The Express. — 1867-07-08 (London, England)

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.  (THIS DAY.)  The July session of the Central Criminal Court Was opened this morning before the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor, the Recorder, Aldermen Salomon., Abbiss, and Begley, Mr. Sheriff Lyoett, the llnd-r-Sheritts, &c. The Ent edition of the calendar contains the names of 92 prisoner.. and 8 others are oat on bail. The commitmanta are as folio :—From the city of London, 27 ; from Middlesex, 46 ; Essex, 5 ; rent, 14 ; and Surrey, 8. The offences are thus classified :—Feloniously wounding, 6 ; forgery, 7 assault with intent to rob, 1 ; burglary. 10 ; housebreaking, 4 ; robbery, 13; feloniously receiving stolen goods, 6 ; manslaughter, 1' • hoseestesliag, 1' • stealing post letters, 2 ; embezzlement, 6; larceny, 2'.1; and uttering counterfeit coin, 7. Most of the cases appear to be of the ordinary character, the principal charge of public interest being the one against the young man Alexander Frederick Watkins, for attempting to murder his sweetheart at Buckhurst•hill, which was postponed from the last session in consequence of the absence of the proeecutrix. It is announced that since the tramaction took place the parties have been married, so that it is very doubtful, if this should be the fact, whether the prosecutrix will appear and give evidence in support of the charge. Several of the gentlemen who had been announced to serve on the grand jury were fined 10/. for non-attendance. The Recorder, in charging the grand jury, observed that he was happy to say that the cases which would be brought before thesis were not very numerous, and fur the most part were not of a serious description. There was only one case in the calendar in which human life bad been volved, and in this case it appeared that the accused and deceased haul quarrelled in a public house, the landlord of which caused them to leave • a fight ensued outside the house, in which the deoease:l was knocked down by the prisoner and was taken home insensible and died in a few days—the immediate cause of death being concussion of the brain. It would be for the grand jury to say whether that result had been caused by enact of the prirmier. There was a charge of rape against a surgeon-dentist named Free' Man, in which it was alleged th e offence had been committed after the abstraction of some of the teeth of the prosecutrix, under the 'influence of chloroform, sad the charge mainly rested on the testimony of the prosecutrie. It would, therefore, he necessary that the grand jury should look to ascertain whether she received any confirmation by other witnesses, and that a prima facie case was male out that called for a full and further inquiry. Ile must mention that at these sessions there were four loinre climmes arising out of the unfortunate dispute existing between the master tailors and their men in the metropula. No doubt the grand jury were aware of the present st,te of the law on this subject, and that it was now lawful teethe masters to combine to agree as to the men they employed and the wages to be paid, and it was also lawful for the men to combine to agree as to the rate they required to be paid. In fact, both masters and Men were left freeto act for their respective interests. In the present cases it seemed that a system of moleetati in of masters has bees resorted to by watching their workshops, sad it would he for the jury to say whether this amounted to intimidation. The learned Recorder, after referring to the case of Edgeley, chugged with the frauds and forgeries on the late Leeds Banking Company, the facts of which base already been repeatedly detailed, remitted the grand jury to the commencement of their labours.