The Sun. — 1850-08-21 (London, England)

WIGHT..  MAN.) Robert Lees was charged with the manslaughter of an infant, named Elizabeth Corrie, by negligently and unskilfully administering to her an overdose of laudanum.  Mr. Blair prosecuted ; the , prisoner was undefended.  It appeared that on Sunday, the 4th of August, las-, the wife of John Corrie, who fives in Northstreet, Liverpool, went with another woman to a public-house in Dale-street, for a glass of ale, carrying with her ber.infant, which was seven months old. There she saw the prisoner, who observed to her that her child was not well. She said it had been suffering for some days from a bowel complaint, and the prisoner then said he would give her a prescription for the child, which would relieve it. if she liked. She assented to this, and, the prisoner dictated a prescription, which a young woman present wrote down, " 3 oz. of chalk, loz. of gum arabic, and 2 drachms of laudanum. ,Two teaspoonsful to be given as a dose." This Mrs. Corrie got made up at a druggist's shop, and administered one dose to the child, which, according to the evidence of the medical witnesses, would contain fourteen drops of laudanum. The result was that the child became drowsy and died eight days afterwards. In the opinion of the surgeon who made the post mortem examination of the child, it had died from the effects of a narcotic poison. The prisoner in defence alleged that he had never told Mrs. Corrie to put laudanum in the prescription, but " rhea," that he had no intention to injure the child, and that he had dispensed medicine for twelve years and had never committed a mistake. His LORDSHIP,, .11 summing up, said the prisoner appeared only to have acted from motives of kindness; but if they were of opinion that he had acted with negligence, want of skill, presumption, and ignorance, they ought to find him guilty. The child had also died at a longer than the ordinary period after the administration of a narcotic poison, and it was therefore for them to consider whether or no the dose administered to it had caused its death.  The jury found the prisoner Not Guilty. Thomas Sexsmith was indicted with two men named Lever and Green for having, on the 18th of April last, discharged a loaded gun at John Wainwright and Richard Redhead with intent to murder or to do some grievous bodily harm. Mr. Monk appeared for the prosecution ; Mr. Pollock defended Sexsmith; and Mr. James the other prisoners.  It appeared that Wainwright and Redhead, the two prosecutors are gamekeepers to the Earl of Darby, and on the night of the 18th of April last they were out with another keeper near Stockbridge-lane, watching for poachers. • Whilst there a pheasant flow out of & plantation pear them, amt ignaattistatrafte*— -wards they, Meerseliniy3Patinitirrith a gun, and fob lowpd b, a dug, and thiee or four. other men armed with Alas. Wainwright' stopped Sexsmith, when immadiately there was. a cry raised of " Go into him ; shoot him." Sexsmith immediately levelled his gun at Rednead, and fired, cutting a hole through his hat, but doing him no further injury. Sexsmith was immediately seizsd hold of, the other men escaping. There being no evidence fixing the identity of Lever and Green, they were acquitted by direction of his Lordship.  Mr. PoLLocK then, addressing the jury on behalf of Sexsmith, contended that if he had intended to murder or do Redhead any bodily harm, there was nothing to have prevented him shooting him dead; but that the guu had evidently not been pointed at him.  The jury found the prisoner Guilty, and he was sentenced to be transported for seven years. It is expected that the criminal business of the avize will terminate to-morrow.