The National Register. — London, England, 1820-09-24 00:00:00

Sid SE&SIONS. Wednesday, Clerkenwell Sessions. Mute was crowded by. Reformers and others, anxious to hear the eloquence and fate of the celebrated little Radical Waddington, who wasput to the liar to take his trial upon the charge -of having published .a wicked awl Seditious Libel, for the purpose of exciting Sedition amongst the Soldiers, and aliegating them from their allegiance to his Majesty. Waddington, haying been arraigned, pleaded Not Godly, and then addressed the. Chairman, requesting that the Jury should be sworn in his presence. They had been sworn before he entered the •Court, but he said it would be a satisfaction to him to see the thing. done. 4140011 as .the - Jury were sworn, he applied for and • was instantly accoutniodated with pen, ink, and paper, for the_purpose of taking note*. Mr.'Reynolds then proceeded to state the substance of the libel which he said 'Waddington had thought fit to publish sta period when the public mind was in a slate. . of great agitation, in consequence of the commencement of proceedings w hichi it had been deemed expedient to institute against her Majesty. The libel was in the shape of a placard, and it stated that the soldiers were the friends of the injured Queen, that they wou!d sup , port her rights, mid then a dependance• might be placed upon their equal eagerness tooupport the rights of the ovary. it then allud e d to Me Revolutions in Spain and Naples, and called upon the people.to love the sot-. . diers, who wane all friends to the Queen, but who were cut off front all communication with the rest of the public, and in fact prevented front seeing the faces of their countrymen, except with bayonets fixed or drawn swords. The publication of the paper was then proved by two • Officers, who apprehended il'addington in Charing. Cross, while in the AA-of:pasting up the placard. They were examined by Mr. Holland. Waddington then proceeded.upon his defence with a -bygreat deal of calmness and collecteduesa, and concluded a passage from Solomon. 1 he Chairman asked whether he had any witnesses to call? rWaddington.---." Sir, •my cause has no occasion for ,witnesses." , The Chairman (Mr. ,Corm) said, the indictment charged the defendant with a crime of great magnitude. The_ ,question was, whether this toper had been pub liaWrionaltde with the view merely to political abterva tion and fair party discussion, or as a vehicle for the introductiou of comments, of a seditious and dangerous Arßect. If the Jury were of the former opinion, Mr. Waddington was entitled to an acquittal; if of the iatter, due must he responsible .for one of the most heinous of. .fences agaisast society. The Jury retired, and in an hour returned with a ver dict of Not Guilty. Waddington immediately took his hat, and walked quietly from the bar to his friends in the Anon, who shouted and clapped as . he passed through. William Holmes was indicted fora Hatt, the tendency ,of which was to seditiously and maliciously to excite the soldiers against the Govenintent, arid to alienate front : their fidelity and allegiance to the King. This defendant was tried by the Jury that acquitted ',Waddington. Mr. Reynolds said, that the libel of which he had now to complain, was contained in a letter addressed to Lord Castlereagh, and said to have been chopped in St. James's-square. The Learned Counsel described the knee as laving been written in an ironical strain, and containing expreuiona of kindness to the Noble Lord, at the same time that it held out the most dangerous doctrine* to the military, and to the people. Here the Learned Gentleman reed ,r passage, stating, that " a :third Revolution, about the year 1820, would otobably. irathe pages ofEttropean history." He conjured the ur7 by all the regard which they had for the protection of character and property and safety, to read this letter ' with the eye of common sense, and say whether it was eponible that it could have been intended as matter of lair discussion. Two witnesses proved, that on the .nit of September • last, they saw the defendant in Palace-yard, with a pla card in /lichen, and took from him several copies of the letter, which was charged as a libel. One of the ofil. cers purenased a copy. The letter was signed a " Loyal Pioneer." The defendant said, that he came six weeks ago from. ,Lincoln to seek employment. He was nearly three' weeks in town without earning any thing, and then that he hawked about those copies without knowing their contents, for the support of his :family. He declared most solemnly that he never should have dune so if he had thought that any danger or injury attended it. The Chairman said, he world not insult the Jury by making any observations. It was obvious to every body that the paper was a libel of the limit heinous kind. The Jury immediately returned a verdict of Guilty, but recommended the defendant to mercy. The Chairman then sentenced Holmes to imprison ment in the House of Correction for six months. A .Bill has bean found against the printer. The late Eseentions for High 'lreason in Scot land.--We have seen two letters, one in the hand writing of Hardie, the other in the hand-writing of Baird, but signed also by W. Smith. These letters point out the persons who seduced them from the path of loyalty ; but their names are mentioned, we forbear to give them, but, no doubt, they arc pro perly looked after, and we trust, if they have acted as represented, they may suffer the punishment they merit. Ws again, in consequence of the informa tion conveyed in these letters, warn persons against the stratagems of such charaetcrs.—.-Siirling THE NATIONAL REGISTER OLD. -BAILEY SESSIOAS. On Monday, John Mullins was convicted of stealing a watch from the person of a gentleman, St. James's square, and sentenced to transportation fur life. BANK PROSECUTIONS. Chinks Lee was then put to the bar; charged with pass ing a forged oute ' amount one pound, purporting be of the Beak -of England, in the shop of Mr. Byers -a linen draper,. in East Street, Manchester Square. 'M rs. Byers. wife of the prosecutor, swore that the vote was passed in her shop. Mr. Low, signing clerk to the Bank, swore that the note was forged, and the signature was not his. The prisoner was then called in to know whether be had any thing to say in his defence ? He said not. Mr. Baron Graham then charged the Jury, who having retired for about a quarter of an hour, they found a ver dict of Guilty against the prisoner. Sarah. Price, a respectable looking elderly woman, was capitally Indicted fur uttering a forged ii. note. The prisoner, it appeared, went on the-2411i of June last to the shop of Mr. King, in Castle Street, Leicester Square, and having ptirchai.ed • pair of shoes, she ten dered a It. note, received the change, and went away. These facts were clearly established, and • verdict of Guilty, Death, was returned. Aged 44. Thomas Goodhall, a simple looking country lad, -was indicted for uttering a forged-11. note to Charles Temple.. It appeared that the prisoner met a girl of the town, who asked him to treat her, which be promioed to do if she could procure hint change for a 11. note. He gave her a note, which Rise took to the Fos and Hounds public • house. Ti f Tile following day, at Marlborough Street, he made a voluntary confession in writing. that he had par chased three forged 11. notes the same day, in company with • men named Sykes.—Verdict—Guilty, Death. Elisabeth Burnham was charged with uttering three 11. Rotes, knowing them to be forged, to Mr. Hodges, land lord of the White Hart public house, in Pongee! Lane. The prisoner -in her defence said, she received the notes from • Mr. Smith, for certain favours, The Jury retired for a short time, and returned the fol lowing verdict Guilty of uttering, bat not with a felonious Intent." Mr. Baron Graham—" That verdict, Goldman, would amount to an acquittal. The offence charged is the titter ing with the knowledge that the notes were forged, which constitutes the following•intent The Foreman said, the Jory were of opinipn that she had uttered the notes without that knowledge. Mr. Baron Graham—"'Chen Gentlemen, your verdict must be one of acquittal.•' A verdict of Not Guilty was returned. William Stevens , who had 'pleaded Not Guilty to the capital charge of, uttering a forged 51. Note, knowing it to be so, was pat to the bee, and with the corneal of the Counsel foe the Bank, withdrew that. plea, and pleaded, Guilty to the minor ufeace of baring the Note in hu 'possession, knowing it to he forged. -On Tuesday, Arm. John Pennington, Eliza Callaghan, J. Newman, and John Maddon, were.indieted for utter► ing forged notes, with intend to defraud the Governor and Company of the Bank of England. The first Not Guilty, the other three Guilty. The prisoners Callaghan ' and Newman had pleaded Guilty to the minor offence. but Mr. Justice Best said, Unit he week& take care that ',Callaghan rind Newman should he precisely in the same situation as they were before they were Laud guilty of the capital par► tithe charge. Pluche Boreustein, a young married female, of' res pectable connection% was put to the bar, upon tin indict ment charging her with stealing two gold rings,..valne the property of William Mott. This case, from the extra ordinary circumstances attending it, excited an noconimon degree of ►nterest, and the Court was crowded almost to suffocation. The circumstance/of this ease were folly detailed In oar Pollee Report about six weeks ago. The facts ap peared to be, that the prisoner went into the shop of the presecutor, sadelcsired to look at sense wedding rings, in doing which the prosecutor asserted that she stole one, and redressed a metal ring for another. The Common Sergeant, at great length, and with strict impartiality, slimmed up the evidence to the jury, with suitable coranients upon the very singular eirctimatances ' of the case. The Jary consulted for about aviarter *fan hour, and then retired, and after an hour's further deliberation, they returned with a verdict of Not Guilty. There was a partial clamping of hands when the Fore mau.pronounced the verdict, but this was immediately repressed by the Court. The prisoner, on hearing the verdict, drew her shawl about her, and left the Court. Tistirsdayaoseph }Atelier was indicted for assaulting, and with violence taking from the person of' Thos. Aird, 401. and upwards in Bank notes, on the Ist of August. This was one of the robberies committed on the opening of the Regent's Canal, which for atrocity lies not liven equalled by any thing tile snuffer nature for many years : the prisoner formed one of a gang of nearly one hundred. The property was found upon him, and the case in other particulars was clearly made out. The prosecutor, an elderly infirm Gentleman, was used with great cruelty On the person of the :prisoner were found two five and three ten pound note., making the amount charged in the indictment. He made uo deti.nce, but called lour wit nesses. who gave him a good character. The Jury found him Guilty—Death. The prosecutor recommended him to mercy, bat Mr. Justice Best was fearful it could not be attended to, as the protection of the public imperiously demanded that the law should take its coarse. James Leith was indicted for stealing on the Ist of April mquantity of valuable jewellery, the property of Mr. Hayden, of Rupert-street. The evideuce in ibises:se was Mr. Hayden, who proved his going out on Easter Sunday, and that on his return lie found his chests, that euiptained property to the amount of six thousand pounds broken open, mad the jewellery swim On the 24th of June lie called on Mr. Hatton, to whole the prisoner had been offering part of the stolen properly that meriting. lie was cross-esisinined by Mr. Adolphoa, by which it appeased that the property was the all of the prosecutor. William Hatton proved the prisoner remits' to his house and silicas's part of the stolen property for sale. Richard Warren corroborated the testimony of the last witness. 114 e use laaviug gone Om far, Mr. Justice Beat con- sidered the charge could not be sustained, tad the prw loner was acquitted. George 'Edwards was capitally indicted for assaulting Henry Buridge, potting him in fear, and taking from his person a *star, chain, and seals. The. Jury Icruud bin Guilty. Griffiths Parry, aged SO, was capitally indicted for rob. bin! James Carter on the King's highway, of a watch, chain and seals, value 491. and upwards. Mr. Carter stated, tint oo the evening in question, he bed been drinking freely, and or alighting about tea o'clock from a Paddington stage coach, be tripped and .felt, and the prisoner came up and mid, " I know this gentleman, and will take care of him." Witness thanked him, and they went up Castle-street together, bat had not gone fir when the prisoner , kicked rip his heels, •and he (ell. While falling be felt his watch taken (rem his fob, and caned out, "don't lake my watch." •Witness called out, "-Stop thief," and the prisoner was pursued nod brought back. Mr. John West was , lo Castlemtreet,%City road, on the evening motioned, and heard Mr. Carter callous " don't take my watch," arid saw theirrisoner running. He .per sued, and the witness threw a watch into an area, where the (witness found it. The prisoner said don't hurt me, and the gentleman shall have his property." Mr. Blackburn assisted the last witness-in seaming the prisoner and-corroborated his statement. Mr. J ustice Best summed up the evidence, and the Jury found the prisoner Guilty of stealing from the per son, bet not with force and violence. He was strongly recommended to mercy by the Jury and proseewor. John - lien : , was capitally convicted of stealing a piece of cotton, vane SI. privately la the shop of Clement Sharpe, in B eeeee is-street, Oxford-street. FOlMMY•—Thomas -Fuller Harnett, a person of gen teel appearance, was capitally indicted , for forging and publishing as true, two Bills of Exchange, each for 201. purporting to bear the acceptance of Colonel Arthur Gordon, of the Sth Dragoon (lairds, with intent to de fraud Thomas Thompson. The prisoner appeared to be severely indisposed, and ostnaking a request totheCoort, was allowed to have a-chair. It appeared lot evidence that the primmer, tar the 2d of August last, uttered the two bills it question to the son of Mr. Thompson; who is a draper in St. Martin's lane, in payment for some goods which he had purchased. He received the change of one of the bills, and was to cal • for the other, but in the interim the bills had been pre sented to Mess's. Greenwood and Cox, army agents, and declared to be forgeries. A warrant was then applied for at Bow-street, and Hourphrier, • constable, by means of watching the prisoner's servant, traced him to a hoasear Hampstead, where be found him in bed. wadi/Wormed him that he had a warrant against Len, 'at the suit of Mr. Thompson. The prison !aimed, " Good God I I ant -outdone. •It I■ all the fault of my friends is nut relieving me." He said it was all his own doing, and he mast sof fer for it. He seemed dreadfully agitated, and called for some laudanum, of •which be took a quantity he soar water. He said that be Intended, if Mr. Thompson had sent him the charge for the-second bill, au have gone lb Bath, and from theme tuireiand, where ho should have got the money, and would have remitted the lull amount to Mr. Thompson. Mr. Lewis, a gentleman le Court, spoke of the high character which he had hitherto borne in society. He was formerly Paymaster. of else tllh Regiment of Fuot. The Jury found .the prisoner Guilty—Drath—but re commeuded Cur to mercy, in which Mr. Thompson ear nestly joined. Air Extraordinary Request.-4 convict who was found guilty of forgery at the last York anises, and sentenced to be transported for life, made an appli cation to Mr. Justice Park, requesting that he would immediately order him for execution, as he should prefer death to perpetual slavery and bondage. The Learned Judge. gave a verbal and very laconic reply to this extraordinary request—which was, that his Lordship waives" ot;orry thatle could not oblige him. On Friday morning, between one and two o'clock, the watchman at Milngavie Cotton-mill, near Glasgow, was ,alarmed by observing a ball of fire descending near the wall of the mill. His suspicion being aroused, he pro ceeded in the direction from whence the ball seemed to fall, and discovered a man in a stooping posture, with a covered lantern, apparently preparing another combus tible for the purpose of throwing into the mill, the first having failed. Upon this he thrice challenged the per son, but on receiving no answer. levelled and discharged a blunderbuss, loaded with slug-shot, at him. The matt, however, effected his escape. The report of• the piece alarmed the watchman on the neat 111311011, and he observed a man running, whom he endeavoured to lay hold of; but without effect. He then called out to hint to stop, or he would fire at him, but no answer being made, the watchman fired's musket at lion, also loaded with slugs, when the man instantly fell. The watchman, in place of running up and seizing him, went to the house of the Clerk to procure assistance, the• other watchman being engaged in the pursuit of the firm shot at. When he returned. the obj• ct of their 1111111111 had made his escape, hut had left his hat behind, which 11J11 pierced with two balls, one close to the band, and very bloody inside. Ott proceeding to the spot where the first person had been shot at, they also found a hat pierced with three slugs, and two pistols, one a small pocket pistol, loaded to within half an inch of the inuzsle, and the other a holster pistol, with a charge of six inches, and a roll of paper spread over with tar, tat. low, and gunpowder.—A lantern was found in the Mill Canal in the morning. It appeared that one of the ver sions had escaped over the gate, as there was a consider able quantity of blood on and about. it. One of the Oen was observed at six o'clock near New Kilpatrick ) , wit limn his hat, and his face bloody, who, ott being ow-ilium:Al by a penult bow he came to be in that state, said that lie was a smuggler, and had been attacked and shot at by an Excise 011icer.—We are happy to state, that the anose persons arc secured. Lord Gwydir has appointed the Rev. W. Hardwicke, Rector of ()unwell, in Norfolk, and Lecturer of Wisberit St. Peter, tube one of his Lordship's Domestic:Chaplains.