Maitland Mercury and Hunter River General Advertiser (NSW : 1843 - 1893), Saturday 6 April 1850, page 4


Stone James.

CENTRAL CRIMINAL COURT.-This court commenced

its sittings on Tuesday, 2nd April, before his Honor Mr. Justice Dickinson. Henry Roberts, found guilty of bigamy, at the December Criminal Court, and who had remained in gaol till an objection had been argued, was sentenced to be worked on the roads or other

public works of the colony for three years.Mary Phillips was indicted for stabbing and wounding Andreas Jose, on the 8th February, with intent to do bodily harm. Jose, a young Portuguese, was a butler in the employ of Mr. Beit, on the Parramatta River, and the girl Phillips was cook in the same employment on that day Mrs. Beit saw the girl cleaning dishes in a room set apart as that of Jose, and she ordered her to leave it, in accordance with the rule of the family ; the girl did not leave, and Jose himself came there' shortly after, and ordered her to leave the room ; the girl refused to do so, and Jose put her dishes out, and tried to put her out also, on which she struck him in the face, and he returned the blow ; she seized a knife, and struck him wounding him in the left groin, having previously cut his wrist in the struggle ; the wound proved not dangerous, although inflicted in a

dangerous place. Guilty of common assault; six months' imprisonment William Brooks was indicted for breaking into the warehouse of James Cook, and stealing therefrom a promissory note, on the 22nd December last, at the Circular Quay, Sydney. Guilty ; six years on the roads Margaret Lynam was indicted for causing the death of a male infant, by overlaying it while she was in a state of intoxication, at Sydney, on the 25th February. This case was fully reported at the time. Samuel and Margaret Gorman were left laying intoxicated in their house, when the prisoner, who was also intoxicated, was seen carrying about the child, and afterwards sitting in Gorman's house with the child on her knee ; subsequently, a lad, a son of Gorman's, entered the house, and saw prisoner get up from the bed and run out, and the lad, on looking at the bed, found the baby lying there, dead ; the prisoner came in again immediately after crying, and saying she had lain on the child and killed it, and must suffer for it. Guilty ; twelve months' imprisonment -Abridged from the S. M. Herald.

THE LATE MRS. CLARKSON The adjourned inquest upon the disinterred remains of the late Mrs. Clarkson was held yesterday, but was further adjourned until Friday next, without any evidence being taken beyond so much as was necessary to bring the husband of deceased and his present wife legally before the court. The whole of the jurors attended punctually at the Museum Hotel, and the Coroner proceeded at once to re-open the investigation, by stating his intention to confine the evidence on that day to such testimony as was necessary to bring into formal custody the persons whom he had caused to be apprehended on suspicion of having been accessory to Mrs. Clarkson's death. He then called constable Singleton, the police officer attached to his department, who deposed to the arrest of Mountford Clarkson, and Mary Ann, his wife, on Saturday last. Witness was in company with Inspector Pearce and one or two other constables when he apprehended them, and at the time of so doing, he read the warrant wherein the accusation which led to their

apprehension was set forth. Clarkson, who was in bed when they went there, declared his innocence. Mrs. Clarkson also, who seemed much agitated, denied knowing anything about the

matter. Witness had known Mountford Clark-

son for many years, and believed him to have

been the husband of deceased. Believed the prisoner Mary Ann Clarkson to be the present wife of Mountford Clarkson. She said she would go anywhere with him, to an iron-gang if necessary. Before the examination of this witness, Mr. and Mrs. Clarkson arrived from the gaol in a cab, and were placed before the court. They declined, however, to put any questions to the witness, reserving their right of cross-examination until the adjourned sitting, when the case would be more fully gone into, and the prisoners would be defended by counsel. It was intimated that Mr. Nichols had been retained to defend them, and that Mr. Holroyd would watch the proceedings at the inquest on

their behalf. The Coroner informed them that

they were both charged with the wilful murder of Jemima Clarkson, but that from the nature of the information then before him it was necessary that they should be further remanded to gaol until Friday next, to afford time for still further enquiry. He did not intend, he said, to

proceed to the examination of witnesses on that

day, inasmuch as there were one or two who could not on that occasion be brought before the court ; but when the case was gone into in detail, the witnesses might be all cross-examined by the prisoners or their counsel and that if the case seemed to require it, he should have no objection to hear witnesses for the defence. Although he purposely abstained from going into detail on that occasion, he felt bound, he said, to state that he had sufficient evidence

before him to warrant him in pursuing his present course. He had thought it prudent to abstain from taking any portion of the evidence that day for two reasons first, because these partial enquiries had a tendency to defeat the ends of justice; and, secondly, because it was unjust to the prisoners to make public evidence as to facts which might tend to inculpate them, without at the same time going into other evidence which might have a reverse effect. He believed that on Friday, the day to which the inquest would be adjourned, the whole of the evidence might be gone through, and the case terminated - one way or another. With reference to Mrs. Pickering, who was present and in custody, the coroner stated that he did not mean at present to bring her formally before the court. She had been arrested in consequence of some fugitive words which had escaped her, tending to afford grounds for belief that she had a personal knowledge with reference to the hidden circumstances of this' melancholy affair. Perhaps at the next sitting of the court he

might put her in the witness box, or it might be that he might deem it necessary to place her at the bar, if upon enquiry among other witnesses it should turn out that the suspicion against her assumed a more grave aspect than at present. The inquest was then adjourned until one o'clock p.m. on Friday next, when it will be held at the police office, George-street, and the prisoners were remanded to gaol. Their demeanour throughout was tolerably collected, and both, repeatedly protested their innocence. The case caused much excitement. The room in which the court sat was crowded to excess, and great numbers were assembled in the street. By the latter the prisoners were saluted with yells as they entered the carriage for the purpose of returning to gaol. In dismissing the jury, the coroner again cautioned them most strongly against allowing their minds to be prejudiced by any of the current reports having reference to this case Herald, April 3.

THE CASE OF THE LATE MRS. FELL The

board of directors of the Sydney Infirmary, at a full meeting held yesterday, adopted unanimously a report of the weekly committee respecting the case of the late Mrs. Fell, which had been referred to the committee. The report stated that the committee had received the written statements of Drs. Macfarlane and

Tierney, and of Dr. Houston, the House Surgeon, and they were of opinion that Mr. Houston was justified in his first refusal to admit Mrs. Fell, because the case neither required medical nor surgical aid that the statement of Mrs. Fell's aunt on the following day, to the physician of the week, that the case was one of pure destitu-tion and not of disease, justified the physician in deciding that the case was not one for admission into the Infirmary that after that decision Mr. Houston was bound by the rules not to admit Mrs. Fell without further directions from the physician for the week : but the committee, nevertheless, in a case that became so pressing, and where the patient had been repeatedly refused by the Asylum, and had been also recommended by different parties for admission into the Infirmary, regretted that the House Surgeon should not have ventured to disregard the strict letter of his orders, and admit Mrs. Fell, in the confidence that the step would be approved by the committee. Finally, the report recommended that in future power should be given to meet such extreme cases, and the following resolution was adopted by the meeting, nearly in the words of the concluding paragraph of the report : " In consequence of the painful occurrence connected with the case of the late Mrs. Fell, and in accordance with the recommendation of the weekly committee, the board of directors gave full power to the secretary, or chairman of the weekly committee, to order for admission into the Infirmary any doubtful or urgent cases such as Mrs. Fell's, until proper provision can be made for them, either under the advice of the medical officers, or by correspondence with the Benevolent Asylum; all such cases to be reported to the weekly committee for their ap-proval." Abridged from the Herald, April 8.

MAIL ROBBERT. Information was yesterday received in town that the Queen's mail has

again been stopped and robbed by bushrangers. " The mail cart from Melbourne to Sydney was on the 29th March stopped by two armed men about six miles from Tarcutta, between Albury and Gundagai. The bushrangers took out the horses, lashed the driver and one (the only) passenger to the vehicle, took out the Melbourne and Albury bags, mounted the horses, and rode off. It is supposed that they were accompanied by other bushrangers, who kept out of sight and from certain expressions which dropped from one of the two actors in the scene, it is thought that he, at all events, was concerned in the recent robbery of the Goulburn mail.

Herald, Apt ii 3.

HOMEBUSH RACES The following horses are entered for the Trial and St. Leger Stakes, at the Homebush meeting, 1850 a St. Leger Stakes Mr. A. Hook's grit. Young Doctor Jenner ; Mr. John Tait's ch.h. Cossack ; Mr. George Rouse's br.h. Dr. Syntax ; Mr. Charles Roberts' b.f. The Nun; Mr. James Roberts' blah., by Egremont; Mr. William Hall's b.h. Sir Charles and Mr. Leonard's ns. bls. Black Swan. Trial Stakes Mr. Henry Reeves's ch.c Lieutenant ; Mr. John Tait's graf. Medora, late Empress ; Mr. John Tait's b c. The Arab ; Mr. John Barker's be. Pilot ; Mr. Charles Roberts' bar, by another; Mr. James Roberts' free, by another and Mr. Leonard's us. be. Chloroform.

-S. M. Herald.

PRODUCE SALE Mr. Lyons sold by auction, at his mart, yesterday-4 bales sorted broken wool, at 9d. per lb. ; 6 bales skin wool, at 9d. per lb. ; 2 bales unwashed wool, at 6d. per lb. ; 1 bale locks, at 6d. per lb.: 6 bales greasy wool, at 5 5d. per lb. ; 1 bale greasy wool, damaged by salt water, at 42d. per lb.

Herald, April 3.

THE WEATHER.-We had some very heavy rain in Sydney on Sunday night, and occasional showers on Monday and Monday night. Yesterday it cleared up, and the wind shifted to the northward. There have been some heavy rains at Camden and Windsor, and along the vale of the Hawkesbury. Herald, April 3.