4.--At the Norfolk Assizes, before Mr. Serjeant Atcherley, George Barber,
aged ten years, was indicted, upon the Coroner's inquisition, for
murdering John Smith, aged eight, by throwing him over Shotford Bridge
into the river Waveney, on November 6th, 1841. The only direct evidence
to criminate the prisoner was his own confession, which was extracted
from him by a witness who had chained him up and frightened him by
threats. The Commissioner directed the jury to acquit the prisoner, who
was afterwards received into the establishment of the Philanthropic
Society, St. George's Fields, London.
5.--A singular case was tried at the Norfolk Assizes, before Lord Chief
Justice Tindal. The defendants, John Utting and Anna Bunn, were indicted
for conspiring against one Daniel Durrant, of Winterton, a criminal then
under sentence of transportation for life. Durrant, at the Summer
Assizes in 1841, was charged with committing a rape upon Bunn, on whose
evidence and that of John Utting, a constable at Filby, he was convicted
and sentenced. Soon afterwards Durrant's wife died of grief, and Bunn,
labouring under the pangs of remorse, confessed to the Rev. Mr. Sidney,
of Acle, that the statements which procured the conviction of Durrant
were false. It was further shown that Utting had planned with Bunn to
ruin Durrant. The jury now found that Durrant was not guilty of the
charge on which he was convicted, and returned a verdict of guilty
against Utting, while Bunn, who had not been called upon to plead, was
discharged. Utting was taken before the Court of Queen's Bench, on May
9th, and was there sentenced by Mr. Justice Patteson to twelve calendar
months' imprisonment in Norwich Castle. "The issue of the prosecution
was that Durrant was restored to liberty and returned home. Only three
years ago he would have been executed for this crime. He was formerly an
innkeeper, with a good business. Through this unfounded charge he has
lost his wife, who died of a broken heart, and he and his three young
children are now destitute." Public subscriptions were made on behalf of
this unfortunate man.
16.*--"During the Assizes the Norwich Scholars ascended the tower of St.
Peter Mancroft and made a grand attempt to ring 6,729 changes of
Stedman's Cinques. They attained about 6,000, in four hours and a half,
after which the gudgeon of the tenor broke, which, with the stock and
implements, weighs 5,000 lbs. and upwards. It fell on the beams beneath
with a tremendous crash, but sustained no injury. The ringers were more
frightened than hurt."
--*"Messrs. Whaites, of Ingham, have, in two days during the last
fortnight, killed 116 couples of snipes; on the first day 54 couples, on
the second day 62 couples." Other remarkable feats of snipe shooting
were recorded during the year. On October 15th Mr. Robert Fellowes,
jun., killed, on Sir William Beauchamp Proctor's marshes at Langley, 60
couple; and on November 17th, at Rockland, Mr. Richard Crawshay killed,
at one shot, four snipe on the wing.
--The publication, by subscription, was announced of a new tragedy,
entitled, "De Valencourt, or the Fate of Extremes," by Mr. William Henry
Hoskins, principal tragedian and deputy stage manager at the Theatre
Royal, Norwich, and Mr. H. H. Hoskins, author of "The Spaniards' Ransom,"
&c. The publishers were C. Mitchell, Red Lion Court, Fleet Street,
London; Matchett and Co. and Bacon and Co., Norwich. The play was
produced at Norwich Theatre for the first time on May 14th. "In the
piece there is an imitation of Shakesperian language and dialogue; there
are many striking, and some touching passages, but allied with much that
is very strained and exaggerated."
23.--Mr. Abington, "a graduated member of Trinity College, Cambridge, and
also of the English Bar," who had adopted the stage as a profession, made
his first appearance at Norwich Theatre, as Hamlet.