The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-04-21 00:00:00

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This day the Assizes commenced .here; before
the Right Flow Lord Ktewetnie, when 'Avila:
• Kw J. of Leighliiebridge, woollen-draper, was put
trial, for heving in his possession forgenes
on the Beilk of Ireland. •
Mr. GaLLN &9 Counsel for tic Bank, stated the
c.ape at conii.lerable length, and with his usual
precision. After adverting to the Aa of Parlia-
ment upon which the indiament was grounded, •
and lamenting the utter inadequacy of any punish-
ment the Court. could inflieft, to the atrocious
eegraved glide of the prisoner, he proceeded to
.! 'rail the circumstances of the case, which were
terwards given in evidence.
John Bell, Esq. a Magistrate for the county of
Dublin, Was.the first witnesscalled on behalf of the
Crown he deposed, that in constnueetee of private
information he had received, he went to Carlow,
and applied to the Bev. John Whine, it' Magistrate
.for that county, who, with two • oiher gentlemen,
eccoMpanied him* on the 2tith of List month, to the
prisoner's• house in I.eighlin4widge. Mr. Whiny
and he es•er.iinto his shop (the shop was, on the one
bide, for woollen-ciretpery, and nu the other for gro-
' treks); wtien they entered, the prisoner was be-
hind the counter; Mr. Allitty told him he wished
• to sfese' to him, on which he condueied them into
the parlour. There Mr. Whitey informed him, that
be bad information against him for dealing in tinged.
"Bank men. The prisoner was much confused, hut
• llenfed •the fad; Mr. Bell then asked *hint for his
keys ; he produced three ; they then went up stairs
:"..to Ins bed-room. Mr. Bell asked him if he had
'et Sank notes of any kind, about him or his house.
I lie replied he bad about five guineas, and produced
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three guineas on the Bank of Ireland, and seven
small notes on the Bank of Leighlin-bridge, all of
•• which ware genuine ; he was then pressed by the
witness to say whether he had any other Bank notes
of any kind, about him, in his house, or any where
else, his property ; but he persisted in dechiring he
had not. Ihe nitrates asked hint if he knew one ,
Kearney, a tailor, who lived In Aungier-street, and •
when he last Saw him ? Be replied he knew .him,
being his tneensman, btu had not seen' him for six,
months before. He asked, had he not seen him on
the Saturday before in Dublin? The ptisoner de- ,
clared be had not been in• -the' last three
=tenths, but that hi saw him then. The Magistrates
then proceeded to search the thorn, and after some
time, Mr. tell went up stairs to a Cock-loft, or gar-
set, where he found concealed, between the floor
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and he plain ceiling,' several implements for coin-
ing, which he produced to the prisoner, who de-
*stied any • keuuledge of them, but some time
•• after he confessed they were for the purpose of
coining, and explained the use of the different ar-
ticles, consisting of salearmoniac, arsenic, files, tu-
tenage with other metals, and several crucibles,
some of which were sn smell, that they were manie
festiv for melting gold ; he also declared that Pat.
Pinder, a pedlar, was to have instrufted him and
another man in the an of coinin,g, and that he was
to p.vo the shillings in his chop.
Mr. Bell was then about to give an account of
two forgeries produced to him, when he was stopped
by Mr. SI•hlelly, who stated to the Court, that he
eves instrueled that a brother of the prisoner's had
ts en on that day strippt d naked and flogged, in
oider to make him confess; and, that if the pri-
sener had made any confi-ssien it was with a view
or saving his brother. Mr. Dell, however, posi-
. tively declared, that he never heard of any such
trensaaion, and that he could not believe it, for he
never, in his life, knew a more corred and proper
Ilegistrate than Mr. Whiny.
Here Lord Kiev easte said, he hoped there Was
zio such monster in the ....ommission of the Peace, as
could be capable of such .an eel; and that if any
man dare condua himself in • such a manner, he
would lay a heavy hand on him.
The witness was then permitted to proceed. He
stated, that on his return to the bed-roost, with the
coining implements, he told the pri,oner that he
had a proposal to make, which he mould allow him
. but three minutes to consider ; and, that if he did
not comply in that time, he was to put it out' of his
mind, as if no such proposal had been made. He
"told the prisoner that if he would confess his cons
nexion with Kearney, and write such a letter as he
would dielete, that he would save himself from lee-
iag exposed ; to which the prisoner replied, that he
would write 4ny thing he bid him, but denied hav-
ing any improper connexion with Kearney. Mr.
• Bell then toe/ hum, that his proposal wal at an end.
(Here Mr. M.Nelly contended, that any confession
• made afterwards eel!' under the 'Lehi:nice of hope,
induced by that proposal: but atter much argu-
ment on botfi tides, he was over-ruied by the Court,
and the witness allowed to proceed.]—He then
stated, that on proceeding to search the person of
the prisoner, who being desired to take off his coal
for that purpose, he took two forgeries on the Bank
of Ireland from his pocket, a pound and a guinea
note, which were those laid in the indid'mcnt, and
were identified by the witness. Some time after,
the prisoner admitted he got those notes from
Kearney about two months before- and after a long
examination of the prisoner, vAlcii took place after
the forgeries were token from his person, lie sat dOwn
and said, " Now, gentlemen, I will tell you all"
Mr. Bell then desired, that he would not make any
confession, iu consequence of his formerproposal,
to he must consider that totally al -an red ;to
which Mr. Whiny added, that he should 'not be
influenced by either hope or fear, in any confession
lie intended to make. The prisoner, notwithstand-
ing these caut4ns, confessed, that about three months
ago, he,got forty-five pounds of 'nine shilling and
six shillnig Asses on the -berth of leighlin-bridge
and Weeferdfrone Kearney', fed• which he paid him
.cave guineas; and that at another time, Kearney
:sent nun, by Pillar, twenty-five guinea forgeries
• ' on the Ben:: of Ireland, fur which he sent him five
guineas mere ; after much prevarication, he ads
mated tlettetee was in Dublin on the Satitrdey be-
fore, agrcteibly to Mr. Bell's infermation, and that
he saw Kearney, but denied his having gut any
tee as. the time.—He seed thin he had- burned a
eeaiber`ht thrgeries on that morning, un hearing

Kearney wa% Liken up.
Mr. Gui:sist produced a letter, which the witness
habil I,,cicd up in hr.iriley's desk, which he was_
do ,fired u 3 read, but wt his saying the letter was
anon/moss, Mr. M,Nltily and Mr. Ridgeway, con-
tended it ought. not to be read itbrir objetction,
however. was over-ruled, And the letter was

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