The Bee-Hive. — 1870-07-16 (London, England)

THE CASE OF BENJAMIN HIGGS.—The ease of Krehi v. the Great Central Gas Company was before the Court of Exchequer to-day. This was an action by the trade assignees of Benjamin Hags, a clerk of the Great Central Gas Company, whose enormous defalcations startled the public in March last year, against that company, the Guarantee Society, and Mr. Poole, of the firm of Poole and Emmens, auctioneers, for having seized and sold the furniture, wines, and other goods of Higgs, in his residence, known as 'ride-end House, Teddings ton. The defendant q paid into court £2 050, the actual net proceeds of the sale, and pleaded several pleas denying their liability in regard to the rest of the plaintiff's claim. Mr. Seymour, in opening the case, said that Higgs had given the Central Gas Company a policy of t:e Guarantee Society for £250; and when he decamip)icodyetdhepsoocoileetyto m k , umilea ar a clause of the policy, era seizure to the amount for which they were liable; bat ultimately, under an indemnity given by the directors of the Centra! Gas Company, he seized the whole property in the house, which was magnificently `tarnished. The furniture was removed to the Clarence Rooms at Teddington and sold, as the plaintiffs -contended, at a grunt s icrifice ; 111(13 the choice and expensive wines were also dealt with in a manner which prevented anything 1 their value being realised. Mr. Baron Martin said that as the question was only one of damages, viz., whether the various articles had realised a o • per sum, it was utterly impossible that the case could be tried by the jury, and he ultimately decided to issue a summons, in order that he might, under the powers given to him by Act of Parliament, have it referred. The case was aijourned for that purpose.  DIABOLICAL ATTEMPTED RAPE AND Muannu. —At th 3 Jeuey Criminal Assizes, on Friday, a young Fr:nchman, Auguste Rue!, barely 20 years of age, was tried upon two charges of attempted violation and murder of a young French girl, Victorine Langloia. The prosecutrix had been to a public-house in the village of Gorey, in the pluish  of St. Martin, to make inquiries concerning a vessel that was to sail for Fame on the followitg day. The prisoner, who was in the house, followed her along the road home, accosted her, and made improper overtures. She repulsed him and proceeded on her way, he following and renewing his importunities. On reaching a secluded spot near the edge of a cliff he seized her, threw her down, knelt upon her, grasped her by the t hroat to stifle her cries, and attempted to criminally assault her. She resisted, and managed to ,g,2t away, when to overtook her, seized her, and threw her over a by hedge on to a planteau on the side, a distance of seven feet from the top of the hedge. The pri. soner leaped over after her. dragged her to the edge of a s'ope. and shoved her down a distance of 15 feet. At the foot of the slope the cliff fa!ls perpendicularly aLout 25 feet, and she would Im..ve fallen over had not her progress been stopped by a bush. On seeing this, the prisoner went down the slope, released her from the bush, and pushed her over the edge, she falling on the rocks beneath. She lay for some time insensible, and at length, with a dislocated ankle, and covered with bruises, she contrived to crawl up the cliff and get assistance. She was confined to her bed for six weeks, and still suffers from the injuries she rec2ived. The jury unanimously returned a verdct of guilty; and the prisoner was sentenced to fourteen years' transportation. ATTEMPTED SUICIDE AT A RAILWAY STATION,— At Westminster, Matilda Bennett, 23, was charged with attempting to commit suicide at the Sloane. square railway-station.--James Annals, ttation inspector at the Metropolitan Slaane.square station, said: "At eietht o'clock last night I was at the station, and the up train was ie . Prisoner mut stamping and conducting herself in a must excited manner. When the down train was 2::0 yards off the station she tried to jump on the metals, but I prevented her. She said she had some trouble with her husband, and meant to destroy herself. —Prisoner expressed great regret, and said she would never attempt such a foolish act again.— Mr. Arnold remanded her for a week.  AN