The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1854-03-14 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

THE BURNHAM MIIEDEIL—The trial of Moses Hatto, ..for the murder of Mary Ann Sturgeon, at Burnham, on the Ist of November last, came on before Lord Campbell, at the Aylesbury assizes, on Wednesday morning, and '-terminated on Thursday evening. The deceased, it will • be recollected, was murdered and set fire to, while the liiisoner, the only person on the premises, pretended to be asleep. The case for the crown being closed, Mr. Parry addressed the jury for the prisoner in a speech of nearly three hours. The learned judge having summed up, the jury, at half-past two o'clock, retired to consider theix verdict. At twenty minutes to six o'clock they returned into court, and delivered a verdict of guilty. His Lordship, after stating that he fully concurred in the verdict, and that the midnight murder of which the prisoner had been found guilty was one of the most barbarous in the criminal annals of this country, proceeded to pass sentence of death in the usual terms. At times his Lordship appeared almost choked with emotion, but the prisoner heard both -the verdict and the sentence with stolid indifference. He has since confessed his guilt.  CONTROVERTED ELECTIONS BlLL.—This bill, brought in by Lord J. Russell, has been printed. It remodels -and amends the machinery for the trial of election petilions. There is to be an ex. parte inquiry before a preli- ruinary committee, whether there is such reasonable ~;ground for the petitioners' allegations of bribery, treating, or undue influence, that the petition should be allowed to go on; and if it be, the petitioner duly prosecuting his petition shall (unless the election committee to whom it is referred report that the allegations were made without Teasonable or probable grounds) receive his costs from the Treasury. If a petition be not bond fide prosecuted, the Speaker may appoint an agent to prosecute at the public expense. Every election committee is to be attended by an assessor, who is to advise the committee, but not to vote; and, for this purpose, ten barristers, of ten-years' standing, are to be appointed by the Crown, before the meeting of every parliament, and one before every subsequent session, each assessor to hold his appointment for the session, and be paid £1.,000. The sitting member, if required by the petition, is to deliver in an account of his election expenses and liabilities, or else he is not to be admitted to defend his return. If the sitting member is unseated for bribery, treating,or undue influence, a candidate having polled two-thirds of the number.of valid votes polled by that member shall be declared duly elected. Commissioners to inquire into corrupt practices are to issue on the reports of election committees, unless the House of Commons shall otherwise determine-; and where a committee report a member or candidate, or his agent, guilty of :bribery, treating, or undue influence, a copy of the report -is to be sent to the ••Attorney-General, who shall prosecute, unless he be of opinion that 'there is good reason to the.contrary; a report from the committee that the offender (not being a party to or opposing the petition) made a true disclosure, is to be deemed sufficient reason. A member or a candidate who has appeamd before a committee as a party, if reported by them to be guilty of bribery,treating, undue ' influence, or making an illegal payment, by himself or his agents, but with his consent, is to he incapable of .sitting as a member, as if he had been convicted of such < offence in a court of ; but if the committee report that the offence was committed without his eousent, or that "be has contracted an-illegal liability, the incapacity shall only be to sit for the same place in the then patuament. TRADE wtTrr