The National Register. — London, England, 1814-09-18 00:00:00

OLD BAILEY. On Wednesday, these Sessions commenced before the Lord Mayor, Mr. Justice Heath, Baron Graham, Mr. Justice Dampier. the Recorder, and several Aldermen. The following prisoners were Capitally convicted, viz.—John Richards and Hannah Goodger, for feloniously counterfeiting two shillings of the current coin of the realm; Catharine M.Arthy, for uttering counterfeit money. having bees twice before convicted of the same Offence ; T. Williams for a burglary in the house ot T. Wright, and stealing a watch ; T. Pears son, for breaking into the house of W. Butler, and stealing a jacket, waistcoat, and breec:ies; Elisabeth Jones, for stealing several ar ticks of wearing apparel, the property ot Sarah Powell, in her Itemise; and H. Clements, for stealing five bullocks. Thursday, Mary Marriott was capitally convicted of stealing three shawls, the property of Messrs. Price and. Smith, privately in their shop. Thomas Reed was indicted for burglarionsly breaking and entering the dwelling house ot Isaac Josephs, and stealing therein a basket containing a quantity of.earthen ware, the pro perty of Peter Lyons. The prisoner was 'apprehended with the property in his possession; and a key, which opened the prosecu tor's door, and a pistol, were hlso found on the prisoner; notwith standing this conclusive evidence, the Jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty ! This caused Mr. Justice Heath to remark, that if Juries ex pected to have eye-witnesses to the fact of the commission ot oftencos of this nature, and on that principle resolved not to find any person guilty unless where he was seen to have committed the offence, he must say that they thereby placed the property et the public iu a state of great danger. RAPE. James Markey was indicted for committing a rape upon the person of Mary Ann A der, a child of between twelve and thirteen yearn of age, who had been in the service of the prisoner and his wife for about five weeks. The tale told by the child, and the evi dence of the mother and of a surgeon who had been consulted, left too room to doubt the fact, that violence • had been Offered to the person of the gig i. A surgeon of eminence, however, proved that t!,e psiqtrier had, as far back as the year 1805, an operation ped;o-med upon him, which rendered it extremely Improbable, if sot impossible, that he should be able to effect such a purpose, unless consented to on the other side. This the medical gentleman stated, not from his, recollection of the case alone, but from recent examination. Mr Justice Dampier. in these circumstances, thought it right that-two of the Jury should retire with the prisoner into a private room, ,and satisfy themselves. This being dune, the Judge summed up, staid the Jury having re- iired, brought in a verdict of Not Guilty. MURDERS. Friday the Court was crowded at an early hour. His Royal High ness the Duke of Sussex sat upon the Bench. James Mitchell was then brought to the bar, and indicted for feloniously shooting at and mortally wounding Mary Ann Welch man, on the night of the 4th of August last, in Mount-street, 11-lanover•square. Waltord opened the indictment. Gurney, in addressieg the Jury, remarked, that sensible as they niti.t be of the numerous and painful instances which had re cently occurred of the crime of which the prisoner now stood ac euned, yet there were in the circumstances of the present, singular features of atrocity and aggravation. The prisoner had been ad mitted to an intercourse with the deceased, in the belief and con fidence that he entertained for her an affectionate regard. Instead of proving. however, a kind protector, he had become her inhuman iliiirderc:% The circumstance• would be proved in evidence. The bnitiqviient which the prisoner had incurred was, indeed, severe; ut it bad been fully merited ; and short as the time that remained to him in this wolld was, it greatly exceeded what he had himself allowed to the inifortnniete victim of his brutality. Misr Macey deposed, that she was a dresi-maker, and lodged at the house of Mr. Watkins, in Mount-street. Miss . Welehnusis lived With her as forewoman, and was in treaty for taking the bushaess. She had kuown the deceased for three 'ears, during a great part of which time she had been in her employ. 'rue priaotter had been frequently .. to the house previous to the murder, and under the name of Smith. Ile came to her lodging* enquiring for Miss Weidman ' about eight o'clock on Thursday night, the 4th of August last. He was then shcwm into the middle or what was called the work room, where there were present several ether females ) and went them a servant ... ••••••,- .:•••• Ima%rn , looloiairellas TTIE • NATIONA-L REGISTER._ mErty Iltl maid. On coming ib r he sat down. and Miiss Welchman accused hint of stealing a pair of seisms. He then made nse of very impertinent and improper language, on which all except Miss Welchman left the room. •In an adjoining room. she had an opportunity of hear. log the prisoner invite her to sup out ; and. on her refiesal ask fot some pickled salmon, which was likewise declined: About eleven o'clock she returned to the workilig-room, and desired the pristinet to depart, who refused until be should, as be said + get' back a letter which he had writtew,to Miss Welchntan. This was declared to be impossible by the deceased, arc the letter had been destroyed. At this time the witness went down stairs to supper, in the •kitelseq ; minute Omni* Miss Welchman followed. She went, however, tip *gain, saying, that slie would contrive to get rid of him. In' about five minutes she heard a scream, followed by two reports of * pistol. She then ran up stairs as far as the parlour passage, saw no person pass Out, nor the prisoner afterwards. On cross-examination by Mr. Knapp, she admitted that theft were other lodgers 'hi the horse, and that it was possible for a per. son to have passed the street door without her notice. She had previonsly seen the windows of the front room fastened. ' Mr. Watkins, the landlord of the house, was next called. He slept ins building behind the house, which was let out to lodgers. lie nias suddenly called by his house keeper on the night of the 4th of August, and immediately afterwards heard a scream. On hearing the report of fire-arias, he ran up stairs, anti found Miss Welchman lying on the Root, her head beyond and the rest of her body within the door. She west bleeding profusely from the head. He entered the. win, and saw nobody. The window over the door in the front room was open ; it was above a porch, by which the descent to dm ground was broken. He subsequently found two pistols, one lying in the front and one in the back room, together with a hat, which he had delivered to a constable. Thomas Moon, a constable of the district of Hanever.square, heard the alarm. When he entered the house, lie directly ordered a search, understanding that murder had been committed. He went np to the first floor, and found Miss Weldunan supported in a chair, with two severe wounds in her head and body. About a quarter of an hour afterwards he found the pistols and hat. The former ap. peared to have been recently discharged. Collinson keeps the public-house next door to the house in question. He heard soon after eleven, o'clock some noise, then a scream, and, on looking out, saw a man lying on the ground, as if he had dropped from a window ibove. In a very short time he got up, and ran away. He observed that lie was withont a hat, and.that he ran towards Charles-street. The prisoner had been once at his home, but he believed he had not seen Wire : he could not therefore speak to his identity. William Kingston was passing through Mount street between eleven and twelve on the night in question, and met a man who passed him at full speed, and withont a hat, which induced lihn to leek back and enquire. Mr. Russel, a surgeon, was called in on the 4th of Angust, at Mr. Watkins's, where Ire found the deceased just expiring. Ono wound was through her right temple and the other in the left side. They were both, in appearance. pistol wounds. He saw the pistol*, the interiors of which were moist, and of coarse indicated that they bad been recently discharged. r Mrs. Ann Stennet was housekeeper to Mr. Watkins • she had ' called her master, and bad found a bullet close to the s p ot where the head of Miss Welehman lay, that could be produced. Thomas Foy, a hatter, in Bond-street, examined the hat which was produced in Court, and tumid in .Miss Wekhman's apartment. He believed it to be the hat which he had sold to the prisoner in . the month of June lust. He knew the prisoner to have lived ser vant with Mr. Crawford; and he told the witness that he was chest to be married to the forewoman of a dress-masker. • On cross-examination by Mr. Alley, he stated that be could not swear positively to the hat. John nickel], a soldier in the 3d regiment, and servant to General Dilkes, had lent the prisoner a hat on the evening 'knowing the murder. The prisoner said he had been in a heals at Hyde-park fair, and lost his own. Thomas Foy, a police officer, searched the prisoner's lodgings at No. 16, Grosvenor-mews, and there naiad a case for a pair of pis tols, and a mould for casting pistol-balls, with a key, all fitting to the 'pistols found in Mount-street. Edward 'tracker was a farmer residing at Sutton, near Salisbnrv, and had known the prisoner formerly, who worked for him. Ho yaw him on Tuesday the nth of August in that neighbourhood, and having observed the accounts ii the newspaper', ceased, loppj. lapprehended. Here the use closed on the part of the proseeaties. IP% ~~_ .r•. ...,.