The Potteries Examiner : — 1874-03-21 (Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England)

SIIIII,EI4T ASKZES. I  These assiess were commenced on Friday last in the Shire Hall, at Stafford. Baron Cleaoby took his seat in the Crown Court. The following gentlemen were sworn Z ttpon the Grand Jury R. B. Levitt, Milford (fore' man); Mr. W. Mott, Wall ; Mr. J. Spode, IlaWkesyard ; Mr. T. T. Twemlow, Betley Court; Mr. J. Bourne, Hilderissone ; Mr. W. C. Woodroffo, Maywood; Mr. F. C. Perry, Dunston ; J. N. Brignall, Shenstone ; Mr. C. T. Ashton, Little Onn; Mr. W. T. Locker, Pyrehill ; Mr. G. T. Gooch, Blithfield ; Mr. H. Ward, Rodboaton ; Mr. R. T. K. Levett, Packington ; Mr. H. Williams, Handsworth ; Mr. E. Lyon, Ecclesholl ; Mr. W. John. sea, Riekerscote ; Mr. B. Hicklin, Wolverhampton; Mr. J. T. Perry, Tettenhall; Mr. J. Perks, Slade Hill; Mr. H. O. Firmstone, Stourbridge ; Mr. W. Hatton, Allston; Col. Rateliff, Edgbaston ; Mr. E. Wedgwood, Wolstanton. His Lordship, in charging the Grand Jury, said he was sorry that he could not congratulate them upon the eondition of crime in the county of Stafford, for the calendar. bth as regarded the number of cases and the nature of them, gave one a very unfavourable idea of the state of things existing there. The calendar contained about fifty cases, above the nicial number he took it, especially when they considered the Sessions had only recently been held. 'l'here were five charges of murder, and many of wounding with deadly weapons, manslaughter, outrages on women, and, in fact, every offence against the person knows to the law. Some of the eases were of a very remarkable character. Wives were alleged to have been murdered by their husbands, children by their parents, and the same relationship existed in the cases of wounding and manslaughter. The cases of outrages on women were of a revolting description. That -was not the time to look into the causes of such a state of things. They had not time to do it, but he could not help noticing that there was not a person of superior education charged, and only one that could read and write well, whose name appeared in the calender. They would soon be aware, if they were not already, that the drinking habits of the people had contributed to a very great extent to produce the sad condition of things he had adverted to. After referring to the importance of the office of the Grand Jury, and the serious duties they had to undertake upon that occasion, his Lordship alluded to the case of James Reaney, charged with the murder of his wife, at Golden. hill, and the question for them to consider was whether there was sufficient evidence to bring home the charge against him of having broken her neck. Sarah Sweetenham was accessed of the murder of her illegitimate child, at Chell. This unfortunate woman, the inmate of a workhouse, had been able to send out and purchase some red precipitate, ostensibly for the purpose of dressing the head of the child, but it would appear that that stuff was administered to the child internally, and caused its death. It was not easy to see how the child could have taken it unless it was given to it by the prisoner. Emma King was charged with murdering her child at Sedgley, under somewhat singular circum- , stances. John and Jane Kent were charged with the murder of a child at Hanley, and the allegation was that, by the intentional neglect of the parents,the child was starved to death. He had read the depositions in this case with some care, and he mint say he was curprised to see that any charge of the kind had been pee. ferret against the prisoners. There wilA another case of murder, in which Jane Jones and Charles Malpae were charged with murdering a man named Rutter, at Tnnstall. Had the intention been robbery, it WAA set likely they would have done it so openly and publicly as they did. It was a serious thing to put persons on their trial for murder unless there WAS a proper case made sot against them. There were more cases of the description he had dwelt upon in the present calendar than he aver remembered. Having alluded to several other cases, his Lordship dismissed the Grand Jury to their labours.