The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-07-25 00:00:00

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YORILVI

12 SUMMER ASSIZES.

On Sat ur,lity se'imight, the Assizes for this coun-
ty were opeacd at the Castle, Letore the Hon. Sir
ALAN Owlet's, re:e of the Justices of the
Bench, sUd the Hou• Sir GEORGE Wb(l4), Kat.
one of the 11,iiins of Ole Court of Exchterpier. •
Friday last the b1.19111e57 on the Crown .ice *ll4
finisheil.
florid Pardon, jun. of Beverly, tutelwr, was
charged with the wilful murder of Robert Grote's.
er, of the same place, on the loth of A mil !JO, by
stabbing him in the ode with a 'knife.
This was a trial which excited itinch interest ;
the priantier oei44 touch revcrted, awl the purlieu-
ler circurastartecs under %shiers the deceased came
by his dram, powerfully interested the feelings of
the Court in the Prisoner's favour. It appeared
that the deceased was buspreted by the Prisontr,
mill, as appeared from the evidence, not without
sufficient reason, of a criminal intercourse with his
wife. A few minutes before this unihrtiniute event
took place, ha fnuntrhis wife, at a veuy unreason-
able hour, in company with the deceased, in the
Nitrrier, which so irritated him, that lie declared lie
*mild .tab him, if vier he came into his house or
picusti.s. The iietemseil nufortuisutely petsist.d in
.ieeninpanyiiiie the woman into the house; and the
Prrionee immediately said to the deceased, 4. 1.)-i-n
you, Gardener, I will stab you ; yIHI have meddled
toy wile is the street." And ieninialiiitely made a
thrust atTli o with a knife hr hart snatched from tlw

tahle, and is..unded kiln worthily. The unfortu-
nate 113:111 languished until the 16th of April, aid
then expired. Previous to his death lie admitted
that the suspicions of the Prisoner were well-found-
ed, and which was, indeed, eufficiently apparitt
from other eircum•tances lied before the Colin. • '
Tlie JUDGe, tai explaining the raw to the Jury,
tr at if a wail should kill another in the act of
craitil:l4l I:itercour-e with his wife, it would iris be
murder, but manslaughter ; hut if a person who'
had received such injury should delibeiately chip;
trier the death of the person who had so injured
him. it would doubtless be murder; Its. Lordship,
however, thought, that any circumstances which
fell short of the actual crispy, and yet shoeht
clearly indicate such an intention, Might come
within the meaning of the lan.
The Jury, without a moment's deliberation, at-
quitted the Prisoner of the murder, and found hint
guilty of nianslaiighter only, to the satisfaction of a
very e7oltdrel 'oe.rt.
John Wilkinson was charged with having, on
Tileaday, the dad of May last, violated the person
of Elizabeth Syk,s, a fernal.y child, about eleien
prate of 44e, 13 Varuley Wood. in the parish of
Leeds.
Mr. II HUT 'Axed the case, on the part of the
proverntion, with his usnat ability mid perspicuity.
Tie• brat witness examiued wag Elizabeth Syke,
She stated, that. an the i3d of May 104, as she was
returoing from lier work it the eye A., she woo.
accosted by a men, who asked her a. sheer Mtn
the gray to Oiklersoine, through the woworl ; the wit•
lira* planted sr out it, hi n; hut herald he emild mire
Kid it, ttiiirta she went with tun, snit he would
alit her half-a-crown. 'fir wimesi ace Mime)
miecompeeied lute ; they had only ,;one a little way
when they :net a person °lithe name of John' Brom-
ley. who asked her wily she wa•igniii,4 back? Site said
she sras only going .little way, and would return
iminediately.—Winiess said. they went on the foot-
pstli, through the wood, and she frequently wished
to return, rit he always wished her to go a little
further, ehich she did. When they had gid into
the inid.lle of the wood, le: threw her upon the
ground ; she cried ; and he'takstig a knife from his
imeket, said, if she made a noise he would cut her
thrust ; this frightened her so mach that stir made
no further noises The lean tlitis completed his
ahorninahle design. and left her, giving her too
penee.—The witness, on her return home, met
with her father, who asked her what she had been
doing ? She replied, she dorm not tell him, and beg-
ged him not to beat her. Her mother soon discover-
ed time cause of her distress, and twat day she rain...
to Leeds, alma saw a roan at the Chief Constable's
and the Rotation Office, whom she knew to be the
R 14.1 that had need her dl. Str knew him both by
hi, dress and hie look. Witness was itskerkil she
should know huts at present. Site rephed, she could
not tall. On being desired to look round on the per-
sons inCourt.mand serif she could point hint out, she
could not tix upon the per, tel of time Prmaisser ; soil
though theJudgeorderml her to be le-ought topspin',
at the couclusioo of the ease ou the part of the prese-
• end lead her alit-mini' tistd upou the Pri-
%niter, slat! CUUlti not Itletittry Lies As jute iKTIOII wilt)
ha.l einwilittvil the outrage.
William Sykes, time father of the last witness,
aimed her age to be rather tinder 11 years ; m-
op-others goiiig to seek his danghter on the alight
of the Sijd of :dry ; when he met her, he was much
.trust wit% her appearance. The next day be went
in items+ of the Prisoner, and f d him in Leeds.
On tieing a.krd if he was at Gildersome the pre-
ceding night ?he said, do nut kaiser such a
place as Gilitersorne."
Sarah Sykes, the mother of the chilli, corrobo-
rated the testimony of the ehild, as to the violeuce
exercised nu her person.
John Bromley corroborated the evidence of the
child, as fir as respected his meeting her and time
man 111 the vermomi; mini swore, positively, that Wil-
kinson was the wan.
Benjamin Sawyer was called, to prove that the
linemn., having lived at Wortley eight or ten
years, Inuit have known rarnlee Wood, a do.ttaice
of about half-a-mile. and the villige of Oilelenionse.
He stated the Prisoner to have burnt em gond cha-
racter.
The sail, the question on which there
could he any difficulty ails, as to the Kleistity of
the'priwaner, whether hr was the person who cum-
ulated this rata ; for diet a rape had bei n commit-
ted he thought was clearly made out ; end the Ju-
ry, i. deteriniuMg this point, would take all the
atortionstances of the case into their consideretion.
The Jury retired for a considerable time, and on
termini; into Coact, found the Prt.sonc,•—.Nut
Goiley.

)as, woniti incleee them ti lie staimirdifrote to
employerm, 111104' 41irsol ire their meetings, which
terinvity br rumour to thoiitoeivro; sod, in
ilw jtlttroeytnen rcimmi guilty of thilre combi-
ei•, tvoold meet with u mire severe poiiialituent.