The Sun. — 1848-03-09 (London, England)

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. HO ME ClRCUlT.—Chelmsford, Marsh 8.  The Commission for Essex was opened on Monday. The criminal calendar is very heavy; but the business on the civil side is lighter than usual, there being only four special jury cases. William Parsons, late sergeant in the K division of police, was tried on Tuesday for a misdemeanour, in having conspired to defeat the ends of justice by giving false testimony upon an inquiry before Mr. Lewis, the coroner for Essex, touching the death of a police-constable named Clark.  Mr. Clarkson and Mr. Deedes prosecuted. The circumstances under which the charge was made against the defendant have been so frequently reported that it will be unnecessary to go into them on the present occasion. It will be remembered that in June, 1846, a constable named Clark was found dead in a cornfield at Dagenham, under circumstances which left no doubt that his death was the result of violence. Several long inquiries took place before the Coroner, and in the end a verdict of " Wilful murder against some persoa or persons unknown" was returned. At the last summer assizes, two constables, named Hickton and Kimpton, were convicted of perjury upon the evidence given by them before the Coroner, and the present charge arose out of the same transaction.  The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE, after several witnesses had been examined, expressed an opinion that the evi• dunce did not support the indictment at present before the Court. It merely went to show that the defendant had induced the other parties to make certain statements to screen them all from a charge of neglecting their duty; and, at the time when the supposed offence was committed, there was no legal inquiry pending. The jury accordingly returned a verdict of—Not Guilty. Ifm. Douglass, 27, a constable belonging to the Eastern Counties Railway, stationed at Colchester, and James Keys, 20, a cab-driver, were indicted, the former as a principal in committing a felonious assault upon Agnes Mary Ann Luen, and the latter as an accessory in aiding and abetting in the commission of the offence. Mr. Ryland prosecuted; Mr. Charnock appeared for the prisoners. From the evidence adduced, it seemed that the prosecutrix, a very good looking girl, sixteen years old, was the daughter of a beer shopkeeper at Ardleigh, and she was in the service of a family near Colchester at the time this occurrence happened. She had been, it appears, to pay a visit to her father, and returned back to Colchester by the luggage train at night, and when she got into the town she inquired of the constable, Douglass, whether he could procure her a cab or fly to convey her home. He said he would do so, and called for the cab driven by the other prisoner, and when the prosecutrix got in he said,he would see her safe home, and she consented. The prisoner accordingly got in, and when they had proceeded a short distance he proceeded to take indecent liberties with the prosecutrix, and, according to her testimony, succeeded in committing the offence imputed to him. She also stated that when she called for assistance the other prisoner drove all the faster and took no notice of her cries. The jury found Douglass Guilty of an assault, and Acquitted the other prisoner. Douglas was sentenced to be kept to hard labour for two years.