8th March 1834

A young man, named James Hall, was committed to the Sessions by the borough magistrates on Monday, for obtaining a bushel of beans from Mr. John Hatch of Thames-side, on Tuesday evening last. Hall told Mr.Hatch the beans were for Mr.Norwood of Eton, which Mr. H, afterwards found out was incorrect, and Mr.Norwood denied before the magistrates having employed the prisoner on that or any other occasion.

A dog in a rabid state bit several dogs and other animals in the neighbourhood of Oakley Green, on Sunday last; and a boy named James Lee was also bit in the leg by the infuriated animal. The boy was brought to our Dispensary and the part cut out.

A boy in the employ of Mr.Davis, of the Nelson Inn, Old Windsor, had both bones in his arm fractured by a mangle yesterday, in this case also, assistance was rendered from the Dispensary.

Mr. Girding, at a match of pigeon shooting, at Bracknall, on Monday last, won a remarkable large fat hog, weighing 30 score. The hog is now on the premises of Mr. Newton, butcher, Peascod-street.

BUCKS LENT ASSIZES - These Assizes commenced on Monday last before Chief Justice Denman, and Baron Vaughan. The following are the cases relating to our immediate neighbourhood :-

Mathew Grover and John Edwards, for having feloniously stolen from the person of George Sedgwick, in August last, two half-crowns, a sixpence, some halfpence, and a black beaver hat, the property of the said George Sedgwick. - Not Guilty.

Thomas Shaw, for having, on the 7th day of October last, in the parish of Eton, unlawfully and maliciously stabbed, cut, and wounded Richard Green, with intent to do him some grievous bodily harm, and William Margeston, with having aided him therein - Not Guilty,

Mark Osborn, for having on the evening of the 12th of October last, at Cippenham, in the parish of Burnham, stolen from William Mason, a canvas bag containing 25s - Not Guilty.

John Witherston; alias Mills, for having burglariously broken into and entered a dwelling house in the parish of Wyrardisbury, on the 2nd of June last, and stealing one feather bed, a pillow, and other articles of the value £2 15s, the property of Edward Pasmore. - Guilty. Sentenced to be transported for life.

Sophia Russel, for having received one piece of printed cotton (being part of a counterpane) of the value of threepence. - Not Guilty.

William Plastow, for having on Monday the 15th of October last, broken into the dwelling house of Joseph Watson, in the parish of Wyrardisbury, and stealing therefrom a woollen jacket, a pair of trousers, a beaver hat, and a flannel petticoat, together of the value of thirty six shillings. - Not Guilty.

William Piddington was indicted for setting fire to a rick of hay, near Wendover, belonging to Mr. Soames, the overseer. It appeared that he and Pain, an accomplice, who admitted as evidence, went on the Monday night to set fire to the rick; they were both seen to go in that direction, and were both proved, by two different persons, to be seen running away from it after the fire broke out. Piddington had prevailed on Buggy, his brother in-law, to swear before the Magistrates to an alibi for himself and Pain, at the moment the fire broke out, by saying they were both at his house. He afterwards repented of false swearing, and declared they were not at his house at all, and gave evidence to this effect on the trial. Pain, the accomplice, swore that Piddingtion called on him to go and help do it; he at first refused, but afterwards was over-persuaded to go, being told by Piddington that if they were caught, it was only six months imprisonment; that Piddington struck a light, having matches and flint with him, and set fire to the corner of the rick, which he first pulled out to make it loose, and burn the more readily. - With some other evidence the case was going to the Jury, when Mr. Sydney Taylor, the prisoner's Counsel, took an objection to the indictment, on the ground that a rick of sainfoin (which was what was burnt) was not hay, within the meaning of the statute ! - Chief Justice Denman, who summed up, most perspicuously left the determination of that point to the Jury, who were almost all farmers, and who, after a few minutes deliberation , returned a verdict of "Not Guilty !" to the surprise of a very crowded Court. The Counsel's argument was, that if the prosecutor had sold a load of hay for a given sum in Aylesbury market, and had delivered a load of sainfoin, it might have been a ground for a civil action; and that, in the present case, where a man's life depended on the issue, such a loose definition could not be maintained.

William George, aged 21, was indicted for feloniously sending a letter to William Cross, threatening to burn his premises. It appeared that the prosecutor is a farmer, occupying a very extensive farm at Twyford, in this county, and until lately the prisoner was in his employ, but they had some difference, and parted on bad terms towards the end of last year. One morning in the early part of the present year a servant of Mr. Cross found a letter stuck between the iron bars of his cellar window, which he carried to his master, and upon opening it, it proved to be as follows, verbalim et literatim:- "I will once for worn you of this, believe it is true; if ever thare is any more talk abot you or any of the rest a stoppen of the pore's muney, you may expeckt to have sum of your places burnt down on any peace of ground thare. You shall have to go yureself, and we will be master over you, for we will not stand it any longer with you, but we will burn all of you together, and brake you all at once, tell your naybors, for it shall be wus for you, for we will not be sunk in our wages. You must have wot follers." In order to satisfy the Jury that this precious epistle was written by the prisoner, three witnesses were called; the first "had no doubt" that it was in his handwriting; the second "had such a doubt;" and the third who was the village school master, of whom the prisoner had learned to write ten years ago, "thought it was not written by him!" Upon this evidence the Learned Judge left it to the Jury to say whether the prosecutor had made out to their entire satisfaction that the letter in question was written by the prisoner. The Jury were not so satisfied, and therefore acquitted him.

William Draycott, for having feloniously stolen, in the parish of Eton, one linen shirt, the property of Thomas Gray. - Guilty, and sentenced to be whipped and imprisoned one calendar month.

Joseph Allen and Joseph Seymour, for having stolen on the 13th January, in the parish of Beaconsfield, one ash tree, the property of James Du Pre, Esq - Guilty. Six months hard labour.

Charles Farnsworth, for having on the 17th of February, in the parish of Eton, assaulted and beat Henry White, in the due execution of his duty as one of the petty constables of the said parish.-Guilty - three days imprisonment.

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