SATURDAY EXTRACTS.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 59, 12 March 1881, Page 4

SATURDAY EXTRACTS.

— ♦ SENTENCE OP DEATH. A SINGULAR BEQUEST. At the Sydney Central Criminal Court on 21st February, before his Honor Sir William Manning, WiJliam Brown, farmer, of Yappa Brush, was arraigned on a charge of criminally assaulting Ann Brown, his daughter, 12 years ot age. The case lasted nearly the whole of the day, and at about 4 o'clock the jury retired to consider their verdict. Alter a deliberation of nearly two hours and a half (says the Evening News), thoy returned with a verdict of "guilty." "When asked if he had anything to say why sentence of death should not be passed, tho prisoner detailed the circumstances connected with hia separation from his wife for six years. He pr-ites-ted hia innocence of the present, charge, and urged that his children had conspired together to take his life. At this point all persons in Court were commanded by the usher to keep silence while sentence of death was passed on the prisoner in the usual form. The prisoner requested his Honor to allow the four children who had given evidence against him to be ranged alongside him when the rope was being put round his neck, and that the scene might be illustrated by the Press. His Honor replied that it was not in 1 is power to grant the request. In passing sentence of death, his Honor said he could not hold out to the prisoner any special hope that introy would be extended to him, and he thought that if the sentence were carried out at all, it should be in case? where the father outraged the virtue of his child. The accused had, nnder the circumstances, better prepare himself to meet another tribunal, and in the event of the sentence being carried out, no doubt sufficient time would bo allowed him to do so. His Honor then in the usual form passed sentence of death on the prisoner. Tho prisoner — "Thank you, your Honor. lam as innocent of the crime as a child, and I hope with the meroy of God to receive the benefit of my innocence.' ' He was then removed in custody.