. At the Chelmsford Petty Sessions, Mr. Jesper, miller at
Stebbing, was summoned by Mr. Overall, Overseer of that parish, to show cause why he had not paid 2J. 16s. &i., due from him for the labour-rate. The Overseer "produced the rate-book, in which Mr. Thomas Jesper stood
-ititediii that-aril. OUR. lifi•:'.recipei siiialie-cohigifferedlre detband i'cry unjust. "I went," he said, " to the Vestry; nod having no labour whereon to employ a man, inquired whether, if I found work for a la- bourer belonging to our parish elsewhere, that would be considered a compliance with the rate. They were agreeable to my doing so; and I found one of our labourers, who was then at work for a farmer in an adjoining parish, who vas about to leave his master. I agreed to give that farmer one shilling a week to employ him ; and continued to do so for six weeks, after which they said I should not go on upon that sys. tern." Bench—" Did the pansh refund the. six shillings?" Mr. Jes. per---" Yes." The Bench were about to order a distress-warrant to be issued; when Mr. Jesper observed, that some Magistrates had refused to take that course under similar circumstances. The act was then referred to; and, after some discussion, the Magistrates were of opinion that they had not the power under it to issue a warrant. [Such is the style in which acts of Parliament are usually. drawn in this country; they are either incomprehensible, or inoperative. Yet a Board of Scrutiny to examine the wording of all acts previously to their being passed, would be opposed as an uncalled-for innovation.'
Viscount Dillon on Thursday week preferred a charge of assault before the Brighton Magistrates, against William Longhurst, a hale old man, and his son. They occupy sonic. gardensground on the Brighton Race Hill. On the 16th October, 'Viscount Dillon was returning from bunting, and he rode into the grounds of the defendant. The yOunger defendant called on him to stop ; • when his Lordship asked permission to get out at the other side of the field, where there was a little ditch. The young man refused, and then struck several times with a shovel at his Lordship. The old man also came up and seized hold of his Lordship's horse by the bridle ; upon which Lord Dillon struck at him with the whip. The old man returned the blow by strik- ing him on the leg with his pitchfork. His Lordship then dismounted, and the cld man said he would take the horse to the pound. His Lord- ship, in his cross-examination, said, " When the young man called out first, I was going at the rate of thirteen miles an hour ; but I turned and went back to him. He was angry, and I jeered him a little. I said, I'll bet you that I do go across your ground. - There would have been no assault if I had not persisted in going across the ground." The Magistrates dismissed the case—Brighton Guardian. [The Vie. count must be a very simple or a very presuming person, to bring such a case even before a Bench of Sussex Magistrates.] The following account of an assault upon the editor of the New- castle Journal, on Wednesday week, is taken from the Durham Chronicle.
The fracas was occasioned by the publication of a handbill which issued from the office of the Newcastle paper, and which contained an attack upon several gentlemen who attended the dinner lately given to
Lord Durham at Sunderland, and " traduced their wives and families." This handbill, in which " malignancy and falsehood " are said to be conspicuous, was freely circulated in Sunderland " Immediately on the atrocious fabrication making its appearance on Wed- nesday, a party of gentlemen who were attacked resolved to punish the heart- less instrument who gave the trash. publicity, if they could out reach its skulk- ing mat cowardly author. They immediately canine to Newcastle ; and five of them repaired to the office, where they fouu,i its much-to-be-pitied proprietor. They inquired if he was the printer of the calumny ; which he avowed' but, on his declining to give up the writer, two of them immediately bestowed upon him a tremendously severe castigation; regardless of his cries for mercy or assist- ance. Mr. Jonathan Walton, who has figured there as an assistant since the commencement of their foul career, thought it is his duty to assist his patron; when unluckily, he transferred a sunset portion of the punishment to his own shoulders, and, report says, found it necessary, to avoid further chastisement, to hide himself underneath the counter. Thejustiee of the patty becoming satisfied, they left their howling victims to south each other's sores, retired to their inn, and subsequently left the town. Of course, legal proceedings will be the first step which the libellers will take; and though there cannot be a doubt that the other party have laid themselves open to amercemeut, yet the hand of erery honest man mild be raised to applaud the meritorious deed."
Miss Eleanor Pain, of River, near Dover, extensively and respect- ably connected, has been committed to the dastle, on a charge of pur- loining a musical snuffbox.—Iliorning Chronicle.
On Saturday morning, George Borne, the old man who is supposed to have been poisoned by his grandson, was buried in Plumstead Churchyard. Most of the family, including John liodle, the son, at- tended the funeral. The hearse containing the body of the deceased was met on the road by the prisoner, in custody, on his way, to Maidstone Gaol. After the funeral, eighteen of the party including the prisoner's father, dined at the deceased's house. The prisoner's father did not appear much disturbed at the melancholy situation of his son, but partook of dinner, and was apparently the least concerned or affected of the whole party. The prisoner will be tried at the Winter Assizes, which commence on the 9th of next month.
Yesterday week, an inquest was held at Offton, a village near Ips- wich, to inquire in the circumstances attending the death of William and Susan Minns, who were poisoned by arsenic, taken in a. pudding which they had for dinner on the 8th instant. Their brother Robert Minns, and Susan the daughter of William, were also very ill, but are recovering. The pudding was made by the elder woman, Susan, who kept house, from flour in a sack standing near the window at the back of the house : a pudding had been made from the same flour the Sun- day previous, and there had been a baking on Tuesday. The window was about four feet from the ground outside, a small casement window about two feet high, with an aperture nine inches wide : the sack was placed about three feet from the window, the mouth being left untied; and it is supposed that an entrance was effected at the window on the previous night, and the poison put into the sack. Suspicion has-fallen upon a young man, of loose character, who on the 3d instant assaulted Robert Minns upon the high-road, and robbed him of his purse, con- taining V. 18.9.; A warrant for his apprehension was granted.; but he has managed to keep at large. After the warrant had been issued against him, his friends wished to compromise the felony, by offering to return the money ; but Minns refused, saying he dare not. It.was proved that the pudding .Contained arsenic ; but there was no appearance of any in the flour left in the sack.. The Jury returnedaverdict, "that the deceased died from the effects Of poison administered by some- per- son or persons unknown."'
James Gardner, who at Kingston Fair, last week, was stabbed by William Smith, alias Cobbler Bill, left Kingston on Sunday night. He walked over the bridge to the Middlesex side; where a cart was waiting for him, by which he went off, and has not since been heard of. His depar- ture appears to have been agreed upon between himself and Smith, in con- sequence of an intimation being given by Mr. Marshall, the surgeon, who attended him, that be would the next day state to the Magistrate that he was so far convalescent as to be able to appear as principal witness against the prisoner. When it became known, Smith appeared on Monday before the Magistrate, having been brought from Kingston Gaol; and, as there was no evidence against him, he was discharged.
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