POLICE COURT.—Yesterday.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VIII, Issue 2129, 24 August 1875, Page 3

POLICE COURT.—Yesterday.

(Before Dr KiwoTO, J.P., and R W. ru kev, Esq., J.P.) • Dbunegnness.—Elizabeth Cash was charged with having been drunk and disorderly in Brown-street, Sho pleaded guilty, and was fined 20i, or in default 48 hours' imprisonment. > Bbeach of the Pback,—David Morrow. and BichanLMcCoid.wero charged that they did commit a breach of tho peace by fighting in Burke-streot on tho 16th instant. There was no appearance of either parties.—Sergeant Elliott said that one of tho parties had cleared vOut, stating he would not appear. Ho asked to.have a warrant issued for the apprehension of McCoid, ,and that the summons in the case of Morrow be extended for 14 days. This was agreed to by the Bench.

. Ahoiheb CiSE.—William Stiahop and Joseph Hayes were also charged with having committed a breach of tho peace by/ fighting in Burke-strect, Grahamstown, on the 16th instant.—S lidhop pleaded guilty, and Hayes* also pleaded guilty, 1 but said ho only' acted in self, defence.—Sergeant Elliott asked / the Bench to hear the evidence, as the sceno was a disgraceful one.—John Casey deposed that he saw the men fighting. Slidhop was tho first to start the quarrel. He saw them when the quarrel was between Morrow and McCoid, and Stidhop tried to strike another man who wished to part them. Ho did not notico that either of them were drunk. -Tho Court ordered each defendant to becomo bound .ovor in his own recognizances in £20, and one Burety of £10 to keep the peaco for six months, and, to pay the costs of the case. " "' "

• Attempted Suicide.-John McNaughtan was charged,with attempting to commit suicide on tliei 6th instant.—Mr Macdonald appeared for the accused, and pleaded not guilty. — Sergeant Elliott stated the circumstances of tho caso, and called Mary, ;Davy, who rdepos.od: I reside in Williamson-street, Grahamstown. I know the accused. I live in a house nearly opposite his. I remember Friday, 1 the 6th August. From information I received I went to Mr McNaughtan's house abont half-past' 7 in the' morning. I saw tho accused. Ho was then in the auction room. Hp came out of the back room. He was then all over blood, and had a littlo chisel iu his hand. I did not see him do anything, with the chisel. He told me to go for the police. Instead of going for tho police I went for Mr Denby, who came over at once. A ccused was bleeding from wounds in his arm and neck, He had only his shirt on. After going for Mr Denby I returned to accused's house, and remained until tho police and Mr Denby camc. I did not seo accuscd uso tho chisel at all to wound himself. Accused did not make any statement to me.—George Denby deposed: . I am a; chemist and reside in Brown-street, Grahamstown. I know the accused. On the morning of the 6th of August, from information given to me by last witness, I went to the house of the accused at about a quarter to 8 o'clock. I saw accuscd standing in tho doorway of the back room. _ He had no other clothing but a grey shirt on. Blood was running down his beard and down his arm and legs on to the floor, It was dropping very quickly from his arm. I put my arm around him and' half carried him into the frout room and sat him on a sofa. I tore up a piece of liat which I had with mo and soaked it in a solution of chloride of iron, and tied it round his neck with a string. I applied tho same to his arm. Finding that the bleeding from tho neok had not ceased, I applied more lint and solution, and tied it tightly with a pockethandkerchief, and tied up his arm again with a woollen comforter, because tho blood continued to drop on the floor. I then asked him whether thero were any moro places. Ho did not speak, but pointed to the wounds on his side. Thcro wero two wounds thcro which I discovered on rising his shirt. They wore on tho left side. I then sent Mrs Davy for the police, and Sergeant Elliott came. Thero wore two wounds in tho arm and two in tho sido. I did not at first ascertain how many wounds there w.ere in the neck, but subsequently discovered there wero three, making seven wounds altogether, Accused'was tlicn very weak. I had no conversation with accused until after the wounds were dressed. I said to him," How came you to do this, John ?" He answered in a very low tone, almost a whisper, that ho did not. know, that ho was vexed. I asked him with whom ho was vexed, and he said himself. I then said," You've been drinking again." Ho said ho only had two glasses of brandy. I could not understand from him whether it was the night before or that morning. Sergeant Elliott then asked him what he made the wounds with. I think he told Sergeant Elliott it was with .the chisel which he (the Sergeant) then had in his hand. (The chisel and the blade and handle of a razor were produced.( I accompanied accused to the hospital, where Dr Fox was in attendance, —By the Court: I asked him whether he had been drinking again, because in tho December previous he had been drinking heavily, and had a fit in consequence, and he then promised me not to drink any more. I thought from the warmth of his head, and tho flushed appearance of his forehead, that he had been drinking when I asked the question.—Cross-examincd by Mr Macdonald: It was moro in tho form of an accusation than as a question. Ho was not intoxicated. I have known him for a long time. I heard from other persons, not from himself, that ho had been suffering from mental depression, arising out of some' annoyance which I know nothing about. Ho told mo after that he refrained from drinking as long as lie could, but that he was obliged to take a little brandy the night beforo. This conversation occurred after he was taken to tho hospital.—Sergeant Elliot deposed: From information received I went to the house of the accused on the morning of the 6th inst; He was in a front room with Mr Denby and Mrs Davy, His neck was bandaged up; also his arm. There was a quantity' of blood on his arm and liana, and also about his neck. He had his clothes on at this time. Ho appeared to have been in a very weak state. I said, " Oh, Mac, what did you do tliat for ?" ,He answered, partly in a whisper, "Idon't know; my head was wrong." He seemed to be perfectly conscious then. I asked bim what ho made tho wounds with. He said, in a very faint voice, " A chiseland on being asked where it was, ho pointed to a back room. I went there, and found in a corner behind the door, in a very dark place, tho chisel produced. It was on a small b<sx. I also found the handle of the razor produced. Close to this box was a large pool of, blood. In the next room I found of the razor produced. On going into the room where accused was I held up the chisel and asked was that it. He nodded his head, signifying assent. I ordered a cab, and accompanied accuscd to the hospital

wiili Mr Denby.—Dr Fox doposed: Inm surgeon tp tlio Thames Hospital. On the morning of August 6, between 8 and 9 o'clock, I examined the accuscd. I found on the right sido of his neok, two inchos from the middle line of tho larynx, two, wounds, each about half an inoh long. On the loft arm thero were two'wounds in the deltoid and bioeps muscles. There wero also two deep wounds about two inches and four inches below tho left nipple. These wounds I havo montionod were incised wounds of somo depth, such as would have becK made by a stab with somo sharp instrument, and their uniformity in length would lead to the inference that tho samo instrument had' inflicted them all. Besides these injuries I'found a shallow wound where the skin had been torn through for a length of two inches, extending from the left side of tho thraoea across the front of it. This was not moro than skin deep, and must havo been inflicted by some blunt instrument, The chisel produced is.tho instrument most likely to have inflicted tho six wounds, for tho length of tho wounds correspond exactly with the widtk'of the chisel. The blado ofthe rnzOr produced is quite likely to have made, tho seventh' wound. Accused remained'in the hospital until a few days ago.—Cross-examined: From my knowledge of the accused whilo treating him at the 'hospital I have reason to believe him to have been suffering from plethora, which might eauso despondency amounting to mental dcraligement.—,f3y tho Court: Tho manner and appearance of the accused when he was brought to r the hospital did not afford any ovidenco that ho had been drinking. He was perfectly sane all .tho whilo to was in tho hospital. —Mr Macdonald said that ho did not propose to call any evidence. Ho submitted that from tho ovidenco it might bo fairly deduced that accused had not been drinking sufficiently to excite to suoh arash act, and thatMn fact "it was caused by ■montal dorangement. This was borno out by the statement of accused to Sergeant Elliott when ho thought ho was dying, and by the evidence of Dr Fox. He concluded his address by asking tho Court to discharge tho accused. —Tho Bench dismissed the charge on tho ground that the malady which ho suffered under may have induced.him to commit tho act with which ho. was charged.