The National Register. — London, England, 1817-03-24 00:00:00

LENT ASSIZES. BEDFOR DSHIRT. TIM KING. OW THE PROAECITTLON OP PAMPA DARIITv V. TTIT. REV. itonunT WOOD. Aan, cf.caK. AND SIDIANNAIi WOOL- HAM) AND SAIIAH WOODWARD, SPINSTERS. This case has produced an uncommon degree of interest in all parts of the county of Bedford, front the peculiar charac ter of the crime imputed to the defendants. The court was crowded at an early hour with persons of all ranks; but. limn the nature of the evidence and remarks about to be sub mitted to the Jury, it was deemed proper that the ladies should be ordered to withdraw. The deloidants having taken their places is, court, the clerk of the arraigns read the indictment, which charged them with Davin; foully and maliciously cou sin' eti together, filsely to accuse one James Harris of having committed a rape on the person of Susannah Woodward; in farthe.anite of which C.;llAiiiracy the said parties appeared before the Rev. W. Hooper. one of the magistrates of the (-entity, and preferred their charge, in consequence whereof a warrant was issued for the apprehension of James Harris : lac w is euittitaitted to gaul, and at the last assizes was prose- cute) for the offence, but was acquitted. To.this indictment the defendants pleaded not guilty. Mr. Sergeant Illossett aildreksed tile Jury. The defendant, Mr. Woodward, was the vicar of the parish of Harrold, in this comity, and his daughters lived with him in the vicarage house. 'lke present prosecutor, James Harris, was the son ier a respeeta'ole soldier in the same town; and the charge imputed to him by the ildetelants was such, that it only re quired to be stated to conrince every Mall that it was false. In bee such was the nature of the evidence given by the 'vole; %swami who reeresentecl herself to have been violated, taunt the Jury before whom the trial took place, upon her less tonony alone, pronounced young Harris not guily. That Mies alusatinah 1600dw3ril hail had intercourse with some one, whereby she was likely to become a mother, was beyond a doubt ; but why it was thought proper to fix upon the pre tent prosecutor must renntin a mystery. In the testimony given by the proseentrix on the indicttneat against Mr. Harris, site stated, that he had, in the month of July, ISI I, attempted some violence on her person; but that she had resisted lain, and, on his poetise never to rope it similar eolit:et, undertook not to mention the circumstance to her tither. 'Fite more formidable pats of thi charge, however, slie del not fix till the 18th of October iii the some year; when, according to her statement, she was coining from the privy ie her father's garden, within a few yards of the h use, the garden being overlooked by cottages, and her sister and a servant being at home, this very man, satin attacked her in the in inth of July preceiline, again assailed her, and at an tally hour of the evening, in sp..e of all h' r resistmee and cries, violated her person. Her sister Sara'u at length Collie to her assistance, when the ravisher got tip, and atter etti atoning both their Ilea • if they attempted to disclose what bad happened, went ass ay. Weedier it was possible to have committed a violation under such cireunutauccs the Jury would, after a , 11,elosure of the other facts, be able to deter untie. From t tit period down to Jai) , in the following year, this young luda.aceirdi.ig to her ow.' tale, never disclosed to any person, e scept to her si ter, what had happened, and then the disclootre came of necessity, for she proved to be eight m mtlis g me with child. Daring all this period she lived in her firth pr's house, and nu hers lief father's eye. She, however, kept herself excludes from public view, and when site did go me oad, always wore a large cloak. He believed it was baleiy possible, under tile description which she had given of the violence committed, that she shonlel have proved pregnant; but even allote ine the possib,lity, it was not a little extraordieary, that, living in her father's house so. many months, she had not made a disclosure of the violation, or that her father hiaatelf, from the state of her persou, had not made some inquiries. It was not ell it was impossible longer' to conceal the business, that her fiti,uly was found in company with his two daughters before the Rev. Mr. Hoop• r, a most respectable magistrate in the neighbourhood, prefer. ing the charge against Mr. Harris. Ou that occasion Miss Susannah Woodward made the depositiou which she afterwards gave on Cie trial; and her sister Sarah te•roborated h. t tesiinto iy by the following stateineut :—" On Tuesday the 18th of Ocr. last, I was alone in the house ; I heard the voice of my sister Sa sattuah calling out, " Sally !" as if in great distress, front the garden. I immediately ran into the garden, and there 3 tw soy sister on the ground, and a young man, named James Harris, a saddler, of Harrold, holding 11 , !1' thWll upon the groted, with a knife in his baud close to her throat. I imme diately cried out, ' murder!' and then Harris jumped up, and puttilie the knife close to my throat, said, if I cried out, he would run the knife iuto my threat. I said, Wile would re• move the knife. I wood be silent. Harris then left the ga: . • den, after saying, that if I told my father, he, or some one else, would kill me or my sister. L'pou these inform lions, Ilk. Hooper granted his warrant for app. ellitief ng Harris. He'was taken into custody; but, utter pi otesting most so lemnly his innocence of the some imputed to han, was emus spitted for tria'. On that trial, leaw !vet, a • It.: had :dread:. stated, he was acaiiiiell to the in tst limoarable rummer. hi this view of the case it natist be telt, is, that the cha.ge of via• lotion was altogether false. S.. it had been p. mu:tamed by a most respectable jury t and 00111411 would have the 11.1 i dile.° I to say niter this, tit the charge by Susanitali was 1101 to, II and tualiciuns. Thus, if the charge of violation was false, he alt . preltentled uu duu c, could exist, that Siat', .alto had swat ii that sias was eresse.t when it was committed, Juiced with Iter sister in the fabrication of a gross fal•ehteel, and thus became . a pity to the conspiracy against the present prosecutor. The two sisters being ciearls implicated to the ti eusaction, the 11,31‘t qttestion for him to consider was, how the father became &Ire/qt.:a. 114 establishing the :MO of the father, he was per suaded, lie should have as tittle didlett.ty a, with the daugh ters. He would ask, in the first place, whether it wait withir the scope of peliai Wkly. that a , a man of sense and din criminatiou, could live iu the 54111.' house with Isis daughter dining eight tuentles of her pregliaucy, without discovering her situation independent of this, wJst'n ins daughter told hint the stars, which she Ariel wards swore to befure a magistrate, could lie believe it i But this was not 1411, for he would lie found M. fore the magistrate, as if to confirm his guiltt inure strongly, setting his daughter teght as to the particular State of the eight on which t!.e siolaliun was alleged to have taken place. When Mr. Hooper asked what sort of a night it was, SUbit1111411) sail, " it was a dark night ;" nou %e w e lie , and placing his 11411 d Oil his Jetliner's saiti, " No, my dear, it vi,IS a fine moonlight night." Now, lie would ask, how, if there had not been somethint, or coneett and plan in this mystei tuns tseStir, ale. Woodward entail have been weltered thus to assist the mentors of his saeghter, who em tainly ought best to bat e known the sot t of ;eta oa which %Le soh been so decades:ly iithiobtkl ? 't . I. fii till! a ••S I I ist/t übe the rape; but failitee in this, Mr. Baron Graham observed, that the Jury had to decide whether the three defendants, two, or any of them, had been guilty of the offence imputed to them. In order to commit the crime of conspiracy, two must necessaril. have been eoncerned; therefore, in this ease, the jury must Mel either two guilty, or acip:it the de fendants altogether. The learned Judge then read over the whole of the evilletice. From this evidence, he observed, it was clear that the father must have known that his daughter was in a state of pregnancy. In the first place it appears, that not a syllable of this charge came to the knooledge of James Harris till seven or eight 11101111111 after the tact was al leged to have taken place; and then what was done? The charge is illartSlTed, the proseeutrix is examined, and upon coining into a cairn of justice thuds no credit. Now it is said, nut with the must perfect cerreetness, that the prisoner was acquitted upon a point of law, and not upon the merits of the case. This, I /1111 satisfied, is nut true; the fact is, that the improbability c th • charge was the trite ground upon which the acquittal took place; and certainly nothing.eould wear more: the face of improbability than that, if the crime alleged had bet it committed, it would have been kept secret from the month of October to the June following; but it becomes still more improbable, when the situation of the parties is cult sidered; the one a t mute woman of eiliwietion and modesty, and the either a young snail living in the sante parish. Can any one believe., that the slaughter of a clergyman could have been so ignorant of the state of society' as not to know she would have been sufficiently protected fro it the violence with which site geld she was threatened, or that she would, after having hem so atroriously abwied, under any Perlin !s of terror, latve lost a moment in proclaiming her el eat ace, and asking far vengeance on her violator? but still less likely is it th it she wield have concealed a disgrace to which her own sister had been an eye-witness. These, 1 apprehend, were the groiniels on which the acquittal took place, and not as has been stated, on a mere rule of law. If the young woman had been treated with the violence she has de.cribed, she must and would have told her parent. That site was with child is a matter beyond doubt, mid it might, by possibility, happen that this young item was the tether of that child; but the violation must be put altogether out of the question. Even this sorinise, which I have mule for the benefit of the young womm, is set aside by tlw oath of the young man himself, who swears most positively that he never had any connesion with her whatever; and that his evidence. is at ail deserving of discredit, 1 can in no respect discover. lie is a respectable yoting man, and has ;Tie en his testitn my in a very ungnestionehle manner. I protest I was most anxious and desirous, for the sake of this male innate family, that something might occur which would lessen the enormity of their guilt. The natural compassion of one's feelings in seeing a titan of editeation, and in holy orders, work up his mind to au offence fur which there is no palliation, withou using a harsher observation, led me to hope some circuit'• stance might arise to lessen the enormity of Isis guilt. It is with pain, however, that I am driven to say uo such circumstance has transpired. %%That could be the motives for concealing the real father, and fixing it on an innocent man, is beyond our ability to discover? If the charge of violation agains, James Minis is false. the next question for our co ll . sideraiion is, di.' the defendants agree to bring forward the charge, , eioseine it be false? With respect to the young WO men, as they both swore to beingiereseut when the fact took place, no doubt of their guilt cell; exist. As to the father, perhaps the evidence is not so conclusive. In the defect of the evidence against the father, yon have nothing but the general circa:instance.; of the ease, and the palpable falseness of the charge. You will consider whether the natural saga city of u man of good e location could really have persuaded Mtn to give credit to so foul a charge. If you are not tulle sa tisfied of his guilt, you will acquit him by your verdict. The same observation applies to the daughters; but if you think they were all privy to the conspiracy, you will find your ver dict accordingly. The Jery, after a few ;minutes consultation, found all the defendants guilty. Mr. Baron Grebe's' immediately proceeded to pmneance sentence on the defendants. He observed, that during the whole of his jtali cel life he neves fiat more pain than in the performance of his duty on the present oc-asion. It was impossible to imagine a case more melancholy than that which was now before him; a clergyman of the Church of England, a character winch stoad so high in this country, convicted on the clearest and most satisfactory evidence of the most ueotuineble and atrocious conspiewy—a crime which became still mere dreadful from his Navin;induced his two un fortunate daughters t, follow him in his career, and to hear a part in his foul load of infamy. tic conliesed he knew not how to du justice. Compassion for the intimities of human nature might induce bins to alleviate the severity of punishment; but in this cave all compaeion was swallowed up in the contemplation of the scene lefore hurt--a scene which presented to his view a man, who, in spite of the hene.its of eieretion, and the dictate, of religion, had sunk to the last degree of Hunan crime. The sentence of the Court wes, that tee Rev. Robert Woodward should be imprisoned in the ceintem gaol of the county of Bedford fur two years; and that his elaug'nties, Sarah and Susannah, should each be impeiemed one year in Cie same Kell. The defend:tuts seemed deeply afflicted with their situction. Mr. Woodwind Is a titan %bout 50 yr:4 of age. His eldest daughter, Sarah, has not'iiae prepossessing in her manners or person, and is about ye. The yemege.st. Summate, is rather a pretty girl, of fair vinyl -entre Their i de: has excite et hut very little eximonsseration in tie county. Prucr OF I%READ. The highe,t price of the best Wheaten Bread thmulhont the me. tropolis. is st..ted by the Bakers to he 171 d. the Quartern Loaf—. &J to Bakers sell the Quartern Loaf from id. to sd. lower. VIE NATIONAL REGISTER. KENT AS iTZE.S.-31.4 tnsTONE, M♦ not 20. Lancelot Boniface was indicted for unlawfully anti ma licionsle showing at William Bramwell, at Tunbridge Wells, on thelitis of October last, with intent to MI der Min, &e. Mr. Common Sergeant detailed the circumstances of the case. William Bramwell stated, that he was a wine-merchant in London, and had property at Tunbridge Wells. Al Michael mas, 1811, the prisoner became a tenant of Isis of a house at the annual rent of 50 guinea , . They bad been good friends, but a disagreement had lakes place, in which the prisoner had struck him, and he had indicts:Otitis fur the assault at the last Jtilv Sessions. On the 4;11 of October last the wit ness went to Toubvidge Wells to collect his Michaelmas rents. The next morniag, beim:, in the shop ut Mr. Cross, at the Wells, he saw lionifuee. The prisoner bad called him by name ; he said to bim, " I suppose you want to pay use my scut, if so, i can now give you the receipt, es I have it ready mitten." The prisoner• said lie had not the money about u, but he would go home and get it. The witness then went to the New Inn, et which place Bonithce had fur. raerly been basher. He was sitting in the room about four ..'clock,two persons of the 114111 C of Edward anti Stver were wish him, thee she prisoner mid Roberts came In. The psi Jotter bowed and said, " I am come to pay my rent.'' 'flie withebs rt hhed, " Very well ; there is y our receipt." Ro berts to.•I, up the receipt to look at it, and the priomer put the mi T me tables. Tie! prisoner theta withdrew I.ttNousi :—.lrrinti'd and publisind by U. V; it. as. at No. l IS, STRAND, opposite EYettl 'Change 4 and fnatras.lcti into the ('contrr by All Nor+racn. Clerks of tlae Knadas and Bookseilers, MARCII t 4 away; but as he was writing he heard him say, " Von know Bramwell, you have taken a false oath." )(colluded, as he believed, to the assault. The whiess raked his head indig nant at the accusation, and that 1110111011 t he received a blunt in the free. He instinctively put his hands , to his head, and felt the Mood pouring out very fast; his head dro pped upon his rent book, and he remained in a sort of stupor for about a minute, as well as he could judge. He recovered his senses, and heard Boniface say, " that is • fur taking a false oath," and shortly afterwards, " that be had tlotic his business." Lk was carried out of the room, and put to bed. The statement having been proved, an attempt was made to set op the plea of insalety. John Wag corn, who saki he had known the prisoner for several years ; and about IS months since he observed a ma nifest alteration in his behaviour, to such a degree, that he thought he was deranged. He then stated several installers of his strange conduct. Thice persona, who had lived vvith him as fellow-cervanta in Mi.,s Aslitinenliam's fatitil, 'rated, that they belie% ed he W;l3 OCCasi1111:111‘ deranged. The High Meritf of-the County said, he knew him formerly as a servant in Major Woodgate's fatuity, and that.. le: bon a inn%t excellolit character. The ease being finished, Mr. Serzeant Bommmet, in sum• mine up, directed the Jury first to consider vfiether. if the prosecutor hail died, they would have considered the pri soner as guilty of murder t fur unless they .would, they must acquit him. He adverted to the defenae of insanity; and stated, that it was not any aberration of the mind from right reason, but the culprit moist not kwe.v the good or es il of the action at the time he cointeitteti it. He then detailed the evidence minutely, and applied it to these principles; and told the Jury that it yeas their peculiar province to draw the resnit, and pronounce their verdict accordingly. The Jury, ;Meets blurt deliberation, pronounced the pri soner—Guilty. MAR MEL Mr. W. Giblett. of New Rond-streei.to Mary Tan:, dait. of Mr. Stansfeld, of Hickniabswortli.—At Kew, 31ajor- Gen. Sir Win. Parker Carroll. to Emma Sophia. only surviog dart. of M. E. Sherwin, Esq. of Kew, Surry.—Mr. .1. Leachnistr, of Al dermanbory,.solieitor, to Mary. data. of J. Warren. Esq. of Comp ton Terrace, lslington.—A. A. Goldsmid, of Finsbury-square, to Sophia. dan. of •1.. Solomons, Esq.—At Witaplinle, I.ineolnshire. SMilal, to :Miss Forel, of that place. Nlr. S. had just before come - into possession of a oiassiderable sum of money. which induced miss F. to matey him, and on the billowing Sunday night she de camped with a journeyman baker, takipg with her 1551. by way of support. At Ockley, Curry, Bev. T. Wondrofre. Rector of that pari It. and Vicar of thing, Susstx, and late Fellow of Clare Hull, Cam. bridge..--At Bath, Sir R. Ilnokty, formerly of Fenchurch-strect.— At earslialton, Sorry, S. Vtillacc, Esq.—At ('lielsfield, Kent, Rev. P. Cory ton, Ili)). late Fenny,. of All Souls. Prehendary of Peter. btirough, and ittetor of ChelsOield, end St. Dtinstan's in - the East.— At l'heinisforil, Louisa Jernatta, dau. °lilt-v. J. Morgan.—At Wet. lington lark, E. B. F. Langford. on in law to J. H. Tilson, convulaions, brought on by excess of grief, having survived her husban.l but four days, Alrs.sitilizAiuntier. of Swan-place, Kent •smil..—B. !lowan'. of*Lawrence Building Park. 'Yorkshire, the .flight 'Hon. Katherine, Dowager I'utintess of Aberdeen, in the tild year of her age. LONDON 31.IRKETS. CORY-EXCIIAYGE ♦ MARC,' 24. Our inarixt was well Supplied this morn _ with ill kinds of grain: tSe sale of Wheat was dull, and 2s. per qr. lower, with a cow:Met-able quantity left on hand; Harley is null, and 2s. per qr. lower; Pease and Beans are each 2s. per qr. cheaper ; Fine Oats support their price, but ordinary is dull : ut oilier kinds of grain there is no alters. t ion. s. s. s. s. Wheat GO a 61 WhitePease67 a 66 ditto lto a 142 Grey Pease St( a 46 Bye 46 a 56 Beans 9.PI aTS Fin,. Barley 31 a 60 Ticks 56 a 42 M4lt. a. a. Poland Oats 20 a 21 Potato ditto 12 a 51 Fine Flour .100 atria Second ditto 93 awn Rape Seed... 301 a 341 AVERAGE PRICES Or CORN PER QUARTER. /N ENOLAND AND WALES. FOR TILE WEER ENDING MAR. 13. Wheat, I Rye I I Barley I Oats I Beans Pease 10 . 2 5 1;0 5 49 S 50 11 it. 3 40 g AVERAGE PRICE OF SVC %it, Computed from the Returns made in the week enilin,7 Mar. lg. is 445. 9.1 d. per cwt. exclu:ive of the Ditty of Cubtoms paid or payable there. on on Importation thereof into Great Britain—(N,therthiy'.v PII ICE I _ Stuil4j IV . MEAT, Moxtmv.Nl.tuell•ts._ 5. rl: 5. (1. Reef 3 0 a 5 0 Mutton —3 8 a 5 0 Veal 4 6 0 Pork —. 3 8 a 5 0 I.:.mb 0 0 a 0 0 . . .._ Itt. .21"cmgate and ',meta/eat,. ifealla of rattte at Carcase r. d. a. d. Stllit,',l,./d. Reef 34a 4 4 Beasts. about 4340 Mutton-3 4a 4 4 Sheep 17200 Veal 4na 6 • ('alvia Pigs 340 hurtb....n oao ti HAY AND 61 HAW PKR LOAD. X. a. d. 8. d. Aver..C, s. d. (flay 3 0 0a 6 0 n —41 L Cloud 0 0 0 a 0 0 0 7 to to I Straw •+ 0 0a 2 0 6 Y 0 3 'llay... 5 0 0a 6 0 0— 3 to to elGver 7 0 0 a 8 0 0— 7 10 0 _ _ _ Sr. J.tnEs's WIIITECII.II'EL Straw I IS 0a 2 3 0 i 3 0 ( Ilay 3 o o a s 1 s a s o 11 SMIT 111 lELD i Clover 4 u 0 a It 0 0— 7 0 41 l Straw 113041230—v00 COAL. MARKET. - - Ships at Market. Ships sold. a. d. s. FSIDAY,MARCII 19 I 33 Newcastle I 231 I ,411 Nall 37 6 a 45 0 113 Sunderl Sunderland f 3 n- PItICE ON STOCKS Tills DAY. 3 per Cent. Reduced 'Vint 3 per Cent. (7onaol, (:1) it) 5 per Cent. Navy Intiia Scia:k Ditto Minas (5 per Cant.) /14 pm. lcx-b:tiuer Bill'. VA. per nay 4 pm. Ditto *l. per Day ll pm. .96