The National Register. — London, England, 1818-06-07 00:00:00

0 LAW INTELLIGENCE. COURT OF KING'S BENCH, liolnAy, jeNE 1. IliX KING. V. J. MI:MI.110N, PW. Mr. Scurktt moved for the judameut of ill.. Court upon the dettnlaut,who inunethately btu:A up in ti unt of the Jury box. Mr. Justice Abbott then proceeded to rend his notes of the first trial, %lg.—that upon which 31r. 31crceroti was etarged with linvilig anrnplitinmsly applied 921 1 . of the pa r;4ll money, to the payment ut• the bill nf eosts of Dann and I'rnshland, 116 soiit•iuns,tor contittetim.: his defence, upon in rl:ctoients I.,eoivasly preferred again., his,. The facts of hi% e beef, so recently detaile•l in our columns, that it mint a -our we •heuld retorat then'. read'aig (f this I:coort occupied au hour and a quarter, ea.d al the eutsclo•ion. r Ir. Scarlet t another iui ictunent agotirt4t defendant, the roeLciliorga upon which, he reguerted c. eht also lie r••a•1. _ . :`•lr. Justice Alatott then read his report or the trial of the tlefeild.int tit he si emu( inilietinent, v.hieli imputed to him t'.e oflenec of granting licences to public houses improperly ; trmi -which he \la, also found guilty. . The rerort been gone thiongli, the flefenuant was it:keit, %%nether he lonl any affitios its to submit to the Court. _ The defendant answered in the Animal ivroml his Solicitor bolded in several, svhielt were read by Mr. Barlow. The first was an Affidavit sworn by the defendant himself. and Junes Wilmot 1..1,11, of IVellutlitstesquare. In this the defendant, for lane - elf, stated, fun. 211 years last past end up wards, lie had been a Justice of the Trace fur the county of I liddlesex, and Deputy Lieutenant of the Tower Hamlets ; t..at for the same space uf time be had been a Commissioner o :sewers for the Hulbure mid Finsbury division, and for the ';'oeuer Hamlets; and dill ing the last seven yearn had Leen ' a..;!;tally elected as chairman to the latter division. The MB • ins then went on to enumerate a variety of other respect aide elfiees which he had held : such as a Counutissiumer of tee Land Tax, Commissioner of the Income and Properly 'tee, etc. and finally, that he had held the Miler of Ireasurer to the pat ith of St. Matthew, Bethnal Green, fora. space of :41 years; the ditties of all which offices he had gretititon uly erformetl. In consequence of the resolntimis of the vestry of August 23, 1811, and not till then, he had felt hietwelf au. thoristid to tette, into his accounts as Treasurer the sum of 4231. Is. 3d. being the amend of expenses incurred iu de fending prosecutions which had been instituted against him to his official capacity. Ile then went on to state, that tronil what had passed on his trial, he haul with as little delay as possible. refunded the said sum of 9251. Is. 3d. to the use of the pour of the parish, by causing the same to be paid Into the Bank of England, m the names of Mr. 11. Wrightson and the fume other 'Trustees of the poor of the said parish of St. Mat thew, Bethnal Green ; and that it having since been sug gested to him, that iiiterest ought to be paid on the said aunt, te had, on the 2 Ali of May, paid into the Bank, to the ac count of the same persens, the further sum of 2191. I Is. being the interest ter live years front the 23th of Auguist,lBl3. Mr. Wilmot Lush confirmed this affidavit, so far as it re ferred to the pay meat of the sums in question. A great eariety of affidavits were then read—from Geo. Byng, Esq. M. I'. ; Win. Mellish, Esq. M. P. ; E. Cotterell, Esq. and J. Wynn, Esq. Commissioners of Sewers for the Holborn and Finsbury Division. 'l'. Mashiter, Esq. T. Winall, Esq. Magistrates and Deputy Lieutenant* of the Tower Hamlets; K. Heinle, Esq. auil fourteen other persons, of the highest respect:ability, hohliug various official sitea riot's, all of whom spoke in untioalitiett terms of the humour, real, assiduity, a n d integrity of Mr. Mereerou iu the various offices which lie had 'These affidavits all applied to the first indictment. 'there was another series of affidavits respecting the se cond indictment. The first of which was sworn by the de. **mutant hincelf, in which he stated, that the ale-houses in which he was harvested had been underlet by him to respect able tenants, and that he could have derived no benefit from their being improperly licensed, nor had he any prospect of olptaining new leases. The remainder of the affidavits, which were to general character, were precisely? the same as those a!reatlymentioned, and were not read. Mr. Topping rose to address the Court in mitigatiow of pit. tesitment. Ile evil knew the situation in which he then stood, and lamented the impossibility of rendering the de fendant ranch service, because, by the rides aid coulee of proceeding iu that Court, lie was mot at liberty to call in question the justice of the verdicts which had been retie red. He could, however, olista ve, that froin the evidence on the trials, It appeared that the defeedant had fur thirty years filled the situation of TreaStlrer to the parish in questmo, daring which time he hail eunducteut the testis' s wake, gave rise to the present prost•cution, in a manner , •0 as to elicit the respect and approltaticti of the parishioner:, 111 , Lordship wOlll.l 4 . 41 see that this parish, especially of late ears, bad hero exposed to She meat unfortunate divisious„ nr. Nlerceron certainly had not clandestinely introthteed into his acconist of the titarish audit, on the title of April Id 14, Messrs. Dams and Cross!and's hill : for a notice of holding a vestry to couside., among ether thiegt, Jo pay Dana an ('reueslatill's trill, had been publicly read in the parish church, ea the 2f.tal of August, and the resoliatious passed at the vestry acquitted hint of any clandestiae intention. Up to the oth day of April no complaint lied es en made; and even then nu one Cattle foram ul to ask N'llOtlivr Mr. M.•reerou itteaut to include ties item in his aecouni. %I he money however had Leen refiinuled eua illiert•Sl, a eireernstatuce which he hoped would have sumo went la n itit the Court. As to the seroml charge, flee of connote) liteee:a..l public-houses, the (leen. was op( :I% Intl ..(1110vil trout the lions,. of Continuo's. tiorons‘ltt ems &meee:ly ietr.udifeed contained the pith end marrow of Me inilit•tment, ewe, ly, thus Cie detvudant ' was owner of the helium, mentioet d et the mdictunents t ant lee was not the owner in such a ',ease as tsar stun the right or pewee to put in whet tenants be pleesed. The charge in e tee year rested um me authority ut a sleet,. constable. it' the had bum.) so very glaring, surely some of the 1100 ves t!, 1111111 .• 11,4 11 , IVV:010W11 something anent them. • I'l C etuou *erjrant and Mr. hfli h trdsou followed en the stole aide. The latter partieulialy dwelt on the circa: : • ranee of the notice given with I cgArd to Dann and lios,l4ad's Loral I...l.l.t.Negr:otan In :oe; ott:i ge (I to attend at it N.si I i..s, tilt Omit ittnnn.leately rose, nod Mr. M er.. -ere, ss.,sordered to pit le might up again out Wednesday lneloell tiny he aas •ontltte!4 'twat) Cllllll,its custody of the Ipstatt., and `IC .1....:10V Ba y ley lrronouuced the judgtneu: ci the i, tut t as " Jost 1.11 Moro ion, you are to teroive the sentence of the CoUtt upon two in.l.etnical, wll I.4ve !,een pretCrtLd & Oust you. One ciente 4 . .11...vgA :164.ust yOU COM- THE NATIONAL REGISTER milted in yortrebaracter of Treasurer of the poor of the Pa. rich of St. !Matthew, Sctlinal.green; and the other, In your character of a Magistrate of th►s County. The hrst 'ef these indictments charged that you fraudulently. clandestinely, and unlawfully, inserted in your accounts, as such Treasurer, a stint of 9331. Is. 3.1. and fraudulently, clandestinely, and oath lolly appropriated it to your own use; and the other indictment charges you with corruptly and unlawfully rising certain persons, whose names are mentioned, to keep public houses in this county. On these two indictments, re. spectively, you have been found guilty, and upon the discus sion that the case has since nntiergone, the Counselvin your behalf rather strongly insinuated ►teat prejudice might hase bail a material Intlnence upon. those verdicts which were so Liven ; and, on that account, it becomes necessary shortly to detail some of the circumstances of the ease; because it would make a very material difference in the punishment, if the verdicts were nut completely to the satisfaction of those who have to pass the judgmc nt of the Court on you. [His Lordship here entered into a summary exposition of the evidence on each indictment, rind thus proceededi " Now, shortly before the licensieg day, in ISISy you sent for one of the witnesses to your own office ; it was not there fore a casual meeting, and you made to him observations which were calculated to prevent that disclosure of the cir cumstances relative to public Itousts which ought to have been made to all the Magistrates. lie repro vented to you that he should have soinetliffieulty with respect to the oath he was hound to take, and your an ewer on that occasion was a great and considerable aggravation of your offence ; and in the presence of Sir 13nuiel Wiiliams, you prevented front making that disclosure which it was his duty to make. The same observations apply to another of the witnesses, awd if a person who is acting under the sanction of an office for a long sericl of years, as you have been, intimates to a pat ty that an oath is a were matter of form, cei taiuly the offence is of as bad and wicked a natore as it well could be. " The Conrt ha; taken into its Consideration every one of the circumstances of the case. It is not by any means Mats tentiVe to the character and situation in life which, down to this period of flute, you have filled; and it recollects, that the degradation which you must necessarily suffer by those very proper convictions on these several indictments, supported as they have been by the most clear and conclusive evidence, must embitter, in a great degree, the residue of your life. That is a permanent punishment; and in that respect the Court may alleviate the punishment which it is about to pass. The Court will also feel it their bounden duty to re. present to the Lord Chancellor, that these convictions have taken place, and will rep4rt to his Lordship the sentences that shall be passed, in order to give him an opportunity of exereiving his discretion whether it will be right that should any longer till those high and distinguished situations wlsieh you have hitherto filled. The Court also take into their consideration what has happened since these convictions, and they recollect you hare nut only restored the money you so fraudulently einhezzled, but also restored it with interest. That operatesas an alleviation to the pecuniary punishment the Court would have kit bound to inflict ; and taking all the cir cumstances of the'ease into consideration, this Court (loth order and adjudge— that, fur the first of these offences, you do pay to the King, a fine of 2001. and be imp; isoned six ..Vel• lender months in the pr.son of this Court ; and fur the other of these offences, that you be imprisoned twelve calendar mouths, to be computed from the end of the former six 111011titS ; and that you be further imprisoned until the close said bur be paid." During the whole of this proceeding the defendant ap. peared deeply affected, and quilted the Court in the ensfuly of the blastoffs, under evident impressions of considers it emotion. Hu was ►mmediately conveyed to th.. kkim;'s Bench prison. THURSDAY. On the entrance of their Lord hops into Court this morning, Lord Elhaaborough stated, that an application had been made to loin :•,,t.r‘e days ago, oo the part of a person named Bruce, who was iattirtz Court on a writ ui Habeas Co:pus, in writt ais.asar t; e from Orison. He did not ntein to go into the statensen .. mate by that person, as perhaps it was not Fader Lacy aaoai i oa re;n•ated - Mr. Bruce said tie had deposited in C-urt to.: amount of tae debt * fur which he was detained, and if so, Ste was ..-atitted to a rule to spew cause why he should no: be set at liberty. lie had statA, that there was a conspiracy . against him, and that he could get nu er.e at the liar to move for hint. This was a shatter on the iidr, and m. (Lord Ellenhorough) should not mention it, were it not fur the purpose of shewing why he introduced the subject. I: - Mr. Seariat was in Court, he should put his name to a rule for Mr. Bruce, as st was improper to have Isiin in attendance from dayto.day, or to have the Court taken up with much frequent applications on the subject, as [tare Viati not a day since the commencement of term on wuich sonic al:pile:mon had not been made. Perhaps in the absence of Mr. Scarlett, souse other gentleman would put leis name to a stile for the purpose. Mr. Topping said, he could nut mote for a rile our the gentleman, as he was counselagainst him. . . . Mr. Clarke said, to had no oblcction to move for the rule. Lord ElLuborongh—Very well. It is necessary that there should be counsel to sh.ie the ease, as the party would, if allowed to spi:ak, go into irreicvaut mattet. TUE KING V. WAGCXEII. Mr. Topping moved the judgment of du Court on die defendant, who was, at the Sittings after last term, found guilty of a Ltd on Mr. Chippentlall, an attorney. Mr. Reader said he wished he had seen the -affidavits before they had been filed. 'rite defendant was already in prison for debt, and he could not see what his liannc.l friend wanted more, unless he aieebd to huve the ertautly changed. Mr. 'lopping allowed Ludt t: lLll.nditnt was in privet ; but it was front hi, Iri,oll that lie had written those letters which so much tlrs turbed toe quiet of the plaintiff. Mr. Wader said, the defendant was really to enter in an engage meet not to itud,,ab plaintifiin a bilialar oaddicr in fur are. Mr. 'lipping un-crved, thist he had made engagonent be fore. mid had bruk.ii it. it was nvettbiay that wine cri . ..cial seeps should be taken in order to pruieet respATable gentle-elan :roil: ‘ll-.11 ntrinovesked attacks, and he could not Lite tire en„'.4:.e.a..e; 14 a eca mud hitcher fur the p:lrpo , e. If the :14...:datit curia r ra,:itr; (ode nspectsede per:on to join him in sues nil enga.o.ident lie had no ob ' jecuon to it. as the tn.:in:ill:rad no wisti in cringing the acacia, than that of tacurin,, , , his own :aid fatiiiiy`it quiet. Lord EL LENI ol u (in.—You nave a right to ohiect to de enkigeinent if yon phase. but you ontain a rude to bdul hint to ritoa.,....eine!i;, by which you could .erne upon him if ire ..uld to iature tids:g in curitraventiun of sue.". Rale. Tae Court held elat shottkl stand over until nest Term. Bat traity we-7k, a Mr. I'. Home IMP returning from Cry:- brook fair in 14 si:):;le lie was aceidentu,ly turown out, •,erwe:n tit tt puce, a! a ( - ,•!;! , ,:atti, :Lod, ftliing upon lus re- c,tvell a ver far rvcover.v! ih:very ;if ;nuke httia Crue, hOweVa, he SO nue Eis joarivy, acct proceeded as . I:.r tox!itittl), tlt that it tv:•., rctritt to put Inns salt ; t-. 1! th.. '.. 'l6 of fat , brain ..; st:. dad POLICE. MANSION.HOUSE: JUNE 8 MELANCHOLY Case.—On Saturday week a young female, aged 17,and uncommenly interesting in her manner and tee pearance, was brought before the Lord Mayor by a eight constable, who stated that she had been found at a very tato hour on Friday night, concealed in a wharf on the banks ut the. Timmes„ near Blackfriais Bridge. On bean; broligi.t to the watch-house, she acknowledged that her i. ration was to commit suicide:, and that she was just about to throw self into the river, when discovered by the watebman. Being now asked what could kave led to so rash a tieternaiaatico, she tatted the following circumstances :—Shy was a native of Peterborough, in Nortinamptonshire, which place she left about three years ago to reside with a sister in Lureien. The sister imagined hetet' the lawful wife of a gentleman with whom she lived ; but after a tepee of more titan two years Le threw off the mask, proved that he had deceived her by a mock ceremony of marriage, toed at length totally deserted her. She had contracted considerable debts, stud by le:s desertion she found herself's° mach involved that she saw re alternative but to go to prison. Two of the most clanioives of her creditors, to whole jointly she owed laol. threatened au iminediale arrest, and in this dilettanti the yoems girl now in custody was induced to apply for assistance to au endure': merchant in the neighbourhood of Cheapside, who had some knowledge of her family. After repeated solicitutions I t at length consented to advarce the vegeta ed sum, and bet'. site and her sister were ON' crulielmed with erataitiole to the:: generous benefactor. Not many weeks had elapsed, however, before, by . the usual artifices, he succeeded in aectimplishir4 the a tutu o f the unfortunate girl, and after supeorting . her some time at a house at Peutenville, deserted her altogether. She immediately applied to her sister, but the latter refused to notice her, and she was thus (haven to a eourse of life sc abhorrent to her pa inciplea and fee!ings, that she had deter mined to rid herself' of existence. The poor Kiel, dotting her sat ration, was dissulsed in tears, and her mislos times seemed to excite the emninisse ration of all present. The Lord Mayor spoke in the kin:lest terms to her, and ex pressed his joy that her rush design had been frustrated.--• lint asked her if she was aware 'Attie extent of the clime she was about to commit. reinale.—" Perfectly so, my Lord ; but the misery I had endurett`for the last few %%eels wrought so powerfully ups a my mind, that I could not bear the idea of a longer exis. reuce." The Lard Mayor sent an offerer to the residence of the mei ebant she hail named, to request his attendance., hut he was guile I mo the coon ry. this Lordship then orders every ears and attention to be shown her until lie could be written to ; and said he would ultimately send her home to her friends. . S. Haywood, the driver of the Braintree stage, was charged ou sais,ticion of stealing a parcel containing about POOL in conutry Bank-notes. Mr. Alley stated, that the above notes of the banking-house of Messrs. Hay, at Clare, were sent a few days since by the coach. of which the prisoner was the driver, by Alessi s. Barber and Co. of Leadenhall.strect, which did cot conic to hand; yet the prisoner admitted that the parcel was in the coach when he stepped within seven miles of Clare; as d witnesses were ready to prove that no other person could have taken any thing from the coach until it arrived at Clare. fun days only had elapsed before the loss w s iliscoveled ; yet upwards of 1001. of the notes had beer pi se:A est, and ssehangcil fur those of the Bank of England, at ti, !walks; istiming-lcuise at which they were payini.e, and a g. eat on.a.;l'i had aiSU been circulated. The prisoner nevet made the lass ui toe parcel known to any one; anti that CIT- ClthlitaliCe serous; to strengthen the suspicion against him, he was taken into custody. The prisoner protes•cd his it— nocencc, and said he could produce the must r, s i a_•ctable testimony to his character. Mr. Mey said, ho knew that ti. the present transaction the prisoner had hurtle an ir , r.-proaehable character; but observed, as it would Lc nem_ • sa:. to examine a great number of witnesses, l.e requested 1:ost rstigatiau might he postponed, and the prisoner rsr•aasnied.—He was brought up again on Tuesday, but no onset proof bring sufficiently made out against him, Le was admitted to bail. Tuesday the young man, who was some days since examiii:•tt upon the charge of defratiiling several attorneys, by pretends tog to he the sun of the late Hon. S. Fraser, out Ern"! of the Island of Armanda, and the heir to i tttttt ease property, left him hy his Orother, was again brought up. In addition to the furaier charges, Mr. Rice of LIM:0111'h Inn. and Mr. Dickins, alit ay 's I no, Surd inns, stated, that the prisoner, by the satire story, had ofitaincal Inoue) from them. Ali. 4'ornyn, a sic and dancin4 master belonging to the Opera House, stated, that he hail a charge of felony to pre ter agaiest the ptisuncr. He became acquainted with him Feortaary last, and was imposed upon by the tale already tatted. Ats«-t few days acquaintance the prisoner said, tha; a :. .oa lalg femme %ilium he was about to marry was some. what 414•11e11::it in the pulde accompli.linwnbt; anal he would thank the %sinless to instruct her in dancing at his (Fraser's) lodgings. The witness Neu% there, but was not a little shocked and sot prised at the dirty place into winch he ass ushered. Mr. Mosel apologised for this, and said, that al thott,:la in a lc w months he should be posseiw ti of 20.0001. he was then tattier pour. He said, he should like to hate Alta lesSolls in the mazy ail, hot he had no pitilipS Gr 011410011 S fit for that purpose. 'the intiowim; day wittie<at ward again to the hour provided with both pool's and pen lalCUas, as tic•ll us 011icr neer sa.ifirS. AMOng iahcr 11.zog1 he bruusht a tioiiii and a valuable flute cane to souse his ponds. Haviaig occasion to Cali at another place hr left thton articles in the cat c iir Air. Fraser; hits On his return he found that gentleman, his wit e, the time, cone, pomp, panta_ louses, had sit iii!.appearciitugeiLer. lie heard hi inure of hits tuttil he saw 0 ac.:Cis at ut his examination in the pubh:. prints. A letter was larnii::cel from the Honourable MEP. FraPer, yt Ltianiatarg!i, disavowing a:l that liar prisoner had asserted .ts to his I.,:iatitiaiship Isith the family. it %Vali aLo state,l, that the geattivanau whose name he had assumed is H ow in Eveland. - - The prisoner, in a speech Of an hour lor.g, attempted to drub the trod!, lit the chit ri;es brought against him, and ;n -shinnied, tll t Me. Curhyli had obit oiled his services upon hint in the he re el' by them V. lit' n he (Fiasei should get his fortune. The mosical cane, ,S;c. lie ?mid wear present. d to him by Mr. Curbyn, who, in the violence of h s friendship and fregmel,l Had uttered to reveal to him to very important semis, although lie acknolo that !.y so doi n g lie should be violating an oath.—These e.!;,tr,:. were Indignantly repellc , l by 7,1 r. Corbytt.—'the vas tout' committed to Nelig te to tam tri . .J upon all the charges.