The Express. — 1866-07-13 (London, England)

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.  (Before Lord Chief Justice Cockburn.)  .19*rph Richards, a respectable looking young man, was indicted for feloniously killing and slaying William James John Ducanu on the 2.lrd May last, at Deptford. Mr. Sleigh prosecuted, and Mr. F. H. Lewis. with whom was Mr. Straight. defended the prisoner. From the evidence presented to thebury it appeared that the deceased, a very respectable young man aged about 23 years, came up from Portsmouth to visit his father at Deptford, and though usually of sober habits, he was, being holiday time, seen in Deptford considerably the worse for liquor. His demeanour attracted the notice of a gang of idle boys who beset and annoyed him, and the deceased in irritation struck one of them. The prisoner came up, and told the deceased that if he repeated the blow, he (prisoner) would give him enough. An angry and vulgar altercation ensued between them, in the course of which the prisoner struck the deceased several severe blows, the last under the left jaw. the result of which was that it was fractured, and the deceased became insensible. He was taken into custody by the police on the charge of being drunk, and remained all night at the station, no suspicion being entertained that his jawbone was broken, and it was not until the following morning that he was seen by a medical man, when the fracture of the jaw was discovered. The deceased was insensible for a long space of time, and even when he slightly rallied he had no recollection of what had happened. and eventually he rapidly sank and died. Mr. Sleigh, in the mune of the trial, proposed to put in evidence a deposition which had been made by the deceased before his death.  Mr. F. H. Lewis objected to its reception in evidence, on the ground that it was not signed by the magistrate before whom it bad been taken and who had merely appended his name at the end of the masa of depositions of the other witnesses in the case. The Lord Chief Justice said he was inclined to think that the objection was well-founded, and remarked that it would be well if all magistrates would affix their signatures to each page of the depositions taken before them. If, however, it was pressed, he would allow the deposition in question to be put in, and reserve the point raised by Mr. F. H. Lewis as to its admissibility. Mr. Sleigh, however, on this intimation from the court declined to put the deposition in evidence. •  Mi. F. H.-Lewis addinssed the pry on behalf of the prisoner, and urged that the death had been accelerated by the removal of the deceased to the station by the police in a costermonger's barrow. Several witnesses were called who gave the prisoner an excellent character.  The Lord Chief Justice summed up, and the jury, after a short consultation, returned a verdict of Guilty. The Lord Chief Justice, after severely animadverting upon the conduct of the prisoner in brutally striking the deceased while he was in a helpless condition from the effects of drink, sentenced him to eight months' imprisonment with hard labour in the House of Correction.  Jane Cushion, who was tried on Wednesday at this court for an assault un her husband with intent to murder, but who was convicted of the lesser offence of assaulting with intent to do grievous bodily harm, was brought up to receive the judgment of the court.  The Loid—Chief Justice, addressing the prisoner, said that she had bees convicted of assaulting her husband with intent to do him some grievous bodily harm ; and it had been proved that after binding him band and foot while asleep in his bed she had cut his throat in two places, evidencing that her intent was to kill and murder him. The jury had recommended her to mercy, and but for that recommendation be should have felt it his duty to sentence her to penal servitude for life, and from that duty he should not have shrunk. She bad acted in a most treacherous manner, and the sentence upon her was that she be kept in penal servitude for the term of ten years. The prisoner was removed, shrieking violently, by the cams of the court.