The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1843-05-16 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

MATIIER AND ANOTHER.—III this case Thomas Balmin was the plaintiff, and John Mather and Edward Dickinson the defendants. The action was brought to recover damages for a trespass and false imprisonment. The defendants pleaded first not guilty, and several other pleas, the effect of which was to allege that they had reason to suspect the plaintiff had stolen some of their property. Mr. Ramshay appeared for the plaintiff; Mr. James for the defendant.  The plaintiff is a carter; the defendants are wholesale and retail coal-merchants, in Leeds-street. For some period the plaintiff was in the employment of the defendants, and on the 25th of February last, having as they considered reasonable grounds to suspect that he had taken, or caused to be taken, from time to time, coals from the yard to his own house, they gave him into custody on the charge of felony. He remained in bridewell from Saturday to Monday, when he was taken before Mr. Rushton, who not only discharged him but said he had good ground for an action for defamation, and another for talse imprisonment. The defendants produced several witnesses, who said they had seen the plaintiff take coals for his own use, but it did not appear they had any knowledge that he was taking them feloniously. After a protracted trial, the jury returned a verdict for the plaintiff—damages, one shilling. The court adjourned at seven o'clock. The cause list contains one demurrer and 44 issues, about nineteen of which remain to be disposed of.  THE LATE MURDERS AT LALESTON, GLAMOR GANSHIRE  VERDICT OF THE CORONER'S JURY  The adjourned investigation by the magistrates for the county of the charge of wilful murder against Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, and by the coroner's jury, of the circumstances leading to the death of Jane Hurry, the nurse, were both resumed on Friday last ; the former at the union workhouse, Bridgend, and the latter at the Crown Inn, in the same town. The approaches to both places were crowded by spectators, anxious to catch a view of the prisoners, and to obtain the earliest informatien of the result of the investigation. The servant girl, v:ho had also been taken ill, deposed to her having taken about an egg-cup full of the beer, which burnt in her throat, and shortly after she was seized with spasmodic pains in the stomach and bowels, together with excessive vomiting mixed with blood. The boy who had been sent for the beer being further examined, stated most positively that he saw a small paper in the prisoner, Mrs. Thomas's hands, when he went to fetch the jar, and that she gave it to the male prisoner, who put it is kis breeches pocket ; he also stated that when on his road n0,,,e with the beer the male prisoner spoke to him in the lane, and told him to put down the jar and go and look after the colts, which were his masters ; he did so, and was absent about five minutes. When he returned the prisoner Edward Thomas was standing near the jar, and taking the cork out he said, " Let me see how much beer you have got." Witness did not tell of this before, because the female prisoner, Mrs. Thomas, when she came to his mother's house, told him not to tell, nor to tell that he had been at her house at Lalleston. She gave witness a penny not to tell. Captain Napier, superintendent of the county police, deposed to having searched Mrs. Thomas's house. In the room which the boy described he found a small white paper with small particles of a dry powder adhering to it; he conveyed it Mr. Herapath, who desired him to accompany him to his laboratory, and there, in the presence of witness, tested it, and discovered it to be oxide of arsenic.  Mr. Herapath, whose testimony seemed to excite much interest, confirmed Captain Napier as to his examination of the particles on the paper, and as to the mode of examination which he had adopted with the liver of the deceased woman, in which he had discovered the arsenic. The coroner's jury have returned a verdict of wilful murder in the case of Jane Hurry; hut the magistrates, who are in expectation of some further disclosures being made, have again adjourned their inquiry.