The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1803-04-22 00:00:00

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OLD ,BAILEY.

THURSDAY, APRIL 21.
Before the Honourable Mr. youth( I-1 E ATI!, Mr. Baron
TnoursoN, the Recoa H, E.e'c.
•
BURGLARY.
Thomas Smith and William lotus were capitally in-
dieted for burglariously breaking into the dwefling
house of James Fontaine, and stealing a metal can-
dlestick, his property.
It appeared, that on Thursday, the 1 7th of March,
about seven in tl:e evening, as Samuel Perris, and
Arnold Eade, two patroles, were going dowit Hol-
born, they saw the prisoners lurking about Mr. Fon-
taine's shop window, at the corner of Middle-row; the
paroles watched them, and saw Jones break one of
the panes of glass, through which he took out some-
thing from the window end gave it to Smith. Perris
immediately went to take Smith into custody ; the
latter, on seeing him approach, threw the property lie
had in his hand, which proved to be a metal candle-
stick, at the head of his pursuer, and ran away; he
was, however, taken, and conveyed to a public-house,
where Eade, the. other patrole, had also brought
Jones.
Perris then went and found the candlestick lying
in the road, he took it to the Prosecutor's shop,
where it was known to have been placed in the win-
dow that evening.
'I he prosecutor said he was sure the candlestick
was his, and described several private marks which
he had put upon it with ink. The property was
produced, and agreed exaeily with the description
given of it.
The burglary being clearly proved, the Jury found
both the prisoners Guilty—Death.
An Hunt was indicted for feloniously
stealing :lie suns of 201. the property of Salmon
Handfield.
The prosecutor kept a public-house in Shore-
ditch, and on Saturday the ed of April lie gave
his daughter 201. in notes, gold, and silver, to lock
up in his bureau, which she then did. On the
Mondav following his daughter went up stairs, and
found that the door of the room in which the money
had been placed, open, notwithstanding she had be-
fore locked it. She immediately went to the bu-
reau, and also found that unlocked, and the property
gone. The girl called her sister, and sent her to
inform her father, who came up stairs and went to
the apartment of the prisoner, who was a lodger in
the house. The prosecutor suspected her to have
stolen the money, and on seeing her blowing the
fire, he demanded the property which she had stolen ;
she laughed, and told him he was joking, and that
she had not a shilling in the world. On searching
the room the little girl found the bag containing the
property in the ashes under the prisoner's feet. A
police officer was immediately sent for, and she was
taken into custody.
Ann Handfield, the daughter of the prosecutor,
knew the notes contained in the bag to be the pro-
perty of her father, as she had wrote the name of
Fry on the back of one when it was paid into her
hands by a customer who came into the house.—
The keys of the prosecutor's bureau were also
found in the prisoner's possession. The Jury found
the prisoner Guilty.
Charlet Barton was capitally indided for entering
the house of Richard Crouchman, and stealing, in
the absence of Ann Crouchman, his wife, various ar-
ticles of wearing apparel, his property.
Mrs. Crouchman, the wife of the Prosecutor,
stated, that her husband was at sea, and that she
lived in Essex-street, Whitechapel. On the 13th
of April last she went out to her landlord's, who
lived within a door or two of her abode ; she took
the child with her, and had not been gone more
than five minutes before she was told that a man had
been seen attempting to .rob her house ; she imme-
diately went home, and met the prisoner coming
down stairs with several articles of her cloathing ;
she desired him to tell where he got the things he
had in his hands, as they belonged to her ; the pri-
soner attempted to run away ; she, however, made
an alarm, and several persons came to her assist-
ance, who detained the prisoner until an officer
came and searched him, and found the property in
his possession ; also 24 false keys, with one of which
he opened the prosecutor's door.
Armstrong, a police officer, belonging to the
office in Worship-street, corroborated the statement
of the last witness.
The prisoner in his defence said, that he went to
the house of the prosecutor to inquire for a person
of the name of Scot, and that he took the property,
supposing it to be clothes which he had given that
person to wash : lie attempted to ,give an account
of the keys found in his possession, by saying that
he was the armourer of an East Indianian, and in
that capacity he was obliged to carry die keys to sea
for the ship's use.
Mr. Baron THOMPSON summed up, and direoled
the Jury to attend to the value of the property
stolen, which was laid in the indidment at seven
shillings and sixpence : they would examine the
same, and, if they filund it to be less than that sum,
they would give their et:Mid according to the true
value, as the convktion was a capital one, if the value
amounted to five shillings. The Jury brought in
. their verdid, Guilty of :haling to the value of four shil-
ling: and celente.
John Hodson was capitally indided for stealing
thirty-two brilliant diamonds, the property of Ri-
chard Hobdell.
The prosecutor is a jeweller, at No. C 9, Addle-
street, in the city, and the prisoner was his journey-
man. About twelve months since a number of
Diamonds were given to the latteV to work upon,
which he kept in his possession. The prosecutor
hiving lost several of his working tools out of the
shop suspeded the prisoner, and immediately de-
manded the diamonds. He was told by the pri-
soner that he had pledged them at Mr. Harrison's,
a pawnbroker, from whence he promised to redeem
them as soon as possible ; the prosecutor consented
at that time not to bring him to justice. He did not,
however, redeem the diamonds ; and, at last, would
not acknowledge his having taken them away ; in
consequence of which the prosecutor had him taken
into custody.
The diamonds were produced in Court by the
Pawnbroker, but Mr. Hobdell would not venture to
identify them.
The Jury retired for a short time, and on their
return, pronounced the prisoner—Not Guilty.
John Holt was indieted for burglariously breaking
into the house of the Duchess Dowager of Chandos,
with intent to steal.
Elizabeth liumptries stated, that she was house-
keeper to the Duchess Dowager of Chandos, in