The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-12-06 00:00:00

OLD BilLan

Saturday Rdrard You and Donis Keaton were in-
dicted for itttereut a forged sf. note at Hampton, iii
illroex. 'ploy had, in all, altered Mealy-seven forged 51.
notrit.

Cathi,rine Humbleton. servant to Mr. Laurence, who
keeps the Red Lion, at Hampton' saw the Prisoners at her
minutes ou Sunday, the 2lith of September. They came
wiili a ',unroll in a one-horse chase; and Keaton asked
if his ttiat.o r could dine there ; and being answered in
the affirmative, they came in and dined all at the
same table. Directly after dinner they asked for the bill,
which Voss paid by a 5/. note. Hr was dressed as a naval
ufficer. She asked her master if she should get the Pri-
soner's name; to whirl, he answered, " No; I wish I had a
hundred of them." They received 4/ 4s. 9d. in ciriuge; and
went away about an hour and a half after they came.
Crosv-examined.—She had no doubt, nor ever had, that
the Prisoners were the persons, though they were now
esseildifferently.
. . . _

Mr. Laurruce corroborated the evidence of last witness.
and further stated, that he looked at the uote for the water-
mark, and approved of it. His wife wrote on the mite,
" Stranger, P. W. 1." and he now identified the note by
her hatol.writiug on it. He pant the note to Meux, his
'weer.

Mrs. Mortimer. who keeps the Boston Arms, at Turn.
hare-zreess spoke to Voss and another (but she could nut
swear to Keaton) coming to her house in a one-borne chaise,
with a young woman, about five o'slock ou the same Sunday
of . Two men came before them in a light cart,
and raid that Voss had fallen oust of his chaise, and host
Isis arm. Voss saint he had, anti wished fur something to
rub it with. which she got. They had some brandy and
water, and Voss ordered cacti of the uilur men a bottle of
sum. Voss paid the whole reckosiUng wills • 51. note. She
told him rime had not sufficient to give change for it ; but he
said she must, as he bad no small money, io consritience of
which •he procured change from • neighbour. Voss was
dressed in naval uniform.

tV. R. M.:Wee keeps the Pigeons, on Stralord-green ; re-
membered Voss and another coming to his house ties the 30th
of S. ptember in a one-horse chaise. Voss was in naval uni-
form They came in and purchased two bottles of wine,
and Voss paid as before with • 51. note.
G. Judge, waiter at the Angel, at Ilford, knew Voss. He
came on the 30th of September, and • lad with him, in a
one-horse chaise. They dined together, ■nd as before, paid
with • 5!. note. They also paid ■way on the 30th of Sep-
tember 51. notes at the Green Gate, Plaistow; at the
Abbey Arms, same place ; at the Britannia, Limehouse; and
at Ilse Fir Tree, Church-lane, Whilechapel ; at which places
they purchased two botties of wine, which they earned off
in their gig; and also purchased two hats at Bramweirs, in
Leadenhall-street, for which they paid by a 51. note as
before. They paid a tailor, in St. Martin's-lane, a 51. note
and other money, for clothes for Keaton. To a shoemaker
at Chatham Keaton paid a 51. note for a pair of shoes, and
received the change; he was the• in the naval uniform,
and when asked to put his name un the note, be said he
could nut write. He also passed • 5/. note to a Jew jew-
eller at Chatham the amine evening fur a gold aril. He did
the same to • watchmaker in the same place for an eme-
rald and gold key; and also at a linewalraper's, at Rochester,
in payment of some silk handkerchiefs, who followed them
to the Three Haw+, at Gravesend, te here they were bulls taken
in bed together. There was a spare bed in the room, and on
it was the naval uniform; but they both denied that it he-
lunged to them; and when Voss demised himself be had no
waistcoat, but he put on the Mae great coat Keaton had ma
when be wore the uniform. In the uniform waistcoat soma
guineas were found, which Von afterwards claimed. The
articles purchased at Chatham and Rochester were found part
on the table, and part on the sacking under the feather bed,
besides twenty-six it notes, and two forged fives. The two
latter were laid down ; Voss laid hold of them, put them in
his mouth, and apparently swallowed them. He then
said, " You can't blame me fur what I have done, you may
do your best or your worst." The Notes, however, were
fono.l next morning in the High-street, Gravesend, be-
tween the Three Dews and the pillion to which Voss and
Keaton were taken. They were in a mutilated stale, but not
so as in destroy the marks which 'hewed that they were those
which had been found uuder the bed where the Prisoners hail
lain at the Three Daws. The uniform clothes were made by
• tailor in Cranbriuni-passage, as far back as August last,
and fur which he of course was paid with a forged Si. note.
Mr. Ste jeant BOILINQUET lN•re declined going into any
more cases against the Prisoners ; and a Bank inspector
proved the whole of the 5/. notes to be forged in all respects,
and that they appeared to he all of one manufacture, and
impressions from the same plate, and the signatures ou each
of tlie same filling up.
Voss and Keaton, when called on for their defence, ac.
knowledged shat they were guilty of ushering the notes, not
knowing them to he forged.

Mr. Justice BAYLEY 'unlined up the evidence, and the
Jury, after deliberating for half an hour, returned a verdict,
fiudinz both Prisoners Gatilty—Denth.
Ruth Prisoners exhibited, dining' the whole trial, aymp-
loins of the greatest levity.

SATURDAY NICHT, DECEMBER 4.
Before the COMMON SERJIANT CD Id a Lowlox Jury.
SACRILEGE.

Henry Peers, aged 28, was capitally indicted for Wren-
rinusly and sacrilegiously breaking and entering the Church
of St. Martin's, Ludgate, on the night of the 31st of Octo-
ber, ..r the morning of the lit of November, and stealing
therein six brass vases, and a variety of articles of brass fur-
niture, the property of Thomas Abbott Green and William
Patten, Churchwardens of the pariah.
The Prisoner, in his defence, paid, in the most abject and
humiliating strain, that he was driven by distress to the com-
mission of the offence. He bad embarked 1,5001. in business
in Bristol; but through misfortunes he was compelled to
call his creditors together, but lie paid them lbs. in the
pound. He then proceeded to town and obtained a situation,
but his creditors still pressed him for further payment until
he was compelled to leave his sitnathu, and after that be
fell into the deepest distress. Ile hat, lie said, an aged
mother, a wife, and children, to whom, however, his situ-
ation hail ban kept ■ secret. He admitted his guilt, but
implored the Judge's merry.

Pive highly respectable witnesses gave the Prisoner an
excellent chararier' and bore testimony to the truth of the
assertions coot i eted in his defence.

The COMMON STRJEANT, in samniing up the evidence
to the Jury, oh d, that they mast dismin from their
eunsiderai. the breakiag tiro the ebarch. Still, however,
the offence was of a capital nature.
The Jury consulted fur a few minutes, and found the
Prisoner (hilly of stealing, bat not of the breaking and ea-
tering—Death—but ►trongly rerummentled him to mercy un
servant of his former good character. 111 this recommends-
Om one of the Churchwardens joined on the part of the
parish.

The Grand Jury of the City of Londou leaving completed
their labours, came into Court, and delivered the foll Owing
as their prewitatimi:—

~ Grend Jury Ruom, Dec. 4, 1819.
0 MT LORDS—We, We Graolf Jury of the City of Loa-

I- A 4 • rSP