The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-08-13 00:00:00

LAW INTELLIGENCE.

MR. DYCE SOMBRE.—On Thursday the Lord Chan'
cellor delivered a long judgment in this case, which be
concluded by refusing the application to supersede the
commission of lunacy.
REVISING BARRISTERS.—The following are the foci
tures for the North Wales circuit :—South Cheshire ao
Chester: Mr. Meeson.—Norlh Cheshire, Macclesfield,
and Stockport : Mr. Yard ley.—Flintshire : Mr. Trafford'
—Denbighshire: Mr. Welsby.—Carnarvonshire and he'
glesey : Mr. Temple.—Montgomeryshire and Merionell'
shire : Mr. Townsend.

QUI TAM ACTIONS.—The first of these actions cam.
on for trial on Thursday, before Mr. Baron Parke and
_it
special jury. C. H. Russell was the plaintiff, and Mr,.
George Bentinck the defendant. The action was brought
to recover penalties amounting to £12,000, the allegatiott
being that the defendant had in an illegal manner recovered
a bet of £3,000 from Jobn Day, in May, 1843. The
counsel for the defendant having stated that it was the
wish of his lordship that the case should go to trial, t,"
learned judge reserved, for the consideration of the tiVel
judges, the question as to whether the recent statute u'a
not act as a bar to the action, although it was commence
prior to its passing. After several witnesses had been el"
amined, the jury returned a verdict for the defendant, the
case having broken down on the merits. It turned out
that Day had made the bet with Mr. Gully, and that the
latter was, in the eye of the law, the loser of the £3,uw.
to Lord George.
BREACH OF PROMISE OF MARRIAGE.—At the Surrei,
Assizes, on Monday last, before Mr. Baron Park do° „
Special Jury, Miss. Melville Roberts brought an action
against Captain Frank Denham, to recover con3Pensqb's
in damages for a breach of promise to marry her.
Plaintiff, a beautiful and accomplished young lady, no:
about 28 years of age, had been for eight or nine yeal
governess and confidential companion in the flulaled
of Capt. and Mrs. Evans, and in July, 1843, sbeir.everpooll
from Malta, with Mrs. Evans, in the Great rner-
steam-ship. The defendant, who had traded a'
same
the
chant to the East Indies, was a
ship, and in the course of the voyage he beciar
t at South.
of the plaintiff, and shortly after their arriva
psssenger
through Mrs.
ampton, he made her an offer of marriage
of a
Evans. He remained as a visitor in the character
August
suitor for some few days, and about the middle of
0,
he went to London, from whence he wrote on the 9th 1
October, breaking off the match ; and on the 15th of No-
vember, be was married at Ackwortb, near PontefraCtr
to. Miss Eliza Lacey. The jury gave a verdict for the
Plaintiff—Damages, £BOO. beYenamoured`

LIBERTY OF THE PULPIT.—The case of " Smith r. the
Rev. A. Gentle," has been argued before one of the
Scotch courts, and has at last been decided ; and the de-
cision is of importance as involving the liberty of clergi
men in their clerical capacity. The issue in this case was
as follows :—Whether on Sunday, the 14th of March,
1811, during divine service in the parish church of Alves,
the defender did, while addressing the congregation, Eq'
concerning the pursuer, that he had been guilty of cheat-
ing, deceiving, and overreaching others in the course ot
business ; that he had kept up false and ficticious appear:
ances, and had, on false or ficticious credit, engaged in
speculations and improvements, and indulged in sumptu-
ousi living ; that in the course of his speculations and ni;
provernents, he had cheated or deceived his more ignora°t.
neighbours, by inducing them to sign documents to they
prejudice or ruin, and had thereby converted the house no
mirth and joy into a house of wailing and mourning, .af
that if its walls could speak, they even would testi f
against the vile intruder—meaning thereby that the pur-
suer had been guilty of obtaining money on false Preci
tences, had kept up false appearances, and had cheatfie
and deceived his neighbours and others, with whom
had transactions, to their injury or ruin ; or did use
utter expressions, in allusion and with application to 0,,
pursuer to the like effect. Last year the case was trill
and a verdict was given in favour of the defendant • wilhe;§
verdict was set aside as contrary to the evidence. 'ln
second trial the jury returned a verdict for the plain'l
with £lOO damages—£looo having been sought.
35
ASSIZE NEWS.—At Norwich, James Frost, aged +
was charged with the wilful murder of his four childret!'
the eldest of whom was only five years of age. The Prt:
soner was a preacher amongst the Primitive Methodists:
was subject to strange delusions, sometimes in utter d
spair of salvation,—at others in the contrary extreme,and,
he destroyed his children with the alleged object of sen,bo
ing them straight to heaven. He was acquitted 011
ground of insanity.—At Stafford, William Beard was COw
victed of the wilful murder of Ann Griffiths, at Wede`,.,
bury, on the 16th of March last, and sentenced to deg 01
—At Bodmin, Matthew Week, aged 22, was convicted ~t
the wilful murder of Charlotte Syrnond, his fellow-sere
and sweetheart, at Davidstone, in April last, by cnttinv
her throat. The motive appears to have been jealolie,
The prisoner was sentenced to death.—At Neweas'o
upon-Tyne, Mark Sherwood. an elderly gray-headed
man, was charged with the wilful murder of Ann Sheol,
wood, his wife, on the 14th of March last, under eiren,o,
stances of great barbarity. He was convicted and `'‘,l
tenced to death.—At Guildford, in a bleach of prornisetbe
marriaee case, Roberts v. Denham, the jury found fer pr,
plaintiff—Damages, £Boo.—At Guildford, a case, "si
bert v. Day, was tried, in which the question at issue -I,eo
whether the racer Bloodstone, winner of one of the 5°,4!
at Ascot, was the horse he was described to be, nor:re-0
one of two years old, or another of three years old, eat at
and ran falsely in his name. The verdict decided treo
fraud had been practised, and that the owner of theat
was not entitled to the stakes.—On Thursday weeTn'tto
the Bodrnin assizes, before Justice Patteson, Char oh
Johns, an interesting looking girl, twenty-four years ate
was charged with the murder of her male illeg'„tpialia
child. The jury found the prisoner guilty of ',-I,oo'
the birth, and she was sentenced to two years' llnPLofve°
ment.—At the Newcastle assizes, on Friday week, us.',Jer
o jfe
h Justiceve irs a aged
edillegitimatet Creswell,hirte
ecn Janei6yl
dea. r
s PurvisT, h:, wasiap sari
dnil lodiiiinnciecetfirtereddw-ffaisrr
and the evidence went to show that she had been deli c,`0,13
of a child, which was subsequently fo in a bo%broro
its throat cut. It was not proved that the child was
alive,
feoadnf
ttl aev.:ll:o;bsw:ect)lxils:
cealed the birth, and she was sentenced to twelve 1110;',0111
imprisonment.—On Tuesday last, at Coventry, Sasa'rder
be sent home at the end of the week. One
she suspected that the prisoner
of Emma Goldsby, an infant, seventeen months 01d- ,
was a most extraordinary case. The •, er wa" r''
ployed by Mrs. Goldsby to nurse AN,
last the prisoner was given to understand that she oo'
be
ther observed some scratches on the infant's nee-se,,,AP
child showed great dislike to her afterwards. On of tbe-
April the prisoner, who had been left to take caret,a
cradle, suddenly called out that a man had stabvllo'
up the c
baby. The mother ran to her, and, taking
saw blood streaming from it and that it was dying'
gave the alarm and several neighbours rushed "n'
t, ear
child, which was already dead, was examined by _t int°,
geon, who found that a large knife had been throbl bor
d ttaahi
ees emv rjuillnorite
its chest. The wound was just such an one as calgdres,,lbe
been inflicted by a carving knife which lay on
and on which a few spots of blood were four '7
statement of the girl, who more than once sabered sot
not do it," was, that a man, without shoes, en, otgr
stabbed the child. The examination was purst,e' 060,11
length, and about six o'clock, p.m., the jar vrb,t
ter, tlis'
Two hours afterwards they applied for some for _O,
was refused. They were subsequently locked
..erie intt4
night. On the following morning the jury bad ?j,
duced into court, when they stated that tbee_Y,.,. 0,00,4
agreed, and that it v, as not probable that they
it. 7 and
prisoner will be tried again at the next assif
flatirjer..,l
They were then discharged from giving a verf
etu.___At wo(
same assizes Gtorge Skelsey was tried for thela uo
enter,
Henry
e Cdlile
)101Y
yHe
was
. Seventeen covicatedt n
prisoners were sentenced, vat/
day week, at Irswich, to he transported fur terra
senternttoty. en
n from seven years to the duration of life.
rs;racnospvoircttaetdio
no f . ma ns

I