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    her previous insanity . The prisjner appeared to have been most anxious that Mrs . Munro should go to his house at an early hour on the following morning , and , if the suggestion on the part of the prosecution was the true one , he could have had no other object than to fix the crime upon himself . Mr . Bodkin , who conducted the prosecution , had told them that , although the male prisoner might not have been present when the deed was committed , yet that if they should be of opinion he was aware what was going to be done by his wife , and counselled and sanctioned the proceeding , he would be equally guilty in the eye of the law as an accessory . He was ready to admit that his learned friend was quite right in his statement of the law , but

    where was the evidence to show that the male prisoner had so acted ? He should not , perhaps , be justified in asking the jury to stop the case , because the prisoner had told a number of lies , and he ought , perhaps , to give some explanation upon the subject . He should not for a moment attempt to deny that the prisoner had told a great many lies relating to the alleged loss of the watch and money and other property ; but the jury would not forget that he did not say a word of the kind f . until after Mrs . Payne had told him that the story * told by his wife could not be credited , as no property had been stolen , and if any stranger had committed the crime the object must have been plunder ; but the very next day he made the

    representation to the police inspector about the house having been robbed , and his making this representation was the only reason why the prisoner now stood at the bar charged with murder . What , however , was clearly the motive of the prisoner when he made these statements ? Why , it was evidently his intention to protect his wife , and to support her statement that a stranger had come in and committed the dreadful deed , and by so doing he had laid himself open to the present horrible charge . Was it done to screen himself ? Why , at this time no one suspected him , —the officers were satisfied that he had exhibited the most genuine grief and affliction at the sad event that had taken place , and there was not the slightest

    suspicion that he had anything to do with the murders . A good deal of evidence had been given in reference to the manner in which the prisoner was supposed to have dealt with some watches , and for his own part he really could hardly say what was the effect of that evidence or what was the object of it ; but , supposing that the prisoner had endeavoured for some purpose or other to hide a watch in the cellar , what could that possibly prove in reference to the present charge ? It was evident that he was in great distress of mind—ha had lost both his children—he was afraid lie should lose his wife also , and under these circumstances he did a number of absurd things to screen her , and this appeared to have been the object of all his proceedings . Another circumstance that appeared to be relied upon as showing the guilt of the

    prisoner was the evidence that blood was upon his clothes , and with reference to this he would ask them in the first place whether it was made out to their satisfaction that it really was blood that was upon the prisoner ' s clothes . But , supposing it was , what did it amount to ? It was clear that the prisoner had worn the trousers upon which the stains of blood were supposed to be for several days in the presence of the police , and if he had thought there had been anything wrong , he asked the jury whether it was likely that he would have so worn them ? If they were really stains of blocd that were upon the trousers , it was very easy for the blood to have come there when the prisoner went into the rooms where the dead bodies were , and in which there were pools of blood in various places . "

    Lord Campbell summed up in favour of an acquittal ; and the jury , after withdrawing for about ten minutes , gave a verdict of Not Guilty as regarded Thomas Fuller Bacon , and Acquitted Martha Bacon , on the ground of insanity . Lord Chief Justice Campbell , when the jury had delivered their verdict , said , that he entirely concurred in it , and he then stated that he thought it right to inform them that since the female prisoner had been confined in Newgate she had stated to the ordinary that she alono committed the murder . The prisoners wore then charged , upon the second indictment , with the wilful murder of Surah Anno Bacon . Mr . Bodkjn stiiri that , nftor the decision that had been come to by tho jury , ho should of course offer no evidence upon tho second indictment . The jury consequently returned a verdict of Not Guilty .

    His Lordship then ordered the female prisoner to bo detained in safe custody during her Majesty ' s pleasure Tho other prisonor ia still dotaincd in Newgato under a warrant charging him with tho murder of his mother at Stamford . Mr . Reed , tho chief constable of Stamford , waa in attendance to convoy tho primmer into tho country to take hit ) trial at tho Assi / . os ; but no order for his being delivered up wus made up to tho rising of tho court .

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    THE MIDDLESEX SESSIONS . The general Bosaiona for May having oponod on Monday , several cnaoa of no great interest wcro tried , and ltiohard Glovor was found Guilty of a ferocious assault on four policemen . Ho was Hontoneod to a year ' s Uurd labour . Henry White , aged eighteen , was indicted for

    having received a pocket-handkerchief , knowing it have been stolen . The prosecutor , who was a policeconstable , attended a fair recently held at Camden-town in plain clothes . He watched the proceedings of some boys in the crowd , and saw them go to White , whose pockets increased in bulk after their visits . He took him into custody , and found in his possession eleven pocket-handkerchiefs , one of which he identified as having been stolen from his own pocket about two hours before . The prisoner , it would seem , therefore , was stationed outside the crowd to receive the property stolen by a gang to which he belonged . The jury found him Guilty , and it was proved that he had been previously convicted of felony . He was sentenced to four years' penal servitude .

    Eliza Williams , a well-dressed woman , was found Guilty , on Tuesday , of several robberies of furnished lodgings . She appeared to act upon a system , and to extend the field of her labours by getting situations in respectable families . She was sentenced to penal servitude for six years . On hearing this , she smiled , and walked out of the dock .

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    Highway Robbery and Assault near Carlisle . —A garotte robbery of a very serious character has taken place on the road leading from Carlisle to Longtown , the victim being a farmer and cattle-dealer named George Nicholson , who was riding to the latter place to purchase cattle . He was suddenly waylaid on his road by two men , who dragged him off * his horse , and beat him until he was insensible . They then robbed him of his money-bag , containing altogether upwards of 1000 / ., of which 535 / . was in Bank of England 5 / . notes . Unfortunately , the numbers of these notes were unknown . Upon receiving information of the robbery at the county constable ' s office at Carlisle , the police immediately telegraphed to the head police-office in Great Scotland-yard , London ^ from which two detective officers were at once despatched to investigate the case . Large rewards have been offered for the apprehension of the robbers , both by the county and by Mr . Nicholson .

    Immoral Books . — William Dugdale , of Holywellstreet , and William Strange , of Fleet-street , were tried last Saturday , in the Court of Queen ' s Bench , before Lord Campbell , for publishing prints and books of an immoral nature . Both were found Guilty , and , being called up for judgment , William Dngdale , who was allowed to address the Court , proceeded to harangue in a most excited and frantic manner against his prosecutors , and particularly against a man named Stanton , who was sitting near him , and who , he said , some time since had broken into his house and stolen property in books worth 3000 / . He had brought two actions in the Court of Exchequer , and in one of them , by the award of Mr . C . E . Pollock , Stanton had been compelled to pay him 84 / .

    He charged the prosecutors with a conspiracy procure his conviction upon this charge , which he declared to be false and unfounded , and he read an extract from Lord Campbell ' s Life , of Lord Camden to show the illegality of general warrants , &c . In the course of his address , he frequently turned towards the man Stanton in a threatening manner , and , when he had worked himself up to the highest pitch of excitement , was seen to open a penknife which he held in his band , with the evident intention of doing mischief to himself or somebody ; but he was immediately seized by several persons , who took tho knife away from him . He continued his address for several minutes in the same infuriated style , nt ono moment defying the court , nnd then imploring mercy for the sake of his two beautiful and innocent children ; and he vehemently declared ho would peril his soul ' s salvation that ho was innocent . At length , being somewhat

    exhausted 03 ' his own vehomenco , he asked for some water , which was given to him ; and , after declaring that he had not had a fair trial , and that his counsel had altogether mistaken his defence , ho implored tho court to bear in mind that ho had already boon fourteen weeks in prison . He was sentenced to one year ' s imprisonment , with hard labour . Strange received a more lenient sentence , this being his first otloncc . lie was condemned to three months' imprisonment , but without hard labour . In his defence , Strango had said that ho did not know tho nature of the immoral works ho was charged with issuing , and that ho sold many works of a perfectly unimpeachable chnrautor . Lord Campbell expressed bis disbelief in the assertion that Strange did not know what ho waa selling , and added that it was no excuse for him to say that ho also sold Household Wor < h and other publications of a most intercut ing , moral , instinctive , and boautiful character , for which tho country waa

    indebted to Mr . Charles Dickens . Emiikzzlkmknt iiy A Suricuvi . sou or Exoi . sk . —Tho city magistrates at Rochester woru occupied last Saturday in investigating 11 series of frniulri and ombo / . zlcments committed by ThonwiH Itodbell , lato supervisor of Excise for tho RoohoHtur district . Tho frauds wore committed as far back as 18 /> i ) , at tho latter end of which year RodaoH suddenly absconded from Rochester , nnd wont to reside on tho Continent . An investigation of his accounts took place , whon it wuh found that his defalcations woro so coiiHidornblQ thnt tho Board of Inland Kovouuq oflbrod a reward of 100 / . for Iiih apprehension . Nothing , however , was hoard of him until n f «\ v days » go , whon ho was accidentally noon disguised in Rochester by a gentleman named Naylar , to whom ho waa

    in-. on , he has now been committed for trial . A Credulous Scotchman . —James Cahill , aged 39 , a respectably dressed man , described as messenger at the Admiralty-office , Somerset House , and residing in Grafton-street East , Tottenham-court-road , and Mary Josephine Cahill , of Fitzroy-place , Kentish-town , who stated herself to be the wife-of the male prisoner , are under remand at Clerkenwell , charged with obtaining by ffaudulent pretences the sum of 250 / . from Alexander Duncan , of 6 , Charlwood-street , Tachbrook-street , Pimlico , a gentleman , under the plea of obtaining him a situation in the Admiralty . Mr . Duncan had advertized that he would pay from two to six hundred pounds

    to any one who would obtain for him a good situation . A correspondence with an anonymous writer—apparently a woman—ensued , and , ultimately , on promising to pay 250 / ., he received a letter written on official paper , and sealed with the Admiralty seal , appointing him to a second clerkship in the storekeeper ' s department of the Admiralty . The next day , he sent 250 / . to the direction named . The letter was signed " Thomas Phinn . " It was not long before Mr . Duncan discovered that he had been duped . Last Saturday , he received a letter which contained these passages : — " This will be posted

    for me when I am on my way to a foreign country . The document you received on Monday is useless . I was employed in the department temporarily during the war , but before answering the advertisement had received notice to leave on the 31 st of March . Such is the reason that I have put off the matter . Before leaving the department I provided myself with a seal , cover , &c , in service , and you know the result . If I am successful in a new country you shall not lose by me . I do not leave from fear of you , as you could not "injure me ; you , being guilty yourself , would be severely punished . I answered a dozen such advertisements , but no one

    would pay men or women money whom they did not know . —Thos . Phfnn . " The case was adjourned for a week . CniLD Murder . —Martha King , the daughter of a tradesman at Homerton , was on Tuesday examined on remand with respect to the alleged death by her hands of her illegitimate infant . Our readers are already in possession of this melancholy story . At the end of the previous examination ( which was abruptly terminated owing to the exhaustion and distress of mind of the acnine

    cused ) , bail was accepted- The girl , who is only - teen years old , was now scarcely any stronger or better ; she was seated during the examination , and wept continually . The chief additional fact was that round the throat of the infant there was tightly tied a black string . There was some doubt , however , whether the child had been born alive . " The ligature , " said one of the medical men , " might have been secured to the infant ' s throat bv its mother while in her painful position . " She was committed for trial , and ordered to be conveyed to

    Newgate . A Burglar Shot by a Clergyman . —The Rev . J . F . Green , of Erdington , was aroused from his sleep early on the morning of the 6 th inst . by a noise beneath his bedroom window . He looked out , and observed a man moving about the garden . The clergyman awoke his servant , provided himself with a gun , and , hearing a further noise at his front door , fired at the man in the garden . The man made oft ' , but marks of blood were found on the earth . Murder and Suicide . —Samuel Charlton , an elderly man , a widower , and lately an assistant bailiff , living at Lidget-greennear Bradford , was recently paying court

    , to Mrs . Hannah Holroyd , a middle-aged widow . Both had several children . Mrs . Holroyd ' s friends persuaded her not to encourage Charlton , as he was a man of indifferent churaeter ; besides which , there was another suitor . Charlton and Mrs . Holroyd wont together on Monday night to a temperance meeting , where they met tho other man , with whom the widow had some conversation , Charlton in tho meanwhile going forward to Mrs . Holrovd ' s house . Ho remained there with the widow during part of the night ; but , at a quarter past twelve , Mrs . Holroyd ' s oldest daughter found her mother weltering in blood and on tho point of death . Charlton had hia track

    gone ; but tho police were speedily put on . They found that ho had gone home , kisaed all hia children , told thorn ho should never boo them again , and then loft . Subsequently his dead body waa discovered in a dam about a mile from Bradford . OimcAOics iiy 'Turn-Outs . '—Some ' tum-outa' Manchester , Shefiicld , and other parts of tho manufacturing districts , have recently thrown oxploaivo bottlos through tho windows of their employers , or of followworkmon refusing to join them . One of those men waa captured on Monday night . A policeman , finding two men standing near the house of Mr . Redman , a ropoinakor at iasuo with some of hia workmen , questioned them , but received no satisfactory anawer . He then proceeded to take them into custody , and n struggle ouauod , in which tho officer would probably have been worsted had not Mr . Rodman issued forth with a sword to

    in hit ) hand . With thia weapon he put ono oi tho men flight , and inflicted a scalp wound on tho other , who w «» then taken to tho atation-houao . Ho turned out to have boon tho father of ono of Mr . Rodman ' s dlnttHuet « l woncmon . An oxploaivo bottle waa found on Mr . * vuuman ' H bedroom window-sill . The prisoner ia now unuor remand .

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    todebted in about 300 / This led to his apprehensi and May 16 , 1857 . 1 T HE LEAD ER . 465

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), May 16, 1857, page 465, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2193/page/9/