The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-01-08 00:00:00

but they will be answerable to society for e►ey future crime
against the discovery of which their conduct will be an eternal ad-
, monition. Who can confide in promises hereafter? Who can
rest his life on magisterial assurances? To no human being can
they ever pledge themselves more sacredly than to me, yet lime
stand to-day a proof of their insincerity ; nay, more than this--not
only have they broken faith and violated honour. but while the
press was uncen.ing in the excitement of prejudice—while the
theatre :IA the painter were employed in poisoning the public
mind--while every engine was at work to diminish the chances of
an ip!partial trial—these csry men, who had thus ensnared me by
perlitlicus declarations, closed their prison door against friends and
' legal advisers. and opened them only to the mandate of the King's
13ench. Thus was I first ensnared, and afterwards sought to be
sacrificed. Seduced into a confession, which was trumpeted
through the world, and then cruelly secluded until the time arrived
when 1 was to starer—not for my crime, but my credulity—not
because 1 crred, but because I trusted—not because I violated the
law, but because I confided in the conscience of its ministers. It
is in vain to say that my confession was not complete; it was as
ample as could have been expected at the moment, from an ex-
hausted frame and an agitated mind. It was subsequently amend-
ed, where it was at first deficient; and no sophistry can evade the
fact, that through that confession alone the body was discovered.
Thus, then, the main circumstance—that on which every thing
turned, was disclosed at once; and it is absurd to attribute to
aught but momentary confusion, any minor concealment, when
the great, essential, and indispensable development had taken
place.
As a proof that even the Coroner himself considered my eon-
fession so ainvle as to ensure my pardon, and that in his mind,
notwithstanding his admonition, the promise of the magistracy
ought to be held inviolate, hear his own words to Mr. Nicholls, one
of the witnesses—. The consequence of your delay has been, the
escape of Ilunt front justice; for he has been admitted a witness'
for the Crown, by the Magistrates, as they were afraid the body
was disposed of.' Now, what did these words mean, if the Coro-
ner was not fully convinced that I had merited and insured my
pardon ?

The prosecutors, my Lord, may affect to say, that as they re-
fuse to grant the boon promised for the disclosure, they will de-
cline using, or taking any advantage of the confession, and I hum-
bly submit that such a line of conduct would be alone consistent
with justice and fair dealing for if they retract their engagement,
they ought not to place me in a worse situation than I was in at the
moment when, confiding in their integrity, I unbosomed the secret.
If the prosecutors act with liberality, and forbear to offer a tittle of
evidence respecting the body, and, in conducting the case, consider
it as still undiscovered, I can have no cause to complain of plighted
faith and broken promises, because your Lordship need not to be
reminded that it has bccn laid down as a principle, that no death
can be considered as proved unless the body be found, and conse-
quently in this case no conviction can take place. But if witnesses
are produced to prove the finding of the body, can it be said that
my confession is not taken advantage of? and will not the prosecu-
tors be taunting me by an affectation of candour, if they take cre.
dit for not giving in evidence any declaration made by me, while
they avail themselves of the very essence and substance of the com-
munication ?

In confirmation of the promises made to me by the Magistrates
and Mr. Noel, I beg to refer to a statement which the latter Gentle-
man has published in the Newspapers; wherein he says—' It is now
incumbent on me to state the reasons for the offer of mercy held oat
to Hunt;' and then he thus proceeds:—' Notwithstanding the most
diligent searches for the body, no discovery had been made of it as
i late as four o'clock past midnight of Thursday morning, the 30th of
October, the sixth day after the murder, and at that hour the infor-
' mations and investigations had terminated with no Glue whatever to
the real person murdered.' Mr. Noel next describes his invitations
to me to make a disclosure, with a view to my being admitted as an
approver ; his desiring me to retire to ay:cider of his proposal ; and
after I had left the room, he says he addressed the Magistrates as
follows Gentlemen, if you do not approve of the offer of merry
now held out to Hunt, say so, and I will go to him. Recollect,
without the body is found, notwithstanding the strong evidence
against one of the parties, we shall do nothing ; and Mr. Clutter-
buck and Mr. Mason both gave unqualified approbation to my mode
of examination, and of the offer of mercy held out to Hunt.'
And in another part of Mr. Noel's statement he says, t Not
only at Watford but at the inquest, it was the general opinion of
Mr. Mason and the Magistrates, that the body might halve remained
concealed in H ill's slough, the place where it was found, (a distance
of three mile, and a half from the spot where the munfireiras com-
mitted) until it had been decomposed, and beyond the pOssibility of
identifying; and such was the insignificance of the slough, that
persons employed to drag all pits, ponds, &c., would have passed
by it, and therefore they were confirmed in their opinion as to the
policy and propriety of sanctioning my offer of mercy to Hunt ;
and previous to the offer being made, it was our united opinion that
the corpse had been removed to London, and probably thrown into
the Thames, either entire or piecemeal.'
In addition to this statement, Mr. Noel inserts a letter from
Mr. Clutterback to himself, in which the Magistrate observes, that
as my case was then gone out of the hands of the Magistrates, all
that could be done for me was to ask of the Court whether they
would allow me to be evidence for the Crown.

Having now, my Lord, faithfully stated the inducements by
which I was led to make that disclosure which alone rendered my-
self and my fellow-prisoners amenable to justice, I respectfully sub.
mit to your Lordship, whether, in being now put upon my trial,
and made the victim of my own credulity, I have been fairly and
candidly dealt with ? I will not, my Lord, attempt to point out
or discuss the mischiefs likely to arise if such engagements as were
entered into with me arc to be cancelled at pleasure, because they
will occur n. :ch more forcibly to your Lordship's enlightened mind.
Indeed, so fa as I am individually concerned, my fate is a sub-
ject of trifling importance. I have no desire to prolong a wretched
existence, unless it be to afford the oppertunity of endeavouring, by
prayer and penitence, to obtain mercy and forgiveness of the Al.
mighty, for the sins and transgressions I have committed. But in
pity to the feelings of an aged and respectable mother, a virtuous
and amiable wife, and my dearly beloved brother and sister, Ido
feel most a mums to avoid an ignominious death ; and it is there.
fore for their sakes, more than for my own, that I fervently and
ca-nestly entreat the performance of the solemn pledge made to me
of sparing my life.
i• I have nothing further to add, but most humbly repose my
fate on the justice and humanity of your Lordship.
_ . . . .

When the reading of this document was finished, the prisoner
Hunt said he wished to add a few remarks to the Court.
His Lordship asked him if he would not have it read by the offi-
cer of the Court ?
The prisoner said be would read it himself. Ile then stated from
a paper as follows :—The greatest part of the evidence of l'robert
is utterly false, especially that which refers to a declaration which
he affirms was made by me previous to the murder. For the pur-
pose of screening his own life, be has invented falsehoods to take
away mine. Ilia evidence of my saying. " There is the spot where
lamto be se; down," is particularly false. I was never in that
part of the country before ; how, therefore, could I know the spot,
espe:ially.as the way was intricate, and the night extremely dark?
This prisoner called no witnesses.
Here his Lordship expressed a wish to put a question to the
Corona.
Upon his being sworn, his Lordship asked if he knew the spot
where the body was found ?-4 do.
Is that spo i t n the county of Hertford ?—it is, my Lord.
His Lordship said that was all he required to know.
THE JULIGE'S CHARGE.

His Lordship then proceeded to address the Jury. lie said that I
this important inrfttigation had occupied a considerable portion of I
their time and labour, and justly occupied it, as the trial was of I
the utmost importance to the primness and the public. As to the
manner of the prosecution,—the prisoner John Thurtell was in-
dieted as the principal felon, as the murderer ; the other, Joseph
Hunt, was indicted as, though not present, aiding, abetting, emu-
forting, and exciting him in the murder. This was making him an
accessary before the fact ; and he would agree with the prisoner in
the papa reed to the Court, that if he was only an necessary after
the fact, however it might prove him to he a wicked and despi.
cable character, he could not be convicted under the indictment, as
he was tried as an mectsery before the act. This, like all iraes-
tigations respecting the life of man, was moat important ; foe the
law held human life in so valuable a light—it looked upon it in so
tender a view, that it considered all loss of life as murder until it
wes reduced to manslaughter by such circumstances as the law
could justify or excuse. Hut in the present case there was no such
consideration. The only question here was, Who ormunitted the
fact ? It was not pretended that it was done under any of
those circumstances which could eithee excuse or Justify it ;
and therefore, in his defence, John Thurtell has said that lie has
not committed the murder at all. There is this distinction between
the prisoners (though not in the legal consequences, for the law
;laces an accessary before the fact, and justly pleets him, in pre-
cutely the same snuation as the other), that if the jery were not
disposed to convict 'Austell of the murder, they treed rot trouble
themselves with any consideration respecting Hunt ; for it Thurtell
was found no; to have committed the murder, Ilunt must he ac-
j quitted of 'aiding and abetting hint in • murder which be never
committed ; oral r.ltheul. Timmefl may be found guilty of the