The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-09-03 00:00:00

DISPUTED IDENTITY.

...-
BOW-STREET, SEPT. 2.—The hackney-coach case, which we
reported yesterday, came on again to-clay at one o'clock. The pre-
valent opinion was, that there was obvious collusion betwixt the
two coachmen. _ _ .

Mr. Martin and the witnesses attended, and their evidence of
yesterday was read over to them, subscribed by their names.
Thomas Mitchell, the street-keeper of the Sttand, upon being
asked whether he was as fully convinced to.day as he was yester-
day that the driver, Thomas Neate, who stated his coach to be the
landau, MK was the offender named in the information, he
answered, "I am perfectly satisfied that he is the man. If I were
to die the neat moment I would swear that he is the man, and that
the little one was not." Ile went on to state that there had been
some difficulty with respect to the Waterman of the stand in the
Strand. They could not by any means get him to attend.
The neat witness, Edward Wallace, repeated the evidence which
he delivered yesterday. He declared that he had not the least
doubt as to the identity of the mat) Thomas Neste. He was also
confirmed in his opinion by what he bad yesterday observed of the
conduct of the two coachmen in the office. They looked at and
nudged each other, and seemed to have a perfect understanding.
He frequently observed one touch the other, and whisper, although
the pretended to have no acquaintance.
The man who yesterday answered to the summons, and owned
himself the culprit, was not present this morning.
Neste, during the wbolc of the evidence against him, regarded
his SCCIIIIttII with a mixed air of confidence in his own innocence,
and indignation.
When railed upon for his defence, he said he could bring as
respectable witnesses to disprove the charge as Mr. Martin him-
self. lie declared that he was the object of a moat shameful per-
secution.

This assertion, in so clear a cue, only excited the laughter of
those present.
Ilia first witness was the waterman of the hackney-coach-stand
at Adam-street, West, Digeware-road. This man stated that, on
Saturday night Thgrnas /Suite was in the coffee-shop, Edgeware-
road, at half-past al ; he came to the stand at five minutespast six.
He left the coffee-shop about twenty minutes to seven, to take up a
fare.

Mr. Martin eroas.examined this witness very narrowly as to his
knowledge of the time, who, however, seemed to establish the truth
of his testimony.
Mr. Martin here shook his head, and reminded the coachman
that be had yesterday talked about the gentleman whom be had
driven.

Yes, your Worship, here he is.
Mr. Samson then stepped forward. He said that he resided at
No. 47, Ilryanstone-squire, and oo Saturday night. as it rained
herd, he hired this coach, in place of using his own carriage, to
take his children to the play. He was positive chat this was the
man, as he bed him at the door for ten minutes, and had talked to
Woo about returning; he had also brought him his stick, left in the
coach, the following morning. It was about twenty minutes to
seven when be came to the door, and it was past seven when he set
him down at the Haymarket theatre. He drove carefully all the
war, and was perfectly sober.
The other witnesses swore positively that the time of their seeing
the coachman flogging his horses in the Strand was 20 minutes to
seven ; and they both consulted good clocks for the purpose of fix-
ing the time precisely.
' Mr. Martin, upon this clear evidence of an alibi, immediately
consented to withdraw his information.

The coachman, however, with much vehemence, declared that he
would not be pulled about in this manner; he had just come out of
prosecution for felony ; been three months in gaol ; and stood
three hours and a•half to hear his life sworn away, when he
wssivird **alibi, .o*4 the rean VP NMI to pay the expences of the
indietwiewt. If Mr. Martin Pat Aout evacMitiging false bares*
edlians to ruin his character and property, he should bear more
ofd.