The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-12-07 00:00:00

MIDOLLSEX st.yaloNS.

CLERILLNWELL, Dec S.
Wdfiaw Siina,r, a Constable of the Liberties of
%Mon-full, was inchaed for an assault upon Lima-
beds Godhead ; also for another upon Th..insas
Brant, on the 17th of Ofiober last.
El zabeth Godhead stated, that, about tslf-pa,t
nine o'clock in the evening of the 170, as Si,: was
passing over Ssffron-hill. on her way home, she tits-
served the Defendant treating a poor old man very
ill. Tne man had got two herrings, which Defend-
ant charged tin with stealing. the poor 014 man
informed bun he had received them from a fish-
woman, who sat with her basket at a little distance.
Skinner took the man to the 1.11-woman, to sausly
himself; when the woman informed him, she gave
him the two fish. He continued, notwithstanding,
to use the man very ill; the Prosecutrie enueat-
ed Skinner to let the man go, as he must ue sa.
tisfied he did not steal the herrings, whe■ Skinner
abused her, said be suppused she was a common
sirampet, and a pickpocket. struck hate, ueder the
lett breast, and drove her rote. the middle of the
eariiage-road. He did nut tier any furthis vio-
lence at this time; but, before she had proesieded
far through tiLrtoo-garden,. she heard the Defend.
eat call out to a watcaman to follow her, sad bring
her to the watch-liouse. The watchman hesitated;
when Defendant ran after her, caught hold of
her, and began to drag her in the most vio-
lent manner to the watch-house. Frightened by
the treatment she received, and the disgrace of
going to the watch-house, she screamed several
times.. S 1 persons hearing her screams,
and observing the manner in which he dragged
her, inquired her address ; but when about to cell,
Defendant put his hand upon her mouth, and pre-
vented her from speaking. When in the watch-
house be behaved in the most shameful mauner.
When the Piosecatriz ►egged of him to use her
gently, he cursed and swore she should go to
Bridewell, and that he would send her there.
Several persons who had been brought to the
watch-house by her cries, offered to bail her, but
the Defendant refused, saying no hail could be
taken in a watch-house; when the constable of tiff
night came, and heard the -large against her, he
discharged her. The Prosecutes: being ■ubjeel to
fits, from the treatment sue received that night,
has not been well since.

Samuel Howard corroborated the whole of the
statement made by the former witness.
S 1 other gentlemen, inhabitants of Charles.
street, Hatton-Garden. corroborated the testimony
of Miu Godhead, with resymet to the mannersbe
was treated by Defendant. Mr. Watson and Mr.
Scott, two very respectable housekeepers, awed
to go bail for her, when in the watch•house. but were
refused.
Mr. Brant. when going into the watch-house, in
passing the Defendant, who stood on the alt of
the door, wiihoot saying any thing, or doing
any thing. was 'knocked down by him. A
defence was :IA up. that the Prosecuutz attempted
to rescue a vagrant whom Defendant bad in
custody.
The ChM am po said he considered this as one of
the most brutal assaults be had known by at:y
person in the situation of the Defendant.
The Jury found himgaitty on bath indiameots.
4kzender Ceekirro, a saddle!, Jean Leogiren,
and 7hemas Collins, his apprentices, were indieted tor
an assault ■pon Elizabeth Whitaker, oA the liith
of June last.
• Elizabeth Whitaker stated, that she occupies the
first floor of No. 7S, Gray's-inn-lane. which hoo.e
belongs to the Detenciaat, where be keeps a sadJlcr's

slop ; he also beep a pablie-hoese, at wUch
" resides, in the same street. On the night laid
the indiiment, she had been up lace; when the two
app-eltices came home, .h. expostulated widathens
for b i-,g etit satire, ar.d they lortuor:d in a very in-
solent manner.to her. Collins, the younger op.
prenric; *lapped his hat in her lace, and said, they
a:mold do as they pleased. About one o'clock.
when she Ifi;f bodreesing, some person knocked at
the door. Witness put on a bed-gown, and desilea
the person to wait a bole Just as she had got to
the door, Cockburn forced it againss,her breast, ard
knocked her down. Cockburn asked what she had
to do with hi. apprentices? When she said it was
vary improper they should be allowed to stay oat so
late ; he d---d I.er eyes, and said she skulls° to
the 'watch-house, seised bold of her, dragged
nut of the house, with brutal violence, and thr.,
her down the steps. There were four watchn
waiting there, :o whom she was given in charge, al
was by tLens taken to the watch-house, where also.
remained from two o'clock until twelve next day.
half naked.—Cockburn desired his youngest ap-
prentice to go and sleep with her daughter, a child
of ten years of age.
John Stone, a watchman, was broeght to Nos
72, Gray's-Inn.lane, by one of Defendant's appren•
rites. He corroborated the former Witness, and
stated, that when be came to the house, he was told
he must go up stairs. He obeyed. and saw Mrs.
Wt 'taker sittina in a chair near the door, pad
D,tv.idant holding her by the wrists.
Cockburn, in his defence, stated, that he had
given his two apprentices leave to go to the play
that eight ; they had supped with hint at 59, the
public-house ; after they had eaten their sapper, be
sett them to the house in whials Mrs. Whitaker
lodged, to bed; they had not been long away, where
one of them returned, and told him Mrs. Whitaker
WAS making a great noise and disturbance, weed
would not let them up stairs. She so frightened
Collins, that be climbed over a wall ten fey high.
Mrs Whitaker was of a most to.bulent and vicalei
temper, and it was his only wish to get her out
his house.
Elizabeth Kempsten deposed, she lodges fe v.
house with Prosecutris, remembers the apprentices
knoaing at the door, on the night laid in the
di* ment ; as she was going down stairs to open t.
doer, she met Mrs. Whitaker on the stairs. who saic
she should not open the door for any person. Wit-
ness did open it, and let them la ; alter cdong so dee
went up to her own apartment, and remained them •
She said she beard a great noise, but as she nine"
left her room, she could not tel what it was.
Benjamin Spriggs, 'keeper .f Gray's lnn-lane
watch-house, stated, that on the night of June 16,
Mrs. Whitaker was brought to the watch-boose ;
she appeared to him and the Constable of the Night,
to be drunk. Defendant charged her with making
a riot and disturbance in his house, and heating his
apprentices ; she was locked up to a room, artiory
rogues, vagrants, and persons of the lowest deur!,
tion.
On his cross-examination, he said she was very
much alar m. d and frightened ; could not say who.
tier it was the fright which made „her appear as if
she was drliA. It was the opiuion of the Con.
at ttde of the Night, as well as his own, that she
was in that state.
The t PI AlRse me observed, this was a most
gofer made of ejectment; because those two boys -
came home at Ig o cl-ck, Mrs. W. foolishly inter-
feres. whim Cockburn drags her out of her own
house, her cabtle, where she had as much tight to
be es ele Defendant. The apprentices ailed under
the orders ,if their master, he had no right to order
them. nor they to obey. in any thing not justi-
fiable.
The Jury immediately returned a veal&
Ceirly agaicit Cockburn, and acquitted the appren-
tices.
frith-am klwarti Raierts and Bohr: Brows, .-
were committed by the Magistrates, at, Marlborough..
street °lice. cur conspiring with art intent to de-
fraud several tradesmen, were brought up to be ad-
mitted to bail. The persons who tendered them-
selves not bring what they described themselves
be, were rejeflei. The Prisoners were ordered
the custody of the Warden of the Fleet.