The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-04-02 00:00:00

STABBING AT LIVERPOOL.

John M`Kenna, 25, Patrick Gilligan, 23, and Michael
M'Corkin, 20, were indicted for having feloniously cut,
stabbed, and wounded Patrick Crane, at Johnson-street,
Liverpool. •

.
Mr. A,rpold conducted the case for the prosecution, and
the prisoners were defended by Mr. Wilkins.
It appeared that, on the night of Friday, or early on
the morning of Saturday, the 6th of January. the prose-
cutor was in his cellar, in the act of retiring to rest, when
he heard a party of men come down to the door, and
endeavour to force it open. He went for the purpose of
preventing them, but was unable to resist the pressure
from the outside. The door was forced in, the three pri-
soners, accompanied by three others,.entered. and Gilligan
asked for some sle. The prosecutor replied that he was
a teetotaller, that his wife was unwell, and that he wished
them to leave. A scuffle ensued, in the course of which
the candle was blown out by one of the party, and
M'Kenna took out a clasp-knife, and threatened to cut
off the prosecutor's head. Gilligan then laid hold of the
prosecutor in such a way as to prevent him from defending
himself, while M'Kenna inflicted two or three cuts, not
of a very dangerous nature, on his face. A woman, of
the name of M'Gregor, who lived in the cellar, wanted
to get out, for the purpose of calling in the police, but
she was struck back by M'Corkin. Shortly after the
prisoners ran away; and when they were taken into
custody, in a few days after, a clasp-knife Was found at
M'Kenna's, which, according to the medical tbstimony,
would have inflicted the cuts on the prosecutor's face.
The jury acquitted the three. prisoners.

The court adjourned at six o'clock to nine this morning.

NISI PRIUS COURT.-YESTERDAY.

THE BURY WATER WORKS COMPANY V. BENSON.

This case was resumed yesterday morning, and further
voluminous evidence was heard for the defendant, in which
a number of surveyors and others described the nature of
the embanking, the " pitching" with ruble wall stone, &c.,
the sinking of the banking, &c.—showing upon the whole
that the first measurement of the work appeared to be
pretty accurate, the sinking being accounted for by the
long time that had since elapsed.
The learned JUDGE, in summing up, inclined to the
opinion that the difference between the parties was, under
the circumstances, so little, that it would have been more
advisable to settle the matter out of doors.

The jury, without retiring from the box, returned a
verdict for the defendant. The case was not decided until
nearly four o'clock, so that it occupied the cou.t upwards
of a diy and a half.

SEDUCTION.—SQUIRFS U. MOLYNEUX.
This was an undefended case, which was stated to the
jury by Mr. SEGAR, without general remarks. The plain-
tiff, Amelia Squires, a widow, residit, in Preston, sought
to recover damages from the defendant, for the loss of the
services of Mary Braithwaite, her daughter by a first
husband,—a good-looking young woman, who was em-
ployed by Messrs. Barton, Brierley, and Co., of that town.
The defendant was a partner in the firm, and, it moreover
appeared, a married' man. In 1840 the plaintiff went to
work in the mill; and defendant shortly afterwards paid
her 'particular attentions. Not knowing that he was
married, she listened to his declarations of attachment,
and he stated that he purposed to marry her. This pro-
mise she at first questioned, on the ground of the disparity
in their respective situations in life • but the intimacy was
kept up by frequent interviews, and by the parties cor-
i responding by letter, and walking out together. Several
letters from the defendant to the girl were produced,
couched in the most affectionate terms; stating that he
was astoniihed she should doubt his affection—that no
cause of separation would arise on his part, and'imploring
her to be faithful as he would be, &c. When they were
walking out together on one occasion, a female came up
and said something which induced defendant to leave his
companion, whose mother and herself EOM afterwards
found that he was in no situation to comply with his
promise of marrying her. The result of their intimacy
was a child born in May last.
These facts were proved by the young woman and
others; and the learned JUDGE-remarked, in, summing
up, that the case was one of considerable aggravation,and
that the:amount of damages should be duly considered.
The jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff, damages £4O.