The National Register. — London, England, 1817-12-08 00:00:00

DEC. S. case here eloseti for the prosecution, and Mr. Barton C arrow altiressed the jury. lie said, if their mitala were nut already made up on the eilie, he was most ready to procezd with the trial; but he rea lly thought, alter what had b:eii brand, that there voithi be nu pretence for sayin..; that the gentleman at the bar was guilty. The jury immediately acquitted the prisoner. CLERKEN WELL SESSIONS. TV F.-+D tY, Dec. 2. . - FR syn.—Robert Cousins was put to Ilte bur under an in. dictment charging hiw with unlawfully containing from John Long a chick, value 501. with inteut to defraud the said John Long of the said sum of money. John Lung depose:1,111 , 11 he keeps an hotel in flood-street, and that on the 1-.oth olJnite,lol6, the defendant cause to his house aunts 5 or 0 o'clock in the alternoiiii, t ami ng out ht• Caine from Mr. Joseph Long, who was then cutt6u.•d in a lock-isp,moase in Carey-street, and wa• aillisolized by Joseph Long to .wk far 501. ot witness. The &ft.:Want added, "if yell are dll/ie to let me pace that semi, l shall let ilia. out of • to•morrow morning.' Upon this state meat, wit sires was induced to give the deteitulain J cheek for 501. He should nut have• given it, had the d.tenulant nut said, that lie calla. from his nephew Joseph Lung, who bad authorized him, and with that mini he could let I out of custody. The check was given into the hands of the defendant, and with it lie went away. Soon after, lioweve•r, he returned, and told wit ness that the 501. was lint enough to release I , and that lie mast have 1001. Witness said that he was wiry, butt the defendant persisted, and repeated that he must have the 1001. addisig, that with it he could release Isis nephew, n t not with a smaller sum. He asked the defendant what lie had dune • the cheek for 501. and the latter replied, "0, 1 have torus that sip." 'l . he defendant never gave sup the cheek for 501. lie defendant called next day at the hotel and received DWI. check, again repeating that he was authorized by Alt. Joseph Long, and persisting that he had torn tip the cheek for 501. In July, Ibl7, witness received his eilill:Vbed cheeks from his banker's, and swung them n.is the cheek her 501. which he had given the defendant, and which lie had been told bail been destroyed. truss-examined.—Witless never said to the defendant that his nephew was too much in debt. Mr. Joseph Long paid the debt for which he had been arrested out of his own pocket, and wasuot liberated by the defendant's assistance. The de feinlaut was not arrested by him. The defendant had ap. pearLd before the insolvent Debtors' Court, had been op. posed by his creditors, but had notivitlistanding been dis charged. Witness was there himself in the character of a witness for one of the creditors, being subpoena...a for that purpose. Hu might have said to Mr. Sergeant Itanningtou nn that occasion, that the defendant had rubbed hint of 50t. He diet not appear iu the Court as a creditor for the pur pose of opposing the discharge °like detioidant. As soon as be ascertained the fact that lie had beed defrauded of 501. by the defendant, he applied to Bow_street for a wart:W.- 11e was a creditor under the commission of the defendant, but received no dividend. M the time he gave the defen slant the check fur 501. he might be iodebteil to him to that amount for goods liwilished to the hotel. He had no dealings Asia' a Mr. Hudson, as connected with the defendant. He never charged the defendant with this 501. as a civil dent but always considered it as a criminal transaction. He w.!nt to tha King's Bench prison, and there saw the defendant. He asked him how he came to lob hint of 301. ? and the defendant aeplied, " 1 ant sorry for it," ur words to that effect. In De cember, 1810, there was a final settlement of ger:011111S be• twsen himself amid the defendant ; and on the 13th( of July, )SIT, the check tor 501. he diseuveled lied been paid. Mr. Joseph Lung stated, that in June, Nth, he was con fined in the luck•up•house ill Carey-41 Tel ; but that lie never authorised the defendant to apply to his uncle for 501. or 1001. or any sum of money whatever. The defendaut had never accouuted fin the 501. he lied received. _ . Cross-exainined.—He never de,ired the defendant to apply to his uncle for any money ; awl nut a farthing was advanced by the deleild4nt ti‘ards his Uischaige from custody ; he never was ins(' uniental, either by iihmey ou credit, to his dis charge ; there was one bill at his discharge endorsed, but lie did nut know whether it was or was nut endorsed by the de fendant. . . . The banker's clerk proved that a check for 501. was paid to the order of Mr. John Long, and delivered over as cancel led on 13th of July, 11517. Alr. John Lung had been accus tomed to keep cash at the kunst. for twelve years. Mr..lllley, un the pail of the defendant entered into a long defence. lie stated that the defendant had been a respecta ble tradesman, tesiding in the neighbourhood of Oxford-street and had, unn: the present nufortunate transaction, constantly supplied the hotel in flood-street, of which the pi useetitur was the owner, with goods to a large amount. tie represented in strong colon pi the 11'110'1 mate situation of the defendant, who had already, previous tie his appearance in the Court, passed through one ordeal ; he had hero In ought before the Insolvent Debtoi's Court—hail gone through a long and.pain- Int examination—had !Well honourably discharged—aud was now again brought up ler aci 'initial charge uldefrauding the pi osecittoi of the sum of 301. fie really believed that the evidence given this day against the nutortiniate young man Was false ill too malty ireqieel" ; and he bail nu difficulty iii affii AAA i ig, that the defendant, When he asked ter the money, had no citactiml intention of dehauding that Mau with whom lie had di all in business fur so many years. He conscienti ously believed that, actuated by a beast of pity fur the un fortunate biltidtion of Mr. Joseph larg, with whom lie had been ter many years acquainted, lie had cone to :he uncle, had uesolichi, and hail been successful in oirtaining the 1001. Which he had uncurled for his release. I et, notwithstanding this noun. c Met on the part of the defendant, that young man whom ice iiitended to have served had now most ungene rously appeared on this Ilia' as a Willie's against his ti tend and hem/actor, tor the purpose of ilepming limi of his libel ty and tat all that was dear to him in this idle. He concluded by earnestly exhorting the gentlemen of the jury to weigh all the facts of the ease tugethei , and above all things nut to be hasty it) their decision. l'sro wituesses were called, who gave the defendant a good charamei. The jury found the prisoner—(:nifty; and, accompanied with a suitable Whiles . ., parUeul.trly touching upon the atio city of the case, Mr. Watsou delivered the sentence of the Court—iliat he ue transported for .”:alll. Ou SumLiy ev, Mug 140, auwr %Matto broke into the house of Air. t.re.•u of King-mai ri, Borough, while the family mere \►h r u tr. lUtoiuid home he limit(' a •keleton kr% in the 511(.1 t-dour, and mourd.atriy flare siren jumped out of the our p.m of stair:, a .11Jobs, and ctaped. Viii loos AI lives of hillell, AC. were packed up for removal ; but the rally booty that they carried off Mar 51. iu COrper. Tit NAT/ONA POLICE. MANSION -HOUSE. A STRANGE CABE.-- Wednesday, the Lord Mayor was sor prind by a most ex tram dims' y application from a young w;loo beued that *owe hattl.heatted fellows in the Borough sliotiia be compelled to gise him up his mother's head., The Lord Mayor.—" Your mother's head ! For the love of God, is it separated from her body e St4111:111.--" Vv., my Lord, they cut away the head, and told me 1 alight have t he body if pleased. Accordingly. I took the body, but I can't think of leaving the head behind, and 1 hope your Lord.hip will set it delivered to me." Lord Nlavor.--" This is the most strange *tibia I ever beard of. For God's sake, the man serious, in saying that his mother has lost her held Holder said, the charge was not without foundation. The poor teilow had spoken to him at an early hour upon the suotect, and seemed very touch agitated in desei thing his mother's death which, however, took place some days be fore her decapitation, in St. Thomas's Hospital. The Lind Mayor.—" Oh, then, it is of the surgeons of St. Thomas's you complain i" Sea•iian.—" Yes, my Lord, of the butchers there. They are willing to let me do what I please with the body, butare deter mined to keep the head for themselves as a curiosity, for my poor mother died of a tooth•oclie." The Loud Nlayor--" or a tooth-ache? This is still more esti dui - dimity . I have certainly beard that the most diet. Mal way of curing the tooth-ache is by cutting off the head; but I never before beard that such a eomplaiut would cause death." Mr. Holder said, the seaman meant that his mistime died in consequence of a bungling attempt to extract a tooth. The of the deceased had been so lacerated by the opera. tion that a gangrene look place, and death soon followed. She ILA been taken to St. Thomas's Hospital, where the sur geons, probably finding that the ea•e presented great no. velty, asked and obtained leave to examine the head. The seaman said, the moment he was told it might be of service to his tellow creatures, he allowed the surgeons to dissect the head ; but at the saint time that lie allowed that,. he never had ally notion of leaving any part of his another in their hands, and lie thought their refusal to give up the head was quite unnatural. He had had the body at home these two day s, and there it should lie until he had the means of making it complete by putting the bead in its proper place. The Lord •Slits or.—" They certainly are not justified in detaining the head, and should have restored it to you after it had . •1 their professional purposes." A gentleman in the medical line, observed to his Lordship, that he apprehended the professional purposes of the sur aeons. would not be answered until the heath was in pickle. The Lord Mayor —" This indeed is a very indefensible practice; besides it will terrify the relatives of patients who die in the hospital, by giving them reason to suppose that when they are following the deceased to their graves, they are following bodies without heads. or heads without bodies." The medical man said, the interests of society were para mount; and for his part, WM was going of in a disorder little known to practioners, lie would not care into how many pieces he was cut for the benefit of society. " And yet," (said the Lord Mayor,) although that is the com mon talk of physicians, I never knew one of the profession who had any inclination to have hi. homes dangling in an ana tomy room, or his head in a bottle." The physician observed, that there might be cases of' the kind winch were concealed in consideration of the preju dices of the weaker sex. The Lord Mayor.--" I don't know how we can prosecute resurrection men for stealing dead bodies, ifsuch practices are allowed. A thing of this kind .s more distressing to the feelings than a church yard robbery ; for our habits are such that we cannot endure the burial of a body peacemeal. Even in a field of battle we should go about anti endeavour to collect the mangled limbs of a friend, before we could think of covering an atom ahem with earth. At home, then, where the rightsof sepulture are attended to so scrupulously, it is barbarous to mangle a body and torture the feelings of a son by keeping the head of his mother for exhibition." The seaman said he had often seen death in it' most fright fol shapes, and had given many of his companions graves in distant parts of the world, where there was not whether bodies were buried or not, and in fact where he was indifferent whether in case of his own death he should un dergo that ceremony; but his mother was different, and he should go to the hospital, and stay there until his demand was agreed to, whatever reception he should meet with, even if they were to take it into their heads to cut off his own. The Lord Mayor said he felt convinced, that when the sur geons should considei the cruelty of persisting in the refusal, there could no longer be any hesitation. His Lordship or dered Cartwright, the marshalman, to attend the seaman to St. Thomas's, and inquire the cause oldie conduct complain. ed of. Upon his return, Cartwright astonished the whole office by saying OW he heard at the hospital that the seaman's father had sold the head fur a. pound to the surgeons. fie said, the poor son acknowledged be had been present awli..n the bar gain was made, but that he abhorred the proposal of dispos ing of the head at any price. In order to satisfy the Lord Mayor that a proper arrange. ment had been made about the head, the principal surgeon sent word that he would wait upon his Lordship. An investigation has been for some time going on at the Ilelire Offices into the conduct of several of the Officers, for appropriating to their own Use property, which under the **right of seal•';' they had taken from persons Chill vti with crimes. blr sheriff Alderson lately wailed on th • Lord Mayor, and slated that he had a serious charge to 1113kC against one of the City Office's, lot ha Viii ap,.ropriated t his oun use propel!) which he had taken Iron' a wretched prostitute, who was convicted of a robbery, and way now stiticting punishment (io• the offence. M ro ii tae keeper of New gate, stated. that at the last Old Raney Session,. woman named ,Nary Al Austin. was convicte d of stealing from a Serit ant of Artillery a considerable • sum or inoue).-- 'the Officer alluded to by the Sheriff had lir r to custody.— At the Mite of her apprehension she had val ions 'intr.( s ut Wearilitt el, seven duplicates for p1 , 412eil proper!), and 45. nil. in money. the whole of this the Office•'• had seized. and had rendered Ito account to the SiieriN. The Other i ad mitted the fact, and said, the man woo !Adis robbed was so poor if,.. the esqlellSe prWeelltiOn had fallen upon lido Oitic.•l). :u metes of whirl, he had the 410 p,” rates on tat cotivie•t, Ile had fetleensed, but um hieing able t.. sell the •a, of had returned them to the l'awnar''ker , who had given one guinea. lie also sand he had been ordered by the late Lori/Mayor to retain Um articles in question, on her ex- ~~ . k• ti,r /cry probably the product of the I. ' , -mild not believe that alderman 10 .1... to have at alt netioned such a . proceediniz. He wr old. itat.ever, din at Park on the atwjei t ; and in the mean time hi: 'tied the Officer front all employ nsent in tht Police. ..r, ag it to lie iiis intention to lice all his oxerttoos to atop . hugs to ilisgrretful to the Police of the cir; . ' A LL. IHtilltr.n AssAtr., . .'TEMPT TO STEAL DP:AU HONES. —Slone , Mr. .• ...e vestry 'desk of Lambeth and sev, a. slisgeo isl.....heera, attended before the Magistrate, Mr.vtimiffiers, to prefer a charge against twoanen, named Thomas Ditffin and John Marshall, under the following cir cumstances :—lt appeared that the burial ground of Lambeth has for a considerable' time past to en the scene of trantaw lions of the most daring and horrid description. •flie depo sitories of the dead have been nightly invaded, and the feel ings of surviving relatives exceedingly harrowed, by the de predations upon their deceased friends of that callous gang of wretches known by the name of Body Snatchers, a host in. ilnstry in their disgusting trade has been particelarly eked in the new burial ground a 4 Lanibetli. Tile Parish officers have been frequently called upon by the iiilmbitants to adopt some effectual arrangements for the diseinitinnanco of those nefarious practice,. In compliance with the general wish, they ordered ;Mr. John Seagar, the sexton, to procure some persons to keep a nightly watch, he accordingly Inn d two men for that purpose, and instructed than to be vigilatit in their duty ; still the ground was robbed ; ecarcely a night passed without a body being stolen, and yet the otiendera were not discovered. Mr. Seagar at last determined to watch in person attended by his son and a young man named John Sharp. On Saturday night they coucealed themselv es i n a convenient part of the Initial-ground, and about le o'clock observed two men passing over the graves. They first pro ceeded to that part of the ground where there were two mats traps set, which they let rid ; they then proceeded to the bone house, 'oroke it open and provided themselves with spades, and immediately afterwards commenced their operations upon a grave wherein a body bail been deposisted the pre. ceiling day. Mr. Seeger continued to watch their proceed ings; they dug till the spades struck a coffin. Mr. Seaga,- then cause from his concealment, and called to these tiler to desist and surrender themselves; he then discovered to his great astonishment, that they weie the identical persons whom he had hired and paid to protect the ground. Marsh..ll sprung from the grave, and with dreadful imprecations swore that he would murder Mr. Seeger, and at the sante time made a desperate blow at him with a spade and knocked him d own ; he was about repeating the blow, when Mr. Seagai 's soli flew to the protection of his father, fired a pistol at Marshall, and wounded him in distill arm ; he then thought proper to Sur'. render. In the mean time, the primmer Malin attacked John Sharp aWI a drawn sabre, and cut him dangerously in the forehead Sharp had armed himself with a poker, with which lie maintained a conflict of several minutes, and at last brought his adversary to the ground. They conseyed their prisoners to the watch-house, when they discovered they were both very much wounded; a surgeon dressed their wounds. They continued in the watchdionse all night, and in the morning a ere condocted before the Magistrate. The :Magistrate ordered the prisciiers to be brought up for further examination on Monday next, when the solicitor for the palish will attend to conduct the prosecution. Tuesday Win. Stanley and Wm. Slade were ['meek up , for re.examination upon a charge of sheep stealing. The prisoners were kept apart by direction of the Magistrate, and after their apprehension ou Saturday, the prisonee Stanley stated, that he would make confessions of consider& ble importance relative to the crimes in which he had been concerned, it the Magistrate would ailinit him as evidence for the Cross n. The Magistrate expressed his willingness to hear the confessions of the prisoner, but could give no assurance that he would be admitted as King's evidence. The pri soner made the following confession :—" The name of the other prisoner is not Slade, but Chamber'. He and I stole three lambs lin Friday night, about 12 o'clock, froth a field in Kent, about 8 miles off. I can show the place. We took the lambs out of one 6^ld into another, shoot 100 cards off, to kill them ; we left the heads and skins in a ditch. About a month ago we stole a sheep fronts field near the same place; we killed it, took it into London to a lodging house for beg. gars, kept by a woman named Horton, in White's-yard. Rose. inary_lane ; we retailed it to the beggars at 4d. per pound, and lei the landlady have some for aid. 'flie skin and h ea d we l e r( under a hedge, where we killed the sheep. About a fortnight ago, we stole a sheep out of a field near Camberwell, and disposed of it at the seine house, and iu the same manner. When I was hopping in Kent, with Chambers and another tan. we , 101 e three sheep at different times and ate them. About a month ago, Chambers and I stole a donkey from a farm yard 011 the Maidstone road, and sold it for 10s." In consegneuce of the informatior given by the prisoner Stanley, the officers Nlay. Goff, and Hall proceeded to the various places mentioned by him; they took the prisoner with them, anti the discov,ries they made corroborated the cir. elimatancei in his confession. In the places mentioned by Stanley, they found skins, heads, and plucks of sheep, and by means of the marks on the •kins they were ell:lined to discover the ()woe's. It appeared that Mr. Joseph Carter, of Mottingliant, Kent, was robbed of three lambs; 41111 John Fort, his servant swore to the skiiis whit+ had been f. rind by the officers, end which were pro_ diced ui Coin t Mr. Richard St.lirlies, of FJOldin, in Kent, was lobbed ot'a sheep on the 29th ot October ; Mr. Starnes ideutiti d OM. of the skins found by the officers. to have belonged .0 lu. sheep. The patties were hound over to proseeilie in the cases of Mr. Carter and Mr. Starnes, and the prisoners are to iie to ought up again on a future day, when many other charg. s of a similar nature will be prefet red against them. On Saturday se'sinizht, ti'. I. prig .nt rs, ha ot re confined in a cell .$ll the around door of r Cu. tra..l, con trived to make an aperture through the ,Lou, %kirk they got ACCC“ to the foontiotetm of the buil,h, ;, Is re n.u. n t ti part of the 'tone Nnrlt of %shit h. tan of thum gotA .e.ti off. A %%as Ito 'he act of foth.oing, hut nas btopp7 mi d se _ cured. It will be recollected. that some time, since. a psoposal was Made by the Court of Vi,ona, to supply this country witiisa large quan tity of midi, r from the tor•sts of trsana and Dalmatia for the use or the navy ; and that the value of it was to be set se against part of the dent due from Austria to England. remits were then or soon afterwards, employed to esantine the timber, and decidc wiwther it would be worth the exocnse of tranyurt. cia Austrian Govern ment did not propose to ear. yit either. A .outtact tas :dace been wade with tit) unere.,ant:4 t.ir the c inveya.ax: or it to Eng land front Tneste and titc Dalmatian ports. Tlic contract is fox Sts ),000 loads of timber, and one of the cootiyetoxs it dicadron hilt way to fur...dun:addle periumfacc of it.