The Sun. — 1858-05-13 (London, England)

MURDEROUS ASSAULT UPON A MOTHER  B Y HER SON.  Henry Thomas Simmons, a tall powerful-looking young man, 22 yeArs of age, the sou of a master engineer, carrying on business in Wellington-street, Blackfriars-t oad, was brought before Mr. Burcham, at the Southwark Police-c.,urt yesterday, charged with commitiiug a brutal and inh Kman assault upon Elizabeth Simmons, his aged mo her. The complainant-, who exhibited a black r-ye and st veral cuts on the nose and face, stated very reluctantly that en the previous afternoon she took her husband's tea to the factory, acrd boing.rather liter than usual he abused her very much. The prisoner then time up to her and in a rough way told her to go out, and when she got into the yard ho knocked h r down and struck her on the eye when she was down.  Mr. Burcham—B9t your face anti nose is cut. She replied that that was quite true, but her husband inflicted those cuts some days back.  The prisoner here, iu the mo>t impudent manner, said that his mother called him a thief, and tate pawned his cl.ithes, so that he had nothing to put on except his working dress. The mother denied his assertions. She had always behaved kind to him, and in return she was being continually4-used by him and his father. Silo, however, never complained before. Mr. Burchamasked ber what her husband was I  • She replied that he was a master engineer, and employed sevtral men, and all he allowed her last week t ) miintam six of them was 12s. The prisoner said that his naoth...r spent the money iu drink, and that caused all the quarrels. Mr. Burcham told him that even if such was the fact it was no re oon why she should be maltreated by him in such a brutal way. He was not content wish knocking her down, but he must strike her when down, and that in a violent manner. Any little spark (..f feeling that be might have for his mother ( ught to have taught him to protect her, instead of assaulting her, and had it not been for provocations he migt_t hate received from her, under the influence of drink, he should have inflicted the full punishment on him the law authorised hire.He should,' however, sentence him to six weeks' hard lab As the prisoner was being removed by tradesman Mis. Elizabeth Stroud, the wise of a. the aoler in the Blackfriars•road, ascended the witness- box, and said that their premises adjoinedti the prisoner'st fa her's factory. She bad frequen yseen he poor was sitting in her parlour, the prisoner knock his mother old lady dreadfully ill-used by father and son. On She screamed "Murder," and down in the yard. ltohleirp, rwehveionusahaeftsearwnen s then witness saw the prisoner strike her V, hile en police, as she thought the old lady was the ground. Witness called out to her husband to and shortly afterwards the prisoner was t Mr. Burnham asked whether she had ever seen the complainant ill-used before ? Mrs. Stroud replied that sho had on two or three fetch murdered,sken t intoh custody. occasions seen both father and son ill-use litr, and from what she had seen of her she was a well behaved, sober woman.  Mr.' Burcham said that he was now quite satisfied that alth ugh the poor woman had been so cruelly treated by h r son, she had been reluctant to telt all she had suffered from his violence. A. more mill and atrocious case on the part of a sou towards his mother he never heard of, and from the evidence of Mrs. Stroud, who had humahely come forward, the shorter imprisonment which he had inflicted was quite inadequate to the crime. He should sentence him to six months' hard labour, instead of six weeks ; and if his father should be brought up no dout he would 133 sent to keep company with him in the House of Correction.  SALE OF THE LIVERPOOL BOROrGH