The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-12-08 00:00:00

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Henley was eirertiag, tbat shel a husband at sea.
The Jury, without beast argetned ter Psi-,
toner.
Frstfmtn Harmon stood capitally indided for felo-
&randy stealing twenty-one yards of cotton, tend
thirty yards of brown Holland, the property of
Messrs. Meyer and Nlagoe, very extensive army
clothiers, in Mortimer-street, Cavendish.square. and
John Smith, for receiving the same, knowing them
to be stolen.
From the concurrent testimony of both parties,
it appeared, that in consequence of some very strong
information they had received, and having for some
time past missed a variety of property out of their
cutting-room, they eatrged the Prisoner, Hanson,
with the robbery. He was much alarmed on hear-
ing their suspicions ; and, without any inducement
either of hop: of fear, acknowledged he had been
in the habit of robbing them, during the last year,
of various articles of property to a very considera-
ble extent. The goods were itolerr out of the cut-
ting.toom, and it WAS a matter of great surprise to
them, in what way the theft could- be effeited, as
the door was always found locked and closed in the
ordinary manner. However the confession or Has-
son dissipated their astonishment; and from a model
produced in Court, it was fuHy explained by what
device the Prisoner, Hanson. had been enabled
to get his hand through a back wiadow, and then
unbolt and bolt the doer of the cutting-room. He
also declared, that he uniformly sold the stolen
property to the Prisoner:Smith, whp resided in,
Turner's-court. B-dfordhury. It was endeavoured to
he proved, in defence, that 04 confession was made
by Hanson, under the idea of his being an evisd ace
against the receiver, Sm;:h ; but the testimony of
Butler, the principal clerk at the Marlborough-street
Office, went to shove, that Hanson signed the
ten confession, with the* knowledge, that it was 1
to he produced against himself. Hamilton, the 1
Officer, produced the different pieces of cloth found
in the shop of Smith, and deposed. that he utilise-
ledged Ids acqnaiotance wish Hanson and his
lather. He also admitted, that he had bought
goods from him in his line, as a piece broker.
Messrs. Morse and Meyer identified the property,
but the value of any one article was not proved to
amount to lorry shillings. the sum necessary to
make rut the capitol part of the indietment.
The Uniened Recitalist's th-n add tithe ley,
and übser red, that however the Court bad to regret
the result. yet, from the tendency of the evideitce
produced, it was impossible, in a legal view, to
bring home the off nee to the teceiver. Smith.
From whatever cause it arose, the indittritent was
not drawn in the way best suited to answer tire rods
of public justice. The Prisoner, Hanson, ought
to have been admitted as a 'Witness, and then the
criminality of Smith, would, in point et law. be
substantiated. lips, there was another method of
proceeding, vie. by ind Cling Smith as an accom-
plice in the theft, and the finding of the articles in
Isis pesaission, withont a proper exelanatinn,
would have been sufficient to bate conviSed
him of the original offence, although incompetent
to support the charge of receiving them. Indeed.
it was impossitle for him, although acquitted, to
leave that bar, without the strongest imputation of
suspicion upon his charaer ; but however guilty,
the law must not he strained. With respeft to the
e tpital part of the inditment, in order to constitute
the felony, it must be proved that the articles *ere
taken at one and the same time, and were at least
of the value of forty shillings. In this point, how.
ever, the prosecution was &Hem. The Jury
found Hmson :Riau of stealing under the Value of
forty ebillingss and acivittvi Smith.