Glasgow Courier. — 1847-09-25 (Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland)

DUMFRIES CIRCUIT COURT, SEPT. 21.  This Court was opened to-day by Lords Moncreiff and Cock. burn. There were several cases, most of them, however, of a trifling nature. Christina Halliday, accused of concealment of pregnancy, pleaded guilty. Mr. Welch, for the panel, pleaded, in mitigation of punishment, her previous good character, and read several certificates to that effect. Sentenced to 6 months' imprisonment. William Morrison and Robert MFarlane then respectively pleaded guilty to thefts, aggravated, in both cases, by housebre iking. Sentenced to 7 years' transportation, and 6 months' imprisonment In the last case, the Advocate-Depute (Mr. Bell) concurred with Mr. G. Dickson, for the panel, in craving a linient sentence from the Court. _ _  Elizobeth Diamond or Sham was next placed at the bar, accused of chid murder, or alternately of concealment of pregnancy. On the part of the panel a plea was offered of guilty of the concealment of pregnancy, which was accepted by the public prosecutor. Lord Cockburn, in pronouncing sentence, said this was a very ugly case, and that the prisoner, in her declaration, had confessed to having born three illegitimate children, to different fathers, and therefore, in the circumstances, he pronounced a sentence of 12 months' imprisonment. John Crompton then pleaded guilty to a very serious charge of assaulting his wife, aggravated by having been previously convicted of assault. Sentenced to 9 months' imprisonment. John Confine, proprietor of Glensone, in Kirkcudbrightshire, and Thomas Newton, gunsmith in Dumfries, were then placed at the bar, charged with assault, to the serious injury of the person, the effusion of bloo.l, and danger of life. Both panels pleaded not guilty. The first witness was Joseph Davidson, the party assaulted, hostler in Dumfries, who deposed as follows, first as to the locality of the Coach and Horses Close in Dumfries, the place of the assault. Recollects the evening of the 15th July. Saw the panels about 20 minutes past 9. They went into the close. They were whistling. They had some dogs with them. I thought they were whistling on them. One of the dogs ran away; Mr. Newton followed. Mr. Costine asked if I would give £1 for one of his dogs. Ile then asked me if I would give 10s. I said 10s. was more to me than the dog. He then said he would take ten thumps out of me, and knocked me down with a blow on the side of the head. When I got up he struck ice again, and I seized hold of him. I fell a second time. Newton came up and kicked me. He made my thigh black. I became insensible, and was confined for three weeks. I gave no provocation. Cross-examined—Would not swear he did not push Costine down when lie seized him. Does not recollect doing so. Costine was a little the worse of drink. Newton very much so. Newton might have kicked him in stumbling. Thinks it was a stroke. Was quite sober at the time. Agnes Waugh or Kirk, who keeps an infant school near the ' place, heard part of what was going on, and corroborated , Davidson. . _ _  It was proposed by the Crown to ask this witness what Mary Armstrong, another witness, said when she came into the close and saw Davidson lying; but Mr. Young, for Costine, objected that this was incompetent, since Costine was not present. The Court intimated that they though the question incompetent.  Several other witnesses were then examined for the Crown in corroboration but nothing very material was elicited. Dr. APLauAlan and Dr. Scott spoke to the very serious nature of the injuries received by Davidson, and to the imminent danger of life thereby occasioned, which, however, they were rather indined to attribute to his head having come in contact with a stone, than to the actual blows struck by the panels. Costine, in his declaration, denied ever having struck him; and Newton simply stated be was too drunk to recollect anything ahaut it. _  The