Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1872-03-23 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

COUNTY CASES.  The Honourable Arthur Duncombe was foreman of the Grand Jury, and Mr Justice Keating iavited him, with other magistrates, to dinner at seven o'clock this evening. The Grand Jury having been sworn, and the proclamation against vice, immorality, &c., having been read,  EIS LORDSHIP delivered his charge. He commenced by saying that although in the present calendar there were no doubt some serious offenees to be found, nevertheless be thought the state of crime revealed by it was a subject for congratulation. It appeared that there had not been any Winter Assizes for the first time since Winter Assizes were commenced in 1843, he believed, and bearing this in mind, when looking over the table of offences in former years he felt well justified in saying that the state of the calendar was a subject of congratulation. There were one or two cases of manslaughter, properly so called. One case wat very reculiar. 1 hat of a landlord (Thos. Lambert) as Middlesbrough.. It happened that he was ill-used in his house on a Saturday night, by one party, and again, on the following Monday, by others ; the ill-treatment being received at separate times and from different persons. The man died, he should say, in a fortnight or three weeks afterwards. The medical men stated that Lambert died from bronchitis, occasioned by erysipelas, this, in turn, produced by the ill-treatment received on the Saturday and Monday. it was a remarkable case, in which it would be difficult to apportion the exact amount of ill-treatment given by each. The Grand Jury would be aware that where death resulted from violence of the kind alleged, the parties concerhed were liable to a charge of manslaughter; and if the medical men said that each of the prisoners were liable for the CAUSO of the erysipelas, then they were also both liable for the consequences. A separate bill against each prisoner would be sent up, and the case would require particular attention. It was a peculiar case ; in fact, he never before met with a similar one. His lordship commented upon several other cases in the calendar. The total number of prisoners was 24. One commitment had been wade for inurder,—where a mother was said to have killed her child, a few weeks old: there was reason to suppose that this was done under the Irfinences of mental derangement. Another case, where an old man of 91 years was committed by coroner's warrant for the manslaughter of his wifa, had not been investigated before the magistrates, which he much regretted, as, according to the depositions with which he was supplied, a further investigation would have led to his committal for the capital charge of murder. As to the case of arson by a child of 13 years, he found that a policeman's wife hail received a confession from the girl whilst in the police cells, and he strongly condemned this practice, if there was not other strong corroborative evidence, lie recommended that the bill should be ignored. Having congratulated the Grand Jury upon the large attendance, His Lordship relegated them to the dischar;,;e of their duties.