The Express. — 1860-07-12 (London, England)

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.  HOKE CIRCUIT.—HisTrolur, Jot: 11.  The commie ion for the county of Berta was opened fa this town by Mr. Justice Blackburn es Tuesday, and yesterday morning both courta proceeded to lisabuse, Lord Chief Justice Cockburn presiding on the civil side, and Mr. Justice Blackburn in the Crown Court. There are very :ew peisocere for trial, but three of them arc charged with murder. This case is fixed for Thursday morning, and Mr. Justice Blackburn disposed of all the other prisoners, and was engaged part of the day in trying civil camas. On the civil side 15 causes are entered, fourteen common and one special jury cause. (Before Lord Chief Justice Cockburn.)  This was an action upon two bills of exchange, one for 50/. and the other for Wt., alleged to have been accepted by the defendant, who pleaded that the acceptances were forgeries. Serjeant Petersdorff and Mr. Woollett were for the plaintiff ; Mr. Hawkins, Q.C., and Mr. Butler Rigby were for the defendant.  This case was of rather a singular character. The plaintiff, Thomas Griffin Philpott, appeared to be the managing clerk to an attorney, and he sued the defendant upon the two bills in question, which were drawn by her son, • person named Reid, who was formerly • major in the Spanish service, and purported to be accepted by the defendant. The case on the part of the plaintiff was that he had discounted the hills for Reid, and that he assured him the acceptances were the genuine signature of his mother, and he also swore that the defendant had acknowledged the signatures to the bills to he hers, and • letter was produced which wee represented to have been written by the defendant from Brighton, in answer to an application that had, teen made to her shunt the bills, and which amounted to an admission that she had accepted them. The only additional evidence to show that the signatures to the bills were genuine was that of a gentleman who had formerly acted as attorney fur the defendant, and whose evidence was stated to have Leen obtained by accident, and who expressed • belief that the handwriting was like that of the defendant, but he was far from expelling soothing like • positive opinion upon the subject. The plaintiff, in the course of his cross-examinationby Mr. Hawkins, said that be had formerly practised as ao attorney, but was convicted of perjury, and sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment, and be was in consequence struck off the rolls. It also appeared that the rate of discount charged on the bills was 150 per cent. The defence to the action was that the acceptances were forgeries, and that the evidence that had been given on the part of the plaintiff as to the admissions that had been made was utterly false. The defendant herself, an aged sod apparently most respectable lady, was examined, and she swore that she never accepted the bills in quaition, and also declared in the meet positive manner that the letter which was said to have been sent tram Brighton by her was a forgery, and she knew nothing whatever about it. She said that her son, Major Reid, had gut her into a great deal of trouble in connexion with bills, and that two