The Sun. — 1846-04-01 (London, England)

CRIMINAL COURT.-(THIS DAY. OLD COURT. (Bofore Mr. Justice MArmr.)  At the sitting of the Court this morning, William Richardson, aged 49, and described as an " astronomer, and Anna Maria Richardson, his daughter, aged 22, were placed al the bar charged with the murder of Theodore Horatio Richardson, their iniaut child.  Mr. liormrs addressed the Court, and said that in this case the two prisoners at the bar stood indicted for the crime of wilful murder. He had to apply to the Court to postpone the trial of the prisoners to the next sessisn, upon the ground of the illness of a material witness, the surgeon who had made a post mortem examination of the body. The Learned Counsel then put in an affidavit of the fact. Mr. CLARKSON, on behalf of the prisoners, said lie could not under the circumstances, resist the application, which was then granted, and the prisoners were withdrawn. Frances Leonard, a married woman, aged 45, was found guilty of uttering counterfeit coin, well knowing it to be such. The prisoner appealed to the mercy of the Court, stating that she had a large fain ly, and that she had never offended but once before.  His LORDSHIP, in addressing her, said he could not believe her statement, as he found by a document that had been laid before him that in the space of about seven years she had been repeatedly imprisoned for various periods for the same offence. Under those circumstances, he otid not think it would be sate to leave her in the country; the sentence of the Court therefore was that she should be transported for ten years. The prisoner appeared horrified at the sentence, and was removed from the dock imploring mercy. . . _  Mary Anne Smith, described as a married woman, aged 25, Elizabeth Nicholson, also a married woman, aged 33, and Eliza Russell, likewise married, aged 28, all stood charged with the same offence, namely, uttering base coin. The first two prisoners had been tried and convicted for the same olience before.  It appeared by the evidence that these three prisoners were followed about from several shops by policemen in plain clothes, who suspected them, and found that at each shop one or other of them made some trifling purchase, which they paid for_4l coin that was discovered to be couuterfett.  His LORDSHIP having briefly summed up, the jury found a Yen!lc of Guilty against all the prisoners, but recommended two of them to mercy. _ .  The /LIME asked them upon what grounds they did so ? The foreman said the grounds were, that they did not think those ,wo prisoners were the real utterers.  COURT —lf they are not the real utterers, then yon should acquit them ; for a prisoner cannot be found guilty, according to the law and the indictment, unless they be found really guilty. The jury then withdrew their recommendation. Upon being asked if the prisoners had anything to say before sentence was passed upon them, the prisoner Russell said, " My Lord, I hope you will have mercy upon the other two prisoners. I ask fof none for myself, for I stand alone in the world, but they have families, and deserve mercy. Our Redeemer came on earth to be merciful to us all, and I hope you will do the same." The prisoner Nicholson said, " I hope, my Lord, you will have mercy on me, for I have a young family." Mary Anne Smith remained silent, bat Eliza Russell again implored the Court to have mercy, and, addressing hiz Lordship in • tone and manner that showed she must have belonged to a better order of society than that in which she was now placed, exclaimed. " I dare say, my Lord, the term of oar punishment will be a lout one, but I wish you would visit all the severity of it on me, as that have families, though I am not guilty of uttering," and here she shed tears.  HIS LORDSHIP said he could not think of leaving them in the count', after the evidence he had heard ; and the sentence of the Court, therefore, was, thas they should each be transported for ten years. Elizabeth Nicholson—Thank you, my Lord. I hope we shall do better there than we have done here.