The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-07-26 00:00:00

CROWN SIDE.

Wm. Bateman was put to the bar, charged with
having, on the 13th day of May last, at the pariah of
Hurstborn Tarrant, assaulted Win. Wallis, and fr.
lonioui.ly taken front his renew, sgaiwit his will,
nines of the Bank of EtiKlaud and country batik
notes, to the amount of 99/.

Mr. Pollen, Oil the part of the prosecution, stated
it to be one of the most serious and anxious duties
that had ever devolved on I,im, to lay the particu-
lars of this case before a Jury in such a manlier
as should at the same time answer the ends of
Justice, and communicate to theta and the Court
those feelings of compassion and pity which not
only the peculiar circumstances of the case call-
ed for, but which the humanity of the Prosecu-
tor bade him most earnestly invoke at their hands.
The Prisoner was an officer in the navy : he is yet
very young, barely twenty-four, of respectable con-
nexions. Although armed with a pistol, a threat
appeared to be the only weapon lie bail recourse
to; nor hail any violence marked his conduct
throughout the unfortunate circumstances he was
about to detail, except the first sad act, which,
in its consequences, hail been the means of plac-
ing him at the bar to-day. On the I3th of May last
the Prosecutor, Mr. Wallis, who lives at Forest,
near Andover, in returning from Newbury home-
wards, had occasion to pass through Dagley-
wood, where he met the Prisoner as he was
walking by the side of his gig up • hill, close
by Hurst born Tarrant. The Prisoner, who was
coming down the hill, on meeting Mr. Wal-
lis, presented a pistol at Isis breast, and said he
must have his money or his life. The Prosecu-
tor made some resistance, but finding hint so ear-
nest lie gave him a part of the notes which lie hail
about hint. The Prisoner, however, seeing that he
had more with him, loaned on his giving up the
whole, exclaiming, that he was oe distressed man.
He then told the Prosecutor, who had delivered to
him, oil his vehement entreaty, all the money
shout him, amounting to 991 in batik notes of
duff ..ent kinds, that he should go on, u.od that
he would find his horse and gig at the bottom.
At the desire of the Prosecutor, however, he
consented that he should proceed in the gig him-
self, mid upon his arrival at home the Prosecutor
gave the alarm to Henry Lickman, • 'tryout of
his, who stool afterwards went in pursuit of the
robber, whom he was enabled to trace to Basing-
stoke the same evening. On his arrival it the
Crown Inn there, lie found that a person answering
the description his master had given had arrived
there, and was retired to rest. Lickman imme-
diately went to the door of the hid-room, and
knocked at it. The Pri 1111 l er asked who was dicta ?
Lickman said, " I nand something in your room."
The Prisoner pretended lie could lint unlock it.
Lickman instantly broke it open. The Prisoner
was standing by the bed, with his hands behind hint.
Lickman saw a pistol in one if them, and seized it;
the Prisoner immediately gave it op to him. To
the question, if he was the person who had robbed
Mr. %YAW, the Prisoner replied, " I sin the mats,
there is the property ;" at the same time, pointing
to the pillow of the bed, under which, and in his
pocket, were found all the notes missiiig, except a
fraction of the change of a IL note, which he had
laid out in some trifling purchase.
These facts were most satisfactorily proved by
Mr. Wallis and his servant.

For the Prisoner, several very respectable wit.
nesses deposed to the honesty of leis general charac-
ter, which, indeed, seemed 'lever to have been im-
peached before this unhappy traiisuction ; to leis
great professional merit, which, unassisted by any
extrinsic support, had raised him to the situation of
master's mate ; to some late dreadful visitation of
distress; to his sobriety, mildness, and civility.
Even his Prosecutor most humanely addressed him.
self to the mercy of the Court in his favour.
The Learned Judge shortly addressed the Jury,
who immediately found the Prisoner guilty. but
strongly recommended him to mercy, a prayer which
they were assured by the Berich should not be un-
attended to.

John Wilkinson. charged with breaking open the
dwelling-bowie of Mr. Albiu. of Partied, was for-
merly a carpenter in the navy. He had worked fur
the Prosecutor, who went from home, leaving the
bank notes, gold, and silver in his secretary :
Prisoner entered the premi•es by cutting a pannel
out of the door, and broke open the secretary ;
he took away with the money, a boiled tongue
mid' sonic bread and cheese; went to the Blue
Anchor, Paalagrove, called for some beer and tea.
and eat part of the tongue. Prozeeded thence in a
cart to Portchester and Crocker Hill ; the carter saw
him the nest day, when he told him, if he would
take him back, he would show bins where he had
hid some incioey, in a bank under Portselown-hill:
he returned with him next day, and went to the
spot. where he discovered a bag of silver—it may
be 301. worth. Prisoner told the carter he had been
carpenter of a ship. and had ►aved money in his
youth. to take care of him iu his old age. Poisoner
was apprehended at Brighton, and in his box was
the bag and pen of the money he stole, and work-
log tools, which corresponded with the holes made
in the door, and secretary at 31r. house.--
The Prisoner iu his defence said he was innocent.
accused some of the witnesses of perjury. and con-
ducted loitwelf in a very violent manner. He was
one of the Prisoners sentenced to suffer death.

Hannah Lucas, aged 49, sentenced to seveu years
traosportatiou, fur stealing a cap and utekerchief, was

servant to the Pivaeetitoe's OddiisotheV. She stole,
besides the articles stated, five guineas in gold, out
of • boil, and which she had paid away. at Salisbviry,
before she was apprehended.
J. W. Rood was charged with having used fire
arms in the parish of Porters; and therewith causing
the death of Robert Gilchrist. The circumstances
of this were as follow Rood was sitting,
after dinner, in conversation with Mr. Pink,
'satins, and Mr. Pink, junior, when Mr. Gil.
christ, a Mau whose eccentric good-natured tem-
per constantly tempted persons known to him, to
make play with him, approached the premises.
Rood having just loaded a piste's!, and, shaking
it, remarked, the hall rattled. Pink. jun. said.
" Here comes Gill,. frighten him, Mr. Rood ;
give him • benefit"—a term used to mercy a fro-
licsome intention. Rood instantly sprang from
his chair, ran to the window, and unscrewed
the barrel of the pistol, which he knocked seise.
ral times against the window-ledge to extract
the bullet, and which he supposed he had done,
from seeing something of the same size fall ;
but which subsequently proved to be only a
piece of earth from a flower-pot, which was stand-
ing on the window-ledge. Rood was in the act of
firing out of the window, when Pink, jun said, " Not
there, Mr. Rood ; he is come in now" (meaning that
Gilchrist hail entered the premises by a gateway lead-
ing to the cou oting-house).—Pink, sen. said, " Here.
Gilly, Gilly !"—" Stop, stop," said Rood (in •
laughing good-natured tone). " let me frighten hint
first," and immediately as Gilchrist passed the door,
he pulled the trigger, which snapped, and Rood
remarked, " what a foolish thing this is. it is not
worth a farthing."—Pink, junior, said, " Is the
ball out ?"—" Yes," was the reply, and, pointing
to the window-ledge, said. " there it is." The
ball, however, had not been heat out of the pistol
as was supposed. but was fired from it. and
passing through Gilchrist's body, he died in shout
half an hour afterwards. When blood was disco-
vered, Rood said, it could not have been him who
had hurt him, for the bullet was out, mid. running
to the window, said, here it is, when. to his great
grief and disappointment, he saw that it was a clod of
earth had fallen, which he had supposed to be • ball.
when lie struck the window with the pistol. He ex-
claimed " 0 God, what have I done !" and became
so sigoilized awl distracted. that two persons with
difficulty could prevent him doing himself per-
sonal injury.
The Jury returned a verdict of Gailly.—He was
sentenced to be imprisoned one week, and fined Is.
The business of the Assizes ended on Friday
m • ig, in passing sentence of Death on the fifteen
prisoners capitally convicted. The Judge told
them he should spare their lives; and he would deal
thus candidly with them, that others may abstain
from similar offences, as it was his iiitention, if
this lenity had not the effect of stopping the in-
creasing offences of housebreaking in the day time,
and of sherp-stesling, at the next Assizes, if he
came this Circuit, to leave such offenders to the
extreme sentence of the law, as the property of the
farmer was left unprotected, except by the law, sod
so was the house of the labourer.