behind, and no one else was in the back shop but the pri-
soners, except the girl who was employed in sewing on the
crape, and who sat in such a position that she could not,
without turning and raising her head, distinctly see what was
going on at the desk. It was no part of her duty to look
after the shop. Witness sent for police-officer James Ains-
worth, who afterwards traced the prisoners, and apprehended
them. In cross-examination, witness said that after Ains-
worth came with him to the shop, before following the pri-
soners, the elder prisoner and another young man (not the
boy) popped his head into the shop, and said, " have you
sent it" (the hat)? The latter prisoner had left directions
with a man in the shop to send it to Mrs. Hartley's, in Lime-
street. Lucy Foley said, that while she was engaged in
craping the hat, and sitting sideways towards the desk, the
elder prisoner drew a chair, and sat down close to her, urging
her to finish the crape. The younger prisoner was then
walking up and down near the desk, and he came up in a
short time and' said to the other, " Come away." The boy
who carried the boxes through the shop, said the prisoners
were there when he went to the cellar, and when he passed
through with the boxes. Police-officer Ainsworth followed
the prisoners through Castle-street, Water-street, to the
Glasgow Steam-packet Office, and thence by Castle-street,
Lord-street, &c., to Church-lane, where they went into a
billiard-room. He stopped them as they came out, and they
were taken into custody. On the elder prisoner he found
seven sovereigns, five half-sovereigns, and about 18s in cop-
per and silver. On the younger were found nine sovereigns,
four half-sovereigns, 17s. 6d. in silver, and a gold watch.
He also found some keys on the elder prisoner, who said he
had some things at Mrs. Hartley's. He had opened a trunk
belonging to that prisoner in the presence of Mrs. Hartley,
and found in it a £5 note. Mr. Dowling stated that the
prisoners had been three months out of London. The pri-
soners declined saying anything, leaving the case to their
attorney. They were then remanded. On Saturday they
were again placed at the bar. Francis Hill, who is in the
employ of Mr. Mander, was examined, but he added nothing
material to the testimony heard on the preceding day. Mr.
Allender stated, that the coin in the bowl consisted of sove-
reigns and half-sovereigns. There were many half-sovereign.
Mrs. Dismore, who keeps the tavern in the Haymarket
where the prisoners lodge, stated, that the name of her daugh-
ter, Mrs. Hartley, was over the door. She spoke very fa-
vourably of the prisoners. She believed they came from
London, and had frequently been here for the benefit of their
health. She had frequently left large sums of money in places
where they might easily have obtained possession of it, if
they had been so dispcsed, and where they knew of its being
deposited, but they had never missed anything. They had
also paid her very regularly. She had more than once paid
money for them for clothes and other articles, which were
sent home for the elder prisoner, and he had repaid her
very punctually. Mr. Rushton said, the case was one of
strong suspicion, but he should not be justified in sending the
prisoners for trial. It was necessary to weigh well the evi-
dence on such a case, and he had given this close attention ;
but, though strong suspicions were excited in his mind, he
had no certainty. The prisoners must, therefore, be dis-
charged. Ad4ressing the elder prisoner, Mr. Rushton said,
"Young man, you had better not remain in Liveryool.".
Prisoner :—" It is my intention to leave to nigh Mr
Rushton :—" Very well. I have no doubt you will carry it
into effect." The prisoners were discharged.
. .

•
INQuEsr.—An inquiry of a very painful description was
held before the borough coroner yesterday week, and by ad-
journment on the following day. The subject of the inquiry
was the means by which a poer woman, named Mary Sheri-
dan, the wife of a shoemaker in Charter-street, came to her
death. It appeared that the deceased was taken in labour
on the Monday, and attended by a midwife on Tuesday ; that
subsequently she was seen by Mr. Taylor, surgeon, who was
unable to stay with her, he having another patient whom he
had before visited to attend. He sent his assistant,however,
to supply his place, until another professional man could be
procured. • She was afterwards attended for several days by
Dr. Weatherall, a gentleman who designated himself at the
inquest—a general practitioner, and appended an M.D. to
his signature. He visited her repeatedly, and the labour
proceeding very slowly, and the patient sinking, effected her
delivery of a dead male child, on Friday. He departed, ac-
cording to his own account, ten or fiteen minutes after the
delivery. Before he left the place, a woman in attendance
on the patient was requested before latter to ask him to apply
a bandage, and he stated he would do so in the morning. , A
post mortem examination was made, by Messrs. Batty and
Cooper, surgeons, who stated that the bladder of the deceased
was cut, and that there was a wound in another region, as
well as a bruised appearance, which, in their opinion, would
not have arisen from any natural cause, but must have been
inflicted by the rough, hasty, and unskilful use of an instru-
ment or instruments. The child, which was also examined,
was found to be mutilated in the head. They concurred,
however, in opinion, that the appearances described were not
the immediate cause of death ; but that death was caused by
exhaustion arising from the great suffering and the long pro-
tracted labour, and accelerated by the loss of blood, owing to
the want of contraction of the uterus. Mr. Batty also stated
that the wounds in the bladder (such as thoSe made in cases
ofioperation) inflicted on the deceased, had she survived the
exhaustiop and loSs of blood, might possibly have caused
mortification and consequently death. It is remarkable that
it did not appear clearly, from the testimony of the females
present, that instruments were used at all, though they were
produced, aired, and afterwards (as one of them said) wiped,
nor did they speak to any violence on the one side, or suffer-
ing on the other. Dr. Weatherall being examined, gave his
own account of the case, and positively denied that he had
used any instruments at all, and stated that the delivery was
easily effected without them, the finger of one hand being
inserted in the mouth of the child. He stated that he did
not apply the bandage at the time, as he was afraid, from the
weak state of the patient, that syncope might ensue. The
jury came to a verdict that the deceased had died from ex-
haustion from the severity of her labour, and declared that
there was no blame whatever attributable to Mr. Taylor, but
pronounced no opinion on the other part of the case.
Susrrctpx of NURDETL.—Yesterday an Irishman, who
palled himself Andrew Vicars, but whose real name is sup..
posed to be James Cronby, was brought up at the Police-
office, before Mr. Rushton, on suspicion of having been con-
periled, with Hugh Molloy, in having grievously assaulted
,James Hussey, since dead. The alleged offence took place
on the 15th December last, at Mucbelow, in the barony of
Ballycowan and parish of Lynally, King's county, Ireland,
but under what circumstances did not appear. Mr. Rushton,
after explaining the charge to the prisoner, told him that un-
less he could produce somebody resident in Liverpool, who
could satisfy his mind that he was not the party who answered
the description given'of him in the Dublin line and Cry, he
should be under the necessity of sending him to Ireland.
The prisoner protested that he was not the man, that he was
not at. Mucbelow at the time, and that he had an excellent
character from his parish priest. This character Was pro-
duced, and it appeared to be written in favour of Andrew
Vicars; but Lloyd, the officer who apprehended him, said,
that when he was bringing him down Vauxhall-road, a coun-
tryman of his said to him, " James, I am very sorry you are
in custody on such a serious charge." Mr, 'Rushton again
told the prisoner that unless he could refer him to some per-
son in Liverpool, to show who he actually was, he must be
sent to Ireland, as his description perfectly corresponded with
that given in the Hue and Cry. He was eventually remanded,
for the production of a witness who he said could prove that
he was in Liverpool in December last.