The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-09-03 00:00:00

WE3TFRN CIRCUI7'.
31ERSET ABBl ft E:4-1V lc +, STPT. I.

CROWN SIDE..

ftehre the Lunn Cater Jr+krtee.
.Littis Mete.* was indicted for haring burglariously entered the
dselitig.lietese of the ker. Francis Charles Johnson, and stolen
therelmn, trial silver spoons, some mace, and variants other ar-
teries. Ms property.
lietsey Peters stated, that in April last, she lived in the eervice
sal the lirvsecutur, at South !trent, in this county. Ills Aimee was
Woken open up the night of the 20th April ; the witness having
:listened all Me Mims Itral wiintows before she wear to boil. The
prisoner's wile lived at Mr. Johnson's at the time; about time
ei.loek in the morning of the ?Ito, Mrs. Morgan came into wit.
sass's room end awoke her. She said somethieg to witness, and re.
taste din the room till it was time to get up. Pristlner's wife did
not scent alarmed. IVlstai witness gut tip nt seven o'clock. she
missed tire table spoons and some mare in a paper, and a jar
14 the kitchen cupboard. Site hail not seen the spoons since.
=WC into witnem's room to see her child.
()verge Bidwell, a labourer, hi the employ of the Prosecutor,
went to his work at sit o'clock in the !limning of the 21st A pril.—
He fuund, on arriving at the house, the kitchen door (men, and on
going into the kitchen he found soot all over the floor, the drawers
sit the dresser open, and the shelves of the cupboard besmeared
with soot. lie also found some sooty bricks on the kitchen floor,
which, en examming the chimney, he found had been taken nut
of it.
John Bake", the prisoner's landlord, heard him about in his room
:knit half-post three un the tniirning of the 21st April; abmit
o'clock the same day, he saw the prisoner. lk looked very block
PI): V.
Jei.•stinntford, the Porde:dile of South Burnt, who apprehended
the I.:Tauter. 11111Wlifellett bill house, found 11 pair of stnallelothcs
4o:I Coe Inching of the bed where the mistime slept, very sooty.
Tie b. 41 elnehes were also very sooty.
Mr. t 'Athlete' accompanied the lest witness when hr searched the
priseter's bouse, and found a paper of spice which lie gave to Van-
r deed, and which was now prottue:d in Court and proved by wit-
Nees (JIM the sumo that lie mere to the constable.
Jon Pedieriii, a shorten!) in the employ of Mr. Snook, a chemist,
Ikalgemeter. moved that he had sold three ounces of mace to
Mr. Johnson, in December last. It was an unusual quantity to
well. Ile Weil rmullected selling inane to the primmer. Ile model
deem the mace came front his masteee shop, but whether it was
tli? Wane:o art hole sekl to thepn'secutar,ltccould nut say, although
lie lielieveit it aas.
Tie Prosecutor stated, that he also searched the Prisoner's house,
and teem' a jar of pickled saniphire, which was exactly simile to
woe he lod lost, but he would not positively swear it bdongW to
him.
The Jury found the prisoner Gritty—Heath.
(•17TTINII ANI)
Da: LI Bird, aged 52, was indicted fire wilfully, maliciously,
and unlawfully stabbing and cutting Cox, with a knife or
tome thane ilistrument, sith intuit to kill or do him sonic bodily
harm.
Mr. Jr.itExv stated the case for the prosecution, and called
Simon Cut—l live in the parish of South Brent, mild anus tailor.
I am a nimulas of the Friendly Society there, anti attended a meet.
fag of that Society on the Nth June. In the evening of that day I
was ~ , g between Brent and Mark. I had dined with the club in
a held, When I wee going along the roan I saw a crowd of past.
pie, and amongst them David Bird. 1 said nothing to bin, but I
'AO calms what was the matter ?
The primmer made a blow at me with his right hand at the bot-
tom of my belly. Blood flowed immediately. I was taken into
toe Vol by John Peters, anti Mr. Willianis, the surgeon, at.
tended rne.
Mr. J. Williams.—! am a surgeon, and, en the Nth of June, I
was called in to attend Simon Cox. The wound was about an loch
and a hall lung, under the navel; I probed it, and found the in.
toed vet not injured. I think the wound I examined was a cut, not
a stab. Mail the intestines been wounded, death would probably
have ensiled. I adtmiled him about a fortnight.
Jehn Clist sworn—l was at the Fox amp Gowee on the UM June
Inst. I saw Cox on the road between :dark and Brent that night.
las Niel there also. The next day 1 found a knife in the road
milked •• D. li." The instrument was produced in Court. It
taws n large claso knife.'
:in Peters swoni—l am a farmer living at South Brent. I was
at di: nulling of the club at Brent on the 11th June. I saw the
prisimer, his son-in-law, and daughters tripling. They went on
the 31 el read together, when Bird said he would stab tlw first
mac 11'30 r: me near him. Ile then drew a knife, and his relations
let: him. l'here were sonic other persons in the need, and tiny
Fan away. I then saw Cox coining along, and the prisoner lunged
at I; tin mill stabbed him. I stood with Cot afterwards in the read
AN ten trinities.
Be time COUST—Thrre was a considerable interval between the
prOANI:T tussling with his sot .in.l.ew and daughters and his stab-
bing Cox.
Mr. IVilliante was recalled and asked by Ina Lordship if the
ll.:.ite pushes ed could have caused the wound that he had found sin
C.ne's holy ?—The witless said in his opinion it could not.
The for the prosecution ended lime.
i.e the defence, a man named tiamlyn, the prisoner's son-in.
law, his daugider, and a woman by the name of Jam: Imtellarn,
were celled to prove that Inc hal acted outlet considerable irritation
in (yr:sequence of the ill treatment he had experienced fnini this
prosecutor and persona who were taking his pan; but from their
croes.exatnination it did not appear that any previous gonna had
taken taken place between the prose cutiw and prisoner, and that all
the it:nation of the latter must hart been excited by others, and
no. In Cos. The knife that had beret produced was placed in the
hares of the prisoner's somimlaw, alio after looking at it, said it
beinneed to Ins father-in-law.
Ills Lordship left it to the Jury to say, whether they believed the
te,..ev..y of the prosecittor or diet of the witnesses called for the
del:nee; if they believed the former, they must find the prisoner