The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1804-10-26 00:00:00

PRIVATE STEALING.

Dania noriste; n, were india-
ed for privately stealing from Thomas Cole, one
pocket-book, containing a 151. Bank note, a letter,
and some other papers.
It appeared, that the Prosecutor was going to pay
a bill in Bond-street, on the 29th of September last,
and in his way from Lambeth, where he rt'sided,
passing through St. James's Palace, allow eleven
•clock in the morning. he knew he had the pocket
book in question, in his inside coat pocket: he stopped
to look at some piCtures in the window of a print
shop in St. James's street, when some person behind
stretched his arm over his shoulder, and pointing to
one of the piSures, asked him, if that were meant
for a Burdett COMIllf Plum Brentfird?" he answered
in the affirmatives and, on lose mg round, he per-
ceived it was the prisoner, and took particular notice
of a mark on his face ; there were twelve or four-
teen people about the shop, but he was positive the
Prisoner was the man who had accosted him s he
went as far as Vete-street, Oxford-road, when he
missed his pocket books be could not tell where-
abouts he had lost its the note he received from a
Mrs. Appleby on the 21. th.
The Prisoner Thornton. who had pretended deaf-
ness during the whole of the trial, asked, at this
moment, how it was possible he could pick the Pro.
secutor's pocket while he bad an arm over his
shoulder ?

The apprentice of Mr. Pasties, of Tothill-street.
Westminster, hatter. stated, that about 12 o'clock,
on the same Seth of Sept. the Prisoner Freeman
came to his master's shop. and bought a hat for
fifteen shillings ; he gave him a fifteen pound Bank-
nose in payment, of which he had not the change,
but got it from Mr. Weston, the baker in the same
neighbourhood ; the Prisoner complained of the hat
being too large for him, and, by the Witneps's re-
commendation, he came back to him some days af-
ter i❑ order to have it altered.

The note had been paid into the Bank, and Mr.
Gibbous, one of the clerks, attended with it. The
Prosecutor and Mr. Weston preyed it to be the
same note, by certain marks they had ohserrert and
made upon it.
Margaret Ward stated, she had seen tbt Prisoner
Freeman about halt past 12 o'clock on the same day ;
she was at the Union public house, in Westmin•
ster • he came into the bar, and be treated her to
a glass of gin: she then went with him to
the hatter's, where he bought the hat, and
on their way, met the other Prisoner, who
walked on the opposite side: they then went to the
Westminster Arms, where they had a pot of
porter. Thornton joined them. and she saw Free-
m in give him 5 o.ie pound notes. a two pound note,
and some silver, and she heard them s ty, they were
to meet agdin at 4 o'clock.
Wm. (soodenough, a Police Officer, stated, that
he apprehended Freeman on the ltith of OR. who
tcl,l him he had bought his hat at Westminster, paid
to: it unt of a ten pound note he had received from
his ua..le at Brist,:l; he afterwards said it was a
fifteen pound note, which an old soldier gave him to
take some money he owed him out of. Some days
after, he apprehended the other Prisoner in Duck-
lane ; he pretended to be deaf, but cook! hear very
well when he pleased.
When called upon for their d4:nee, Thornton
declared he was perfeCily innocent of the charge.
Freeman said he was going up Sc. James's•street on
the day mentioned, and found the pocket-book on
the flags; he was much distressed, and male use of
the note to buy necessaries, and piy some trifling
debts he owed. One of the latter wag due to the
other Prisoner, who WAS perfealy innocent of the
transaCtion.

Baron Tatomrsom, in summing up the evidence
to the Jury, observed, that by Aft of Parliament,
the crime with which the Prisoners were charged
was a capital offence, which deprived them of
the benefit of clergy : but it was necessary to prove
the hand which adually picked the pocket, and the
person or persons aiding and assisting in the theft
were not liable to the capital part. It did not ap-
pear from the evidence, which of the Prisoners had
&finally committed the fat, and, upon the capital
part of the offence, they must be acquitted ; as to
the rest, he left it to their decision.
The Jury, after some consultation, acquitted the
Prisoners.

The following Prisoners were tried thig day:
Jim.' Franks, Gritty, Death; Joseph Lewis, Mary Winn,
Guilty; Thomas Weedon, F.htabeth Mmttn, Alice Mobt,s
Ann Gram, Sussumih Crass, Dtitiel Thurston, Juse,,h Free-
man, Elisabeth Brown, John Kippiagbaui, and J Vim Jawee,
Not Guilty.

The following deplorable circumstance appeared
at a Coroner's Inquest, held last week upon the
body of a young woman in the parish of King's
Norton, Warwickshire. The bed-fellow of the de.
ceased, an old woman, was awakened with the noise
of groans, who discovered the young woman out of
bed, sitting in the room, who complained she was
very ill: the old woman got up and warmed her
some wine, which she drank, said she was better,
and went to bed again, but in the course of the
night she diLd. In the morning it was discovered
that the young woman had delivered herself of a
child, which (from the testimony of a medical gen-
tleman that attended the Inquest) was born alive,
and it is supposed that during the time the old wo-
man was down stairs warming the wine, this most
unnatural mother took the opportunity of putting
the infant between the bed and the straw mamas,
where the unfortunate infant was found pressed al-
most Rat Oder its won ter of a parent.

NdrA. L TNTiLLICENCZ.

PoRTSMOUTNI, OCT. e?,4.

Arrived a very large fleet of coasters from the
Downs, under convoy of the /rap, of 18 guns,
Hon. Captain Aylmer; Rein Deer sloop. of I 8 guns ;
and Curlew, of 18 guns, Captain F.arl of Nvrthesk.
The Pabiphentits, of 64 guns, got under way for
the Channel Fleet, but the wind hkwing strong
from the Westward, she came to again.

Arrived the Ci,...,•.stra frigate tz nn the Downs,
and the Sactcci horn St. Helen's, likewise the Sararth
sloop of war.

PLYMOUTH, OCT. 23.

Arrived the Foriums, Peters, from Barcelona ;
Couragesx man of war, from Portsmouth; .11,1A,n
frigate, and Lay Althillearmed ship, from Torbay.
Sailed the Plover, sloop of war, with four trans-
ports under convoy for Cork. Wind N.F.

iItErkSLSS, OCT. 2$

Sailed this morning the Merraeor armed ship, with
five sail of vessels, under convoy fnr the Baltic.
Wind Easterly.

DEAL, ocr. 24.
Sailed the Derestatitm, LaOey, and Poleax°
bombs, on a cruise off the French coast.

Arrived the Antelope frigate from liosely Bay.
and the Pluto sloop of war from a cruise, and has
made a signal for a convoy to the westward.
Yesterday afternoon .L'lrnotortatife frigate, Capt.
Owen, sail: el from the -Downs on a cruise ; and by
his usual vigil.ince di‘covered, ne:zr Blackness, three
of the enemy's large praams, and sixteen gun-vessels,
&c. from Calais. Dunkirk, and Hushing, bound to
Boulogne. which she engaged ; but they being
under the proteaion of their batteries, escaped into
Boulogne. L' Imitortaiite has returned to the Downs,
having received damage in her masts, &c. has several
of her people killed and wounded.

lIARWICN, OCT. 24.

The Mae packet, Captain Osborn, and the
Dorat, Captain Hamilton, arrived this day from
Husum with the mails and passengers ; they brought
over about 100 rectuits.

The Lori packet, Captain Dell, arrived yesterday,
after landing the mails at Yarmouth.
The Earl of Lriaster. Captain 'Thomson, and
the Diana, Captain Short, are nnder sailing orders,
with the mails of the '23d, for klusurn and-Gotten-
burgh.

GREENOCK, OCT. ^O.

Arrived, on Thunday, the .7ohs, A llar;, from Sligo;
yesterday, the Vsetore4i.na, Thomson, from Malta,
last from Cork; and early this morning, at the Tail
of the Bank, the Jaile,o2May, and Cue tevi of Car-
fetrti. Anstruther, two of the Lisbon fleet; but have
not yet learned any particulars.

FROM LLOYD'S LIST.
_ _ ARRIVALS.

At Liverpool—The Diligent, Marlhlll, from Lisbon.
At Swanson—Zealotts, frumlisbon.
At Mull ---Cliatham, Cheeve, (torn Virginia.
In the "leNel—i-Arin packet, fro u New York; Mentor, Mil-
ler, from Hataicish ; and the Anthony,
Nbingrrs, from Philadelphia , Asuphion, from ft..sit 'more ;
Getieral Marshall, and the CiratweAcr, ILIA, front
terititoiss.