The National Register. — London, England, 1817-08-25 00:00:00

AUGUST 25. SUMMER ASSIZES, MON h 10( TH. James Harry, alias Harris, stood for the wilful murder of Elizabeth his Hite of the .tath of March last, in the parish of Malone, in the county of Alosimonth ; and the indictment charged Ike murder to have been coutinitted in three ways ; first, by striking her on the temple with a large stoic ; seconly by thrusting a cap lute her throat ; and lastly, by throwing her into a certain pit and covering her over with earth, thereby producing suffocation. The prisoner, who is an athletic man, 4.i years of age, on being arraigned by Mr. Tunics, the clerk of the indictment, pleaded nut guilty. Mr. Kassel, i.t stating the circumstance.; to the July, ob. served that the mother of the deceased had lived in a cottage which was her own property, at Buck bolt, in the pariah of Dixtone, within a mile and a quarter of Monmouth. The prisoner about t wentyyears back, marl it'd the deceased, and • went to live wi th her at her mother's cottage. They had not lived long together however, when some differences muse, which led to their separation. They again came together, but finally about It years back, the prisoner went away, and was not heard of again till last summer, when he returned; and through the intervention of some friends, once More went to live with his wife. in the interim, the mother of the de ceasahlied, and having settled upon her daughter the Cottage in which they lived. deceased was a 1111E3C, and very comthrtatily situated ; the priscner was a labouring Math I.fisfoi innately, they had not lived longingether, ou this third inaction, betore their old bickemings were renewed. At length, on Palm Sunday, last, the deceased was missing, and seas hut discovered till the 10th of April, when her body was fmnd, dressed only in a shift, - buried in a ditch within a short distance of her house, with a wound on her head, which had evidently occasioned hex death. In order to affect the ;ire ponce with the commission of this attrucious deed, several witnesses were called. The case for the prosecution being closed, Mr. Justice Park asked the prisoner what he had to say in Isis defence.. He put iu u written paper, which tic requested aright be read. Mr. Tolima, the clerk of the indictments immediately read it to the Court. It wrs written with great ingenuity, and com menced by a reference to the early life of the prisoner, and described him as an unlettered luau. It then went on to stale that Isis early habits were those of industry and frugality; that he was taught to avoid, and did avoid, the temptation of alehouses, and -a profanation of the Sabbath; and that, in con sequence, hue eat ilings increased with his years ; that his life Sacs one of peaceful quietude until he met with the deceased, a period which he seriously lamented. To avoid the coatinu uance of such misery he tied from her society, and for many years pursued a count of labour with credit to himself, and salistactionio his emplov erg. On his return to his wife, he had only to regret a repetition of those scents which he had before fled to avoid. In referring to the things which were found iu his house, and which were said to be stained with blood, he submitted whether, during the 14 days which he lived in his cottage, during which his premises were open to irspection, he would nut have put away her things, and re 'no% cd himself from the country, if he were conscious of his guilt. In floe he threw himself, on the justice ofhis country, mud if his fate should be sealed by the verdict of the Jury, lie had only to hope fur a more favourable reception at a more awful tribimul hereafter. Mr. Justice Park, now proceeded to address the Jury. After referring genet ally to the nature of the crime unfolded to the prisoner, and to the law applicable to that offence, his Lordship proceeded to remark, that this case depended solely upon circumstantial tv nicuce ; a species of evidence which be for one : if clear and satisfactory, should always think the most conclusive that could be given in a court of Justice. Wbutlicr the evidence affecting the prisoner partook of this oatisfactury character or not, the Jury would determine. His Lordship remarked that the tact of his not having gone away from his house was certainly an argument in his 14V0111, but tl:en it should he recollected that he was not accused of an open and public murder, but one of concealment—oue in which the body had been buried, and which, but for acci dental circumstances, might never have been discovered till :the body had mouldered into dust. Another point for con• sideration, too, was the circumstance of the prisoner having contented himself with making general inquiries respecting his wife, of indifferent persons, when lie was within a mile and a half of luitenotitti himself, and lie could have gone there, Wile tilt any doubt and solicitude on the subject.—Had be been found making those anxious searches !Mused, it would .havb been a strong fact in his favour but the reverse being the case, the Jury would consider wht tiler those inquiries were not in point of tact, intended for the mere purpose of lulling suspicion, and averting any thing like a suspicion of Lis guilt. In reference to the prisoner's defence the Learned Judge said, that it was cei tainly the duty of the Jury to weigh the statement which he had made respecting his not having destroyed the proofs of guilt alleged to have been found ill his house: but then they should revollect, and the experience of human nature led to their observation, that in great offence's of this nature, material circumstances were *glen forgotten by the °dewier, and thereby led to a detection which might nut otherwise have taken place. Added to this, it was singular that iu the paper which had been read, and vrhioh contained many sensiole renwrks—yet throughout there was nut a denial of the crime--there was nothing but reasoning. upon facts, and propositions whether fron t those facts guilt was to he itikrred. if upon the whole the Jury, Lad a fair and reasonable douta,they would give the prisoner the benefit of that donut; but it; tai the coat taty, they wide 3 . 4tislied of his Ka - tit, they %mild do their duty, however pain ful, by pronouticitte then v erdict aecut dinghy. The Jury, after a few minutes' consultation,rcturned a ver dict of Guilty. Mr. Justice Parke immediately proceeded to . pass the dreadfialsentenceof the law in the int."t awful impressive , manner, expressing the approluitien of the verdict of the Jury, oltich he said was righteous, as no person who had heard the lung and t aiuful iiiiii.ity in which they had been engaged, could elite' tain a Junta t.l the prisoner's guilt. The pirsouts was of died to be executed on Monday (lust). The prisoner, it appears, during the 14 years lie was absent from his wife, was i.tu,ni rer uiWurcestersitite and Het Ow shire, and had iilll4,NtAi upwards 014001. which lie had placed in the Worcester Lank, ill the name of James flurris, wlucb led to his iredug indicted in this The 11.111allider of his property wan w ortl3 about 3091. non e,w hich he assigned pre vious to ills triad , to his brother, his sister, and his soil (a young man Of tgathi Cl:alai:ter, about 20 y ears o f age ). H e was . ex tremely avaricious ; and is supposed his avarice induced Wm to preserve those evidences of guilt which WCI C could iu his house. Had they been destroyed, Mr got.lt would not have beta so apparent. THE NATIONAL REGISTER. ACCIDENTS, OFFENCES, ctc. MANSION-HOUSE. Wednesday night, as Mr. Richards, the engineer and stir. T. Nathan, seemed of defrauding his niece, who Is deaf v and dumb, was on Mond a y examined, wh e n th e proseetitrix,eyor enuder Mr. R enn i e ) o f th e new d oc k , i n the Chatham _ by expressive motions, amain explained th e na t ure of the yard, was, with his son, adjusting the cyli n d er at t h e strain engine, he had oc cas i on i ts so doing to suspend b y a rope the fraud. The Lord Mayor asked whet:uT there was 4/IV other cap or covering, w e i g hi ng a b out fi ve cwt. an d while the son witness to Kaye that the complaitiant had been in the pos. Witt performiug the necessary operat i on w i th his head over session of a lame stun °intones. ;when several persons stated, the edge of the cylinder, horrible to detail, the rope broke, that report had given her the character of being wealthy— and this massive weight falling, needy severed his head from that she was industrious, and remits kahle fur the frugality of his body ; the unfortunate youth was thus, in tlie presence of her life; and that she was as incapable of dishonesty as of telling a falsehood. The Lord Mayor observed, that he was his lather, instantly p u t out o f hi s ex i stence. between the hours of la and 11 o ' c l oc k. Minitlay mornam, fearful of the inefficacy Mall lie ha I seen or heard to bring a .young 11140 named Carthy, who was employed in some re home the guilt in the minds Ma J .ry ; and the matter, after pairs ahuut house of lt. Lawrence, residing2s6, !wick dkcitssion, was by the ads ice of Mr. Alley. agreed try cootTottertham--road, fel l from the third dour to the grouud. all parties to be refeer ' etl toile: a• oitration of the High Priest, the Parties being Israelites. Ors being taken sip, h e sp o k e a f ew wor d s; an d no b lood ap- Wednesday a mate of a French Packet, was chatiged by e yarili g • it 11,111 supposed that n o ma t er i a l injury had metaled. n Mrs. Roby the a ife of& baker, with having had in his posses- e was convey e d to th e Middl esex H osp i tal, where be expired sion a bank note for 201. which she hail lost in her shop On iu less than the minutes. The lamp-post in front Mille helise the 6th inst.. An attempt was made to prove that the mate was muck bent ;as h e com pl a i ne d o f excruc i at i ng pain in his had been in her shop, on the evening on which the note was stomach, it is conjectured th a t th at part came i n contact with the post, and was th e o ccas i on o f so su dd en a death. Hi s lost, and that he had changed the note at the ship of a ale bead and limbs receiv e d no i n j ury . Th e acc id ent 0 its mess- Williams, in payment law some cloth. In opposition to this siuned by the neglect of a person insid e , who h a d p een ap . several witnesses proved, that the packet was- lint up the pointed so support the other e nd o f th e pl an k ors aim It tie river till some hours after the note was paid.—The Lord deceased stood out s id e o f t h e w i n d ow f or t h e purpose of • Mayor did not think a case hail been made out, but ordered the matter to stand over. cleaning it. He has l e tt a poor aged mother, who depend e d Mary O'Brien, aged 10 years, and Mary Ann (kende'', solely rerhim ha support. Ora Friday se'nnight, the wife of Mr. Wickham, of Chatham. aged 11, were charged with begging in the streets. It was in estate of derangement, threw herself out el tine upper room ave.' mined that they belonged to that class who earn a miser window of the house ; s h e was t a k en up w i t h her anus broken, able subsistence by prostitution ; and it was also found th•st and otherwise dreadfully i n j ure d : s h e i s past recus er y. the emirie Willi in this instance a !rested from choice, and not alooday W. Ho a r, a s hi pwr i g h t , h a d hi s head eiterally from necessity. They were condtioted to the Counter, where dashed to pieces by a b eavy b eam , w hil st work i ng on boat i l they scented to be totally inclitlerent to the-remonstraisees of their parents, who had been.ileteleli Med with the circumstance, the Elephant, at Portsm ou th. or to the threats of-the keepers, of punishment. They were A few days since,as B. Pu g h, E sq . Cl er k o f t l :c I n di ctments also both diseased. At times the eldest of the two eried ; but on the Oxford Circuit, was proceeding in las chariot from Hereford 'assizes to alonsirouth, aucourpaeied by his Lade, her tiara were-quickly succeeded by loud and unfeeling bursts part of the box on which the coachnian was seated gave way, of laughter. She complained of being ill-treated at home, and falling on the horses' quarters, they set off at speed, a n d and said she most either beg, steal, or go with gentlemen to support herself, and she preferred the latter alternative. boon threw the coach man o ft th e b ox . M r. P ugh, with as much haste as possible, o p ene d th e carriage door, and jump. This et:dement was denied by her mother, who said the child bad been taken every care or ; but she had got into bad coin• tug alit, WAS followed by Mrs. Pugh. 'lliough the coactrinul.'s kg was much bruised, as were al s o th e l eg and foot of Mr. . pany 1 and, upon every occasinn,when sent out with a younger Pugh, so as to occasion ( w e h o p e only temporary) lameness, child in her arms, she. associated with the most depraved • wretches iu the nelghbonriemd. The mother hoped the we rejoice to state no bones were broken, mid tbatalrs. Pleas Lord Mayor would punish her infamous conduct, and de- was but slightly bunted in this trial of peril. The horses were . closed, that if his efforts did not succeed, all hope was at an soon afterwards stopped ; bet the carriage seas reudered use, • end. The youngest of the two has been for some time known less, being torn nearly to pie ces . to the officers as au irreclaimabk thief. She was bat a short Ou Sunday, as two children were playing npon the Quay at: time ten discharged from Tothilllields Bridewell, where she Bristol, they unfortunately precipitated themselves into the had Antlered imprisiinment for a robber y. The Lord Mayor river just at the time that the tide was at the highest;. the. said lie could perceive that the most strict hand was necessary little innocents sunk, and manypersons who saw the accident, to keep down drat spirit of rebellion against morality, which and were rendering all assistance in their power to rescue the seemed to actuate the conduct of the young deiinquents. children in vain, had given them up for lost, when a sailor lad The mother of the youngest girl hero declared, that her in. brimming to one of the vessels in the harbour, plunged in and terference was utterly useless. When she spoke to the child brought tip one of the children, which be fintened to a rope on the subject, the answer was always a laugh of derision Outran out for that purpose, and dived three times after the and contempt. She was r tterly beyond her power of re- other before his (audible exertions were crowned with success, claiming. The Lord Mayor ordered that they shotild be con arid he came on elsorionearly exhausted, to beheld the happis veyed lathe Hospital, to get rid of the bodily effects of their iress.and receive the counties of the agonized parents, 14114 were eye-witnesses of th e acc id en t. Th e age of the lad was criminality, and he would, in the interim, arid oat some means of employing them. only 14 •years. Au immediate sulmeriptiou was entered into BOW-STREET. to reward him. On Tuesday last, a man went to the agents for the-Belfast Strict DEC—Monday a respectable tradesman in White Lieu • Linen.Contpany, Great Russel.strcet, Bloomsbury, and said street, Norton Falgate, shot himself through the bead. Ho he was sent by his master, Col. Collet, for two pieces of Irish was abont 60 years of age, and had been married to a woman . linen, which he desired to lie sent to Slaughters' Coffee-house, much younger than himself, now in a state of pregnancy. Of St. Martin's lane, with change for a 201. note. The ageut late they were heard to have frequent quarrels. After break sent the linen and taw change, by one of their Abopmen. The first on Monday morning he beat her most unmercifully, till man accompanied the shopinan to Slaughter's Coffeehouse, she was obliged to fly fur shelter, and hide herself up stairs. with the cloth and the change, which amounted to 101. 18s. The report of a shot from the house brought lof the leaving the Bhopal:tit at the entrance ; and after remaining neighbours, as well as the passers by, to the door, where the some (ine came out, and desired the shopn.an to get a re- first object to be seen was his body lying near the street door, ceipl. When-be returned, the man had decamped with the with half his bead blown to atoms. He was by trachea shoes change. On inquiry at the bar, die shopmasi found the man maker, each was well known in the parish malty years. had left the linen there, saying it was for Colonel Collett. A few days since, Sir 0-Webster observed on the brink of one of his ponds in the Abbey Park, a ma n ' s b a t ; h e got the The bur maid not knowing iamb a person, declined taking it in, till he said the Colonel would call for it. Jle is a young pond dragged, by means of which the body was found, and man of fair complexion wore a blue frock coat, and had much proved to tse.that of .a young man, a collar maker, of Battle. the appearance of 3 groom. I kis supposed he bad laid two hours in the water,coneeqamety no hopes of resuscitation could be entertained. Disappoint meat us a love affair is supposed to have driven him to the rash act. POLICE. A meat melancholy accident happened on Thursday, the 14th inst. off Yarmouth, in the Isle of Wight :—ln the after moon, a waterlines), named Benger, went off to We ship Mary Ann, bound to New York, with 250.passeugers, and took into his boat about 20 persons, whom he landed at Yarmouth, where they remained some time, and then returned auto the boat to proceed on board Hair ship ; but, owing to a strong wind and tide, the boat struck against the cable of the ttlary Ann ; a rope was immediately thrown oat, but so many grasp ed it to sate themselves, that 17, and the waterinan, were lost. The following are the names of sixteen of them :—Mr. 'Tay lor and two sons •carpenters kit a wife, pregnant, and our ul children, on boa rd ; Mr. Faulkner, four children, married three days before coming on board, left his wife, about 10; Mr. Webb, left his wife, a son 17, and a daughter 4 3 years of age ; Mr. Malony, coach-maker ; Mr. Adlenian, French priest, left his neiec ; Mr. Bradshaw, cutler; Mr. Prendergast, Mr. M‘Mullins, surveyor, belonged In the Society of Friends to Liberty ; Mr. Wakeford ; Mr. Coati, farmer; Mr. Casey, Mr. Williatus, Miss Anderson, and the %merman. DA RIM,/ STREET ROBBER Y.—Abont twelve o'clock, on Wednesday night, as a gentleman residing at No. 15, Fitzroy street, Fitzroy-square, was going through New Cavendish skeet, Oxforil-sliest, on his way he Hie lie was stopped by a gang of thieves, theee or four in numbly, who demanded his money, obsersirg, feat lie had better give it quietly. The gen. Helium from wolves of fear, took tour or five shillings, bring all he had, out of his pocket, and offeried it to the villaius, who seemed highly olicuthd at such& trifle, and ituniadiafely began to assault him. They knocked him down, kicked him sescial times, and notwithstanding the watchman, attracted by the gentleman's cries, was approaching, they staid until they rifled his pook-ets of all then contents, and then went away. They ,ire supposed to be part of a horde of robbers, known as the " James-street garg," who nightly infest Hyde Park and Ox- ford-street, and of whom Crockey (now 111 der .senteitee of sleuth tut a rubbery nod atteupted minder, au Hyde Para) was the leader and pi incipal. Chairs lialtnnt.t.—A chain Bridge is just finished at Dry burgh' fur the convenience of feat passengers across the River Tweed. The appearance of this bridge h uncommon ly light and elegant, and, connected with the five scenery of Drybourgh, it is beautitirl and interesting. It untwist.. of a platform of wood, supported by chains, rut the Wight of hi feet :move low water, and bas no support under it. The pas sage is easy and level, and has very little vibration. The span between the points of s.ispension is 201 feet, being the great est span ot'any bridge in We kingdom THE ErFECT-0/ A WORD IN Season.—Lately at St. Mary's . Church, Wallingford, while Dr. Barry, toward the conclusion of his serenonywes making a forcible allusion to some particu lar circumstances in the character of a poor convict, whose execution he had attended ou the day before, and was admen- . ishing his very crowded auditory against the dreadful conse quences, which sooner or later would be sure to overtake the profane and dishonest ; a young seaman was seized with such . strong convulsions, that it was with much difficulty she could be car, led out of church, and cony din thein the greater part of the night. On enquiry into the cause of her being thus overcome, she frankly acknowledged, that in the address of the Preacher, she was struck with alarm and geief of her late habits of her irregular and dissolute life, and was deter mined for the future to turn away fram them, and follow the paths of religious duty. MADAME OK S. :Art.—The Gazette. of Lausanne contains an interesting- account of some particulars re lating to the interninnt of Madame De Steel, and to the latter periods of her life. The well-known iiitimaey - of that lady wish M. De Rocca, a young Swiss gentle man of talents, and great personal beauty, had thrown suspicions on the nature of their connexion, which, by the opening of her will, have been satisfactorily re. moved. It appears, that Madame de Stael, without as suming his name, had been the wife of Rocca. By her will she authorised NI. Do Stud, and.ber daughter, the Duchess de Broglie to prodaim their marriage to the world, and to present to thir relatives a son, who was its othpring. We recollect to have heard, that about three years since, when Al. de Rocca, as it now.appears in bandinage, was.bcf4)re a company of familiar friends„ pressing Madame de Stud to make him her husband, , she replied " Nun, mon .cker Rocca ; vondriez-vorga vaeje vous sacrilicrais we nom vrainient Eurapea?" " No, my dear Rocca, would you e have me sacrifice to you a name that belongs to Europe ?" This speeat ihrows light on the concealment of ler mairiage.