The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-10-02 00:00:00

SCOTLAND.

JUSTICIARY COURT, Matrons, Santini!" 20,

The Justiciary Court was rimmed here this day by Lord
Iticasta• D. Thire %ere only two cases before the Court,
and these of no treat importance, and we believe a goad
many year* have elapsed since the calendar was so light is
this quarter.

H'illiane ✓ohnsfon woe first placed at the bar. ■ccusrd of
abstracting a silver watch from the person of Walter Role,
shoemaker at Archerbeck, parish of Csaiihie, un the ?3.l
of May last, sod iii the house of Peter Telford, innkeeper,
Laiikholm.

Walter Rule, the person robbed; Peter Telford, innkeeper,
Lang ; Thomas HOWII3III and James Scutt, weavers
there, were examined in sticee,:sion; and from the evidence
of these persona, it was clearly established that Role, after
drinking • gill of whiskey soda bottle of beer on the evening
of the day alluded to (Lane°lin Fair), had fallen asleep
on a chair or form, and that Johnston, taking advantage of
his helpless situation, had cut his breeches across abuse the
fob, and in this way eared him, as Ilaggarl would say, of a
silver watch, ♦alue two guineas. On awakening, Rule
mimed his watch, and num( diately blamed the Prisoner, the
only person who bad heeu left i• the room with him. The
alarm was of course soon given, and in the course of the fol-
lowing morning, Thos. Hownam and James Scutt discovered
Johnston, and s%i?ged him with the theft. This charge
the Panel stoutly denied, declaring he had not a watch
allow him, and as proof of his innocence, voluntarily strip..
pert, ■nd allowed them to inspect part of his dress. By ibis
artful demonstration, he so far imposed upon the witnesses,
that they were about to let him go, when he began to tell
them some ridiculous story as to his having lost money in
• public-house, the name and sign of which he ilkl not
know. In answer to this, the parties desired him to come
along, and they would assist him in recovering his lust pro.
pertv ; but after proc►eding • abort way, Johnston attempted
to break away, when Thomas Huwnam seized him by the
neck, and in this way discovered the stolen watch snugly
concealed in the folds of his neckcloth.
Lord Brum/m shortly summed up, and the Jury, with.
out leaving the Mow, returned • verdict of Guilty.
Robert Newham was next placed at the bar, accused of
elites log by a ladder a room in the house of Rostliall, and
als.trecting from • porker-book belonging to Mr. Gil:e;pie
11/.1.1 notes and lOs. its sitter.

The Prisoner, who is a man of small stature, and rather
feeble looking, pl-aded Grtilly to the charge ; and so far as
hie looks could he interpreted, he appeared very penitent.
The Jury having again been mourn. returned a verdict of
Gadfly against the Panel, in terms of his own confession.
The Judge now proceeded to pronounce sentence upon
Johnston, uhom he admonished to leads new life, and atone
by his future conduct for the bat* and cowardly manner its
which lie lisd robbed a pour man who was fast asleep at the
time. Sentence—twelve mouths' imprisonment in the gaol
of Dumfries.

On hearing this sentence, the Panel impudently exclaimed,
" Thank Goal, my Lord, it is no worse! You and I will meet
in H and then we'll ire n Ito% innocent. The watch
might hive beets in fifty hand., and the man otoAloo to he
sworn-1 Par he ought to he sworn—that'. n hat I say, Gen-
tlemen." The Pt vioner was proceeding with a `real deal
muse swooseuse, when he was interrupted and ordered to sot
down.

Lola HeRMaND then pronounced sentence on Newsliana,
whose crime, he said, was aggravated by the Intact, of trivet
it implied. In tin se circumstances the mildest sentriete of
the law which he resold award was transepts' tenon for ',even
years. This rutin it hung 111. head and said nut a word; but
Johnston :even started to bill fret, and t xe hinted, " Its mot-
tled hightail robbery! and murder! Is these no man of was's
ulcer in the company that will come forward and speak for
a poor fellow that'll been shedding his blood fur his King and
resurvey. There's no justice, fly G—d ! not a bit of justice
here!" and suiting the action to the word, he struck the
boards of the Rollers box with the grrateat fury. The
Judge seemed much shocked at the behaviour of this man,
whose uoisageous and hardened conduct exceeded that of
any criminal we ever saw brought into Court, and inquired
if there was no Bridewell in which he could be confined and
kept at herd labour. Millie Kerr replied in the negative ;
buss promised to confine him in a dark cell, an: feed him on
bread and water; Ns that Johnston will gain nothing by his
ignorant and insohnt bravado:fig. On bring carried back to
gaol, his conduct, we are informed, was, if possible., still
Mort- Vittirtli and 01.Sit-Pperoilli.
nos finished the Issisoicas of the Court.