At the Quarter seesions on Wednesday 3 January, John Jones, 41, was charged with poisoning and killing three horses, the property of James Hamel

JOHN JONES, 41, was indicted for maliciously killing three horses, the property of JAMES HAMEL, on the 19th day of November. Mr. HOCKIN conducted the prosecution, Mr. STOKES for the defence. [James HAMEL, prosecutor, stated he was a farmer in Gwinear. Knew the prisoner very well, and had become surety for him in a replevin suit; and prisoner deposited a horse with him as security for himself about four months ago. About a fortnight before the horses were poisoned, prisoner asked him to deliver up the horse, which he refused to do. Prisoner then asked him what would happen if the horse should be killed in the mine. Prosecutor replied in that case he would pay for the horse. Prisoner then went up to the horse, pulled out some of his mane, and said "There, old Tiger, I shall keep this in remembrance of thee; I shall never have thee any more." Prisoner then went on with MATTHEW ROGERS, and about a mile on prosecutor overtook him. Prisoner asked him to take prisoner’s goods to St. Just, which prosecutor promised to do.] On the Sunday fortnight after that, the 19th of November, a horse belonging to MR. MICHELL was put into prosecutor's stable, and fed upon chaff. Michell's horse was taken out about four o'clock, and no other horse was put in the stable until the prosecutor put in his own the following morning. Prosecutor and Mr. Michell went away from the farm that afternoon, and passed close by the prisoner’s house. The next morning, prosecutor brought four horses from his field about two miles off and put them in the stable. They were then as well as ever they had been in their lives, and ate the chaff in the mangers as well as ever. Prosecutor cleaned down the horses, and then went in to breakfast, his house about 100 landyards from the stable. In about half an hour, on going again to the stable, he found the four horses lying back against the wall, none of them eating, and seeming very droopy. They continued ill that day. Prosecutor threw in corn to them; but they would not touch it. The next day, he went to the veterinary surgeon, ARMSTONG, who saw the horses. One of the horses died on Wednesday morning, another in the evening, and the third the following day. The fourth was ill for more than a fortnight. The three that died drank water very heartily. Prisoner works at St. Just, where there are plenty of burning houses. Prosecutor was afterwards present when prisoner was apprehended at his dwelling by TOBIAS INGRAM and SAMUEL JEWELL, who had some trouble apprehending him. It was a few days after the horses died. Subsequently, prosecutor found some powder in the manger, which proved to be arsenic. There was a quantity of it mixed up with the chaff. (Prosecutor produced some of this powder.) Two of the horses were worth ten pounds each. The other, which belonged to prisoner, was worth four pounds. Cross-examined: the action of replevin is still going on. JOHN GOLDSWORTHY corroborated the prosecutor's evidence as to finding the white powder mixed with the chaff in the manger on the Monday; and ROBERT MICHELL corroborated his evidence as to the previous condition of the manger. TOBIAS INGRAM, constable, received some of the powder from Hamel, and delivered it to Mr. Armstrong. Apprehended the prisoner at St. Just on the 27th of Nov., but prisoner got away; witness apprehended him the following day at his own house. WILLIAM CHARLES ARMSTRONG, veterinary surgeon, had been some years in the East India Company's service at Bengal. Was called in to see these horses on Tuesday, and as soon as he saw them considered they were poisoned, as one was in convulsions almost bordering on frenzy. They had every symptom of having been poisoned. After the horses died, he opened one which belonged to prosecutor, and took the contents of both stomachs. He tested it with a red hot iron, and it produced the smell of garlic, as is usual on applying hot iron to arsenic. Gave the rest of the stomach contents to MR. HUNT, of Falmouth, by direction of the magistrate. Found about 1 ½ ounce of arsenic in the stomach; one ounce would kill a horse. Had met with many cases of poisoning from the arsenic of burning houses. ROBERT HUNT, of Falmouth, Secretary of the Polytechnic Society, received on Friday last a bottle from Mr. Armstrong, the contents of which he had analyzed. Proved the presence of a large quantity of arsenic, consistent with that found in burning houses, as it contained traces of sulphur. Could have been procured from a druggist's shop. Arsenic was sold in such large quantities that the druggists were not particular in purifying it, but did not think it probable this was obtained from one. JOHN UREN, a lad, was at Hamel's on the Sunday afternoon. About four o'clock, prisoner came and asked in Hamel was at home. Witness told him no. Prisoner then asked if Hamel's wife was in; prisoner told him she was not, and asked him to come in and sit down. Prisoner said he could not stay, and went away towards Hamel's stables. Witness observed that he had something in his pocket, about the size of a dinner. Cross-examined; Prisoner might go to his home that way; but it was not his proper way. JAMES HOLMAN saw prisoner about five o'clock on the Sunday afternoon, about 15 paces from Hamel's stable door. MATTHEW ROGERS stated that on the Sunday fortnight before the horses died, he was in company with prisoner. After they had left James Hamel, prisoner said he had been asking Hamel to lend him the horse which Hamel refused, because of his being security. Prisoner then added "never mind; every thing that he has got shall die and lie on the ground as sheaves of corn on the field in harvest time." Witness said "John, do you know what you are telling of?" Prisoner said, "If I don't the devil shall receive my soul;" and this he repeated three times. MR. STOKES made a long and able address to the jury on behalf of the prisoner. The Chairman summed up the case very carefully, and the jury, after consulting about half an hour, returned a verdict of GUILTY. TEN YEARS' TRANSPORTATION.