The National Register. — London, England, 1809-08-20 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER. frock, without shirt or breeches; and that it made a consider ablenoise, particularly when the old man fell against the wains coat. She added, there was no occasion to inuTder the old man, for they could have got into the house any hour of the day or night, but the person NI as fully bent upon doing it. The old woman, however, always added, that she was never out of her roam, and only looked out at the window. Several contradictory statements of the prisoners being given in evidence, they were called upon for their defence. The .man said he was innocent, and the old woman, that she had no hand is the murder. The Learned Judge observed to the Jury, that this was a case requiring their most serious attention, thia they might arrive at a safe conclusion, from all the circumstances which they had heard detailed. They would first consider whether the murder was perpetrated by the prisoner alone (if at all by him) or with any other, and whether that other was the oid woman ; for al though she might know of she mnrder, and afterwards endea vour to screen the murderer, yet that would make her only an aceetarvry after the flct, and not a principal. His Lordship then minutely puipted out the evidence, and its bearings as to this point. It appeared, he observed, by her own confession, she was looking out at the window. if she did that with a view of apprising the murderer of the approach of any one, she ww , as much a principal as though she had actually indicted a wound en the deceased. He advised the Jury, therefore, seriously to consider what was the just inference from the circumstances proved. The Jury withdrew for some time, and at seven o'clock re turned a verdict of Guilty against the son, and o t Guilty for the mother. Win. Moulds was indicted forthe wilful murder of Wm. Tnr ner, by shooting him on the King's highway, neat Farnham, in this county, on the 18th of May last. This was a most aggra vated case. The prisoner was a soldier, in the 52d regiment, from which he deserted from Winchester, accompanied by two females, of the names of Etiz. Roper and Mary Fisher. As he was on the road s he declared to them that he must lave some man's clothes, to prevent his being taken as a deserter, and he would shoot some one to get them, As they went along they yeet , e joined by the deceased, and after some conversation about a bed, he told them they toboutd have some straw in his brother's barn, at Farnham. The deceased was walking a few yards before with Lliz. Roper, when the prisoner fired at him with his musket, mid the ball entered his back ; he had, however, strength enough to run to Farnham, when he reached the house of a Mr. Bott, a surgeon he lived two days, and then expired. A party of soldiers was sent in parsuit of the prisoner, and he was apprehended. The deceased saw Mat, and identified his person before he died. 'After he had shot the deceased, one of the girls fainted, and he and the other took her into an ad joining clover field. Here he declared he was sere that the ball must have entered the man's body, and he could not have ton above 30 yards, and he wished he had gone back to have had his money an►t clothes. The Jury found him Guilty. The Learned Judge, immediately after the conviction of the above murderers, sentenced them to be hanged on iVednesday morning, and their bodies to be dissected and anatomised. SOMERSET ASSIZES. TRIAL DV CAPTAIN DAVISON. The Assi geS fur the County of Somerset commenced on Monday last, when Captain John Davison, of the flo . al Marines, was I dieted before Sir Sou!deo Lawrence, Kot. for stealing a piece of muslin, of the value of 50s. the property of Janes Bunter, silltrc:ri of Taunton.--Mr. Gazelee opened the indictment. Mr. Jekyll then stated the circumstances of the case to the Jury, and observed, he had seldom, in the discharge of his pro fessional duty, a more painful task to perform, than to detail the evidence which he should have to adduce, In order to subqatitiate the allegation in the indictmeu', which clumzeil the prisoner with the crime of felony ; the fact, were few, short, bat cogent, and, he feared, irresistible ; they would come he:ter from the "IV itueass than any statement of his—ite would proceed to call them. The first witness was— Alexander Bailer, who said, " I am an apprentice to Mr. Jame' Bunter, of Taunton. I know Capt. Davison ; lie came to my maAer's house on the £sth of July, at half-past seven in the morning., there was no on.• in the shop but myself; he asked if Mr. Bunter was up ? I told him lie w:0, and on that 1w went away. Mr. Bunter came into the shop in about five minutes, aid on seeing some one hi) by with whom lie wished to veali ) he itifoolllllS • 7, - ~:..agi&`• AITG. 20. walked out towards the Parade, and Captain Davison came in immediately after. I was. cleaning the w indows on tla: outside of the shop ; on Captain Davison's again gatog into the shop. I followed him—he asked to look at the musliol he had seen the night before, and walked to the lower end Of the shop to the counter on the right hand, and t carried to I 0 or I`2 pieces,. as he was sitting on the counter—he took the first I chewed him in his hand, and very carelessly laid it by his side, and he did the same to some other pieces.. filter looking- at them some time, he went towards the door ; but before that, lie had thrown his handkerchief upon four or live of the pieces, which he had folded up. When at the door, ho asked me how the handker chiof he had on looked, and whether we had any of the same ? I. told him we had none of them. Ile asked me then for a look ing-;lass told him we had none but what were fixed ;- but if he would walk into the parlour, he might see there; to this he made no reply ;. he then sat, down in a chair r..ther below were the muslin was, and asked to look at some stockings at about five shillings a-pair, for his brother—before this, l had. taken away the pieces of muslin that were not coveted over; there was at this time a piece tinder his handkerchief which could plainly perceive. I took him out some stockings (root the opposite side of the shop, hut kept my eyes on hint, and observed hint draw his Inmdkerchief from the counter into his lap with both his hands. I observed the muslin w!Ls still under the handkerchief as he dreW it towards him. lie then aslc!..d for some fashionable waistcoat patterns; I went at - rost to the. ! other counter to get him some—my face was towards bimy and I observed him take up the handkerchief and squeeze. it ! together, and put it under the left lapel of his coat ; he took the patterns of the waistcoats, as he said he wished to shew them ',first to Yandell, his tailor. At this time his arm w. s over hra coat towards his lapel where be had put his handkerchief, amid walked out of the shop. Mr. Bunter came into the shop w hilst ! Capt. Davison was there, but stayed t,tit two or three minutes. I missed the first piece of muslin I had shewn hint immediately after his going out, it was marked with OIGSI the S had been altered, it had been rat r. When I tailed the muslin I rang the hell, mat Mr. Sumer came ; I described to him what had happened, and the particular piece which was missiog. and that Cartaki Davison was gone to Yandell's. Mr. Bunter left the shop to go to Yandell's through liammet-street-1 then went out and saw Capt. Davison standing at Mr. filuett"s shop door. When I perceived Capt. Davison was not gone to Yandell's, I called to Mr. Bunter aloud, and Davison walked by the Market house, towards his own lodgings. At the time I she wed Captain Davision the first piece, I took notice of the mark." Cross-examined by Mr. Sc►jeant Pell. " I bad seen the piece of muslin log:, the preceding evening.— Capt. Dari:on had purchased a yard of ribbon the day before. On my calling to Mr. Bunter, Capt. Davison retired from Mr, Bluett's shop." _ _ _ Charles Sutton, Constable of Taunton--" I went in company with another Constable, to search the house of Mr. Owen ; He first went into a bed-chamber, and then into a drawing-room. Capt. Davison was not there ; when before the Justice, he de sired to sleep in his bed-room, at Mr. Owen's. In the chamber there was a trunk with Captain Davison's name on it, on a brass plate; we broke it open, and found in it a piece of muslin, (pro duces it.) Capt, Davison desired of me to have the things found in the trunk, which were not owned, returned to him, part .. cularlv of a pocket-book, containing papers; when he came back from the Justice, he asked for his trunk, I told hint I had taken it to my house—the muslin was out of may hand, but never out of my !wilco. . . . Alexander Bailer ident ;fled the piece of muslin to be the sams lost, and that it was Mr. h'unter's property. ►l r. taunter —" The marks on the muslin are my writing, the muslin is my property, and worth more thaii:;oi. In ten minute.; after the search, the muslin was brought to we, and I knew it. I am certain I. had a piece of this quantity, yards and a, quarter, on the 2.5 th March, when 1 took stock, and no other piece of that price and quantity, and I have never sold that piece." Alexander Haller called again—Said he had never sold that piece.—Here the evideoce for the prosecution closed. Colonel Mears, T. Woodford, Esq. Surgeon, Usq. R. Morgan, Esq. Ihev.:►l Townsend, Rev. F. 11. C. Staudart, Esq. and the Key. I). Webber, all of whom are persons of the first respectability, and who had known thc prisoner nearly two years, severally gave him a ►nest exci:llcsit character. The Judge then summed up the evidence, rinJ told thi. Jury, however they might lament that a gentleman or the priso,:er's euuditiou iu life , kulding the rau,k uf it captiiiu iu the Royal a 4' II I