The Sun. — 1846-07-25 (London, England)

CROWN COURT.  Mr. Justice Coltman sat in this Court until late on Thursday night, in order to endeavour to finish the criminal business, but finding it was impossible to do so, it was arranged that Mr. Sergeant Dowling should dispose of the remainder of the cases in the calander. Thomas Chees( man, aged 20. was indicted for feloniously cutting and wounding Charlotte Frances Maria Saunders, with intent to murder her; and in other counts his intent was laid to do her grevious bodily harm. Mr. Deedes prosecuted, and Mr. Mellor defended the prisoner. _ _ _  It appeared from the evidence that the prisoner and the prosecutrix were fellow-servants at the Camden Arms Inn, Tonbridge Wells ; and it would seem that the prisoner had entertained great attachment for the prosecutrix, which was not returned by her, but she on the contrary, was keeping company with another young man, and that had given the prisoner great offt nce. On Sunday, the 7th June, the prosecutor had a holiday, and she went out with her sweetheart, and it appealed that the prisoner- also asked for a holiday ou the same day, and hejoined the prosecutrix and her companion, who were at the time accompanied by two or three young females of their acquaintance. The party went to a place in the neighbourhood of Tunbridge Wells, where they all drank some cyder, at.d it was observed that the prisoner seemed to be very melancholy, and app-ared to be brooding over something that was in his mind. They all returned towards home together, and the prisoner was seen to take a knife out of his pocket and sharpen it, but it did not appear that at this time any suspicion was entertained of the deadly intension of the prisoner. The prosecutrix and her friends having rested tor a short time at a mile, proceeded on their way homeward, her sweetheart being by her side, and the prisoner walking by the side of the man, when, suddenly. and without saying a word, he jumped past the man, seized the young women with one hand, and, with a knife which he held in the other, he made a desperate attrmpt to cut her throat; but fortunately, owing to the resistance made by her cap string, and some other articles of dress, he did not succeed in causing a mortal injury, although the jugular vein was injured, and a very severe wound inflicted, from the effect of which the prosecutrix had not yet recovered._  Mr. MELLoi, in behalf of the prisoner, urged that the act had been committed by him while he was labouring un:?er a temporary aberration of intellect, occasioned by the drink he had taken.  Mr. Justice COLTMAN having summed up, the jury almost immediately found the prisoner guilty of asaulting the prosecutrix with intent to do her grievous bodily harm.  Judgment was deferred. John Price, 26, surrendered to answer an indictment charging him with the manslaughter of James Sutton. Mr. Horne prosecuted ; Mr. Andrews defended the prisoner. This case was of rather a singular character. It appeared that the prisoner and the accused, who reside in the neighbourhood of Margate, were on friendly terms up to the period of this transaction. The prisoner was going home at night, having previously been in company with the accused at a public-house, when, accord ing to his statement, a man sprung upon him from the hedge by the road-side, and demanded his money and his watch, or else he said he would have his life; and the prisoner closed with him, and beat him severely, inflict•• ing such injuries that he died shortly afterwards. This man turned out to be the accused, and it was supposed that he had made the pretended attempt to rob the prisoner out of joke, which, however, ended in this fatal manner. The prisoner all along told the same story, and there did not appear to be the slightest grounds for believing that it was otherwise than the truth. Mr. Justice COLTMAN, after hearing the evidence of the witnesses, said, it appeared to be quite clear that the prisoner had acted under the impression that he was protecting his own life from the attack of a robber, and, under such circumstance, he could not be held to be criminally responsible. The jury accordingly returned a verdict of Not Guilty, and the prisoner was at once discharged from custody. The prisoner Cheesemcin was this (Friday) morning brought up to receive the judgment of the Court, and Mr. Justice COLTMAN, after making some appropriate remarks upon the very aggravated character of his offence, sentenced him to be transported for 15 years.