The National Register. — London, England, 1817-08-04 00:00:00

AUGUST 4. the 30th of September, and having there blacked their facts, they went out to commit depredations, and in pursuance of that plan they went to the prosecutor's. There one of them atttemiSed to force open a parlour window with a plough.share, which disturbed the faintly.— Mert then corroborated the statement of the prosecutor. that he ap. pearel at the window, When Welsh snapped the pistol, which mis. sed fire twice, but on the third attempt it went off: Upon the thing of the pistol a man of the name of James Peace came up. who qu •s -tioped them. but they told him to hold his tonAie, or he would fare worse, but if he went asray quietly they would not hurt him. Peace corroborated this part of the statement, and he thought it prudent to retire. When they returned to Clarke's house, Mrs. (lark advisnl them to bury the pistol and dark lantern, which they laid in an ad. joining orchard ; they did so, and the Constable proves' that he found the pistol buried in the place that Mrs. Clark had described. These facts being proved, which was the same evidence given against others of the gang last AllaiZeS, the Jury found the pri4ona At Nottingham, Charles Rotherham. for the murder of Elizabeth Shepherd, at Sutton As!Meld, the particulars of which we have fully detailed, was executed on Monday last. A: Hort forst, I.Yrosiel Alston, fur the murder ofJohill'ayne, was likewi.e. executed un M onday, smrsitaist to his Reettrite... The case of the above offender. mu distinguished as one of most atrocious that ever occurred in the criminal annals of this cam try. He was convicted of the murder of John Payne, on his return from Hempstead market, where lie was in the liMit of selling corn for the farmers, and receiving their money, which he frequently took home with him. The ['rism e! was intimately acquainted with him, and consequently kv,ew his halAta as well as the owl he tra vellA home from mark:t : he attacked the unfortunate tum in is lane unawares, struck him behind the car aniruienifitehead with a hammer. and :eit his throat. Ile was eonviettat on a chain of cir cumstantial evidence, so strong that nu doubt could possibly remain in the minds of the Conn or Jury as to his gailt ; notwithstanding • which, however, it is satisfactory to know Met, previoue to his ee ecutien, he made a fill confession of his guilt, and stated the only eirennistanee which ilia not come oat in evidence, viz. where the hammer and knife were deposited with which he conunitted the mender. Tic unhappy weeteli also inede a voluntary confession of two other horrid murders which he had committed ; the one on a poo: old woman (by the name of Hail), who kept a small shop at Ise . ..end', near his own residence (he rented a small fame in the same pereh under tile Earl of Bridgewater). Ile stated that lie went into her 110:14:. being known to her, shoat nine o'clock in the morning ; that Ire took an importunity of getting behind her and striking her with a bill eUicli lay to the house, behind her ear; that he then cut her throat with a knife •sim:lar to the oar he cut pour Payne's throat with (a butcher's knife); and on being asked where h : had secreted that knife, he saidin a well ori the old woinan's premises ; that he took 401. from her, twenty-three of which he paid to Lord Bridge water for rent, and the reinainder lie paid away to dflierent person.; in the village in discharge of small debts. This occurred about a year and a half ago. In respe.et to the murder of his wife. he stated that he followed her into the cow-house, where she went to give some hay to the rows, about two o'clock in the afternoon ; that he struck her unawares with a billet of wood behind the ear, which nearly killed her; that he immediately afterwards dragged her to the well. and put her down it, head foremost. This occurred about six weeks before the murder of Payne. Sue was found in the well on the same dry, on an alarm bring given by her husband Ile could aed e en no motive for this horrid act. Ile admitted he and his wife had fre quently words together, but not on that day, and stated that she was a good wife. It is not only fortunate for the ends of lustier, but more particularly so for the immediate neighbourhood in which these horrid transactions occurred; two innocent men having hem strongly sus pected of the murder of the old woman at flawed% mid the whale neighbourhood being under the meet horrid apprehensions of repeti tions of the cruel stones which had so recently taken place there. It is worthy of observation, that the first suspicion of t hus titan's guilt, who hail previously borne a good character, and upon when the slightest suspicion had not attached, arose out of an act of Provi dence. The mordent had hidden a pocket-book which he had taken front Payne, in his barn- One of hue own men went into the barn w ith a pitchfork, to get some loose straw. lie observed, as he thought. the motion of a rat in the corner of the bans under the straw. Ile struck at it with his fork, and instead of a rat, pierced the pocket-book, which came out at the end of his fork. Amongst others, no person has been more satisfied in a business of so horrid arid disagreeable a nature, by the confession of this wretch, than the Earl of Bridgewater, to whose indefatigable exertions, it is but jus tice to add, is to be attributed the bringing to justice and cond*n punishment the perpetrator of these atrocious crimes. A t the Essex Assize., Joseph Witeou and William Pot ter were pit to the bar, and arraigned, first for 'breaking prieon. and then on several charges of felony. They were first tried on an indictment charging them with bin - alai iously breaking and entering the ilwi Ilia{-house of John Hawkins, at Castle Hedingliam, and stealing therein about ten poseinke worth of clipper coin, nine silver spoons, a pair of silver sugar tongues, nine sheets, four table cloths, a quantity of wearing apparel, and divers other articles, the property of John Hawkins. The prisoners were both found Guilty— Death. Lord Elletiliorough immediately passed sentence of Death on them, and gave them not the least hope for mercy. The following prisoners wore also capitally convicted ; viz. William Cuellead, Jaynes Crosier, Edward Hasler, John Taverner, Samuel Clay alias Fleming, William Sewyer, William Abbott, William Atkins, Edward Carter, 'Thorsen Hooke, John lives, Charles Sturge, Isaac Usher, and James Waller. At the Derby Aesizee, John Brown, 'Dramas Jackson, George Booth, and John King, were brought tip for joilg. merit, for bunting Col. lialton's sacks. In passing the dread ful sentence of death, air. Justice Holroyil made a sere pa thetic address to 'lie prisoners on the enormity of their crime, and a.sured skein there oil.. not the least hope of mitigation of piiiiishment. Wood, Smith, Miller, .1. and S. Waits, and Step!: s, were next brought up, and sentence of death pro nounced upon them, bait with the hopes of a mitigation. Smith, un hearing his sentence, dropped down on his knees and played fur mercy with tears its his eyes. At salisburee ten prinmere n criyrd sentence of death : H. Angel. fur highway rubbery, and Charles alines, fur sheep stealing, were left fur eeeetition. ANOTHER ATROCIOUS M U ER OF A POOR CLIMBING BOY. The following is a remarkable trial for murder, which took place last week at Edinburgh. The Crime was perpetrated upon a chimney-sweep boy, 11 years of age, by a brutal and inhuman master; and we apprehend that the hrart-rending details of this unfortnate boy's sutieringstos ill go a great way farther than any case upon record, in raising the indignation •1 the public against the present Mel 110 d of sweeping (-Minutes, and accelerate the passing of the Bill which is in t iititcmplatiun to put an end to the abominable practice of tiaployiteg charts en. The case, as it is reported in the Edinburgh newspapers, and we have given it, displays all the features of a cool, deli berate, malicious, and prentedated murder, perpetritei limier circumstances cruel and barbarous in the extol ow. '1 he poor victim is drscruivil by one witness as a " tine boy," and by another as " a good !my." 11 t' e 5 sr nt up a chimney at twelve o'clock, where lie sticks fast, and at four a stone mreon set to work to release feint by breaking the s% XI. The brutal master arrives and stops this humahe attrmit tt. relieve VIA NATTONAL REGISTER. the little sufferer ; threatens to , blow hint up the clilmnev with gunpowder (and here we have malice prepense proved by his own words), and ends by fastening a rope to the pair creature's leza l by means of which lie dislocates his neck and too:lmes instant death ! This is called by the Scotch Jury " Colrnble Hatoicide," and the monster who commits it escapes whin fourteen years transportation. Now by the Scots law writers it appears that to constitute culpa• ble homicide, there moist be a previous combat, carried on, at least, if not commenced by mutual consent, during which a blow is given which terminates tlrtul:y. We cannot con ceive, therefore, upon what principle the verdict wascouched in the terms Culpable lionlicidiv," unless there is some part of the evidence (favourable to the prisoner) suppressed in the report o hieli 114,4 reached us. littilt COURT OF JUSVICIARN, Jct.! el. This day en= on the trial of JoSeph Rae and Robert Reid. chininey.sweepas, charged with the murder of J. Fraser alias Thompson, a boy 1 t years of age, an apprentice of the seid Joseph Rae; the indictment also contained a charge that the Paid J. Rae did previously evince deadly malice and ill-will against the said John 4aser alias Thompson, by map -treating him and using him harsl lv on different occasions. The lord Adeucate put off the trial of Reid, and he was committed upon a new warrant, and he is to be tried in September next. Janus Thompson, chimney-sweeper, said, one day in the begin ing of June witness and pannel had been sweeping Tents toge ther. Ab it:: four o'clock. in the afternoon, die panel proposed to go to Albany-greet, where the pannel's brother was cleaning a vent. with the assistance of blcaaa, whom he had borrowed from the pan net. for the o, erasion. %When stews and pelmet gat in the houae Albuiv-street, they found Fraser who had gone up the vent between eleven and twelve o'clock, not yet some down: On entwine the house they found a mason making a hole in the wan. Panne! said, what WWI he doing ? I suppose he was taking a lazy fit. The pannol called to the boy, " what are you doing ;—what's keeping you ?" 'lke boy answered that he amid not come. The panne' warkod a loag wade. sometimes persuading him, sometimes threat enin • and swearing at the boy to get hint down. Panne' then Paid, I will go to a haol ware shop and get a barrel of gunpowder, and blow yen and the vent to the devil, if you do not conic down. l'annel then began to slap at the wall.—M'itnem then went up a ladder and spoke to the boy through a small hole in the wall previously made by the mason—but the boy did not answer. Pound's brother told witness to come down, as the boy's master knew beet how to mintage him. The witness then threw oft his jacket, and put a handker• chief about his head', and sahl to the pannel, let me go up the chimney to see what's ketming him. The pannel made no answer,. hut pushed wimess away front the chimney, and continues' bullying the boy. At this time the pannel *AS standing on the grate, so that witless could not go up the chimney ; witness then said to panniers brother, there is no use for me here, meaning that pannel would not pennit him to use his services. He prevented the mason n•aking the hole lwger, saying stop :and I'll bring him down in five minutes time. Witness then pin on his jacket, and continued an hour in the room, during which time the pannel continual bullying the boy. Pannel then desired witness to go to Reid's house. to get the loan of his boy Alison. Witness went to Herd's house, and asked Reid to come and speak to pannel's brother. Reid asked if panne' was there. Witness answered he was ; Reid said he would send his boy to the panne', but not to the tanners brother ; witness and Reid went to Albeny-street ; and alien they got into the room, Pannel honk his head out of the climney, and asked Reid if he would lend him his boy; Reid agreed; witness then returned to Reid's house for his boy, sal Reid called after hint, " fetch down a set of ropes with you . by this time witness had been ten minutes in the room, during which time pannel was-swearing, and asking what's keeping. you, you steundrela when witness returned with the boy and nipes, Reed took hold of the tope. having loosed it, gave Alison one end and directed him to go up the chimney. saying do not go farther than his feet, and when you get there fasten it to his foot. Panne] saki nothing all this time. Alison went tip, and heviag fastened the rope. Reid desired hint to come down ; Reid took the rope and pulled, but did not bring down the boy : the rope broke ; Alison was sent IT again with the other end of the rope, which was fastened to the boy s foot : when Reid was pulling the rope, pannel said, " you have net the strength of a cat," pulling as hard as he could. Having pulled about a quarter of an hour, pannel and Reid fastened the rope round a crow bar, which they appliep to the wall as a lever, and botn pulled with all their strength for about a quarter of an hour longer, when it broke. During this time witness heard the boy ay, and say, "My God Almighty !" l'annel said, "if I had you here I would Cost 'Almighty you." Witness thought the cries were in agony. The imager of the house brought a new piece of rope, and the pannel's spliced an eye in it. Reid (amused a wish to have it fastened to both thighs to have greater purchase. Alison was sent up for this purpose, but came down and said he could not gait fastened. Pan ne' then began to slap at the wall ; after striking a long while at the wall, he got out a large stone ; he then pit hie head, and called to Frazer—Do you hear, you sir; but got no answer : he then pit in his hands, and threw clown- deceased's breeches. He then came down from the ladder. At this time the pannel was in a state of perspiration • he sat down on a stool, and the master of the house gave him a dram. Vs imess did not hear panne' make any remarks as to the situation of the boy Fraser. Witness thinks, that, from pannel's appeasance, he knew the boy was dead. Reid's wife came to get her husband away to a job, and the pannel went with him. This was between six and seven o'clock. Fanners brother enlarged the hole, but still could not get in. Witness then went in with difficulty. Ile }Mind Frazer lying on his belly, with his hands stretched above his head. He WU lying at a turn in the vent, and his head jammed at the head of the turn; had a towel about the head, and a shirt round his neck. Witness tore off the shirt bit by bit, and threw it on the floor; then brought down the bey; there was a little heat in the budy....got spirits and washed the boy's temples, but in vain.—Witness went for lir. Poole, who came and applied a hello-es bit in vein. NVitnes.s knew the deceased twelve months past in .May— used to come to witness's house. Witness always gave him a piece or a halfpenny—boy complained that his master used to starve him, strike him, and toe him badly. Witncas stopped in prisoner's house for some time in May. tal6. One Saturday night heard Fennel's wife say, you are done Dow ; where's your ladder and materials?—away ; whereupon he made the deceased strip him self—boy applies' to witness to save hint. Witness asked panne' to forgive him—pannel said, if it were Cod Almighty himself speak ing from the !havens, lie would not forgive him. The Foy was told to strip himself perfectly raked, patina beat him on the back with the single end of the sweep's ropes, apparently with all his strength. The boy cried much ; about ten o'clock at right, the pannel took the boy to a back room, and made him go naked sty and down a chimney till one o'clock on Sunday morning. Pannel afterwards acknow ledged that the ladders and materials were in the house all the time; boy was a fine boy ; witness has stuck in a vent himself, but never saw ropes used; did not remonstrate, because boy's master was the principal. The mason said that panne] was killing the boy, and that be could get him out, but was hindtred by the panne'. Witness thinks that the expressions used by the pannel to the boy while in the vent were from revenge • pannel seemed in anger at the buy ; did not hear deceased speak after panne" bad left the house. James Stalker, publican and grocer. in Albany-street. in most respects corm:a:gated the preceding witness. He stated, that before pannel left the house, he (witness) said to him, Sir, you have killed hint ; end either Reid or panne' said it was not the case—it was the buy's cunningness. Witness aktin said, he might depend upon it lie had killol him; pannel said it was not the case—he would not wonder if he were in a feint. _ ..... John Cameron and James Steel, porters, also corroborated the statements of the precedihg witess. Thornag Marwood lived in ;winners homy along with deceased ; saw paned tie deceased to a chest, ga l , his nomth with a stick, and beat him with mix"' till th • blood came, and then put saltpetre on him ; has ►een pannel make deceased rat the vilest offal. The Lord Chief Justice Clerk having summed up the widens at concder-ble longth, the Jury retired for about half an l.rour, anl returned a verdict, finding by i:llurality of voiors the pann e ! v oilty r e culpable homicide. The Lord Chid Justine then adtire , e .1- the prisoner, and told him that his case eproaelod t!.c. nosirbt '9 murder of any casein which a culpable bomielee be:n retione.i, and the panne! was sentenced to be transported for the period of fourteen years!! Samuel Hall,sa chimney-sweeper, was brought rip for trial at our Sessions, and pleaded Guilty. It appeared that he had so ill-treated his little boy, only five years of age, whorrt he employed in his business, that the little creature's back had been completely lacerated. A leathern strap of many thongs was produced in Court, which was the instrument of his bar barity, and be the frequeat use of nhich the child had be come so terrified, that he chose to remain in a chimney nearly two hours, lather than come down within hi, reach. This eiremnAtance, which happened in May last, induced the Ma gistrates to hold him to ; bat being ramcde to procurer sureties, he had been in prison ever since. Although, as we have stated, he pleaded guilty to the charges agaisst him, he continued throughout the explanation eequired by the Court to deny having ever ill used the child! but its start of horror, and its tears, on being placed in, sight of him, spoke a lan gict;:e net to be repelled by his assrrtions. Re , peetahle evi &nee was had to the facts charged -and the cnlprit was sent again to prison, and to hard labour, for lour mouths. SURE EX SLSRIOXIL--Jarnes Woods f.r stealing a trunk. containing a quantity of children's elothes and lin.-u, the tire. I" rts of sfr. Palaser, a harness maker in Bermondsey •strect, during the melancholy eonflagration at the hnese of Mr. [thick, oil-man opposite Bermondsey Cherch, in which that unfortunate geieleman, his wife, slid infant perished, eat sent' tired to seven years transportation. EXPLOSION or (ha AT THE CUSTOM —4 part of the pipes being laid down, and the 'myriad preparatinus hiring otherwise incomplete, the risers oir emir:Mime the siphons. for pre% entir: communication were not Ii led with water, as iurrrded; and in this situal some gas had escaped which had heen turned on in the main pipes. An acennntl.htutt was thus farmed in the cavities under the lauding of the stunt., mixed with such a portion of atmostplieric air as to render it explosive; a person (without being direeted) officiously opened a re-ervoir to examine it, with a lighted candle, and ignited the vapour, which exploded with notch 103 cc. Several large stones forming the landing place, and some steps w errrent and forced, b u t w i t h ou t d a i ng any material damage; atillthe person who occasioned the accident, toge ther with several. others who happened to be near, rereived no hurt. cc children in particular, who were tilitylag OY a stone step which was rent into three pieces, escaped with wit the slightest injury. Miami! Navu.—An important official dornment has appealed in the shape of proposals and regulations rela tive to the Navy, made Isy the Board of Admiralty, and sanctiotted by an (h der of Commit. After going at great length iNto what may lie termed the neimait of theaervice,' teen. is a reform effected which :mist give every Englishman satisMetion. After elecidating the accid e nt a l causes w hi c h - , have introdimed the esivtihy anomaly of retitle ships at certain number of gnus, while their real rotnplement ex" recited that norninaranumint, the Board, with a just and pa ttiotic t'eclitte, makes the following observatein :S=" We blast we shall be esensed for observing to your Royal High ties', that it is wholly mtworthy the thermion of the Royal Navy of this kingdom, tumaintaln this system, is Met, though introduced without any design of deceptian, yet may give eecasitin to foreign nations to accuse as of misrept tie station, whew we state that a British frigate of aft guns has taken a foreign frigate of 44; when, in fart, the British frigate was of equal, if net superior Mire." It 'Monk' be remembers that though this practice with respect to ns, move hum the lapse of time, and the change of circumstances, it was prac tised against us 115 the americans, in a late war. as paltry de ception. A proof' of this appears in the document now be fore the public.-.-It is therefore officially stated, that the American ship President had 33 ,tuns mounted on the day of her capture, though she was rated at only 44. In the British Navy this practice will no longer contionte ; for it. is tow or dered that the rule which prevailed pi ior, to 174;3, shall be revived, and in future all his Majesty's ships will be rated at the number of guns and carromsdes which they acutely carry on their decks, quarter-deck, and forecastles. We sincerely rejoice in this regulation; fur the Navy of England stands upon a basis too broad and unassailable, to require the aid of any little evasive tricks; she can never want them 39 le:Mations for defeat, and she should disdain them as biota which tarnish her conquests. --• WILSON THE PEDESTRIAN.-... 011 Saturday last, within 5f minutes of twelve, p. m. ikon fully arcomplished his ar duous attempt to walk one thousand miles in eieliti en days ( the intervening Sundays excepted t, at Mr. Tiaker's Gardens Cully Mast, Manchester Towards the close of liis task lie was very much annoyed by the pressure of the crowd. and but fur the kind and determined Interference of Mr. Audits, n r worthy deputy constable, in the veteran's behalf, Ins Cloth would have been frnstrated with surreys infant view. MR. SA DLVIt'S DESCS NT.--Mr. Svilkr's descent was in corn field, within a mile and• half of Holyhead, at a pier, called Purthydufuch, where be found several people who, readily afforded diets- assistance to secure the baloon, white lie disengaged himself front it, and who afterwards remiss eft it to Holyhead. It seems that, in a very short time a fter his departure from Ireland, the breeze which at first tick hoe forward rapidly, lust a great deal of its vigour, and the ve locity of his motion was consequeutly,cousideisldy diminish ed. A favourable change, howeser, gave the hallows a fresh impulse, and it mole the part of the voyage .ery ezped tin a• ly. Had the wind held up fa•ontably, as on his first iiSCend inr, Mr. Sadler would base reached his destination: in less than lialftlio time that his trip actually occopird. !hiring his voyage lie felt the vicissitudes of heat and cold at the same mo„ mein. The son was at one time inconveiiii 'illy hot, a n d af. feeted every part of Mr. Sadler but his feet, which writ' ex cessively cold, and, required some additional cosei ing to re store circulation. During his voyage he encountered a snow shower, which was traesloonted to ruin before it reached the earth. He passed perpemlicidaily over, and saw very dis tinctly, the packet e.birf. hailed ti out Huh head. 1....tn5• Anna Mt it n A v.- - This bent.% oleht t Irt; - ae ter 'Tward. ed the fidelity of her SVIV:Illt?. in the must Woe; al utaintei, as the followiiic statement of brquest• will sheer;— To her housekeeper. who hal I.s.en nearls 35 year , in her service, she has g s .rctl 3,5001. mid her wanlrobe ; to her butki, who had b..tt 24 y.ar4, 1 ; to her cook, v. lio had been 17 years, ;001. ; to her latindr.ss, who hod het n II years. ; to her two housenta;...s, one of whom had been IS and the other 9 years in her service. 6110 L each ; and to her footman, who had bean 9 year s , 6001. •1:. resi due of her Ladyship's property devolves on George Finch Hatton, Esq. of Los:well l ark, in holt, who married Oct neice, and 7etidp is app doted wle exelitor.