The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-12-04 00:00:00

OLD !MILE'', FRIDAY, Dec. 3.

Mary ANN Oaks was charged with stealing, on the 4th tilt. in
the dwelling-house of Wm. '1 horn. a purse, containing a five-pgiund
note, seven sovereigns, and souse silver, the property of Mrs. Nary
Forsyth.
Mrs. Forsyth stated, that having gone to visit an acquaintance
01i0.% Gordon, who lives in John.strect 'West. Lis.on-grove). site
had the money already described in her reticule, which she placed
in her mull; and left it on Miss li.'s table. Having returned to her
own lodgings in Dike street, she discovered her loss, but did nut
return to Mt Lientrs immediately. The prisoner was a servant to
Mks t iurdon. and had been in the mum during the time the mull
was on the table.

lln ernsti-examinstion by Mr. A noLrnus. this lady would not
rnsitivtly .:rear she wok the money to Miss (Jordon's, though she
was positively certain. (A laugh.)
John liorthin, brother to Miss liordon, stated, that he saw his
sister find a purse, containing Ms. in silver, and some copper.
concealed under some coals, in a part of the house where the pri-
soner had access. The prisoner said the money was her's. Mr.
Thorn owned the house, which was in the parish of Mary-La-
bonne.

Thos. ('lemons, an offer', stated, that having been sent for to
3liaa Gordon's, the prisoner was searched- and Ids. found on her,
also a sovereign and a wedding ring, which she said was her..
There was also a guinea found lying on the kitchen table, which
she said she knew redoing about.
Westeott, another officer. stated that the prisoner had been taken
up on suspitiMi, and brought to the House of Correction during
these six days past. Witness saw h; r, and said to her, " Mary
Anne. here is a sovereign you have been riming at Mr. Atkinseri's."
She made no answer. 11'itness then said, " Hare you left the 51.
note in the saute manner ?" She said she had not. Witness never
told her if site co:Amami and told the truth., she would be forgiven.
She said the ring that was found in the box was purchased with it
fur I Is. 6.1., at a shop in Mortimer-street, and that the rest of the
money was where he found the silver. Went to search fpr it, but
without effect.
Cram-examined by Mr. A T0T.P11173-11ai been an officer at
Marlborough-street for four or live years. When he asked the pri-
soner more particularly as to :he purse, she said she had thrown it
into the dust-hole where witness found it. Ile never made her any
promises to induce her to confess.
The purse could not be fully identified by Mrs. Forsyth.
This was the case for the prosecution.
Witnesses were called to character.

31v. Justice BATLEY xunitrwil up the evidence, and having ob-
served that it was not sufficiently strong in many places.

The Jury retired for wine tiwe, and returned a verdict of—Not

Lot Cart/edge wan indicted for committi7 a burglary In the
dwelling-house of David Jeers, a mercer, of Leather-lane, 1101.
born, and stealing therein kt pieces of ribbmi and other art!cles,
value M. his property. The prosecutor's shop was robbed while he
was at chapel, on the evening of Sunday. the 17th October. The
goods, which were proved by Mrs. Jones, to have been the property
of her husband, were found the next day in the possession of the
prisoner, who said he had purchased them et a publie-house, but
offered no evidence In supper: of his assertion. In his defence he
benoght forward a man of the name of Barker and his wife, who
swore that on the day in question he was in their presence from
morning until night.
stealing in a dwelling-house In the amount of Os.
The prisoner also stood indicted for stealing in the dwelling-house
of Hobert Dendy Crofts, at Margate, three orders for the payment
of 131. IN. but this indictment was not proceeded with.

TIIE EIXO V. CALL.
Robert Bolt, who was convicted of arson, in the September Ses-
sions, but whose sentence was deferred until the Judges had de-
cided upon a point of law, which had been raised in his favour by
his counsel during his trial. was placed at the bar.
Mr. Justice Ilex hee—The prisoner at the bar was convicted of
arson before Mr. Justice GaPelve. The first count in the indict.
went stated the house to be in the possession of John learn; and
in the second count it was described to be in the pin session of the
prisoner. It appear.d, on the trial, that learn had taken the be-
nefit of the Insolv.ot Aet, and bad assigned all his property, for the
benefit of his creditors, to the provisional assignee. After he re-
ceived his discharge under the Act, he returned to his house in the
Strand, and had the same possession he had enjoyed before his dis-
charge. The prisoner occupied the third floor of that house, which
was let out to lodgers. It was proved by evidence that the fl e
broke out in the apartment of the prisoner, and that it extended no
farther. The objection taken by the prisoner's counsel was, that the
house was in the posse...loft of the provisional amignee of the In-
sokent Caurt, and that it was not legally in the rossession of /earn.
But the indictment did not state whose property it was; it only
declared it to be in the possesaion of Feint, whose situation In it
was the same as before the assignment. The Juttges had met, and
alter deliberating on the law mil the facts of the case, had unani-
tr.ously decided that the possession had been properly stared in the
first count to be vested in learn; but supposing that was not the
cane,
_the conviction was still pod nn the second count, which de-
clared that the fire took place to th(lfirelling-house of the prisoner,
he being the occupant of t;te apartment in which the fire broke out.
The Judges haring therefore decided on the validity of the convic.
tion, the prisoner would receive sentence at the close of the Session,
liyeroft was indicted for stealing In the dwelling.
house of Charles Clarke two gowns and a shawl, value W. the pro-
perty of Caroline Clarke.
The prisoner entered the house of the prosecutor on the 12th of
November, and was met by her on the landing-place. The prose.
cuter naked her what she hail under her am? She replied. " No-
thing," and immediately ran down weirs and out of the house. A
cry was raised, and the prisoner ins lidlowed, when she threw the
bundle into a passage, and was pursued and taken.
The Jury found the prisoner Gritty, hut recommended her to
mercy.

Chorks 3feforr. a German, wax indicted Inc stealing from the
dwelling-house of Mary Gr,en two sovereigns, the monies of Fre-
derick Green.

The prisoner went to the °Mee of the progenitor, and asked for
charity, which was given him. Immediately after he had left the
room, the prosecutor discovered that two out of seven sovereigns
that lay upon the table bad been taken away. He pursued the pri-
soner, who, on being taken, delivered up the sovereigns.
In his defence, the prisoner meted, that the money had been given
to him by several of his countrymen, and that when he entered the
office of the prosecutor he had three birds in a handkerchief. One
of them flew away, and he was running to catch the bird when he
was taken.

The Jury found the prisoner Guilty.
((define the COIIMON SEaaf:ANT and a Lowdoie Jary.l
Same! Dere!, gardener, agtd all, stood indicted for wilfully and
maliciously tiring • loaded pistol at his wife, Mary DcIMII, with
intent to murder her.

The prisoner stood in the dock with his arms folded. His
countenance sas unusually fine ; and his eyes were fixed eontinu.
ally on his wile. When she was pres'ing forward to the witness's
box he called her twice, and then said, " You am a treacherous
false-swearing
Mary Decal' examined. I am wife to the prisoner at the bar.
We have been marriel 11 years. On the 30th October I met him
in Bucklersbury. Ile called me twice by my name, " 3lary."
11'hen I went to him, he ;invented a pistol at me, which 1 warded
ofEby potting up my band, and the contents were fired over Mi
head. He then endeavoured to had again, but I prevented him,
by laying hold of his hand. Ile then knocked me down, and best
me on the head with the pistol ; I cried out, and the watchman
tame to my assiatanee. I was confined in Bartholomew'. Hospital
In const.quenee of the wounds I received.
Cross-examined by MLA Innen tts.—When I put my hand up,
the pistol was fired over my head. 1 cannot tell whether there was a
ball in it. Cannot say that I touched the trgger with my hand,
and made the pistol go off:
George Hines, a watchman, examined—l was in Bucklembury,
ow at: evening of the 30th of October; I heard the report of a
pistol, and went to the place from which it came, where I saw the
prisoner heating a woman ; 1 asked him what he had done • lie
mid he was satisfied, she was his wife, and that she had ism
treacherous to him ; he said he world give himself up, and 1 might
do what I liked with him.

Jamie Cecil, a pa:rul, heard a noi.e and screaming in
Ivry; went to the plate and saw the prisoner, alkali he took to the
watch-huuse.

irni. Smith was in the watch house when the prisoner was
brought in. lle searched him, and found a small quantity of gun-
powder ill a tobacco-box, some shot. and a knife.
Charles 31ajor &vomit, that he searched the area of Mr. Banks,
hatter, in Ilueklersbury, on the night the woman was idiot. lie
found there a pistol, the lurk of which was down, but it had ;a>
other appearance a having been tired.
Neville Brown (one of the City 31anthals) ear the prisoner at
the watch-house ; asked hint if the pistol was lusitA with ball; he
replied " No, 1 could Lot get ball, ao I loaded it with shut." lIC
appeared rather inebriated, front his manner and expre•.intis ; lie
said he wan extremely happy at what he hail dyne, end he wiblaql
!tat it had token effect. 1:c wan by nu means violent, at:d only
spoke when hr was questite:ed.
Mary Bevan I.c-called and cruss.examinett by Mr. A iint.rit t.
Ske ball been married eleven years in the prisoner, but 1,;.:1 t....
lie..) with him all that time. She had frequently been obliged tu
leave hint ; she never went by any other name tiem Be., all ; :.he
went by the name of 31ills Ito hustent's mitten', bttr that v...
her maiden name; site had ;deo gone lan the 11:0:.e Or t':e•on, but
never by that of Barnett, tux of Wells. She lodged, howe:er.
with a perms none u 1l ills. and people by inistak... might have
called bre Mrs. M., li., but not with her enlist nt.
The Com stns SERGEANT—Mr. Atiolphtin. Its. thin evuni.
nation any reference to the act with whiela the ttrisi.cer in
111 r. AllOEl'lll a—l II iah 10 show that the prisoi.er hart c:'
these sluingn. a,..1 that they crest tretiutut alortn.tiola of ;!nr..i.
Cnwn.exatttittatioh re, • '--Site knew that about
ago tier husband at', 111.1": tit stab hitos..:f; but she tr:ver knew
that hr attri3rtell hiatt,e4; she had rensua
this: he wan not in a soubd IsUlte of mind, and lie was Intel; e,:ntunti
in a owl-Enure. - . .

The thin mow nr.r ANT—if the Jot,' roc think, or if t'•or
shatild think. thiritt..: any pa.t lot the prac.e.ling that the 1.1.'1w,, r
romtullied the net. heitT. of tin motoicti .d, they au: at !Mtn).
to woo the trial. ido mo wish to put an end to the case mematurtly,
unless they are quite satisfied. If three be the slightest doubt on
their mush I bag them to ft t on.
lconsulted tngtiher for a 1-vi mtnnt•-s, and r ow-Tied
thri.rhy% Juryrtlir t that the prisoner coonnatted the act, but that he was at
the period of unamit.d mind.
The Cost wow uttlOY ANT—I approve of your verdict: the law
will take rare to prermit the primmer from doing mischief.
The primmer bowtd very respectfully to the (;curt, sad withdoAr.