The Sun. — 1858-12-13 (London, England)

OLD COURT. (Before the Recorder.)  The December session of the Central Criminal Court commenced this morning, before Sir R. W. Carden (who sat for the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor), Aldermen Lawrence and Rose, the Sheriffs, Under-Sheriffs, and othet civic authorities.  The Recorder, in charging the grand jury, said that, in consequence of some cases which appeared in the calendar having been mentioned last session, they would not be brought again before them, as bills in all cases had been found. Owing to the short time that had elapsed since they hwi last met, the number of prisoners awaiting trial was not large, and the offences with which the majority were charged were not of so serious a description as usually was the case. There was one person charged with wilful murder, but he thought it would turn out that at the time he committed the act he was not in a state of mind so as to distinguish between right and wrong. However, with this the Grand Jury would have nothing to do, but if they were satisfied that he was the person who committed the murder, then they would simply return a true bill against him. On his trial before the petty jury the state of his mind would be strictly inquired into, and in the event of his being acquitted on the ground of insanity he would be properly secured in order to prevent his committing further acts of violence. There was also a charge of manslaughter of a very aggravated description committed by a person • named Samuel Asquith, during what was called a prize fight, which two persons had been induced to fight for the sum of five pounds, in order that others might be enabled to win money by betting on the result of the contest. It was much to be regretted that only one of the parties so engaged was in custody, for he was of opinion that those who caused the two deluded and uneducated men to fight were the most culpable of the whole party. The jury would therefore merely have to inquire whether the deceased died from the injuries he there received, and if they were of opinion that the prisoner inflicted those injuries, then they would return a true bill against him. It was much to be regretted that about a fourth of the persons at present in custody were charged with the offence of uttering counterfeit coin ; but he (the Recorder) was of opinion that if the retail shopkeepers, who were the persons who generally suffered most seriously from such a circumstance, were to exercise a little more caution, much loss would be prevented. It generally happened that the coin was never examined until the parties uttering it had left the shop, and it could not be too frequently or strongly impressed upon all parties that more caution was necessary than hitherto had been exercised. There was a case in the calendar of a most frightful desctipton, in which the parties were charged with an outrage upon their own children. It was almost impossible to believe that such things really existed; but if they did, it was right they should be made known, in order that the causes that led to them might be discovered, and a remedy devised. It might be that the indiscriminate residing together of the sexes that unhappily existed in some parts of the metropolis was one of the causes that led to such unfortunate results ; but ho should be exceedingly sorry to think that Virtue 4id not exist to a great extent, even under such unfavourable circumstances. If in the course of the investigation it should turn out that depravity of such • description existed to any great extent, he did not think that the philanthropists of the metropolis could occupy themselves in a more humane duty than in endeavouring to discover a remedy for so alarming an evil. He did not think there was any other case which he need trouble them with ; but in the event of any difficulty arising to them in the execution of their duty, the Court would most readily lend them its assistance.  The Grand Jury then withdrew, and, after a short time, several true bills having been returned, the trials proceeded.