The National Register. — London, England, 1817-09-15 00:00:00

SEPT 15. Rev. Mr. Rowley.—The witness tots! me distinctly the same circumstances, the neat slay or about that. The prisoner.—l never said one word of what Knowles has said since God gave me breath. lie is told it only to amend Lis own grammar. Two brothers will tell that I was in bed at half past twelve. James went to bed at half past ten, and never awoke till half past five, I cannot tell when my brother came home. _ _ 11;;nas11ittall, (quite a boy).—l went to bed between ten and eleven. I did not sleep till past one. My brother John came home between twelve and one. _ _ . Cross examined by Ur.Raine.—lt was not fearful long bc• fore one, when he cause to bed. It struck one as lie came to bed.—Guilty. The prisoner is quite a youth in his appearance. On his first appearance at the Bar, there was a wild smile upon his countenance. His face gradually reddened into deep crim son. He occasionally bit the nails of his right band. There wasno additional symptom of agitation when the verdict was returned. The Judge said, the proof of the prisoner being the person who had committed the undottlsted murder rested entirely on the evidence of Knowles. The 3ury deliberated about live climates. The Court was deeply affected with the whole de tails disclosed. Henry Schofield, aged 3.l,charged with the murder by poi son, of Robert Schofield, and Mary Ann Schofield, at Roch dale, pleaded not guilty. He was first tried fur the murder of the girl. Mr. Williams opened the case. The prisoner was a weaver in Rochdale. He lived with a woman who had been previously mariicd to a soldier who had not been heard of for nine or ten years. By her he had the two children mentioned in the in diet neut. The soldier returned, and his wife joined him. She afterwards came back to the prisoner, and lived with him when the murder was committed. On Sunday the 20th of April, he administered poison in porridge to the mother and the two children. One of the children died on Monday, the other on Thursday following. Ann Deny.—l know the prisoner. He lives in School lane. I live in the house, he in the cellar ; he lots lived there a year and a half. In April last he had two children, Mary Aim Schofield and Robert Schofield. I went into his cellar on Sunday morning the 20th of April, Mary Ann was in bed very sick, she vomitted very much. The prisoner was there. asked Ann Buckley the mother, what was to do. She said she was very sick, that Henry had done it ; he bad gone out and left them vomittiag, and when he came in he said," What thou art as bad as the children. I asked it liehad had porridge that morning," she said," No, he had stew." She said some sort of soot hail been put in, she could nut tell what it was, it tasted very bad. 1 went in again Omagh the day, Mary Ann continued bail. I went in on Monday night. Robert was dead then. 1 went in several times. Mary Aun was very ill. She eon , jutted to get worse. I knew site milked. She seemed to he quite insensible. I went in on Thursday be tween eight and nine in time morning, Henry was there. I said, " this child will not live long." He said," No" I be lieve. The prisoner came in at another time with Susan Butterworth. Ann Buckley said, they were well before they had time porridge. Henry told her to ' I her busi ness and he would make the porridge. I saw Ann Buckley, the mother, sick. Ann Buckley.—l was married to John Buckley 15 years since, in the Chinch. There were several persons present. — We lived tolether about six years, unit lie went lot u soldier. Ile stayed away 13 or 14 years—l thought he was dead. I was married to the prisoner seven years since. I saw Buick ley not 12 months ago. I lived with the prisoner, had two children by him. 1 have two now by my first husband. 1 lived with the prisoner in a cellar al Rochdale. We were not so well off. On the Saturday night we were hearty: we gut up as well as usual ; Henry Schofield got tip first ; 1 think about six o'clock. lie stopped a few minutes and went out. He came back before eight. We had no breakfast ; I and the two children were in bed. The children had porridge and small beer for breakfast ; Henry made the porridge. He put the water on the fire. He did not used to make the por ridge. When 1 was going out at the door he said," I'll make the porridge, art thou fur having any ?" I said, Aye, for I'm like to have soothing else." 1 was out a quarter of all hour. When I came in the children were having their pomoildge. The girl said—" Dad, lists given me much naughty p*tdge, I caul eat it ;" Henry said," if you dont eat it, I'll whip you." I asked what ailed the porridge : it was a very bad taste : can't tell islint it was, I never tasted the like betide; nine or ten minutes after they began to vomit. The boy died on the Monday ; my vomining after tasting the porridge, con tinued fur a week. I was nut well for three weeks ; the eta kept vomitting all along; sliealways cried fur water; she never looked up; she died on Thursday ; 1 wanted to send fur the doctor. Henry said I was a fool, and said a doctor could do them no good ; the boy was buried on tVednesday, I think. A doctor, Ale. Buckley, came au hour and a halt be fore the girl died. John Buckley.—l am surgeon iu Rochdale. The prisoner rime for me un the Mid wished for me to go and visit a child of his that was very poorly: 1 got there between tea and eleven in the 1110111 i up. The child died. I opened it, and the child that had been buried, the girl in the house, and the boy in the church. I found the girl's stomach, the jolter coat, in a state of mortification. The mortification was suffi cient to produce death. and u as the cause of the child's death. It was,that sort of indamarition that is produced by corrosive poison, swallowed. By experiments, I found that arsenic, in a small quantity had been swallowed ; the violent reaching is the action of poison. It is accompanied with extreme thirst ; I believe no ounce of white arsenic is enough to poison CO or lOU persons. Both children died by poison, and that Was arsenic. The prisoner attempted to represent that Mr. Buckley had ascribed their death to water in the head. John Holt.—l live at Little Clegg. I saw the prisoner on the 2011,, :Wont half past six. He asked Irt' some arsenic for rats and :Mee, for they had almost eaten their clothes out of the house. Ikt hint have a half ounce ul• white arsenic for a penny. The Judge here said to the witness, if the prisoner is guilty of ntitrifei, 'on have inneti to allS.Alir liar. John Clin.ley, a prisoner tor debt, was called by the pri soner to toy, that Holt hail said he had sold no poison to the ,prisoner. Cro,i.examined by Mr. Williams.—l Was foreman of the Jury when Holt was before the Cm• r iti November a end,' having died of poison. I heard of the insit•,. of the pris iiiii •r's ehildred, and said to Holt, •' You bare 111.?4,.11 selling poison again to Scholl , Id." He said," I have not." dies Williatua. --I have no doubt Wit, that Holt said so. VIE NATIONAL REGISTER. The prisoner tolda long story about the two marriages, and their quarrels lately as to the support of the two children. He had paid Ts. fid. to the first husband for three wicks he had them. He took them back. because they were ill used..— Guilty. The Learned Judge then proceeded to pronounce sentence on the convicts. They were brought up and sentenced as foUows John Nuttall and Henry Schofield were addressed in terms of great solemnity and feeling, and ordered for esecution on Saturday. FRIDAY,SEPTEMBER 5. James Ashcroft the elder, aged 53, David Ashcroft (his brother), aged 48, James Ashcroft the younger, aged 32, W. Holden, aged 47, and Jnhn Robinson aged 53, charged with the murder of Margaret Marsden and Hannah Partington in the dwelling house of Thomas Littlewood, at Pendleton, near Manchester, on the 28lli day of April last pleaded not guilty. At seven o'clock the Court was excessively crowded. With in the bar the Counsel could with difficulty find room to sit or stand. Without the bar all was one entire mass, that stood and moved as if inseperable. At eight o'clock precisely, the trial commenced. There were several challenges. After a Jury was sworn, the eldest Ashcroft flung his hand upwards with a theatricat•air, and exclaimed—Not guilty ; his brother followed his example, and his son, and Holden. Robinson scarcely raised his hand to Ashcroft's shoulder. Mr. Cross, in a speech of great force nod pathos, opened the case. It was his painful duty to detail, and their not less painful du►y to investigate, the circnmstances of a murder, the most atrocious which the experience of any of them had observed. That the deed was perpetrated was not matter of question; their only task was to select the perpetrators. Be. fore lie should detail the evidence he melt say, there was no thing to bring guilt home to Robinson. If therefore incidental proof did not come out in course of trial, they must acquit Min. The evidence against the elder Ashcroft made it neces sary to tell them, that the law pronounced the man who in any way aided or assisted the murderer as equally guilty with Mtn who actually inflicted the fatal wound. Lord nacre was found guilty, and hanged, for the murder of the gamekeeper, while he himself was in another part of the park hunting the deer. He 110 W described the ground, and the evidence. Thomas Littleton has a house in Pendleton, on the side nearest Man chester, and on the west side of the road as you go into Man chester from Lancaster. It fronts to the south. Its cast gable is towards the turnpike road, and has two windows in it. It is sonic distance from the road, yon first pass a piece of waste ground, you enter then au iron gale, you go along a gravel path, pass along the front of the house, and by the kitchen window, which is in the south west corner of the front, you then enter into a yard at the west end of the house. In one corner oldie yard there is a pump, and in the diagonally op. posite corner is a lobby into the north west corner of the house. A yard within the eutrace of this lobby is the door into the house. In the kitchen there is but one window to the south, and the shutters leave the whole of the lowes posies uncovered the dresser is ander the window, the fire is on she east side. Immediately Isehind the house is a burying .ground,and in the burying-ground a chapel. On the other side of the burying ground runs a path from the road, parallel with the gravel path in front of the house. Considerably in front of the house is Mr. Watkin's (the Quaker's) house, from whose windows one can have a full view of the flout of Mr. Littlewood's.— Going now eastward from the house, and passing along side the gravel walk, out at the iron gate, through the waste piece of ground into the road, yon have Pendleton on your left, and Manchester on your right; before you is a field through which a cart road passes, and of importance in this trial as the Three smoked Field ; h is considerably off the road, and rather rises as you go to it front the road ; the path rises as you go from the road to Littlewood's house, so that the Three-nooled Field commands a full view of Littlewood's house and premises, about a quarter of a mile distant. Going along to Manches ter, you come to the two mile-stone almost as •'uu pass oppo site to Littlewood's. A few-yards further ou you pass the Black. Horse public house on your rigid and at the one mile stone, the Horst and Shoe also on the right. Now, Gentle. men, you will find the four prisoners, on the evening of Fri. day, the 23th of April, net together in a public house in Man. (Mester, nut drinking and making merry, bet engaged in cool, deliberate, serious, important consultation. You will find them next day, the total day, walking backwards and forwards near Mr. Littlewood's horse, sometimes together, sometimes separate, now here , now there, at one time in the public road, at another time in the private path. Holden is seen in the kitchen between one and two. The yowl); woman that saw him will swear to him. At two o'clock another young woman saw the kitchen window shut, when the murder most have been committed. About three young James Ashcroft, David Ashcroft, and Holden are seen coining out at the iron gate with b Iles in their hands. 'f :ley will be sworn to. They are seen again in the 'hack Horse, and the Horse Shoe In the evening young Ashcroft is seen on a play ground, flush. ed probably with intoxication, displaying a Minitel of notes anti handfuls of gold. But here I most state the deeds perpe. trated within the house. The family consisteel of Mr. and Mrs. Litticwood, Mrs. Marsden, an ancient lady, long in the family, and, what is of importance, long before wril•..nown to the Ashernfts, and a beautiful )(mug girl, the unfortunate Hannah Partington. Littlevi owl had a grocei 's shop in Manchester, to which lie and his wife regularly went every Saturday !naming, when there is always a market in Manches ter. They did so on the g,th, and left Mrs. Marsden mud Hannah l'artingtan in the house. Mr. Littlew•ood had a very considerable sum of money in the house, which lie kept 111 a drawer that he never locked. In this in gold. All the money was taken away. The display of property, therefore, made by young Ashcroft is 'pregnant with suspicion, especially when yen will fiord it proved that lie could not pay 2s. the day heiore. lint old Ashcroft is still un touched. He is sects deliberating awl w•a:king with the rest, but lie is not connected with Littlewionl's house. Thiv man then, confined in the same cell with one charged with felouy, but proved folly innocent, holds freipient coils ersat Mos on the subject with his fellow prisoner, amid with that impatience to unlade a wilily conscience which criminals feel, and which prompts them to make disclosures. however foul time demi, or fatal the secret to their associates. lie relates to hi•m that he kr et watch in the Three • 'looked Field, while the others exe cooed the *Mori ins art of murder. 'tins diselosure will be verified to you upon oath, when the real character of the wit. near will befillly made know II to on. These circumstances will derive confirmation from the coot t adietory confessions of the prisoners, and the anxiety of Hidden to conceal the shirt he had on. It iiiiist be admitted that the property has not becii traced. There were no marks 101 the umes or t h e goid. Oaly a is. piece was taken away, 41111 a 7s. piece %Iasi:01111.1 011 001: 111 the prisoners. Neither is any mark of blood mound upon their cloatbs. The evidence consists of the CiICIIIII3hIIIgeb t9l have deailed. If they satisfy your minds that the prisoner* are guilty you will of course find your verdict accordingly, however, painful the task : if you can reasonably doubt the force of all the evidence that will be laid before you, God for.. bid I should urge you to convict the prisoners. Several witnesses were then examined at great length.— Their evidence confirmed the aboventatemeut of She Counsel for the prosecution. The Chief Baron summed up the evidence in a very lumi nous addressof more than.an hour and a half. Towards the conclusion of it. David Ashcroft begged to be allowad.to say something farther. The chief Baron said it was quite imps► lar, but he wculd certainly indulge bum. He then threw out many incoherent charges against the evidence for the prose cution, and begged to have Mr. Wright, a Magistrate Ina Mr. Witherton, a constable, examined to contradict Mary Hallows. The Judge said he would allow it, bat insisted that Mr.. Williams, the Counsel for the Ashcrofts, and M. Starkie, the Counsel for Holden, should be sent for. After a considerable interval, Mr. Williams appeared witb_ out wig or gown, and after he had conversed for a consider able time with his Lordship and with the prisoners, David Ashcroft said he would leave the case as it was to God Al mighty, VA.., he !toped, would direct his Lordship and the Jury to do justice. James Ashcroft the elde►--O! may God by ins Holy Spi rit inspire the Jury to perceive the truth, and to give a true verdict, for we are all innocent of this murder. _ _ The Chief Baron.—l'll listen to any thing for which ynti can offer evidence; but you must not be allowed to make speeches of that kind. His Lordship then concluded by a very impartial and solemn peroration. The Jut y in two minutes returned their verdict. James Ashcroft the elder, Davis} Ashcroft, James _Ashcroft the younger, and William Hulden—Guilty. John Rubinson Not Guilty. James Ashcroft the elder.—This is murdering us in col& blood. God will reveal this injustice. I pray earnestly that he would now send two angels to declare upon that table who committed this murder. We are innocent, and I will deelara so to the last. David Ashcroft invoked God, anti protested his irutocenac io the same wanner. James Ashcroft the younger.—lf I Inuit suffer death for a crime I never committed, I implore your honour to look in mercy on my poor wife and children. (Here a tremendous shriek burst Isom a female in the crowd, who it was found, *aa his nnfortunate wife.) William Holden.—Silence, silence! (flinging one arm to wards Heaven, and the other towards his earthly judge.l There is a God yonder who knows that we are innocent, and who will make amends for this. The Chief Baron.—Mr. Shattlwarerth proceed. The prisoner now again repeated their protestations of in norence, and declared all the evidence against them to be perjuries and lies. The awful sentence of death was then pronounced. They were ordered for execution ou Monday next. 'Dm Judge de clared that no sensible person who had beard the evidence, could have a doubt of their guilt ; that he owed it to justice to say, that be considered the verdict the only one au Mel*. gent Jury could have romped. The moment sentence was pronounced, James Ashcroft, sen. waved his right hand with a white bundle in it over his head, and exclaimed aloud. "Glory to God !" David Ashcroft said, he hoped God would not allow the injustice done to them to be nlways unknown.— J. Ashcroft, full. said, lie would meet a higher Judge with • conscience clear of this guilt. Wm. Holden vociferated in a wild tone. 0 There is Mr. Nadin, and there is Mr. Fox (Attorney for the prosecution), and before they leave the earth God will punish them." Thus they were hurried away from the bar, while every person iii Court was penetrated with a chilling horror at such a dreadful scene. The trial la - strd from eight in the morning till eight at - - night. The Chief Baron, in discharging Hie Jnry, said, ha owed them his best thanks. He had never seen any Jury exercise so muck diligence, attention, and accuracy, as he had observ ed in that Court (iring all the trials. Sentence was then passed upon the rest of the convicts.— Knowles was called up last, and sentenced to six mouths' hard !Amor in the liouse tor Correction. John Thompson Pilking toil, Julie Wild, Johst Ashworth, and Jenny Cheetham, •ett kneed to be hanged for forgery on the Bauk of England were assured that no mercy would be extended to them. 'flied mas Arm:lrons, convicted of having set fire to the cotton-milt seas told he could expect no metey ; his look and appearance were beyond the power of description ; amid the lamentations of his associates he never uttered a groan. There were altogether 33 who received sentence of Deaths A Don TURNED HIGHWAYMAN.—Mrs. Knight and another lady gave information of being robbed by a dog in the fol. lots ng singular manner :—She stated, that herself and sister were returning, about six o'clock the preceding evening, from St. Pancras-chnrch, towards Battle-bridge, a hairy (Lig, resembling a drover's dog, unaccompanied by any reru*, jumped suddenly up front the road side, and laying hold of her ridicule with his teeth, forcibly snatched it from her, anit made his escape. The ridicule contained a pound note, a sovereign, eighteen shillings in silver, a silver thimble, a pair of silver spectacles, and sevetal other articles. The cousta. hle stated, that a dog, answering the same description. lia.l attacked a poor wonirn near the Veterinary College, and rob. ed her of a bundle, containing two shirts, some hatailkervhic fa and other things, with which he ran away. There were sr. veral other charges against the same d 0, ,, who is suppose,' to lie trained up to the business, anti that ins master intiwt bo at some place not far distant. The officers un d o t took to b e on the alert to apprehend this depredator. On the 27th ult. a young man, a fanner's servant. r: siding as cutton-on-the.hill, in the neighbourhood of Derby, in .t mot:tent o f tksiamden •y, rut a period to his exist.. .ire its a eery zing,dar way. Being employes' with his master's team in carrying gravel on die road, he sent a hoy who was assisting hint, tbrwanl or. sonic tri fl ing premier; he then bent his whip and hat lawn together at a distance of a tow yards tend deliberately placed himself in a longitudinal di rection with his face dintawanl , , his hands bunt utal:rneath his face, in the track of one of the wheels of the Mi. wiech passing over his head. back, thigh, and 1. eatisell instantaneous death. lt is sup posed an imprudent connexion with a fellow servant was the cause this desperate act. tletoxs.—The gardener of W. Salmon, Esq. of P...nlin^..eretrt s , near Cowbridge, cut from eight plants growing, to three light frames. the latter end of .lutt:! no les , titan thirty-three heate;fuf oh 1 sts , of the l'antakstpe kind, Oiler , which an experiment was tried by twessitlg down the plants within eleven ine!,es of the stalk. tit: lotus Lint goody tliNturhed, plentiful watered, and covered WWI and there are now above thirty 11114043/ 1.130 rt iu the frs...e nasalg ready or sating.