The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-04-07 00:00:00

THE BRITISH PRESS.

Nathan Levy, who was yestettlay coovieted of receiving stolen
goods, FRS brought to the bar for judgment.
The COURT was about to pass sentence. when the Prim"r
prayed for time to state some facts in mitigation.

ASSAULT.
Tli.:le, a parish constable, was charged with assaulting
Anne Partridge, on the Mh day of February last.
The piosecutrx deposed to the defendant's having, on the day
laid in the indictment, come to her house, accompanied by three
other persons one of whom had on his back a coffin, in which they
Indeed on placing the dead body of her father, then lying in a
room up stairs ; she told them she had already, provided a coffin
for that purpose, and muse object to their interfering in the slightest
degree with the corpse of her father ; that her father had left her
sole lsgatee, and that she only had the right of arranging all mat-
ters connected with- his interment; the defendant, and his party,
notwithstanding this her remonstrance, still persisted in forcing
their way up stain; and when she attempted to oppose their pa,.
greiut, the defendant struck her a violent blow oa the breast—burst
open the door of the room in which her deceased father was laid
out, and there (to use the witr.css'sphrase) he and his companions
fee a veer considerable time, reigned with the most arbitrary
power. ,a laugh.) The witness further said, that she still felt
the ill-effects of the blow she had received, and that she could
product bath physicians and doctors to prove the truth of her as-
sertion.

7'he CHM n xax inquired if there ♦m a medical gentleman then
in attendance.

The prosecutrix replied that she bad no doctor then in Court,
though it was most true that no less ibex three physicians were
taking care of her remit. (A laugh.)
Three other witnesses were called for the prosecution, none of
whom saw a blow given ; two, however, deposed to their having
beard the prosecutrix scream violently.
The defendant der ied his having used the least violence towards
the prosecutrix. On the day in question her brother Lolled on him,
as constable, to go to the house of the deceased, for the purpose of
Ppreserving peace. The brother said that he was desirous of having
is father interred ; t'at he wished.to take a coffin for that purpose,
but dreaded the violent temper of his sister too much to go near the
Muse unless ur.der the protection of a constable. The defer.dant
further stated, that the only act of his that could be construed into
an assault, was his simply placing his hand across the room door,
to prevent her coining in till the corpse had been placed in the cof-
fin, and that in everything done by him he had acted according to
the directions of the son of the deceased; that the persons who ae-
esonpanied him were, the son, the undertaker who was to conduct
the interment. and the person who covied the coffin. In conclu-
sion, he assured the Court the prwecutrix had sworn falsely, and
that she was that sort of woman " who would swear the print out
of every leaf in a prayer-book." (A laugh.)
Two witnesses were call;!, who carroborated the material parts
of the defendant's statement. _

After a few observations from the CHAIR MAN, the defendant was
Acquitted.

BODY STEALING.

- . .....
John May and JAn .7crron stood indicted for hiving, on the
night of to Ilth of February last, illegally entered a church-yard
in the neighbourly:od of Hae:moy-road' in which church-yard a
male human body had on the previous day hem interred. l'herc
was a second count in the indictment, chargm- the defendants with
having, on the same night, illegally dug up the said body, with the
intent illegally to carry it off.
The prosecution woi institutml by the parish, but not conducted
by Counsel.
The officiating sexton of Shoreditch was called to prove hls hay-
ing seen, in the parish diary, an account of the interment of the
deceased.

Mr. ALLEN-, For the defendants, objected to the reception of
such evidence. The book itself, containing the entry, should have
been produced.
The ellAlll MAW assented.
Wm. Morton was next sworn—Witness was on duty at the
parish watchhouse on the night laid in Cm indictment. Whilst at
the watehhouse he received information that two men were
digging up a eddy in the church-yard. Ile went immediately to
the sp n, and saw two persons walking in the church-yard. Witness
placed watchmen at the gate and other avenues, so as to render
escape iniptpoilole. Witness then desired one of the watchmen to
take ME his coat, and get over the gate into the church-yard. The
watchman did RO ; sod in a few minutes witness heard a cry of
" !fere they are!" The defendants at the bar were shortly after
brought out. ‘ritne...l had them taken to the watchhouse, and
subsequently examined the church-yard, in which he found spades
and other instruments used in taking up bodies. On examining
farther he descried, is a corner of it, a male body, tied up in a
sack. The body was subsequently placed by him in a shell. In
answer to a piestion from the Bench, witness said, that all the
graves in the church-yard wete closed up ; lie did not obierre
bawl': one open. •
The witness's testimony was corroberrated by that of another
officer, who had been on ditty on the night In question.
Edward llocksley. the watchman who arrested the defendants,
also corroborated the evidence of Morton. . .

In answer to questions from the CHAIRMAN, he stated, that he
saw no other perbons in the church-yard but the defendants. Ile
had newer seen the defendants before the night of their arrest by
him. Has not been able to ascertain to whom the sack or spade
belonged.
Thos. Adams, the gravedigger, remembers having farmed a
person on the day preceding the one laid in the indictment. Exa-
mined the grave once subsequently, and found it had been opened
and the body taken out.
Witness, on his cross-examlnation by Mr. ALLEY, said he did
not know whether the body intereerl was male or female ; he barely
knew that a body was interred, but whether male or female, young
or old, he knew r.ot.
Mr. ALLEY, for the defendants, insisted that the Indictment
must fall to the ground : there was no proof whatever as to what
was contained in the coffin which the gravedigger said he depo-
sited in the earth. The Offence with which the defendants were
charged was one which many persons looked on as very heinous;
for his own part, he took a different view of it. He was Inclined to
look at it somewhat philosophically, and thought that the interest
of the living deserved mare attention than did any delicacy towards
the dead. lie did not, however, mean to rest the defence of his
clients on that view of the case. The probable fact was, that they
had not dug up the body in question ; they had surprised others in
the act of doing so. These ps.ntons turned the tables on his clients,
and actually gave the information to the officers, which led to the
arrest of the defendants.

After a few obserystions from the CHAIRMAN, the prisoners
were Acymiticd.

ASSAULT.

R. Foams was charged with assaulting Catherine Foley.
fsl r. C. PHILLIPS, for the prosecution, stated that the prosecutrix
had been the servant of the defendant ; she vas a Scotch woman,
who had come to Landau to look for a place, and for his part he
saw no goad reason why Scotch mentor should not seek their for.'
tunes as well as Scotch men. (A laugh.) The prosecutrix breught
with lie: from her r.ative hills a good appetite, which, however,
the defendant was determined not to indulge, as he was in the habit
of chalet; her to a miserable mutton chop. (A laugh.) The
Learned Gentleman, after a few further remarks, called
Tne prosecutrix, who said, she did not know what the profes-
sion of the defendant was, except that he remained out by night, and
staid at hone all day. She lived with him for three months and a
foitcight, at the rate of ten guineas a-year ; besides that she lent
him six shillings. When she called on him for her wages he
pushed her down stairs, and threatened to call a constable to take
her into custody.
On her cross-examination by Mr. ALLEY, she admitted that for
a month previous to the day laid ire the indictment, the defendant
wa• contined to his bed with the gam.
For the defence was call d a Mr. Stephens. who said he was pre-
sent when the alleged assault was committed ; he denied that the
defendant struck the prosecutrix.
(it was her: suggested that if the defendant paid the prosecutrix
the wages due to her the case would not be pressed any further.]
After a great deal ofaltereatiou between the parties, it was agreed
to leave the merits of the case to the arbitration of Mr. Barry.
A verdict of Gritty was in the mean time found against the de-
fendant, and sentem.e deterred until Saturday.
In the course of the day there were several other eases of assault
tried. They were guile uninteresting except to the parties them-
selves. The defenuants in almest every ease were of the fair sez.• '
The Court rose at half-pant four.

LONDON SESSIONS, IVPDNESDAY, APRIL G.

These Sessions commenced yesterday before the RECORDER and
a bench of Aldermen. The traverses, merely three casette' assault,
of little or no public interest, were shortly disposed of, but the
Court was occupied for a cousiderable length of time wlth a most
extraordinary appeal against an
ORDER OF AFFILIATION UPON A 111ETHODIST