The Sun. — 1859-07-28 (London, England)

CRIMINAL COURT. (Before Mr. Justice Byles) Isaac Birch Arden, 38, was charged with committine, an unnatural offence on the 10th of April, 1859, at Burton-upon-Trent. Mr. Scotland appeared for the prosecution ; Mr. Motteram defended the prisoner. The prisoner was a respectable-looking man, and had been schoolmaster in the workhouse at Burton, where the offence was committed. lle had previously been in the army in India. The case against him was clearly proved, and showed a frightful degree of depravity, which ought to place the guardians of such establishments on their guard. The jury found him guilty. Mr. Justice Byles said he never knew such a charge to be proved by such invincible evidence. His Lordship ordered sentence of death to be recorded. William Shelroke, 46, a pauper in the Wolverhampton Workhouse, was charged with a similar offence. The jury fouud him guilty only of the attempt. There was a second charge against the prisoner, which was not gone into. This case, like the last, showed a shocking degree of corruption prevailing among the boys in the workhouse. George Vaughan surrendered to take his trial upon a charge of administering to Mary Gregory a certain destructive and noxious drug called cantharides, with intent to murder, also with intent to do grievous bodily harm, on the 6th of April, 1859, at Willenhall. Mr. Prichard appeared for the prosecution ; Mr. G. Browne defended the prisoner. It appeared the prosecutrix was a married woman, but of loose character, living separate from her husband. On the evening of the 6th of April the prisoner went to her house, and produced a small bottle containing some rum, and asked her to drink some out of the bottle. The prosecutrix would not drink from the bottle, but`got a glass and drank some of the rum. She then took portions of a second glass and said it was very hot, and drank some ginger beer which she had in the house and kept for the purpose of sale. The prisoner threw the remainder of the rum in the glass into the ashes. An improper intimacy then took place between the prosecutrix and the prisoner, and in the course of the night the woman was taken ill with a burning  pain in the throat and stomach, &c. A: doctor was sent for, and from the symptoms he at once formed an opinion that she had taken cantharides. This Opinion was confirmed by an examination of the wineglass, in which he found severals grains of that drug.. The prisoner also appeared to have taken some ; at least he also complained to the doctor of pains in his stomach, and sent for some castor oil. The prosecutrix soon recovered, but 'she made no charge against the prisoner, until she was called upon by the police. The surgeon said that three grains of the drug was a full dose, when it was used medicinally, as a stimulant and irritant, and he ' added that the drug in question was sometimes used for its aphrodisiac qualities to excite the passions. At the close of the case, Mr. G. Browne submitted that there was no evidence that the prisoner had any felonious intent. Mr. Justice Byles said he did not think there was any evidence of the intent to murder ;_ and there was but little evidence of the intent to do grievous bodily harm, seeing that the prisoner had taken some of the mixture himself, and so made himself ill. His lordship said he would not withdraw the case from the jury, but he asked them whether they wished to hear the prisoner's counsel.  The jury said they were satisfied that there was no case against the prisoner, and found him not guilty. Mr. Justice Byles said he hoped what had occurred would be a warning to the prisoner, and ordered him to be discharged.