Northern Times. — 1859-01-20 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

TAKING " TIME."—John Hatton, a clerk residing Rugby-street, was charged with having stolen a clock :. from a butcher, named Mrs. Hughes, Who lived in Mary- i bone. Mr. Black was for the prisoner, who was respectable-looking and woll dressed. The complainant said the prisoner lodged at her house for nearly two years, and he left on Saturday, taking the clock with him. On cross-examination by Mr. Bluck, it was ascertained that a sister-in-law of the prisoner, who is also a relative of the prosecutrix, lodged in the house, and the allegation was that she had given him the clock, and on this Mr. Black contended that there was .no criminal case sustainable, and the prisoner was discharged. MURDEROUS AssAuLT.—Officer Cave, 602, br( n;lit up William Church:second mate, and Jos. W. Hilward, the first mate of the American brig James Gray, charged with having committed a murderous assault on Samuel Douglas, the cook and steward of the same vessel. Mr. Bluck was for the prisoners. The officer said :At a quarter to nine this morning, I heard cries of murder at the Coburg-dock, and, on going there, I heard that there was murder being committed on board the American vessel James Gray; I ran on board, and found _ the second mate and this man (Douglas) bleeding. Hai he produced Douglas, whose face and head were bound with bandages and covered with blood ; he seemed to have suffered very much; his nose, lips and cheeks were ei nr ye n much. t told Thecovered officerup wcontinuedi ntgO Psiaays t etrh aatil(tihsew face. He (the police-officer) got the cutlass, and it was bloody on both sides. Douglas was then examined, and said : I made some coffee this morning for the second mate, and, after he had drunk some of it, he said— " What sort of d— coffee is this ? it is not fit for a horse to drink, and you must have put something in it." I said I did not put anything in it, but perhaps it had.not time to draw. After breakfast, I went to sweep out and clean the cabin, when I found them taking sails out of a locker, under the cabin, and I said, "There is no use in my cleaning the cabin until you are done with thisThe second mate said I was grumbling too much, and ordered me on shore. I told him he had no right to order me on shore ; after' that I went to the pantry, and he came and said " You son of ---- I hare you now," and struck me at the same time. • I ran up the cabin stairs, when the first mate met me on the top of the stairs and kicked mo in the face ; the second mate then caught hold of me from below, and seized the • cutlass, and cried out to the first mate, "Send. the -down here till I cut his hair." They then knocked me down on the floor, and beat and kicked me on the face and head. I did not give any_provocation to either of them, more than I state. Mr. INlansfield : Did the second mate strike you with the cutlass more than once ?.I don't know, but there are three cuts on may head, and my face all kicked over. The witness was cross-examined at length, but denied that he was saucy or used ill-names towards the second mate, and he said Captain Plumber, the master of the ship, was one of the best captains he ever sailed with. Several witnesses were examined, and all corroborated, generally, the statement of complainant. One of tlwm, on cross-examination, said, the steward did give " sauce" to the second mate, and call him names first of all. Mr. Bluck then addressed the court on behalf of the prisoners, and contended that they had not been guilty of anything that His Worship could not deal with in a summary way. His Worship recapitulated the whole case, and then fined the prisoners £5 each for the assault. Thei fines were at once paid, and the prisoners discharged. •