The Sun. — 1860-12-15 (London, England)

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.  WESTERN CIRCUIT.—WINCHESTER, DEC. 14. CROWN COURT. (Before Mr. Justice Byles.) The execution of James Johnson, condemned at these assizes, for the double murder at Aldershott, has been fixed to take place in front of the county gaol at Winchester, on Tuesday morning, the Ist of January. Edward Wilton 5, pleaded guilty to bigamy, at Portsmouth. Barnes,lt was alleged that the second wife knew that the prisoner was a married man at the time of their marriage, but she denied it. Prisoner was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment and hard labour. Thomas Mullens, convicted yesterday of the manslaughter of John Wickham, at Portsmouth, was sentenced to six months' hard labour. Wm. Pullen, 21, James Gilroy, 22, and Wm. Bradshaw, 21, were indicted for wounding George Smith, with intent to do him some grievous bodily harm, at Gosport, in the parish of Alverstoke. Mr. Poulden and Mr. Beetham prosecuted ; Mr. W. M. Cooke defended Pullen and Gilroy. The prisoners belonged to the Durham Militia Artillery, and on August 4, while stationed at Gosport, made an attack upon Wheeler and Littlefield, two policemen, who requested them to desist from creating a disturbance in South-street. Smith also expostulated with them, and was called on by the police to assist, when he was set upon by the soldiers, who beat him with their belts, each having a heavy buckle upon it ; his nose was cut through, his face and head were wounded, and he bled very considerably. The jury convicted the prisoners of unlawfully wounding. A second indictment, for the assaults on the police, was abandoned by the learned counsel for the prosecution. The prisoners had been four months in gaol. His lordship strongly deprecated the use of soldiers' belts. Pullen and Gilroy were sentenced to six months' hard labour ; Bradshaw, who had not used his belt, to one month's hard labour. Eliza Steel, 22, a servant, was indicting for concealing the birth of her child, at Basingstoke. Mr. Beetham prosecuted. In the month of September the prisoner was in the service of Mr. Wigg, a highly respectable farmer residing at Basingstoke. On the'l7th, in consequence of something having occurred, Drew, the superintendent of police, instituted a search, and in a closet found the body of a male child, undressed, partially covered with soil. He tcok the body to the police station. It presented no marks of violence. Prisoner, in reply to the policeman's charge of murder or concealment, said that she had neither murdered nor concealed her child. She had had a miscarriage in the closet. Mr. Charles Webb, the surgeon, said that it was a full-grown child. It had a healthy appearance, and there were no marks of violence, but he was unable to prove that the child had been born alive. It had only partially, and very imperfectly, breathed. His Lordship said the statute required, in order to make this young person guilty of concealment, that she must have been guilty of conceclment by burying or otherwise secretly disposing of the body. There was no evidence of this fact in this case, and there was no reason to suppose that any violence was used to this child. The jury acquitted the prisoner. This case terminated the assizes. Mr. Justice Byles will open his commission at Exeter on Saturday afternoon.