Star. — London, England, 1820-07-29 00:00:00

V There was no plqndering on the premises. .The rest of his testimony.Waxsimilar to that of the other witnesses• William Heaven proved that he found in the privy some papers and a tin box, which he gave to the Co roner's Jury. . Adam Reid proved that he well knew Mr. Parker and his housekeeper ; saw the bodieiz no one lived in the house but those two ; recognized,* body of Sarah Brown ; could not distinguish Mr. Parker ; the shoe and foot of one leg were nearly 'entire ; thought it was Parker's foot and shoe; saw a good deal of jewellery on the floor in the parlour; the de ceased had been a fancy jeweller ; witness knew some of the jewellery before as belonging to the deceased. William Raven proved, that he made shoes for Mr. Parker ; saw the bodies ; recognized Sarah Brown ; knew the shoe on the foot of the other body ; thinks it was of witness'.s making ; had mice stretched that shoe, so as to break k on each side of the strap ; had - no doubt of the shoe; Parker's foot was particularly high on the instep ; had no doubt the foot of the body was Parker's. William Patten, a surgeon, proved, that he saw the bodies; Parker's skull was fractured in several places ; the blows seemed to be given by a circular blunt instrument; thought it must have been a ham mer ; they must have caused instant death ; the female's head was fractured in two places ; the face much bruised; the fractures must have caused in stant death. Thomas Cole, publican, at Portsmouth, proved that he saw the prisoner at Portsmouth a month be fore the murder ; lodged with witness; prisoner left witness on the 19th of February; he' then owed witness 51.; borrowed 1/. of witness then to go to London. Prisoner said he was going there to sell some goods, and to see his father and friends. Wit ness was repaid on the sth of March at noon, by a labouring man, who took away the prisoner's trunk ; he was paid by a 51. note; saw the prisoner once after this in Portsmouth. When he lodged with witness lie went by the name of James Watson. Cross-examined.—Prisoner had valuable goods, chiefly silk. When sober, the prisoner was very peace able and quiet ; had the opthalmia when living with witness ; did not wear spectacles. Francis Faulkner, coachman of the Hero Coach— drives all the way ; recollects prisoner ; on the 4th of March took him up at Mouse-hill, 36 miles from London; had a small bundle with him ; he sat on the box ; :said he had come from town to Milford by the Chiche-ter coach that morning ; shewed witness a coral, which he said he had found ; it was in a tar nished state ; left him at the Fountain Inn, Ports mouth, at six that eveniug. Cross-exami.iel—But for the way-bill should not have remembered the day. Ann 'Kirby lived at Portsmouth ; air unfortunate woman :here ; rust knew prisoner in November; knew him by the name of Watson; knew him tilt lie left P. rtsmonth in February ; he had a nephew there; the nephew called him Watson. Prisoner said he was going to London, to get 'son* money; saw him on his return from London, on the 4th March; said he had come from•Woolwicit, from his friends; said lie aad another rode on hot seback to Mouse-bill, and from thence he came by the coach ; said be ar- 1 rived at eight, and came to witness directly ; pri soner slept with witness that night, at the Red Lion. Next day, at breakfast, prisoner sent a man to Mr. Cole's, with a note to pay £4. 15s. Bd. The man returned with a trunk and some change in a paper. Prisoner slept four nights more there with the wit ness. After that, the witness was afraid to sleep with him. He threatened to kill witness, and was so alarmed in his sleep—would cry out in his sleep, 44 What's that !" and call on some name, Betsy or . Sally. In consequence of this, wines left prisoner. He gave witness ear-rings and a shawl, and 15s. in money. Witness occasionally slept with him after wards—his behaviour in the night continued the same. Prisoner said he had killed two men and one woman—the men in duels : it was a secret, and wit ness must not divulge it. He killed the woman by striking her, but he did not like to hear of it.. Pri soner often went to the Play after he returned from London, and dressed differently to what he had done before—a hat instead of a cap, and white top-beots— let his whiskers grow, which he did not before, and wore silver spectacles. This witness underwent a very long and severe l cross-examination, but she did not deviate materially from her original story. William Duffey, nephew to the prisoner, was at Portsmouth in March ; first saw prisoner at Ports mouth in November ; his name is James Nesbett ; he went by the name of Watson in November; he said he went after his mother's name. On the 4th of March, saw the prisoner at seven in the evening ; said he came from Woolwich by the coach ; said be had seen witness's mother at Woolwich. On the sth of March, saw the prisoner anti Ann Kirby at the Red Lion, at half-past ten in the morning; never saw them together again; after he was removed, witness received a letter from him ; witness destroyed it ; don't know that the signature 14 James Nesbett" was the prisoner's hand-writing. The letter asked witness to get a man and Mr. Cole to take their oaths that prisoner had desired the man to pay money to Mr. Cole by a £5 note, which Ann Kirby had sworn to be a £lO note, and wanted witness to go to Mr. Carter to get sonic money which was taken from him when he was apprehended ; also wanted to know if Ann Kirby was coming against him ; if she did, he would have her cropped, for she was the worst enemy he had. Witness did not know what " cropped" was. Joseph Irish, watchmaker at Portsmouth, said:— Prisoner came to witness on the 10th of March—left a repeating watch to be cleaned—it was cleaned— prisoner called for it on the 18th. Witness saw the watch afterwards in possession of Barnard Solotnons. It was an old fashioned watch, and very particular. Prisoner brought back the watch the. same day—k had stopped—he called for it again in a few days-, he asked its value? Witness said it was worth £5. lie said, 44 Is it not gold ?" Witness said, he had thought it was. Prisoner said, it had been in his fa mily 100 years. He bad the watch away. Barnard Solomons, pawnbroker, at Portsmouth, knows the prisoner ; be came to witness's shop on the 22d of March ; produced a waMb—(last witness iden tified the watch, • as the one cleaned by him)—asked ten guineas for it ; said it had belonged to his de ceased father ; he was 83 years old. when he died.-- Witness would not give that price for it. Prisoner , said he had some old.silver at the creme Inn, and would call the next day ; he took away . the.watch, and called the next day at three.; heproduCed the Watch and several spoons ; six or seven tablespoons,' and as many tea-spoons; they weighed 17 ounces.—' Witness bought the whole for I.:0. 6s. 6d. (witness produced the spoons), they are marked T. P. M. and some H. H.M.P. Prisoner said his name was Page;' witness sold some of the spoons, but afterwards got most of them back. Prisoner acknowledged that these were the spoons and watch he sold to witness. Edward Hunt, jailor at Portsmouth, arrested the prisoner on the 23d of March ; went with Thomas Hill, at half-past eleven at night ; found him at the Red Lion; he was alone. When I entered he pulled out a pistol ; I caught it by the muzzle; Hill fol. lowed me; in the scuffle I fell, but got it from him; he drew another pistol; Hill and the landlord laid hold of him ; I got up ; we secured him, and got away both the pistols; one was loaded with powder and wadding, nearly to the muzzle ; no flint then ; the other had balls, and a flint, and priming ; Hill searched him, and found three keys ; they opened a trunk, and a box in it ; they were in the bed-room ; the prisoner's room ; in the large trunk were clothes, a coral, and a file ; there were remains of a mark on the coral ; it had been filed away, as it appeared by the file we found ; there was a cap, with a geld band, and a pair of trowsers burnt at the hip, a woman's apron, and also a pair of spectacles, not silver. In the little box I found a gold witch, a pair of silver tongs, marked M. H. a silver sauce ladle, two table spoons, six tea-spoons; the maker's name on the watch was sick, London; several rings, brooches, chains, ear-rings, pins, and various ornaments, all of gold ; also'some.knee-buckles. They were all shewn to the prisoner—he asked for an inventory—he said they were all his. Cross-examined.--Prisoner said he had bought some of the things of two men, named Pearce and Carlisle. This was three days afterwards. Thomas Hill—Accompanied the last witness, and corroborated the whole of his statement; he produced the watch and a gold chain and seal, and another seal engraved T. P. with various other of the articles Men tioned by Hunt, particularly the silver spectacles, marked T. P. which were found op the prisoner's per son, witness charged the prisoner with the murder.— He replied—" You know but little about that yet; but you will know a great deal.more." Henry Ridout, High Constable of Blackheath.—l have known the prisoner many years ; as long as I have known him he has gone by the name of Nesbett ; prisoner's father is now living,. he is quite a poor man. From October to March the prisoner was ab sent from Woolwich ; Reid gave me some articles from the fire—jewellery (witness produced then") ; they _resemble those found on the prisoner in fashion and date. I took down -what the prisoner said at Portsmouth, and read it over to him, in the presence of Hill, on the 28th of March. No threat or pro mise was used to him—(The paper was produced, and identified by the witness).—l saw the prisoner sign that paper " James Nesbett"—tThe paper was read, and put petted to be an account of the pri soner's purchasing, of some men whom he met near Woolwich, the articles found 'Ton him at the time of his apprehension).on the 11th of April, prisoner made another communication to me in the Jail at Maidstone. I took down what he said; hut not in his presence, nor did I ever shew it to him—(Wit ness was allowed to read the paper).—lt was a con-' fession that the prisoner had been concerned in the MU! der, with four other men, who were then out of the country, and who, if they could be found, would, he thought, clear him. John Jackson, son-in-law to Mr. Parker, who had been a fancy workingjeweller, and left off business 25 years ago. I know this watch ; it was Mr. Par ker's(this was the watch produced by Hill); I know these spectacles, they were Mr. Parker's—(these wet e the strectacles found upon the prisoner); I know this table spoon marked T. M. was Mr. Parker's —(this was produced by Mr. Solomons)—I know these four tea• spoons, they were Mr. Parker's--(these also were produced by Solomons). The witness also identified some other articles. Upon his cross-examination, it appeared that the witness had not known those at tides to be in the pos session of Mr. Parker at or near the time of the mur der and robbery. Jackson, grandson of Mr. Parker.—l believe that watch to have been Mr. Parker's ; and this also from having repaired it myself. I remember the chain likewise; Mr. Parker used spectacles ; I know no thing of these spectacles ; I can swear to these sugar tongs ; speaking of the articles produced. J. Elliott, working-jeweller, and Edward Cherill, who succeeded Mr. Parker in business, deposed as to part of the property. The case for the prosecution was then closed, when The prisoner, being called upon for bis defence, spoke as follows :—He left Woolwich about the 9th of November last. He went to Portsmouth, and from thence he went to France. He returned back again to England, and resided for some time at Portsmouth. On the 27th of February last, he met Ann Winter, who now called herself Ann Kirby, in the High -street, Portsmouth. That was one Satur ' day, and he expected to embark for France on the satne day. He went to her lodgings in the middle of that' day, and staid with her some time. He had given up his own lodgings the day before. The packet did not sail on the Saturday, but on the Mon day, and he staid with Winter to that time. Hetook his nephew to her lodgings. They went into the Red Lion to have some grog. He bad no change but four half-guineas and three guineas. • He had strong evidence in Portsmouth and .Woolwich, which, if he had had money to bear their expenses, he would have produced, to prove what he was now going to say. l He offered to pay the landlady with this money, and' asked for the change out of half-a-guinea. The land lady returned it as light. He then offered her a guinea. She said—" I don't like this money; I have not seep any for so long a time, that I don't know when it is right and when it is wrong." He replied—" I can sinew you a good deal more gold," and thereupon pulled out his purse with the guineas. Upon that his nephew paid the reckoning. He slept with Winter that night, and in the morning found he had lost two of his guineas. He taxed her with having stolen them. Abe denied the charge, and said it was another girl. He and she had several squabbles on that head. He then vent to France, and brought back with. him a young woman, a servant, who-lodged with him a month a Cole's. Ire met Winter oat diet in the Mea t amihe asked hge if the bad seen his mo* whilst he was in France? she said no: he was nol in her company Spin until the 29th of November. Two days. before that he bid sent off his property to town. sit consisted of 170 yards of purple silk, six dozen of silk stockings, 1100 yards of lace, 24 yards of Frenchcambric, for whitfi l he had paid 22 francs per yard in France: having laid out most of his money there, he had only g 7 when he landed. He lived at Cole's for some time, indeed until his bill amounted to nearly £l2. He then paid £7, and told Cele that he bad no more money until be had sold his property in London.— Cole knew that he had sent it there. Cole paid 17s.' for its coach-hire, and lent him three shillings more to carry him to London. Being in want of money, he sold part of his stock to two Jews for the sum of £l4. He then went to his own house at Woolwich, and stayed there to the 24th. On - that day, he went back to London, to sell his goods ; but, finding that all strangers were looked upon with suspicion, owing to Thistiewood's proceedin_g s being discovered, he went to the Cross Keys, in Bishopsgate-street. The pri soner then detailed his transactions for two or three days subsequent to this period, and related how he purchased the articles of jewellery, in a manner which did not differ much from the statement he had made to Mr. Ridout, on the 11th of April. In order to get to Portsmouth, after he left these men, he took a Chi chester coach as far as Mouse-hill. There he met the coach which carried him to Portsmouth. Whilst there, he met Ann Winter again. She went with him to hi.: lodgings, and slept with him three nights. A man, in her presence had received a £5 note to pay Cole's bill. In her depositions, before the Magis trate, she swore that it was a £lO note; but she had now sworn that it was a £5. Winter and he fell out on the third day, and he did not see her again for some time after. On the 12th of Marcb, he met her accidentally ; he said to her, " Why, you don't bear spite, do you ? She replied, " D--n me, you would have murdered me if you could the last time I was with you." " What!" said I, " why I have killed many men in my time, and I could kill a woman with a blow. These were the expressions she had converted into, " He had killed two men in a duel, and a woman by an accidental blow." He had never said or done any such thing. He had got testimonials from the Offi cers of his regiment of his character for seventeen years. They were now in the bands of his Counsel, who, he hoped, would produce them. After his ap prehension, Mr. Hunt, the jailor, had inserted in all the Pacers that he had once before been triedjor mut , - der. That was untrue. Mr. Hunt had also asserted that he had seduied a young Lady from her family: that was as false as the former charge. It was done to create a prejudice against him. He could assure the Jury he had fairly bought the articles. He stated that he had received a severe wound in the head whilst in the service of his country. He could not speak any longer, but he had some witnesses whom he should like to hate called. Mr. ANDREWS informed the Court that he did not think the witnesses whom the prisoner wished to call were advisable witnesses, and declined calling them. He certainly had certificates from Officers in the pri soner'iregiment, stating his good conduct : but as they were nct evidence, and related only to his con duct previous to the murder, he could not put them in. The prisoner insisted that the witnesses he had named to his Counsel should be summoned. The first witness called was, _ _ John Nesbett, the AOll of the prisoner, a lad ,of _about 14 years of age ; the boy cried violently. The prisoner, on looking at Mm, also burst into a flood of tears. The witness swore that he remembered a pair of nankeen trowsers of his father's being burnt in the waistband, in their own kitchen, long before Mr. Parker's house was burnt. John Cole, being recalled, said the prisoner had MO in goods when he left his house in the month of February. The prisoner was quiet when he was sober; he paid witness honestly. He took about forty pounds worth of property in contraband goods`upon the coach from witness's door up to London. Mr. Hunt was before the Magistrate when Anne Winter gave in her deposition against the prisoner. He thinks that she said it was a £lO note. W. Duffey (examined by prisoner) complained that some young woman, not Winter, had robbed him. The prisoner then asked, why, if he had been rest less and sleepless while he was with Winter, it had not been endeavoured to be proved that he was rest less and sleepless while in prison? Two persons had sat up with him every night, and they could prove that he was very quiet in his sleep. He should like them to be called. The Jailor, in whose custody he had been, on being asked by the' Judge whether those persons were in Court ? 'replied that they were not. They were two persons under sentence of execution in the prison. The prisoner was proceeding to make other desul tory observations, when he was ordexed by the Judge to be silent. Mr. Baron WOOD then summed up the evidence with great care and impartiality. The Jury deliberated about ten minutes, and re turned a verdict of—Guilty. The JUDGE then pronounced the sentence of the law in the usual manner, ordering him for execution on Monday next. Immediately after the sentence was concluded, the prisoner said to the Court—" The laws of my coun try have found me guilty of murder, but I am not guilty of it; the man who committed it is now in this town." Nesbett has the appeiftnee of a goodglooking man of the seafaring class.-Hiltibntenience is determined, but betrays no markikifft44C ; During the trial he exhibited in general' glen'. , ess, we might al most say great hardihood, except when allusion was made to his father or his children. While Anne Winter, the woman with whom he cohabited, was t under examination, his agitation was extreme, but of, a different desc-iption. He evinced great self-pos session while the sentence was pronouncing, but it deserted him, and he left the Bar in teas. His mother, his wife, and two fine children were in Court, and were much affected. ' GROSS OUTRAGE. TWA LING V. GEORGE Auoynts nag.' This was an indictment against the Defendant, a half-pay qaptaiti in the Nayy, employed in the .ser vice of the Customs, for assaulting and wounding, • . . - tOrzik• ep. !with, $ Melt K. Ai, deb.,thicher, at Ilithe , on t'le 16th otAfFi t 1818. The "WM haves charged the Jury, that if ti'e defendant-fts hotelde acting . under the impression that the prosecutor was conveying smuggled, spirit:, it would be their duty to find him not guitty, be cause he appeared 'to be a legally authorized Officer of the Customs. At the same time. however, if they were of opinion that he had no ground for entertain. In* dot Impression, they were bound to find him guilt, r or i 4 supposing he. bad exceeded his duty, or had dried with mare violence than was justifiable, though hieconceived himself merely acting in pur suance of hit duty, still he would be guilty. Hi,. Lordship dwelt with considerable emphasis on chow circumstances of the ease which appeared favourable to the supposition that the dettirdant acted honestly in the discharge of his duty, and net from wa n t ( ' severity towards the proseeutor; The Jury retired tot about halt an hour, and rt . :: turned a verdict of Guilty. MANstox-HousE.—A young married *Orient; of respectable connections, was charged b- Mr. Mott, jeweller, of Bishopsgate-street, with robbing hi m o f two gold rings. Mr. Mott staved, that on Th.ltsd, ty . evening the prisoner asked to see some wedding He handed her three cards, containing six each. prisbner put them into her lap and began to exarn;ne them. The witness looked with some caution, having observed a gilt ring upon one of her fingers. She returned the card , after having shuffled them about and selected a ring, for which she said she would give the price demanded (10s.) if Mr. Mott %void,: f ake the money in copper.. Mr. Mott then perceived toia two of the rings had been removed from the cal d, and gilt rings substituted. He gave the prisoner to un derstand that he guessed at what had taken place, but she declared her innocence, and called for ao im mediate search. The witness had not seen her ex change the rings. He would have put up o fth the loss from compassion ; but he was as blt.o ' . there was a sun above him that she had e , 4el the rings. When he desired her to leave hi sh e said she never would till she was searched ; bf. iffte she desired to be searched, he had told her tha . wai inconvenient to have it done, when she became 0r , .! violent. Witness then told his servant girl, and as ung Lady, who was in the stop at the time, to search her. The rings were not found upon her, but his convic ticn was unalterable. Finding that. she prevaricated very much in the account slie gave of herself, he put her in the custody of at; Officer, by whops she was taken to the Compter ; but still he . did slot wish to prosecute. The LORD MAYOR said, he ;should wil lingly second the intentions of Mr. Mott, if any dou:A was entertained by him as to the lOss of the rings. :‘ , lr. Mott said, it would be false and foolish in him to question the -manner of the loss. The cards v:e.c filled with gold rings when he handed them to t:,e prisoner. An Officer, who took her to the Comore:, produced a gilt ring, which he. took from her give in her way to prison. The prisonir declared her in nocence, and mentioned as a prod* of it, the natunl boldness with which she, at the moment, sought to vindicate herself. Her husband,cross-examined Mr. Mott. 'He asked him whether is was not possible for his boy, who remained in the shop in-his absence, to suL stitute the gilt rings ? Mr. Mott replied, that his boy had an unexceptionable character; and if the ririp were not all gold, he should, upon handing them to the Lady, have immediately discovered it. The hub ' band said, the fact was, she had lost her wedding ring, and, being afraid to mention the loss to him, rt placed it with a gilt one until the could get one le sembling that with which be. had_ married her. Un der these circumstances she had gone to Mr. Mott's, and had been accused of the crime of another person. Prisoner begged that the young Lady, who had be a present when she was searched, shOuld be sent for.— She (the prisoner) had taken off all her clothes, which were closely examined. The LoaD Mayoa imme diately sent for the young Lady, who stated, that the search was by no means a scrutinous one. There vas no variance between her evidence and that of Mr. Mott. The husband then begged that the LORD MAYOR would postpone the case for a few.days. Mr. Mott had no objection; on the contrary, he wished, .for the sake of the prisoner's family, who were un conscious of her conduct, to have her discharged but the LORD MAYOR said, the case mast go before a Jury. The prisoner then fell backward into the arms of the Officers, and her husband, whose voice was almost choaked with grief, declared, that he Would try, in another-Court, upon the acquittal of his wife, whether satisfaction could not be obtained for her. She was then fully committed. - Very awful thunder storms visited Shropshire on Monday and Tuesday. The wheat crops are. beat down and inundated is many parts where the- rain fell in columns. In the vicinity of Shiffhal -the. storm was very violent. At Harmer-hill the gardens of the cottagers, as well as much tillage land, are seriously injured, and the Chester coach with difficulty pro ceeded to Shrewsbury. - Near Lea-hall the road was furrowed half a yard deep, and the banks and fences are demolished. On Monday - evening, about six o'clock, the-neighbourhood of Neon Savage, Salop, was visitecrby a tornado, which proceeded in a north west direction from the paper-mill at that place, for about a mile and a half; and at the distance of every 500 or 400 yards, emitted from the earth, with asto niihing rapidity, to all appearance, a flame of fire enveloped in a thick smoke, and filling the air with cocks of hay to an amazing height; tearing up trees of a considerable size by the roots, breaking down the standing corn, unroofing the buildings which stood in the way, and causing both man and beast to flee with fearful aspects.—We have not heard af any personal injury sustained. COAL MARKET, JULY - IS. Ships at Market. Ships Sold. Price. 60 Newcastle 50f 51s 6d to Mt 3t l 13 Svadesiand 10 • 34s Od to 4ls Ed lithium! Coal 1k 52$ Bd to 00s Od COUNTRY MARKETS. Chirotio,-Jetx 27.—The price of a Bushel of Wheat Bs. load. Tim Balf-peck Loaf, Wheaten, is. 104.—Bousehold, / s.eld. AMORY, JULY 27.—Wheat Os. Od. to los. Od.—Beans ss. a te Is od—Vetches, Os Od per busiteL--Dadey, SU to 38s — Oats, 24s Od to 20s Od per inartimeralead, 1s 1114 half peck: Flour 575. per sack. HIGH-WATER at Morning Afternoon 4 BRIDGE ToridOßß - Gl i r 13 minutes after 3 - 34 -- 5 LONDON; Printed and published by Levu Kiri, rain- Place, Tenvit•Dar. ,