The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-08-23 00:00:00

(.7y 111 INA SIDE.

niare Mr. JUSTICE. 11171;;01/01‘.
AM/ref, Leslie was indicted for eudiciously setting fire to the
; house of Alexander %Volker, at Bermondsey.
file. bow briefly stated the case to the Jury, and proceeded to
call the witaseses for the prosecution.
Ann Walker is the daughter of Alexander Walker, who lives at'
No. 24, Saltsbury-place, Ilermondse7. The prisoner was a fireen-
wich pensioner, anti had lodged with her father for about nine
years. previous to the 11th of July. Ile was to hare left, owing to
a quarrel, on the Friday; on ;he Wednesday moraine, about nine,
he cane into tie kitchen to ask if he could have the use of the fire
for his breakfast. Iler mother anal, " certainty," and lie acme&
imit). prepared it, and took it up scales. About a quarter of an hour
afterwards he came down for a lighted candle, which he likewise
took up stains. About ten o'clock she went out, mod was desired by
a neighbour to look up at the prisoner's window ; site sew stroke
precee,:ittg• from it; in consequence of thick she went up stairs,
and fount! the prisoner's room-door open, and the smoke streaminr
out. She ran down and called 31r. W. Itlullinger, wit° went up
stairs while she went into the yard for writer. She ;id not herself
go jaw the room while the fire lasted. About baleen hour after the
discovery the prisoner west out, and passed down the street., be.
fore the people had quitted the room occupirel • he did not come
back till the followtog Saturday. About an hour after the fire
she eve the boards of the. room, which were burnt about the
millieof the room ; the more valuable apparel of the prisoner had
been removed from the room previous to the fire; before the Wed. nday, be had frequently sworn at her mother, and said lie thought
it would be no sin to t.-':e 'way her life.
William Al ullinger—ltired opposite to Mr. Walker's ; he heard
the alarm of fire, and lookiug up saw stroke cotnirig from the
i garret-window ; in conserpleme of which he went up stairs and tried
'to open the door, but the prisoner shut it again and said, nobody
should come in for there was no lire, but he saw there was lire;
he ran down for a pail of water and km coming back threw that
I and other water that was providirtton to the fire, while the prisoner
declared all the time that there was ne tire, but nothing but pieces
lof paper, and standing erre the life. the flames being out, struck
' the witness, on which he collar:4llhp prisoner, and had him turned
' out of the room into the street. A constable was sent for, but the
' prisoner wade his escape before his arrival. This fire wes made
on the floor with paper, old rags, and rope-yarn, about three
feet from thediearth ; the hoar vel, bummed about nine inches in
a erele.
Barret is a watchman—He got the parish engine to assist in
putting out the fire; there were seem pieces of wood, about a foot
from the burning of the flour; one earl sparks out it, and the others
were warm.
William Painter is a car.stahle—Re went on the following day
to Inelt at the state of the room t the hearthstone comes out nine
inches from the wall, and the firo two feet six from the extremity of
I the hearth-None to the fire ; the diameter of the fire was about
I fourteen inches, and burnt into the floor about half an inch. On
I the following Saturday be found the prisoner about three or
four hundred yards from Mr. Walker's, in the way to Greer.
elicit. lVhen h• told the prisoner what lie wanted of him, he
struggled violently to get away, and he was obliged to use some
, suenatli to secure him. . _ _
. .

1 he prisoner had nothing to say in his defence, and appeared ex-
tremely confused.
Ann Walker said, that from time to time he less In the habit
of tritking wildly and incoherently, and that he had received severe
wounds in his head. lie way in the habit of picking up old paper,
pieces of tobacco-pipe, and other rubbish in the streets and bnng-
ing them home.
Mr. Justice lir•aovan then summed tip. The Jury had,
first, to decide whether there was any intention to injure 31r.
Walker; and secondly, whether the prisoner bad any malicious
intent in doing so.
The Jury, after a few minutes consideration, returned a verdict
of A'ut Gail!,; the foreman ridding. that :be Jury did not con.
sailer the prisoner to have been in lets right mind at the time of the
transaction.

'Mk Fitch was indicted for stealing a rocket-book, and two
sovereigns, from the person of John Henry Frederick de Dorn-
pierre, on the :11th June.
The iirosccutor stated that. on the dry mentioned in the indict.
meat, be and a party of a dozen, after dining at Cumberland-
gardens, proceeded to Vauxliall.gardens. Ile walked with Mr.
Donner, a merchant in the eity, and staid there till between twelve
and ooe, where be lost his pocket.hnnk. lie did not exactly know
the time when he lost it, but he had it before the fireworks com-
menced, and it was wins time after the fireworks concluded before
he missed his porke.-book. While near the orchestra he missed
it. He hail had his coat buttoned during the greater part of the
evening. His inside pocket had been rut, and the book gone. Ile
immediately spoke to Hall. the officer. The pocket-book con-
tained two sovereigns, ands blank cheque, with other mernorsada.
Crms-examiued by Mr. Anoxeutrz—There was an immense
crowd at the fireworks, and an hour and a half el 'piste! from his
knowing his property was sate to his missing it; when the Pri-
soner was apprehended and searched, there was nothing found mon
him that belonged to the witness, except the blank cheque ; he
believed that there was oo knife or other sharp instrument found
upon him.
it hen Hall Is an officer—He fwd heard of several robberies
ha, been committed in the Gardens, and vim on the look--ut ;
M 7 I)umpierre came to him at the tints this. the prisoner was
custod • the witness desired the miasma. to walk into a little
roma, called the Irreasury,,.'whlui its did, Mr. Dumpiest, ac-
companying them. He then searched him, and was told that his
name was Fitch ; the witness knows now that this is not his
true name.

[Mr. Anotencs here interrupted the witness, by observing,
that he nted not pursue that subject any further.]
Witness found upon him three or tour sovereigns, and a guinea,
and silver ; and Cave, a fellow officer, produced • blank cheque
from his coat pocket; upon which Mr. Dompierre said, `. That is
my cheque ; don't show it me. for I can tell you the number," and
the number that he stated (Ik6, he believed) was the number of the
cheque. The prosecutor then exclaimed, that he had taken a va-
luable purse, which he would give tire guineas for. The prisoner
said that he knew nothing about it, and that with respect to the
cheque, he would explain it some other time.
Cross-examined by Mr. TIT ESSIG ER—The prisoner went wil-
lingly to the Treasury, and offered no resistance to being searched ;
the money was either in his waistcoat or breeches pocket, and the
cheque was loase in his coat pocket behind; there were about half
a dozen persons present; M. de P impierre used very strong lan-
guage, upon which the prisoner said that he would explain at some
other time. (31. de Dompierre here swore to the cheque.) 411 t was
the one that he had in his pocket on the night in qtiestion.
Richard Pople had die prisoner in his custody about ten minutes
before he gave him to Hall ; he apprehended the prisoner in con-
sequence of information he received from a gentleman in the
e,urdens ; the prisoner was alone, coming out of the Rotunda; he
told him that he was charged by two gentlemen with picking their
pockets, and that he must conic up to Hall, which lie did ; there
was another person of the name of B!ewart apprehended the same
night, but there was none of M. de Dompierrets property on him.
Cross-examined by Mr. A DOLPIII,S.—A knife was found upon
Stewart, but nothing of that sort upon the prisoner.
Thomas Cave was in company with Hall, and they conjointly
searched the prisoner= witness took the cheque out of his coat
pocket, and delivered it immediately to hall.
Cross-examined by Mr. Arrol.riics.—The cheque was careless.
ly put into his pocket rumpled, without any order.
The prisoner was then called upon to: his defence. He ad.
dressed the Court nearly as follows:—My Lord, and Gentlemen
of the Jury, this is a charge of which I am as innocent as the
child unborn. I had been going to a part of the gardens for
certain purpose when I found the cheque, which I picked up, as
any person might have done. With respect to Stewart, who was
also taken into custody at the sante time as myself, that was a
circumstance that might hare happened to the first gentleman of
the land; if the same person had been standing near any Noble.
man, the sante thing would have taken place, upon the principle
that any body might have picked up time paper. Ile had very
little to may as to Mr. des Dampierre's evidede except as to the
mistake that that gentleman had made with respect to the number
of the cheque. lie hail been reared, as he might say, in the lap
of affluence, and after serving for twenty years in an honourable
profession; was it to be supposed that he could be so mean, so
despicable, so low as to descend to pick pockets, more espesially in
AO public a place, where every eye was upon him, and where it was
impossible for him to escape ?—at made his blood run sold. Again
he would ask, if he had been guilty timid he hare kept the
cheque, a piece of paper quite valueless ? 3l'otild lie not rather
have instantly have thrown it away, If, as had been represented,
he was a hanlened offender ? To their verdict he looked ; it would
either enable hint once more to hold up his head before the world,
'or blast hinafor ever.

......
Mr. Justice Burt oront summed up at some length; and the
July, after consulting together for a quarter of an hour, returned
a verdict of Guilty; but they nevertheless expreued some doubts
on the subject, aed therefore recommended ll'au to mercy.
His Lout:is:ire, in pausing sentence upon the prisoner, said
that he had no doubt uto the roptiety of the verdict. lie per-
fectly knew alto it, erne, and he thought he could not do better, in
order to remove him from his present companions, than transport
him for fourteen years.

WESTER A' CIRCUIT.

DEVON ASSIZES, IS , AVOVOT S.

)31 n,

.......-
111/liarn Marshall, aged 42, was indicted for tba wilful murder
of Ann Taylor, in the parish of Woodchat.
111 r. CoLeninoE stated the ease for the powectition, and ob-
served to the Jury that when he stated to them the charge against
the prisoner at the bar was for murder, he nerd not, be was con.
&lent, ask them for their serious attention ; and when he further in.
formed them mat they had awn her anxious inquiry before them ems.
fleeted with this charge, via. t whether the prisoner's mind was
sane at the time the dreadful transaction occurred, he was quite
certain that would be an additional reason for them logic. the most
profound attention to the proceedings which Lead just commenced.
lie should not, he hoped, be considered presumptuous in thee:car.
two of this his most distressing task, to take a general review of
the law as it rtood with regard to persons h the prisoner's situa.,
tion, and how far insanity could b 2 pleaded in elects. for the coni.l
mission of Ili: crime; and when he stated, which he did unfeignedly,
that he felt the highest gratification at being under the correction
of his Lordship, and that the Jury wo.ild hare the peculiar light
that that Learned Judge threw into every cause he presided over,
to guide them in their inquiries this day, he trusted they would not
think that he obtrusively or improperly put forth his opinions.
'The Jury would, he believed, have no doubt that the murder of
:ton Taylor was committed by the unhappy man then at the bar;'