The Republican ledger — Portsmouth, N.H., 1801-08-18 00:00:00, page 1

< # The Republican Ledger.
BboUfate prices Current.
AT PORTSMOUTH, (N. H.).
Current prices of p er from to
'D. C. D. C.
ASHES, Pot, iftfort, T. 120 o o o
, Pearl -^55 0 0 0
Bread, Ship 7 ° 9 0
Butter lb 016 0 17
Brimstone, C. 3 0 4 0
Beef, common B. 11 0 13 0
,mets, - 14 0 15 5°
Beans, white bn. 150 1
Brandy, Spanish 4/„r. G. 130 133
, Naples 4th pr. -- 125 130
Corn, Indian -1 0 ' lO
, Rye 120 125
Caffiia ibo7s 08 °
Cloves — 20 216
Coffee - 024 ' 0 25
, Cheese, American, — 0 6 0
Cotton, foreignJcarce -- 040 . 0 45
, American — 030 031
Cordage, American C. 18 0 % 9 °
. Foreign, - 17 5 0 °
Chocolate, common lb 0 2 °h ° 2l
, best N0.2&1 - 03, 034
Candles, mould -- 020 ° 2 ©
',dipt -- 017 018
Coals, foreign Ch. 16 0 18 0
, American none,-- 0 0 0 0
Duck, Russia, ifqual. Bt. 19 0 20 0
, Ravens , -- 13 0 0 0
Fi(h, Merchant, C. 5 o 0 0
,W. India mark. — 4 0 4 16
Scale — 3 0 3'7
Salmon none B. 11 0 0 0
Mackerel — 5 0 6 0
, Flour, super. frefh — 13 0 13 5°
, fine — 12 50 13 0
, middlings — 10 0 10 5°
, country C. 6 0 0 0
' Fuftick T. 45 0 0 °
Gun Powder fb 05 0 0 66
Geneva, Holland Ift pr G. 0 0 1 33
, American -- 0 75 0 0
Hogs Lard lb 0 ^ 0 2o
iron, Philadelphia T. 140 0 0 o
, Ruffian -- M 5 0 r 35 0
, Swedes — 13° 0 ^4 o 0
Logwood T. 50 0 55 °
Lead, white, gr. in oil C. 15 0 16 0
, dry - 13 5 0 [ 4 0
, red - 850 0 0
, sheet --0 0 10 0
Lemons frejb bx. 13 0 15 0
Lumber, boards clear M. 17 0 18 0
, merch. — 10 0 io 50
Singles -- 15° 2 75
Molasses G. 046 05c
Nutmegs lb 6' 5° 7 °,
Liver Oil B. 12 0 b 0
Pepper lb 0 3 1 0 34
Pork, best pieces ,B. 28 0 0 0
, common -- 2 ° 0 22 0
Peas bu. 1 50 1 75
Pimento, lb 0 15 0 16
Pjtch, scarce, ' . B. 6 0 0 0
Paper, Sheathing C. 375 4 5
Redwood T. 55 0 60 0
I Raifins /r^ < caflc 825 850
' Rum, Jamaica G. 117 125
, Windward 3d pr. — 1 4 18
Rice C. 675 7 0
Rosin B. 550 6 0
Soap, white ft, 014 016
, brown -- 010 0 0
Starch, Poland lb 02 5 0 3°
, American -- o I2| 017
Sugar, Havannah C. 17 0 . 18 50
, East-India -, *3 0 0 0
, Weft-India — 11 0 14 0
, Loaf lb -0 28 029
Salt, St. Übes H. 650 7 0
, Turk's Iftand -7 o 7 ,50
, Liverpool — 0 0 550
, Rock 1 ' -- 666 7 0
Steel, German lb 016 019
, Englilh — 016 019
Salt Petre, rough — 024 0 0
Shot C. 9 0 10 o
Tar , B. 450 .5 c
Turpentine — 4 0 5 0
Tea, Hyfori ft> 110 117
, Souchong -- 090 0 0
, Bohea — 036 37 0
Tobacco, James River C. 7 0 0 0
, Georgia — 6 0 0 6
Twine, sewing dbz. 567 60
, seine — 5 0 550
Wines, Madeira G. 166 257
, Lisbon — 120 125
„Sherry, force — 142 150
Malaga q.c. 26 0 27 0
Red Port — 150 0 c
: r—^{v,/
NUMBER 52. VOL. ll.]
PORTSMOUTH, (NEW-HAMPSHIRE) PRINTED BY NUTTING & WHITELOCI, MULBERRY LANE, ADJOINING ROUSSELET's MUSEUM.
CTben 20a Wall tyefe berug relate fyeak of tbern ag tin are :——JPotlhng extenuate, nor set tiofon ouflt in malice.
Crtal of JTairbanks.
We are glad to have it in our power to gratify the
curiosity of our readers;-with a correct and con
cife account of the Capital Trial, at Dedham, in
the'l&nty of Norfolk, in the Supreme Judicial
Coura&lden on Tuejday the 4th inf. [Chrou.
THE grand Jury, confiding of twenty
very refpeaable men, by a unanimous voice,
returned a bill of indictment against Jason
Fairbanks, of Dedham, for the wilful
murder of Elizabeth Fales.
The indiatuent charged the prisoner, that
he, on the 18th day of'May, 1801, wilfully,
maliciously, a,d of his malice aforethought/
with a knife, made an assault on the deceas
ed, and murdered her.
On this indiament he was arraigned on
Wednesday, and by his own consent, Thurs
day was assigned for his trial. On Thurs
day morning, at eight o'clock, he was bro't
into court, and being informed of his right
to challenge, he challenged a number of the
jury, and then the trial proceeded. He was
assisted by Mr. Otis and Mr. Lowell as his
counsel appointed by the court at hisrquefl.
The Attorney General opened the trial,
by dating the fads generally, which he ex
pe&ed would appear in evidence. He ex
plained the nature of positive and presump
tive evidence, and informed the court and
jury that the trial would contain much of
the latter—that he should not use any con
feffions made by the prisoner after the mur
der had been committed.
The government's counsel examined be
tween thirty and forty witnesses. By the
testimonies of these, a great variety of cir
ownftances were proved, from whence the
flowing fads were made to appear.
That the prisoner is about twenty-one
years of age; that the deceased was eigh
teen. That he was much of an invalid, de
bilitated in his right arm, and had lived an
idle life. That he had akind of fondnefs
for the deceased, and that she paid much
more attention to him than to any othef
young man ; but he was not allowed to vi
sit her father's house, which was more than
one mile from that of his own father. They
had been in the habit of meeting frequently
in company with others, walking together
and separating themselves in the walks from
other people. The prisoner had used re
vengeful threatenings, against her family,
probably because he was not allowed to visit
her. On Saturday the 16th of May, he
told two of his friends, that he should meet
her in the pasture on Monday, and endea-,
vor to induce her to go off with him, and
marry him ; and that if she refufed to do
so he would attempt her chastity. She was
healthy and cheerful —walked to meeting,
nearly two miles, on the 17th, being in the
praaice of singing at public worship ; she
joined the chorister, and sung freely. On
Monday morning she began with the family
business, and with her mother, filler, &c.
went through the usual business of washing,
in the forenoon. Being engaged to go out
on a visit with her filter and others in the af
ternoon, she dined early on milk, which she
frequently used for her dinner. She had
been remarkably gay all the morning.—
She went at half past twelve to Mrs. Guild's,
who lived about eighty rods southwesterly
from her father's. Her business there was
to receive a book she had lent, but that fam
ily having not done with it, she did not bring
it away. She tarried there until nearly two
o'clock, gav and cheerful ; when she came
out she flopped at the door ten minutes §r
more, sporting with a child of three or four
years old. No notice was taken of the waj
she walked, but she left the house singing at
she went.—^—A few minutes past three o'-
clock, she was found in a lot called Mason's,
pasture, by her father and a kinsman, eigh-l
ty rods from her father's house, and about
the fame distance from Mrs. Guild's.——
The lines from her father's to Guild's, from'
Guild's to the place where she was found,
and from thence to her father's, form a tri
angle of nearly equal sides.
When her father came to her, she was
alive. Her throat was cut into the wind
pipe, and nearly to the back part of it ; she
had a wolund, made with a small knife by a
(tab, in her back between her shoulder blades,
betide the back-bone and not far below the'
neck ; one stab in her fide, fix deep wounds
in her left arm, some of which fevered the
tendons, two flight wounds in her right arm,
and a deep one in her left thumb, which
fevered the ball from the bone. When her
father came to her, she laid with her face
on a stone, breathed through the wound
TUESDAY; AUGUST IB,|ißoi.
in her throat, and expired within a few min
utes.
To fix the murder on the defendant, it
was proved that he had informed two per
sons of his expe&irffr to meet her there, for
the purposes above mentioned, and that he
had about two o'clock proceeded to that
place ; that two young women heard her
screams of distress for ten or fifteen min
utes, about three o'clock ; and knew her
voice and mentioned to each other that she
was in distress ; the wind blew frefh from
where she was to them, the distance being
about 70 rods.
Her mother became anxious for her re
turn, looked out a few minutes after three,
and the prisoner, wet with blood, holding a
bloody knife in his hand, was seen by her
coming to the door. The alarm being thus
given, her father went to the place where
the body was, on the prisoner's faying where
she laid, and that she was dead. He had a
wound in his throat, which did not injure
his wind-pipe, several in his body, and One
in bis thigh made with the knife, but none
of them deep, excepting one in his belly ; he
has recovered of these some time ago.
The knife he had in his hand, he bor
rowedthat morning, as he said, to mend a
pen ; it was a small knife and rather dull.
By the, fide of het body, his great coat, which
three witnesses swore he went out with af
ter one o'clock, and his pocket-book were
found. No knife or instrument was found
near her body, and her mother and sister
swore that she carried none with her. Her
flpwl and shoes were off, and a paper, pur
porting to be a certificate of his having been
duly published to her, torn in pieces and
bloody, was found near her. It appeared in
evidence, that this paper was made by a
youngwoman, a niece of his, the day be
fore, very innocently on her part ; nor did
it appear, that he had any intentions to use
it in this way, when he requested to have it
made, and her name was put in voluntarily
by the young woman ; but after he took it
in his hand, he said, " Ab, Betsey Fales, this
uid do.”
The points made by the Attorney Gene
,ral on this evidence, were : that she was
killed with that knife—that the prisoner was
present when she was killed—that no other
person was present with them—that he must
have killed her, unless she had destroyed her
own life.
His counsel defended him on the supposi
tion, that he and she were fond of each oth
er—that they were both affliaed with ad
verse circumflances, and agreed severally to
kill themselves—that he lent her the knife
for that purpose, but that when she had est
feaually used it, he was not so fuccefsful as
she was.
To maintain this position, they attempted
to inquire of witnesses, whether he did not
tell this tale to her mother, when he came
to her, covered with blood.
The Attorney General obje&ed to evi
dence of his declarations in his own favor,
because, as he had not used them against
him, they ought not to used for him, relying
that declarations made by criminals in their
own favor, were never used in evidence for,
unless they were used against them. The
Court did not allow his declarations to be
used. Had they been used, her mother
would no doubt have sworn, that he told
her Betsey was dead in the pasture, that she
had killed herfelf with that knife, and that
he had tried to kill himfelf—but advised her
father not to go, because he could not relieve
her, for she was in fa# dead ; that when
her kinsman went towards the place, he call
ed to him to bring him his pocket-book,
which he had left by the deceased : but this
was not in evidence in that trial, but had
been before.the grand jury.
The counsel for the defendant introduced
witnefles, principally to establish the fad
\of a fondnefs between them ; and for full
fx hours defended him in a strain of elo
quence which is not frequently equalled in
ahv eountry.
the Attorney General in closing the trial,
infilled that the evidence proved his intention
to violate her chastity, at that time and place,
by force, unless she would agree to go off
with him to be married by that falfe certifi
'cate; that she in refentmeut had torn that
pap^r,/ and that he attempted by force to
possess her, but, finding his strength not t
qual to the attempt, drew the knife and cut
her arms, while they were held in defence
of her thrpat ; that the wound given in her
back dirtflly in, could not have been made I
by her own hand ; that if she cut her throat
[1 DOL. 50 CTS. PER ANNUM
died and left him a widower at the age of
98 years, since which time he has made suit
to many young widows and maidens. At
the age of 105, he formed the most loving
conne&ion with a young Jady of 22 years ;
they were published and the day of marriage
.was appointed, but owing to the ficklenefs
and inconstancy of youth, the conneaion
was diflolved ; and the old gentleman's love
and affeaions have since been dividedamong
a multitude of the fair!
The public may rely on the authenticity
of the above (ketch, as the writer received
his information from words and other indu
bitable sources, as well, as from Mr. Pratt,
who is a man of ftiia veracity, cltyr intel
leas and the most retentive memory,'
YANKEE BULL.
We are gravely told in a Connecticut paper of
Mary Ross having " put an end to her exigence b^
cutting her throat with a razor that Ihe after
wards “ languished for thiee days, and is now in
a fairway of recovery ! !"
£&,.&.
But Mr. Pratt has for several years past,
rendered himfelf most famous, as a bold sol
dier, in the " wars of Venus." His wife
He is now almost 114 years of age, and is
able to walk out and visit his neighbors. —.
He sleeps well, and enjoys a good appetite.
His intellects are strong and vigorous, and
his memory is uncommonly tenacious—and
with great propriety it may be said of him,
as of the good man of old, “ that his eyes
are not dim, neither is bis natural force abat
ed."
TO THE EDITOR, fIL
IN Shutefbury, (Mass.) there is now liv^
ing a man by the name of Ephraim Pratt,
who was born in East Sudbury, in that Rate
on the firft day of November, in the year
1687. He is grandson of John Pratt, who
landed and fettled at Plymouth, in 1620,
with the firft emigrants to New-England.
At the age of 21 years, Mr. E. Pratt was
married to a young lady by the name of Mar
tha Wheelock, by whom he had fix forts &
two daughters. Four of h;s sons are now
living, the eldest of whom is 90, and the
youngest 82 years of age. Mr. Pratt's de
feendants are very numerous, but as they
have emigrated into various parts of the U
nited States, it is impossible to afeertain their
number precisely, yet from a moderate cal
culation they will exceed 1500 now living.
A few years since, Mr. Pratt received a
visit from four young perfons^who were
the grand children of his,grand children ;
some of whom, are since married, and have
children, who are of the 7th generation.—
Mr. Pratt has been a very temperate man
through every part of his life. His diet has
been chiefly bread and milk, and he has not
made a meal of meat for more than forty
years past. His drink is cold water, small
beer and cyder. He was never intoxicated,
and for sixty years past, he has not drank a
glass of wine nor any kind of distilled spirits.
He has ever enjoyed an uncommon Rate of
health. He was never exercised with an
accute disorder ; has never taken a puke,
nor physic, was never bled, nor did he ever
consult a Physician.
Ihe Court on Saturday passed Sentence
of DEATH upon him : In which the Chief
Justice addressed him in terms spreading the
heniou fnefs of his crime before him, and
exhorting him to repentance ; but he re
mained, as he always has done, obftinatelv
insensible—the only person in the whole as
sembly who was not affected at the solemni
ty of the feene.
The judgment of the Court and the final
Verdia of the Jury, have received universal
approbation.
firft, she-could not give the other wounds,
nor could she give that, if the others were
firft made. 1 hat as the prisoner by his own
position must have lent the knife,"and have
seen her lacerate and wound herfelf, no pre
sumptions remained in his savors That
even on his own position, he had a heart
void of social duty, and fatally bent on mif
chief the genuine malice aforethought.
The Judges Were accurate and minute in
summing up the evidence to the Jury.
Thejury, went out on Friday evening
after ten o'clock. And returned their ver
rmorning, that the prisoner was
GUILTY !!
Longevity:
From the Windfir Gazette.