The Sun. — 1847-08-02 (London, England)

WIGILTMAN.) Joseph Simm, a tall and very powerful young man, was indicted for the manslaughter of John Walton. Mr. Atherton and Mr. Bigg conducted the prosecution. Mr. Ingham appeared for the defence.  It appeared that on the 15th of May last the prisoner and the deceased met at a public-house in Newcastle. The deceased was very quarrelsome, and wished to induce the prisoner to fight, standing up before him and using threatening language for the purpose of taunting him into a quarrel. The prisoner, however, declined to fight, and shortly after both parties left the house. They went in the same train as tar as Crarnlingtoo, and on getting out of the carriage the deceased sought to fasten a quarrel on a person of the name of Dodd. Dodd declined fighting; said he was not a fighting man; and told Walton he might match himself with some of those present who were accustomed to such things. Walton said, " Then I will fight with Simms," and turning towards him challenged him to a contest. It was at first proposed that they should fight for money, but they finally agreed to try their strength without any stake being deposited. They stripped, and during the first round they closed, when Walton getting behind Simms seized him by the hair and thrust him down into the ditch, falling heavily beside him. They commenced a second round, when the deceased received a severe blow on the side of the neck, and fell to the ground. He was unable to rise, and was raised up by his friends. He was quite insensible, and very soon after expired. A doctor was sent for, but life was extinct.  This was the evidence fc;. ti;e prosecution. There had been no post-mortem examination, so that there was no conclusive evidence that the death had been caused by the blow received from the hand of the prisoner. His LORDSHIP, under these circumstances, intimated that he thought the case could not be carried further. It was impossible the jury could say whether or no the violence of the prisoner had been the cause of the death of the deceased. His Lordship commented in somewhat severe terms on the ill-judged economy, which had left the case incomplete to save the expense of a post-mortem examinaion, which, it was alleged, was not allowed in the costs of the coroner's inquest by the county authorities.. Verdict—Not guilty. (Before the LORD CHIEF BARON:) John Hardy was charged with having on the 22d of May unlawfully stabbed Edward Ganby with intent to kill and murder him. The prisoner is a shoemaker in the Close, where he resides with his wife, and the prosecutor the son of the wife by a former husband. On the day in question the prosecutor, on going into his house, found the prisoner a❑d his wife quarreling. The prisoner struck his wife, and on the proseeptor attempting to quell the disturbance was struck by the prisoner, first with the cutting-board, afterwards with a knife, with which he stabbed him in the thigh. The jury acquitted him of the felonious intention, but found him guilty of a grievous assault, for which he was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment with hard labour. The other cases in the calendar for the town, which were of uninteresting kind were disposed of during the day.