The Sun. — 1863-01-05 (London, England)

OLD COURT.  The January sessions of the Central Criminal Court commenced this morning before the Lord Mayor, the Recorder, Sheriffs, and other civic authorities. Although little more than a fortnight has elapsed since the grand jury empanneled at the December session were discharged, there are 73 cases to be disposed of, and the number of prisoners for trial is 93—namely, 82 males and 11 females, _ _ _  There is only one case of murder, and that is of a peculiar character, the prisoner, a woman named Jane Hunt, being charged with the murder of her child by jumping into the Serpentine with it in her arms, no doubt with the object that both should lose their lives. The child was drowned, but the wretched woman was saved; and as her act, in the eye of the law, amounted to the crime of wilful murder, she must be tried for that offence. There are three or four cases of manslaughter. The most serious of these cases is the charge against the captain, the chief mate, and the boatswain of a merchant vessel of having caused the death of one of the crew by brutal violence, the accused parties having been committed, both by the coroner and the police magistrate, for the offence of manslaughter. There are twelve cases of robbery with violence ; and among the prisoners is a man named Hurley, who is accused of being concerned, with the man Marks, sentenced by Baron Bramwell to penal servitude for life, in a very brutal act of robbery and violence at Chelsea; the prosecutor, it will be remembered, having had seven of his teeth knocked completely out of their sockets by a formidable instrument called a knuckle-duster. It is again a peculiar 'feature of this calendar that it does not contain a single charge of robbery against any lettercarrier or other official connected with the Post-office, so that it would seem, from the experience of the last four sessions, that the regulation making it a compulsory act to register every letter containing money or valuables passing through the Post-office has had the effect of entirely abolishing this description of crime. Besides the cases above alluded to, there are several charges of burglary, cutting and wounding, and other serious offences; and one very important case, that was postponed at the last session, will also have to be disposed of. This is the case of the six men who are charged with stealing the Bank of England note paper from the mills at Laverstock. and also with having organised a most extraordinary system of forgery, which they hoped to have successfully carried out by being in possession of the genuine note paper. It is expected that the AttorneyGeneral will be specially retained to conduct the prosecution.  The judge this session will be Chief Baron Pollock and Mr. Justice Keating. Walter Saville was indicted for feloniously assaulting and stealing four cloaks from Susannah Yallivat. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty. A lad named Brown pleaded guilty to an indictment for felony. The Recorder asked if anything was known of the prisoner.  One of the officers from the Mansion-house said the prisoner had been frequently convicted of felony.  Alderman Challis asked for the dates of the convictions. He thought it very unsatisfactory for such general statements as that just made to be given in court. The officer said he could not give the information, as the prisoner had been before the Lord Mayor so many times. The Recorder sentenced him to 4 years penal servitude. William Beaumont pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with stealing a watch, value £l5, from the person of Eugene Bomoulli.  The Recorder sentenced him to nine months imprisonment with hard labour.  George Bates pleaded guilty to an indictment, charging him with stealing several sums of money, the property of his master.  The Recorder sentenced him to twelve months imprisonment.  James Condora also pleaded guilty to an indictment for felony.  He was sentenoed to eighteen months imprisonmrnt, with hard labour.