The Statesman. — London, England, 1821-01-15 00:00:00

CRUELTY OF d SCHOOL MISTRESS. NORWICH CITY SESSIONS. The Sessions Sessions for this City and County commenced on Tneaday last. The Recorder presided. Tete KIN° r. SARAN POWZLL-The defendant, a school-mistress, at Lakenham, was indicted for an as aaitlt, committed on the 17th of November last, on Mary Ann Phillips, a child six years of age, the slaughter of Mr. T. H. Phillips, a brewer, at Thorpe. he case having excited considerably more interest in this city than is usually attached to those broyglit before the Sessions, we are induced to give as full a detail of the circumstances as our limits will admit, although, from their extreme length, (the trial lasted upwards of four hours) we are necessarily obliged to compress them. Mr. Phillips, the father of the child, stated, that he sent his child to board at Miss Powell's school, at Midsummer last. In consequence of information he had received that the child was ill-treated, he went on Sunday, the 19th of November last, about eleven 'in the morning, to take his child away : he knocked at the door several times but could not gain ailmittauce —he remained there nearly an hour and then went for a constable; but previous to his going he set persons round the house to watch that no one went in or out. About a quarter of an hour afterwards he returned with a constable, when they both knocked very loudly at the door, but no one answered : he then desired the Persons to keep watch anal went to Alderman Brown, who granted him a warrant to apprehend Miss Pow ell ; be returned to the house, awl after knocking fur entrance, without effect, burst open the door, went up stairs, and found the child flitting on a form, about a yard frout!the fire, with Miss Powell standing near her--- he immediately snatched up the child, and said—" How roald you he so cruel and use a child in this manner ?" Bet without waiting for an answer ran down stairs with the child, who appeared lifeless; she spoke to ;Jim hot in so low and weak a tune that in his agita tion lie knew not what she said. lie then took her to Mr. Brown's, where she was undressed by Mrs. B. and the nursery-maid. who declared she was in such a state that they could not dress her again. He went home with the child, when she was undressed by his wife and servant, in his presence—that she was beaten and braised all over from the fingere ends up to the arms, the back of the neck appeared as if it had been : l obbed with a nail, and was bloody; the breast beaten Most dreadfully ; thighs and legs quite a jelly, and the toes appeared as if they hail been trod on, and so sure that her shots could not he put on for three weeks afterwards, and them sl conlil only shuffle about the house, and wen'. as if her bark was broke ; she used to lay for live or six :lights after-he took her home, and as she turned over in bed would groan and say, " Oh, dear, bow sore lam !" The last time he heard of the ill-treatment was an hear before he took the child away, he heard of it several times before; he , went about a month before and eme_the child, he naited her if she should like to go or stay ? She said "she would rather stay than go heneht, .fur she liked her tioverneas ;" the bruises at that time were ac counted for by Miss Powell, by sayitiir that the child had fallen down stairs, and lie was eatistied with the explanation. • Mrs. Phillips, the mother of the child, corroborated the last witness's statement as to the state of the child when taken home; she also stated that she tick it to Mr. Carter, the surgeon, who ordered it some physic, lint did not say what soh; no embritiovion was used, roe any thing else to the bruises, and that Mr. Carter called once or twice to know how the child dial ; she bait • heard of the ill-treatment, and went about a month before to see the child, when Miss Powell said she was gone out to take a ride with her mother. Witness said to her, " I am sorry to hear you have nth-used my child," when she said it was false ; the child hail certainly sonic bruises on it, but that they were occasioned by a fall, and it hail a black eye from the knock of a door ; the child did not return, and she went away without seeing it ; about a fort night afterwards she went again ; it was on a Sunday, and rained hard ; she knocked loudly at the door two or three times, but could gain no admittance, though sire had reason to suspect that Miss Powell was at Lome, from her having called on Miss P.'s tnother jest before, who said her 4:lug-liter was at home, and s:.e again returned home without seeing the child. Elizabeth Clay, servant to Mr. Alderman Brown, was then called ; who stated the child was taken to Air. B.'s by the father, where it was examined by !lira: II: and herself; they did not strip it, only to-tied the frock and turne d . up the clothes, when they found that its arms, legs, back, and body were all over quite a jelly, and that the hack of the neck ap peared in many places as if it hail been jobbed with a stick or nail; she was quite sure that such bruises could nut have happened by a fall or a quarrel with Cs school fellows. . Mary Aim Harrison stated, that sale lived next 'door to Miss Pouch ; that she bad frequently made &nervations on her treantient to the child ; she was present one morning about a fortnight before the child was taken away, anal saw Miss P. beat her very violently with her hand ; when the child said, don't beat me any more, for tell my mamma ;" she then slapped her violently on her neck and face, and sent her up stairs, where she cried very much. l',ittires toll Miss Powell she was very severe with the child, when she replied the child was a great story teller ; in the afternoon the child went to witness's to borrow something, when witness perceived the marks of Angers on the temples and back of the neck. Ito the 17th November, a little after twelve o'clock at night, as she and her husband were in bed, she heard Miss Powell conic home, and soon after beard the screw* , of the child and the slaps given to her, and also lteard the child say, " pray don't heat tne any uteir r you'll kill me," and shortly afterwards the child craved to cry. The next morning the child went twlrianess'a to borrow some salt and unions ; she did noystop the child, but perceived its eyes swelled with eryinge One evening, a short time before, Miss Powell evert ant about live o'clock, and left the child Lt wianess's house under her care; she observed the child to luolevety low and weak, and that it bad oeve:ul sane on the back of the neck, as large as a •criwn,Pieee, and three on the right arm, whieb she exiled two of her neighhonrs he to look at. Miss Pelted:. returned how.. about eleven, when *wit: ' L L nes* was in bed, she having put the child to bed at her house: in the morning she sent the child house, when from a window in her wash-house she heard Miss Powell question the child as to what witness and her husband had asked her over night— the child replied nothing ; Miss Powell then said she would beat her if she did rot tell, and the child int me4liatel told her, and told the truth ; that she then saw Miss Powell slao her violently with her hand on both sides of her face.—Sometime previous to this she saw the child with a black eye, and asked her how it came; when she replied her governess unshed her out of bed in the middle of the nigist.—Witness went in ; I asked Miss P. how it happened, and she said by the child knocking her face against the school-room door ; she once saw Miss Powell strike the child with part of a parasol ; never saw her beat any other child ; but always seemed very spiteful to this child ; she heard bliss Powell's servant say that her mistress would kill the child ; she had infortn..ti Mr. Phillips twice of the ili-treatment to his child —once about a month before it was taken away. Mr. Caner, snrgeon, stated, that when the child was taken to him it had several bruises on its arms, legs, and thighs, and one large one on its loins—they had left black and blue places, but he did not think them very severe, at the same time be did not think they could possibly have happened by a Cal. TOR TUE PEFENA E. _ . Mary Burton was called—she lived servant with Miss Powell for six weeks from last New Michaelmas; the child u oold stand and try and shriek for nothing ar ! she slept with 11ti•s Powell, took her meals with her, anti was treated very kindly; she seat very dirt!, and her mistress used to beat her for it, hat not more than was necessary ? she never saw her mistress strike her but nit!, her sand—she was sore tl.e back of her neck was never jobbed whist she lived there; site denied, in the strongest way, ever having said to Mrs. Harrison that her mistress would kill the child ; she could not have said so for she had no cause. One day the shild fell downstairs against a r hair, hurt her self very notch, and got a bia: k e•;e. Witness slept in the next room to Miss IN:well ; si:e never sate her hurt the child, and it wits impossi . :le that she conid have beaten her with liolence without uitoes3's having heard it, and she never saw her use a stick. The Jury immediately re:ur.•'ii a verdict of Guilty, when the Recorder, after c ,:ttiadint on th!. extreme enormity of the offence, and u)s:•rvtng that the Court was williux to indict on her a leoient punishment in lien of a fine, which must necessarily have been to such an amount as she in all prolishility could never hive paid, sentenced her to 1•e imprisoned in the connu►n gaol of this dry for three calendar umutlis. She immediately fainted. and was carried out of Court to the gaol, attended by the sheriffs and most of the officers, the assistance of a limn was necessary to pro tect her from the enraged feelings of the populace, strongly manif-sted against her. At these Sessio:os the Grand Jury found a true bill wiast Mr. Richard Watson, for a libel un the cha racter of the late Mr. Joseph Clover, contained in the correspondence between 3.t. Watson end Mr. Money meut, is the Norwich papers. THE STATESMAN. The CHIEF I am sorry far it, gentle men, butbutt have no power to relieve you." The Juryman--" My Lord, I have known a Jury relieved under similar difficulties, by time parties con senting to withdraw a juror." The CHIEF Juseics.--" If the parties are present,l and will consent, that way now be done, but not other wise." Mr. SFIL'ItR, solicitor for the plaintiffs, said leis clients were none of them present, but he would go and consult them, and return in a few minutes with their instructions. '1 he CHier JI*STICE then directed the Jurymen to return to their fellows, and await the result of this application. Is the course of a quarter of an hour, ho►rever, the Jury again came into Court, and sated that they had agreed to find a verdict for the defendants. OLD DAILEY.—SATvaDAy. LAW INTELLIGENCE. COI CT OV 11ENC11.--JAN. 13. CANNAN AXD ANOTHER P. reap' TT AND ()Timm This was an issue directed from the Vice-Chancel lor's Court, to try the right of several different parties to certain goods brought over in the Union Bast t din ship, by Captain Johnson, her commander. ('apt. Johnson ha:• heroine a bankrupt, and the present plaintiffa were his assignees, who clainiel the pro perty under th at ' commission. d.•femlants hail ob tained possession of the goods under an assignment by Capt. Johnson ; but there waa a third party who also claimed, namely, the assignees of Campbell and Co. who claimed to have held bilk of lading,ussigned to the:a previous to the assignment made by Jolivsep to the present defendants. The present iilaintila and tie assignees united in the present ease t•' destroy the claim of the de1 . ..15-Lima, t3asset anal Co. after which the questims will remai oento he rout.'-tai 1r: to cen them. The evidence of Capt. Johnson. for the plain tiffs, on the present case, went to establish the point, 'that the bills of lading were only placed in Canq.- bell's hands as an agent, anal, at his ;caries% to enable him to show them to the underwriters an the policy of insurance, and to enable him to obtain the :Mow ance for short risk : whilst .%I r. Campbell, 1.1.1, was examined, entered into a detail of pecuniary transac tions between hini anal Johnsaan, w hi c h J,,,,,, 5 „ n had become indebted to him in the sum of -1,0011/. and he asserted that the bills of tailing were gicen to him as a security fur the sum due to hian, and with ae intention that he should have a face•. on the goods in question, and that u. went down to the ship on tier arrival in the Gower &lope, and there got the captain to give him the hill of lading. Against the claims of the present defendants, it was contended, that they rlail:.•d nailer an assignment made subsequent to the delivery of i the bills of lading to Campbell, and after Johnson had committed an act of bankruptcy. To est..bliali this allegation, witnesses were called to prove that Captain Johnson went to the defendant's vaunting-loom. in Brood-street, to execute the Assigument, and t hat. n there, a sheriff's officer was watching without-ride ti n ' door to arrest him at the suit of Campbell ~ that an attor►tey was sent fur to draw up the assignment, which was dune, and it was executed immediately; and that after having done so, he went out from Messrs. Bassetts' counting house, not at the usual door in Broad-street, but at a dour in Throginorton street, and that be did so to avoid the officer, who, he suspected, was waiting► for him ; that be imme diately left town, and proceeded down the river to join his ship, being immediately to proceed on another voyage, and that be took precautions to avoid the Admiralty barge and the silver arrow, which he feared would iuterpose to arrest him after his leaving the shore. The Jary retired, and after being out an hour, some of them ret tinted into Court, and stated to his Lordship, that they were involved in considerable didiculty ; they &acted un some points, and that au principle ; " and," observed the Juryman who spoke for the rest, " it is Wyss:We, my Lures, can ever agree." • - i_--= s J. Stanley alias Jack Jolly, M. Herd, IV. Walls, J. Harris, alias Reylark, G. Harris alias Keyloek, R. Al•Dride, W. Jones, and IV. !lardy, were indicted fur rescuing- S. Jones, W. Dunn, and two others, who were charged with a felony. The circumstances of this flag rant %mirage have been already before the public in all the papers. The prisoners were all very young men. Chief Baron Bitumens and Mr. Justice lioanovn presided. Mr. REYNOLD% and Mr. BOLL %ND conducted the pro secution, anti Mr. 1. to - was fur the priamier Stanley. The record of the conviction of Dons. anti Jones was read, as was also the warrant of commitment, signed by Messrs. Farrant and Conant, Magistrates at Marl borong li-st reel. John -Marsden, the gaoler of Marlborough office, de posed, he was taking the prisoners, Dunn anti Jones, and three others, from Marlborough-street to New gate on the 211 of November last, about tire in the afternoen. At the end of tieorge-street, formerly Dvot street, he heard a whistle, and immediately received a desperate blow on the head, which knocked him down and rendered him insensible for sevaral Jaya; he ee as besides dreadfully bruised in various parts of his body. Ann Maxfield knew the paiater, !lardy, lits'o M'Bride, Herne, anti the two Keyiocks. The witness went on the day of the rescue with Hardy and others to the public-noose the sign of the feathers, in the Broadway, %Vest 'Muster. Hard:. Warts. and a man named Scarruw, reqsiesteti her to go in larthoriingli-strPrt Office anti see Jones. who wet loArii np on a clinrge of stealing a watch ; when she returned, she told them that Junes had iitiorissed her that Ise was to he conveyed to New gate, neon which stir sent lionsetliately hack to JOlle% to tell him 4 , 11 nil account to have a coach ; she then met some of the pris o ners again at the Ship, in Durk-lane, with other persons. 3lark Herd, Wm. %Yams, ant! Wm. Searrow, had got sticks of a large size; she afterwards saw Jones in custody of Marsden the gaoler, with others, coming from Niarlhorisitalt-street Office, near Blenheim steps; she met Robert 3I Bride and Mark Herd, who' asked her if alas hail told Sam. Jones' about The coach ; I Raring replied, to their yiestions, she followed Jones to sir where Its was going; at the end of Oxforil-atreet, it•adinK In Ileorge-street, slue saw several of the pri soners whose she identified; heard a whistle and saw souse one fall. She then went hone, hat saw Jones afterwards at Kilsby's, a public-house in tieorge-street in the Borough, with many of the prisoners who were • playing at dominos. geveral of the prisoners asked the witness questions in erota-examination, which did not impeach her testi- , l oony. Elizabeth Joni.. saw AIDS 11axlield with two i seen at the Feathers in the Remote% ay, when stan Mat- i ' field informed her of Jones being in custody, and that she, Ann Maxfield, was then going to him to convey the . message about the coach. The witness observed that i she thought it was better let alone, for it would bring her into trouble; she heard smile of the prisoners car, that if they could have ninisteretl strong enough the night before. they could have gat 1111/1 out of the watch house. She !lien heard the prisoners make arrangements for meeting at the various public houses. John I i oulso it,i lie landlord ol the Two Brewers,George street, remembers the prisoners coming to his house on the :lath November, some of them had sticks, they were all strangers to hits:. Thomas _pianos keeps an eating-holm. at No. 10, Ileorge-street, St. Mile.: remembers Hardy and Stanley going up the street on the till of November ; Stanley had a thick !dirk with hint ; theiie was a great rush at the time in question; going towards Russell-street, his at tention was attracted by the crowd going in that di re cti on. John 'filthy, a baker in filnseum-street, saw above twenty persist's on II r day in question about a quarter before four, mostly armed wills sticks, going in the direc tion of Oxford-street. Ile afterwards saw them return about 2fl minutes before fire, and ran out to see what wa; the matter. John Bird, bookseller anti printer, Somers Town, was in Bell Yard on the 2:111 of November. Saw a mob coming down that place, anti was struck by one of them. He took bold of the coat of the man that struck him, (Wm. Jones). Worn hr received a second blow from someone of the party. On the apprehension of Jones, the coat he had on was examined and proved to have been recently nitimied. t orne lias toyer, porter at the Exchequer Office in Chanrerv-lane, was in Elect-street, near the corner of Bell 1 and ; observed a number of men coming down Bell Yard, anti crossing to Temple-lane. lie ran t fter them, anti received a desperate blow on the face and arm from some of the party; followed them to the treasurers office in the inner Temple. James Sheffield, a lamplighter to the Temple, saw a crowd limning flown the steps near Lamb's Buildings; ' on going near to see what was the molter, lie was struck with the bludgeons with which the prisoners were arm ed. The brother of this witness, who was with him at the time, corroborated this evidence, and was also ill used. ! John Ilitchin, porter at the Temple, hearing a great ' 1 noise, tient out and was immediately knocked down, upon which he called out to close the gates. Elisabeth Kilehy is the daughter of the proprietor of 1 St. 4 itsurge's Coffee-house, in the Borough ; remembers j about twenty persons coming to her father's on the 23u1; j it was the liadger night, and some of them were armed I with sticks ; remembered Junes being apprehended at her I father's house. I William Kilsby corroborated his daughter's evidence, and delivered the stick Stanley left with bins to the offs- I cer Jeffreys. ; Jeffreys here produced the stick, which the witness 1 identified. Vim. Jones had told the witness that lie would hear something; that they had three parties in the affair, and they met at the ship in Duck-lane ; lie had told him that was nutisiag i.in a good sec. and therefore he (the wit- I neva) hail ask-el bins to poillt hiss' out to hint. Prisoner I informed lona they hail liberated the prisoners byfloor la' the keeper, and every out who cause cat to look at I thew, so as II .t to give a chance away ; that they took j the prisoaers to Wnt. Jones's in Dover-street, where they knocked their irues of. IRottiven the oftier. took Jones and some other of the prisoners into custody, - - Jeffreys the officer. took Wm. Jones into euss o ty, an d corroborated itntliven's evidence. The prisoners generally denied their participation to the outrage, and Hardy, alias Jack die painter, is a vi re feeling anti superior Mannar, ortaiAsed the attendee ti the Jure ; he was, at an early period of life, left th e child of misfortune, he was a miniature paints:, aid assnred the Jury that higfantily, if he dared to disclose its circninstanetm, ward the highest respectability: that h e was in (leveestreet abont the time tbetitionti was miy possible ; he attriburvil tht charge against himself to the recited held out on this occasion. He Minded in very forcible terms to the intimens character of the principal evidence against him. Ann Maxfield, whom he described as having I;i.ed in succession with several notorious ate! convicted thieves. He concluded one of the meet pathe tic and powerful appeals to the feelings of the jury ue ever heard frosts a person in his situation ; it was deli vered with great modesty and propriety, and etidently spoke a very superior mind. The Judge, in snnsming tip. stated. that there wss 'in this case a singular anotnaly in the statute law, • and that it would appear that any person attemptin g a rescue and failing, was punishable with transporta tion, while the elftwting the act would only subject him to imprisonment for a term not exceedin g -twelve months. lie however held, that putting aside the statute law in this case, the common haw was sufficient to convict, and bring the case clearly with in the benefit of clergy. Ihe Learned Jidge made a rely feeling charge, in which he strongly alluded t o the linown bad character of the girl 3laxfleitl, recaprta• lating the evidence. and playing every circumstance iii the most f a vourable point of view for she prisoners, which ' a strict attention to jostle* *mkt admit of.--Aerdict of ' Ouilty against all the primmer.. . POLICE. Bows-STREET.--DISGRArKFCL APPAIR..-1)••-4 Esq., an opulent native of .Madeira, residing in the west end of the town. was charged, before t h e 31“„ gistrate at Bow-street, on Saturday tooraing, with an assault upon a }sonny wo flan. In consetptetwe of the inform:l:on given, a warraat was issued Inc his apprehension. The w.:rrant was to Jeffreys, one of the patrole, who arrested, him as he was going tint of his house, and hroight him immediately to the office. 'I he examination, how. ever, was postp• ned till the evenint% at the reliant of the amused, in order that be might flu nish him self with legal advisers ; and in t',.e Ulu rim he was de tained in the custody of Jeffreys, at one of the betels in Cavent-garden. In the eventug he was again brought before the Nlagistrate, when Mr. Holland, Mr. Harmer, and too other professional ! ..ent!eaten attenfl , tl ou his behalf. The examination was stlictly a private one: bat we onderstantl the chari;e was made by a young woman who had entered the household servi..e of the act used only a few days ago. and that the violence took place on the very first night. The investigation, whir' lasted yearly two hours, ended in the accused being held to hail, fur the /h. tempi to folliniit, in Itool., and ten sureties in 5001. each. Mr. D. 0. is, we believe, upwarls of seventy years of age; and the young woman is in her twenty-fif h year. A brig, of lOU tons, laden with grain and butter, from Ireland to Liverpool, put into the Erne of Scalpari on the 23d ult. wl!h loss Manila. IYeiltiesday se'nnieht two well-known characters were apprehended in Yarmouth, by Coble, the mayor's Aver, who being upon the look out for a man for a robbery at Nortekll, accidentally met a person whom lie thought corresponded with the one he yrs., looking after. Coble stopped him that lie might compare descriptions, and whilst lie was looking at a hand-bill, he observed the man to shift something from his pocket, and put his hand behind him, and on being asked what had got in his ban 1 , he said, they were some notes to pay Isis reckoning with : but on his person being examined, lie was round to have plenty of silver in his pocket, which of cont , e excited the suspicion of Coble that the were forgeries, and, upon enquiry, they tnrneil out ‘u to be. tie gave his name as James Wright, and said he had a brother living in the llarrark Square, which prover) to be the fact. Collie thin ascer tained that another unto kid been in his puny to breakfast wills his bristlier, and, on qu.stioning little boy helongisg to Wright's brother, lie said I.r should know the man if he sJ•e him. Coble took the boy with him, and 'tart:hell all the suspitioni places in the town, and at last th • boy p o inted hint out at the Little Black Swan, selier xas playing at cards with another man. On seein.•: . Coble, lie inimailiaiely thrust his baud into leis site pocket and took out a handful of notes, which lie attempte.: to throw to his companion at carils, bur w fown• nately prevented by Coble, and they fell behind the settle. Coble then endeavoured to scrim. his in which he met with a most ileterniim: resiststo•r, but, with the assistance of a sailor, the?• at last suc ceeded in taking him before the Mayor at the New Hall.—lie filmed out to be a well-known•eharaeter of the name of Barney Clark. Tise notes ip in the public-house were thirty-two in nuilik•r, all forgeries. They have both been fully i•osiiiiiittoi fur trial. Coble next turned his attention tei th e man who was playing at earl's with Barney ('lark, but who haul escaped during the confir-ion in w earing. Clark. He was fortnitate enoligli to succeed la his object and lislKing him in 64.110% lie is also a notorious character, and roes by the name sit Union: ,Ile will most probal:ly he it:tallied for some Dial-practices in and about Norivieb. MA RRI ED. On Tneetlay. the 9111 inst.. at Great Badolmr. iw Enter. Major-lieneral Robert Dougle.:, In ;Nary. eldest +live:ter et William* Packer, E•q., formerly of Cltarlotte-stye-t, plootas• bury. On Saturday. the 13th init.. at Croydon. Mr. Eflvirat Sidgwlck. corn-factor, Mari-lanc. Leifiloa. to Jae*, ~g. 4- eet die/bier of John keen, Esq.. of the former !dare. On Friday. the 12th ;att., ati- his house. in Yoelppilde. Ciq -road, Islington, James at Esq., is tab par el bis age. Oa Friday night, the 12th hot.. after a shots sad a . Pros illness. whilgt on a ciat at tbr. howte of 11r. 11.onti-es. ner-strret. Minor-hill, 1)r. JOha Strachan. hosseejimf Orr hill. Enfield. Leaden: Edited. Printed. tad Pobli4lird At Ow 4 / 448 " . . " TaaSTATIO111111" Tie CO,S VI I 06 - ilinaffel Paper) No. 14t, Stratel. opptuate St itritere"" c * • by R. WARI)EI.II.. Jura.. to • bp-. 111 VO:.- meniestioaa. Orders, ibt. see rettaeeted t• is-otijrltiOL • - I I .1{ '. • • 1 4 .•mwmnil • •