Lent Assizes.
The Times, 1824-04-15T00:00:00

These assizes commenced this day, betbre the Ilonourable C. XX aRtiEN and the Hon. T. J Envrs. 'flTere is a great cleal of bui- siness to be got through: the calendar contains the names of S5S pri- soners, exclusive of htearitngs at Nisi Prius. At Chester the Judges jointly hcar all eriminal and civil cases, so tlhat the progress of bu- snesq is very slow when compared witk other courts, wlhere the practice is for each Judge to preside on different sides. Thc retinue of the Hligh Sheriff' is very shabby and altogether unworthy of a wvealtlhv county like that of Chester. The grand jury is comrosed of 22 of the most respectable gentle- men in the county, Sir 1U. .M. Alainwaring foreman. Nr. Justice JRnvIs addressed the grand jury in a very neat charge,malking particular observations on three casesin the calendar- that of Price, for a murder at Audlem ; a manslaughter case ; and a charge against a man namned Wright, front Stockport, indicted under I,ord Ellenborough's act. The jury retired about a quarter before three o'clock, to their room, to rons:der the bills whiclh would be laid before thorn. Two men named Insleeam and Allti, from Marple, were indicted for robbing Wm. Wrnght, by putting hini in bodilv fear, and steal- ing seven shillings from his person. The principal evidence was an approver, named lobinson; but his testimony being of an equivocal nature, and not sufficiently supuorted, the Court directed an ac- quittal. Giles Edweards and .John Vullivan, privates in the 53d Regiment, were indicted for stealing wearing apparel from their quarters in Northwich. They both pleaded guilty, Edwvards to the capital charge of privately stealing in a dwelling-lhouse. Judgment of Death was recorded against him; and Sullivan received sentence of twelve months'- imprisonment to hard labour. Prler .Stewa"rt pleaded guilty to as indictment for stealing a purse front the person of David Johnson, of Flixton, in Lancashire, and was sentenced to 12 months' imprisounsent in the county gaol. George Poe ell, :an old man upwards of 60 years of age, was put upon hs trial for killing; and slaying Betty P03nett, his wife. It eamne out in evidencc, that he and his wife had bcen to theirdaughi- ter'sawedding dinner, where they gottoomuch liquor. Onreturning home between 1 and 2 o'clock it the morning,they quarrelled,and de- ceased left her house, and went to thatof a neighbour. lHere he followed her, wvhen she began to-;buse him. caUling him a dirty old rogue, and at last pushed him against a wall. This so enraged him, that he suddenly struck her with mucl violence on the breast; she fell down, sighed once or twice, and died almost instantly. The surgeon who examined the body stated that shewas not in.a good state of healtb h that lie found the vessels of the head verv much disternded, which he attributed to an inordinate use of spirits. On opening the bodv, he found a rib on the right side frntctured; skatetrllTe'pipe'rancc~ope, atreCrreleSa al+ 'on tie nervSo;i system, and, communicating to the brain, caused art extinction of life. A verygoodcharacterWasgiven the prisoner; and the Jury, after an able summ ing up from the learned Judge, returned a verdict of-Gutlty One mont,h's imptrisonment. Illr. Williams, M.P., Afr. D. F. Jones, and aboat a dozen other counsel, were at the bar, The Court did not dose till nearly seven o'docd. LRIVT CVWZR.?. 0TfV.qTPF.R- .MfnwA%' AVRTT 12.