The Sun. — 1850-08-21 (London, England)

CROWN COURT.—(Before Mr. Justice WiGur- atAN.) .Robert Lees was charged with the Manslaughter of an infant, named Rizabeth C:)rrie, by negligently and unskilfully administering to her an overdose of laudanum. Mr. Blair prosecuted; the prisoner was undefended. _ _  It appeared that on Sunday, the 4th of August, las , the wife of John Corrie, who lives in Northstreet, Liverpool. went with ano'her woman to a public-house in Dale-street, for a glass of ale, carrying with her her infant, which was seven months old. There she saw the prisoner, who observed to her that her child was not well. She said it had been suffering for some days from a bowel complaint, and the prisoner then said he would give her a prescription fur the child, which would relieve it, if she liked. She assented to this-, and, the prisoner dictated a prescription, which a young woman present wrote down, "3 oz. of chalk, loz. of gum arabic, and 2 drachms of ►audanumn. ,Two teaspoonstul to be given as a dose." This Mrs. Corrie got made up at a druggist's shop, and administered one dose to the child, which, according to the evidence of the medical witnesses, would contain fourteen drops of laudanum. The result was that the child became drowsy and died eight days afterwards. In the opinion of the surgeon who made the post mortem examination of the child, it had died from the effects of a narcotic poison. Toe prisoner in defence alleged that he had never told Mrs. Conic to put laudanum in the prescription, but " rhea," that he had no intention to injure the child, and that he had di,pensed medicine for' twelve years and had never committed a mistake.  - His LORIMUIP, i❑ summing tip, said the prisoner appeared only to nave acted from motives of kindness; but if they were of opinion that he had acted with negligence, wane of ',kill, presumption, and igno- • ranee, they ought to find him guilty. The child had also died at a longer than the ordinary period after the administration of a narcotic poison, and it was therefore for them to consider whether or no the dose administered to it had caused its death. The jury found the prisoner NOt Guilty. Thomas Sexsmith was indicted with two men named Lever and Green/or having, on the 18th of April last, discharged a loaded gun at John Wainwright and Richard Redhead with intent•to murder or to do some grievous bodily harm. Mr. Monk appeared for the prosecution ; Mr. Pollock defended Sexsmith; and Mr. James the other prisoners. It appeared that Wainwright and Redhead, the two prosecutors are gamekeepers to the E ►rl of Ihrby, and on the night of the 18th of April last they were out with another keeper near Stockbridge-lane, watching for poachers. Whilst there a pheasant flaw out of a plantation near them, and immediately afterwards they met Sexsmith, armed with a gun, and fol. lowed by a dog, and three or four other men armed with' sticks. Wainwright stopped Sexsmith, when immediately there was a cry raised of " Go into him ; shoot him." Sexsmith immediately levelled his gun at Redhead, and fired, cutting a hole through his hat, but doing h'm no further injury. Sexsmith was immediately seized hold of, the othet men escaping. Toere befog no evidence, fixing the identity of Lever and Green, they were acquitted by direction of his Lordship. Mr. POLLOCK then, addressing the jury on behalf of Sexsmith, contended that if he had intended to murder or do Redhead any bodily harm, there was nothing to have prevented him shooting him dead; htv that the guu had evidently nut been pointed at him.  The jury found the prisoner Guilty, and he was sentenced to be tranPported for seven years. It is expected that the criminal business of the assize will tcrrninnte to-morrow.