The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-03-22 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

There was a second indictment against Meadowcroft, for ano-
ther burglary, which, however, was not gone into.
MANSLAUGHTER.—John Hibbert, 18, was indicted for killing
and slaying William Horsfall, at Gorton. On the Sth of De-
cember I.ast, the prisoner and the deceased were persuaded by
a person named Barnes to fight for a shilling. They were both
at first very unwilling, but, at length, were induced to set to.
It was to be what is called "an up and down fight," wherein
the parties kick and maul each other ad libitum; and several
kicks were given ou both sides. After a few rounds the de-
ceased gave in, and was taken home when he complained much
during the night of a pain in his side, and died on the following
morning. On the examination of the body, the cause of death
was found to be an internal rupture, and externally there was
.a mark of a violent blow or kick, by which it appeared to have
been produced.—The learned judge reprobated, in strong terms,
the brutal mode of fighting practised in some parts of this county,
and cautioned parties who engaged in it to beware of the con-
sequences, as a signal example would certainly be made of some
of them upon conviction where fatal results ensued. The pri-
soner was found guilty, but his lordship deferred 'raising sen-
tence.
BIGAMY.—Thomas Darcy, 30, was indicted for feloniously in-
termarrying with Mary Anne Gibson, Hannah Hill, whom he
had previously married, being. still alive. The deceased was a
hackney-coachman, and Witham Neilson, a coach proprietor,
by whom he had formerly been employed, deposed, that he was
present at the prisoner's marriage with Hannah Hill in Febru-
ary, 1825, in the Old Church, at Manchester, and gave the bride
away. A printer, named Laycock, stated; that ou the 6th of
January last, he was present at the marriage of the prisoner
with Mary Anne Gibson, also, in the Old Church, at Manches-
ter ; and that, on the same day, while they were dining at home
together, the prisoner's former wife called at the house, and ex-
hibited to him such proofs of her marriage as induced him
forthwith to turn the prisoner out of his house, where he had
been lodging for some time. The, learned judge, on the pri-
soner being found guilty, commented in strong terms of repre-
hension on his offence, and sentenced him to be transported
beyond the seas for seven years.
WEDNESDAY.

CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER.—John Wood, 32, was indicted
for killing and slaying Robert }homily, at Manchester. Harriet
Biornity, the motherof the deceased, who hada-child three years
of are, deposed that she was standing talking with a female ac-
quaintance in Newton-lane, Manchester, on the 7th August last,
and the deceased was with her, when a coach, driven by the pri-
soner, came up. She endeavoured to get the child out of the
way, both fell down in the attempt, and the coach passed over
it. The poor infant was taken to the Infirmary, and died the
same day. A witness deposed that the coach was going at the
rate of about five miles an hour.—Mr. Houlton, house•surgeon •
to the Manchester Infirmary, was called to prove that the death
of the child was caused by the injuries it sustained; but Mr.
Justice ALDERSON said it appeared to him to be a case of
_pure j
accident, and put it to the jury to say whether they were of opi-
nion that any negligence was imputable to the prisoner; where-
upon they immediately pronounced an acquittal.
FORGERY.—Joseph Lingurd, 31, was indicted for uttering to
Hierom Whittaker, at Manchester, a forged bill of exchange
for £4O, with intent to defraud the said Hierom Whittaker;
there was a second count charging the same act with intent to
defraud Joseph Ward, on whom the bill was drawn. Whittaker
keeps a public house at Salford, and was in the habit of supply-
ing the prisoner with beer. In March, 1832, the prisoner, in
discharge of his account, paid him a bill of exchange for £3O,
which was duly honoured. In May, being again indebted to
him, he paid him the bill which was the subject of this indict-
ment. Joseph Ward proved the acceptance of the bill in his
name to be forged. Mr. Darbisbire, the constable of Salford,
stated that when the prisoner was taken to the police office, he
laid before him the two bills which the prisoner had paid to the
prosecutor, and asked him if he had drawn them, to which he
answered that he had. The jury found the prisoner guilty, and
the learned Judge sentenced him to transportation fur lift, ob-
serving that the law left him no discretionary power of miti-
gating the punishment.
FIGHTING.—James Rigby, 50, was indicted for manslaughter,
in killing and slaying William Moors. It appeared that, in
the evening of the Ist of January last, the
_prisoner and the
deceased were together in a public house, at Stockport, when a
dispute arose between them, and they went out to fight. In
the second round the deceased fell and broke his leg, and was
conveyed to the Infirmary, where he died in consequence of the
injury, on the 19th. Ttiere was no evidence to show whether
the fall proceeded from a blow, or a stumble, and the jury un-
der his lordship's direction, _4equitted the prisoner.
COW-STEALING.—john Green, 35, was indicted for stealing a
heifer, the property of James Lampert. On the 14th of iNo-
vember last, the prosecutor had a number of cattle in Smith-
field market, Manchester, when the prisoner was observed to
go amongst them, and single out a heifer, which he drove away
down two or three streets, and was then stopped and taken into.
custody. The jury found the prisoner
.guil.ty, and he was
sentenced to be Transported beyond the seas, jor life.
MANSLAUGHTER.—Thomas Armstrong, '2O, was indicted for
manslaughter, in killing and staying Witham Brogden, at
Manchester. The sister-in-law of the prisoner proved that
they were at supper together, in the cellar in which they lived,
on the night of the 22nd of January last, when they heard a
noise at the cellar grating, and some one called out that people
were breaking into the house. They cried " murder !' and
the prisoner went out with the poker in his hand. Shortly
afterwards the deceased was found in the area of the cellar with
his head very much cut and bruised and wholly insensible. He
died in the course of the night, in consequence of the wounds.
The jury found the prisoner guilty; but strongly recommended
him to mercy. His lordship then sentenced him to be impri-
soned a fortnight.
CHARGE OF MANSLAUGHTER. —John Holcroft, 44, was in-
dicted for killing and slaying his wife, Mary liolcroft, at Bar-
ton-upon-Irwell.—The prisoner and the deceased were drinking
together at a public-house, on the night of the 14th of October
last, and at midnight they were leaving it to proceed towards
their home, in a state of intoxication. When they got to the
door, the deceased fell, and the prisoner kicked her. He after-
wards took her up and carried her some distance, and then pro-
cured a wheelbarrow, in which he conveyed her home, but she
died almost immediately after they arrived there. The surgeon
who examined the body deposed that the wound which had
caused her death might have been produced by a fall, and un-
der these circumstances, the jury, by direction of his lordship,
ac9iitted the prisoner.
UAUTION TO WAREHOUSEMEN AND OTHERS.—SamueI Stocks
and Thomas Blackshaw were indicted for killing and slaying
Alice Tatton, at Mauchester.—This case, from the peculiarity
of the circumstances, excited more than ordinary interest. The
deceased, a lady of most respectable connections, in walking
along one of the streets of Manchester on the 6th of January
last, was so severely injured by the fall of a package of goods
upon her head, which the prisoner Blackshaw was in the act of
lowering from the third story of a warehouse belonging to Mr.
Stocks, the other prisoner, his employer, who is a most respect-
able merchant of Manchester; as to cause her death in the In-
firmary, five days afterwards.—Mr. STARKIE, with whom Mr.
L. PEEL was associated as counsel for the prosecution, in stat-
ing the case to the jury, said, he must admit, at once, that, in
point of law, there would be considerable difficulty in bringing
home the charge to Mr. Stocks,. for, undoubtedly, he was not
present at the tune when the unfortunate occurrence took place,
although he had been repeatedly cautioned respecting the inse-
cure state of the teagle used for hoisting goods into and out of
his warehouse. The learned judge, on hearing this, said he
was of opinion that, in those circumstances, there was not suf-
-1 ficient evidence to convict Mr. Stocks, whom the jury, by his
lordship's direction, immediately acquitted.—The case then pro-
f ceeded against Blackshaw, who had acknowledged that he was
the person engaged in lowering the package; and the witnesses
attributed its fall to the rope by which it was lowered not being
secured sufficiently tight around it. His lordship, in summing
up, told the jury that, if they were satisfied that the prisoner
had not used reasonable and due care to guard against such an
accident, they must find him guilty; and they returned a ver-
J diet to that effect, hut strongly recommended the prisoner to
mercy. His lordship said the verdict was a most proper one,
and he hoped it would have a strong tendency towards placing
the lives of the people of Manchester in much greater security
in future. It would not be necessary for him to pass a severe
sentence in the present instance; but, should the example fail,
he would be comps led, in any similar case which might occur
hereafter, to inflict a much heavier punishment. He trusted,
however, that, in passing a lenient sentence on this occasion,
he should not be in the least exposing the lives of others, but
that this case would prove a sufficient warning. If, however,
the system of carelessness which seemed to have hitherto pre-
vailed should be persevered in, it. would involve other persons,
and of considerable station—masters as well as servants—in
jeopardy. His lordship concluded by sentencing the prisoner
to be imprisoned two months.
HOUSE-Brmaxisi .—Thomas Bond Walker, 17, was indicted
for breaking and ea ering the dwelling-house of Betty Gartside,
and stealing therein a watch, and a quantity of linen and wear-
ing apparel of the value of £5. The prosecutrix lives at Roys-
ton, and it appeared teat. on the 16th of November last, ;he
went out to her work a eight o'clock in the morning, leaving
at home her mother and son, wno went out in the afternoon
leaving the house door properly fastened. About five o'clock
in the evening it was discovered that the house had been broken
into and thoroughly ransacked, and the articles mentioned in
the indictment carried off, part of which were pawned by the