The Sun. — 1863-12-22 (London, England)

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.  HOME CIItCUIT.—LEAvEs, Dec. 21. (Before Mr. Baron Pigott.)  . .„ The learned Judge opened the commission at this town at 10 o'clock, and after attending Divine service, proceeded to charge the grand jury and to try prisoners.  The calendar for the eastern division of Sussex contains the names of 11 prisoners, and that for the western division five, of whom two are charged with manslaughter, two as accessories to manslaughter, one with rape, one with arson, one with sacrilege, two with robbery, one with burglary, one with shooting with intent to murder, one with uttering a forged note, one with uttering counterfeit coin, one with concealment of birth, one with perjury, and one with making a false declaration before a magistrate. James Leppert), 12, was charged with setting fire to a stalk of corn at East Grinstead on the 16th of August last. Mr. Roupell prosecuted.  The facts were clearly proved, and the boy had-, indeed, never denied his guilt, nor assigned any reason for the act. The learned Judge left to the jury the question whether the prisoner was aware that he was doing that which was wrong. The jury returned a general verdict of guilty. Sentence, six weeks' imprisonment with hard labour, and to be once whipped, receiving 12 strokes with a birch rod. Robert killingSsu and slayingnders,2 ,navvie, was charged with feloniously George Goble, at Amberly, on the 27th of October.  Mr. Wyatt prosecuted, and introduced the case as being one of anything but an aggravated character, inasmuch as the prisoner had received great provocation, and had caused the death of the prisoner in a perfectly fair fight according to the rules of the prize ring. The jury returned a verdict of guilty, accompanied by a strong recommendation to mercy, ,The learned Judge, in passing sentence, said that the prisoner had been found guilty of the manslaughter of this person, George Goble, and he was bound to say that he thought the unfortunate deceased brought his death upon himself. His conduct was m st provoking, and the prisoner had done everything which could be expected from human nature to avoid the encounter. The deceased put an offence upon him, assaulted him with violence, and compelled him to go from one part of the house to another, and then to go out and fight him. His lordship added that ho was glad to find that the prisoner had the manliness to say he did not wish to go on with the fight, and under the circumstances he felt justified in giving full effect to the recommendation of the jury. The prisoner had already been in prison nearly two months, and he should therefore only sentence him to complete that period, being nine days' imprisonment, with hard labour.  George Burns, 19, labourer, was charged with rape upon Jane Bonitace, a little girl, only 11 years of age, at Poling, on the 22d of July last.  Mr. Lumley Smith prosecuted ; tho prisoner was undo fended.  The case was clearly Droved, and the prisoner was gen t enc d to three years' penal servitude. Nelson Hillyer, 16, labourer, AA-as charged with forging a note l'or the payment of £lO, at Brighton, on the 15th of August last.  scribed one symptom which he had obseried yestdrday— viz., a sense of slaking perpendicularly downwards, which was, more than any other, indicatiVO Of serious mischief. Other medical evidence was given. to corroborate this opinion. The medical witnesses were cross-examined with the view of showing that plaintiff had not been properly treated, and other medical testimony was adduced to show that the probable consequences of the accident were far from being so serious as had been described.  The plaintiff, who had been brought forward in the course of the case, exhibited so pitiable a spectacle that he was re • moved without any attempt being made to examine him i one of the wittesses, however, afterwards stated that he attributed his present sad appearance to an attack of hysteria, consequent on his general debility, but not resulting from any organic change in the brain. On behalf of the company it was said that they only desired a fair estimation of the damages, and it was urged that plaintiff was only in humble circumstances, he living in a house at 4s. weekly rent.  His Lordship having summed up, the jury returned a verdict fur the plaintiff—damages, £1,500.