The Sun. — 1844-11-29 (London, England)

WORSHIP-STREET. Wednesday Jane Brown, a smartly•dressed and pretty Aittle woman, was brought up on a warrant before Mr. Broughton, charged with having attempted to stab James Golding, a general dealer, living in Wellington-street, Shacklewell. Mr. Wolfe appeared for the defendant, and Mr. Hallett for the prosecution. The prosecutor said the defendant had run up a bill with him to the amount of It 65., and after repeated ap plications for the money without effect, he was obliged to take out a summons to enforce its recovery. Wishing, however, to avoid resorting to such harsh measures, if possible, he went on the 4th inst. to the defendant's house, in Amherst-terrace, in the hope of quietly arranging the matter. The door was opened by a woman, who said the defendant was not at home, and he turned round to go away ; but he had no sooner reached the garden gate than the defendant appeared at the street door, and called out, " Here I am, and if you advance an inch further I will run you through with this." She then ran towards him, brandishing a naked sword, with which she suddenly made a thrust at his left breast, and the sword struck him very sharply ; but he stepped rapidly backwards, and fortunately escaped any personal injury ; but as it was the point of the sword entered the breast of his coat, and made an incision in it to the extent of several inches. Apprehensive of further violence,_ he ran off to the station-house and communicated what had occurred to an officer, who went to the house and took the defendant into custody : but in consequence of his being unable to appear sufficiently early against her at this Court she was discharged, and had since then had the assurance to commence proceedings against him for false imprisonment. (The prosecutor exhibited his coat, which had a cut in the left breast of it about the extent described in his evidence.) He was cross-examined as to his having used violent and threateninglanguage previous to the defendant's attack upon him, and denied having done so most positively. Constable Brannan, 69 N, at the desire of the last witness, went to the house of the defendant, the door of which was opened by her. She still had the sword in her hand, but on telling her his business she dropped it in the passage. The sword was an ordinary ship's cutlass, and very sharp pointed, but was jagged at the edge and had seen some service. Inspector Howie said, immediately after the warrant was issued against the prisoner she and her husband absconded from the neighbourhood, and he had been unable to obtain any clue to their residence until the preceding day, when he traced them to a house in Shepperton-street, Hoxton, and took the prisoner into custody. In defence, Mr. Wolfe said that on the prosecutor going to his client's house he made use of the most violent and disgusting language, and the defendant being apprehensive he would commit some personal violence upon her, took up the sword to defend herself, but without the slightest intention of using it. He called two witnesses, named Anne Dallaway and Catherine Stebbing, who described the prosecutor's language in similar terms; but they differed very materially in some of the facts, and both denied seeing the sword used, though both were present at the time. Mr. BROUGHTON disbelieved these witnesses, and was satisfied, from the evidence, the prosecutor had conducted himself on the occasion in a proper and temperate manner. Had the defendant succeeded in executing her threat, it would have been an undoubted case of murder, and had the sword only drawn blood, and the jury were satisfied of her intention, she would have been liable to fifteen years' transportation. As it was, he should only convict her of a very aggravated assault, and order her to pay a fine to the Queen of 505., or, in default, undergo six weeks' imprisonment in the House of Correction. A great number of tradesmen, comprising butchers, bakers, publicans, and others, pressed forward, and appealed to the magistrate as to what steps they should adopt to recover the value of goods they had incautiously supplied to the defendant and her husband on the faith of their respectability before they absconded from the house in Amherst-terrace. One of the tradesmen, who was a publican, had supplied them with beer, spirits, &c., to the extent of 25/., during their short residence in that neighbourhood. Mr. BROUGIIT6N regretted he could render the complainants no assistance, but if they could establish a case of fraud against the defendant and her husband, they might give them into custody.