The Sun. — 1854-09-18 (London, England)

CRIMINAL COURT-(THIS DAY).  The September session of the Central Criminal Court was opened this morning by the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor, the Right Hon. thb Recorder, Aldermen Sir G. Carroll, Sir J. Musgrove, and Kennard, Mr. Sheriff Wire, Mr. Sheriff Wallis, and Mr. Under-Sheriff Ander ton, &c. There are 103 persons for trial, and a great many of the cases are of a very serious character, involving charges of murder, manslaughter, and other grave offences. The "Recorder, in charging the Grand Jury, expressed his regret at the state of the calender, but he said that although the cases were of a serious character, yet as they did not appear to present any legal difficulties, it was unnecessary that he should occupy much of their time in making any observations respecting them. He regretted to see that there were several cases of murder, in which the victims appeared to be children of tender age, and the parties accused of the crime stood related to the deceased, which, under ordinary circumstances, would make them considered the last persons likely to commit such a crime. In most of the cases the accused standing in the relation of parents to the deceased. In all the cases it appeared to him that, upon the depositions, the crime of murder eas made out, and it would he the duty of the Grand Jury to find bills for that offence, and if there were any mitigating circumstances that were calculated to reduce the cause to one of lesser magnitude, they could only legally be taken into consideration by the petty jury. There was one case of manslaughter of an important character, in which a driver of an excursion train upon the Dover railway had, as was alleged, by reckless and negligent driving, caused the deaths of three persons. He was of opinion that, under all circumstances, these excursion trains, as they were called, were attended with very great danger to the public ; but the question on the present occasion was whether the defendant, by his own reckless and negligent conduct, had been the occasion of the fearful accident which took place on this occasion. He was not aware whether it was intended to present a bill against the accused at this session, but he felt it his duty to call the attention of the grand jury to the case, and to state the circumstances under which the charge arose. The learned recorder then proceeded to state the facts connected with the accident in question, and which will be fresh in the recollection of our readers. He said the point for them to consider was whether the accident wee occasioned by the accused person having driven at an improper pace, and in disregard of the signals that were put up. He thought it right, however, to say that it appeared that a signal which was called the distant signal had not been raised, and that if this had been done, in all probability the accident would not have happened. The nearer signals were put up, and it seemed that the accused had done all he could to stop the train, but owing to the speed he was going at was unable to do so, and the consequence was that the accident in question took place. It did not appear that the prisoner was driving fast contrary to orders, and under all the circumstances the grand jury would say whether the accused had been guilty of such gross negligence and rashness as to render him amenable to the charge of manslaughter. His lordship concluded by congratulating the grand jury and the country upon the passing of the act of last session for the promotion of reformatory schools for young criminals, and in his opinion it would relieve the criminal courts from a most painful portion of their duty in braving to dispose of charges of felony against children of tender years, whom they were formerly compelled either to discharge altogether, or to place them in charge of their parents, who, in many instances, were worse than themselves, or of remitting them to a pi icon, where they could not avoid being contaminated. Now, however, he said, the Court had the power of inflicting some punishment upon criminals of this description, and they could afterwards send them to these establishments, where they would be properly taken care of, and have a chance of becorniing good members of society. The grand jury then retired.