The Sun. — 1856-12-12 (London, England)

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—Yomc. (Before Mr. Justice ERLE )  John Weavers was indicted for stabbing his wife, Hannah Weavers, with intent to murder or to do her some grievous bodily harm, on the 7th of August last. Mr. Wheelhouse prosecuted ; the prisoner was not defended.  The prosecutrix and prisoner, it appeared, lived togethee at Selby, and on the day of the occurrence she had returned from York, to which place she had been for the ' purpose'of receiving some small legacy in money. At night the prisoner asked her where the money was, and she said that she had " made it all safe before she left York." At the time when this took place the two were getting supper together, and instantly on the prosecutrix making this observation the prisoner rose from his seat, and aiming a blow at the prosecutrix's neck, cat her slightly just over the earotid artery, and immediately under the left ear, with the knife in his hand. There were two cuts, one apparently a stab, the other a cut wound, neither of them being really dangerous to life. The learned Judge summed up very carefully, and told the jury that they must not, because a wound bad actually been inflicted on so dangerous a place as this, necessarily conclude that it was committed with intent to do any of the acts named in the indictment. They must consider whether or not it was impossible that the prisoner, who was then eating his supper, being put much out of temper, used the knife, without any precise intent in his mind at the moment he did so. That even such a use of such an instrument as the knife produced would, at any rate, if used as the prosecutrix had described, be an unlawful act, and the prisoner had, at all event, rendered himself liable to be found guilty of • unlawful wounding. After some consideration the jury found the prisoner guilty of this last-named offence, and he was thereupon sentenced to be imprisoned for two years, with hard labour.  LIVERPOOL, Dim. 11. (Before Mr. Baron Alderson.) lhomas Smith, a ticket-of-leave man, was indicted for burglary iu the house of Andrew Dobbie, at Manchester on the 7th of October last.  Mr. Alfred Milne prosecuted, and Mr. E, Fenwick defended the prisoner.  The prosecutor. who is the landlord of the Greyhound public-house in Ludgate-hill, Manchester, stated that his family retired to bed about half-past 11 upon the night in question, having first secured all the doors and windows of his house in the usual way, and that he was called up before 6 o'clock on the following morning, and upon going downstairs he discovered that the fanlight over the door had been removed, and a side-door of the house left open, and, continuing his search, he ascertained that the drawers of the till containing his money had been taken away from the bar. The evidence against the prisoner rested mainly upon the testimony of a little boy, who stated that he was going to his work a little before 6 o'clock on the morning of the 7th of October, and in passing the prosecutor's house be saw four men standing at the door; one of them (whom he distinctly swore to as the prisoner at the bar) lifted up a small boy through the fanlight, and, the door being opened by him from the inside, the prisoner went in and came out with a drawer under his arm, followed by the boy with another drawer, and thereupon all the party ran away. The witness was positive as to the identity of the prisoner, though he was standing 40 yards off at thp time he first observed them. His statement was confirmed in some measure by another witness, who saw the party for a minute or two, and whose attention had beeia tracted by what he thought must have been the noise of the falling of a chain inside the door. that out, the identity Mr. Fenwick having strongly urged of the prisoner bad not been clearlyu owing to the dimness of the light at that hour of thee morning. The learned judge summed uP,.?•°(l_ The jury found the prisoner gu!itri His lordship, addressing the p one of those gentlemen who, bayi risng said,—You are oner, been transported ftorrousblev.en I e yseesrs, have been sent back again to give us you were only discharged last July, and you were transported after being previously convicted five times. The sentence of the Court transported for the term of 20 years. The prisoner, who had protected his innocence, exclaimed, "Thank you, my lord !"