The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-07-13 00:00:00

CROWN SIDE.

Georee IVelght, ThooTa7sW;l4ht,lira7rati Irt:ght. and Thomas
Wright, were indicted for burglariously breaking and entering the
dwelling-house of Joseph Mania, on the night of the 11th of April
last, at Leneley, and stealing therein various articles of wearing
apparel, and a quantity of gold and silver coin, exceeding the value
of SOL his property.
Mr. JEISOPP conducted the prosecution, and Mr. RYLAND the
defence.
It appeared in evidence that the prosecutor, a decrenid old man,
eighty years of age, lived in a cottage in the parish of Lang-
ley, on the borders of Essex. The savings of his life as a day
labourer. amounting to upwards of 501., consisting of solaces.
sovereigns, crowns, half-crowns, and other silver moneys, were
deposited in a hutch in his sleeping room. In the middle of
the night of the I Ith April. he was disturbed in bis slumbers by
a man coming to his bed side, and in a gruff voice dem:km:ling
his money. He replied that he had none, and attempted to get
out of bed ; but the man pushed him down. and got upon hint
in the bed, and held him down. The man then got hold of the
old man's breeches, and putting his hand into the pockets, gave
the key of the hutch to another man, who did not speak, and who
proceeded to effect the alleged robbery. After securing their plua-
der. the men escaped by the back door, The pro-ecutor lay covered
up with the bed clothes for some time ; and finding that there was
no fear of personal danger, gave the alarm to his daughter and
tton-tn.law. who lived in the adjoining cottage. It was then ascer-
tained that a hole had been made in the lath and plaster wall of
the cottage, close to the front door, latwousough to admit a man's
persona that the hutch had been rifled of all the money, and a con.
siderable quantity of wearing apparel carried off. The case to im.
plicate the prisoners was this: Tire prisoner, Naomi Wright, whoa*
maiden name was Briggs, was the grand-daughter of the prosecutor.
and had married the prisoner O. Wright. She was well acquainted
with the prosecutor's house, and knew that he was possessed of
money. The other prisoners were brothers and sisters. All the
prisoners lived in the parish of Stocking Pelham, in Hertfordshire,
,lbout three miles from the prosecutor's house. It was proved that,
Just previous to the robbery, the prisoners were very much dis.
tressed, and destitute of money ; next day they were proved to be
espectively possessed of guineas, sovereigns, and silver money,
corresponding with the money which the prosecutor had lost. In
the cottage of lleorge Ni'right were found fourteen guineas.
Other suspicious circumstances were relied upon to establish the
alleged criminality.
The prisoners denied their guilt. An attempt was made to set
up an alibi, which, however, failed.
The Learned Judge summed up the evidence with great minute-
ness, and the Jury acquitted Naomi Wright on the ground that she
must be presumed to have acted under the control of her husband;
and they found the other prisoners Guilty.
Cllr. Baron GRAHAM passed the awful sentence of the law upon
the convicted prisoners, and held out no hopes of mercy to the male
prisoners.
All the prisoners had been convicted of felony at the late Assizes
fur llereferd.

THE B

:SH PRESS.

fortune which were to attend her emnpliance, witness gave prisoner
three aprons, two pairs of stocking, a pair of boots, and a chensine.
Prisoner frequently told witness tliat the loft man was C Mlllai to
Maltosbury, but witness had 00* 4eii) lUD. At one time the pri-
soner said that the young man , in Glimeettea; ths; she insist
see hint, and that the witness give , her bra& silk Spencer to
pay the expense': to this wi aasentef, and gave the spencer.
is,
On another °carton, prisoner to .witetris`that she had power to
prevent her moving hand or which witness believed, and in
consequence gave her a flannel ticoat,es prisoner said she wanted
money, and witness had noise to give her. About the 9th Mardi
last, as witness was walk,* with her master's children at West-
port, she met the prisoner, whit asked for money. Witness said
she had none. Prisoner then laid, " 11l be --,- if I don't have
your shawl," which she instantly snatched, and took away with her.
As she was going away, prisoner said." You know, if you tell any
body, I can make you so that you ain't go home." Tie shawl was
worth 14s. (in the Tuesday following this (recurrence, witness was
walking with three of her master's children In a lane leading to the
ahnshouee at Malmsbury. Primmer then asked witless for money.
Witness said, " I have given you all I had, and have no more.
You have all my clothes, and 1 am ruined for ever." Prisoner
said witness should be better off than ever; that the young man
ins very rich, and that she (witness) should ride in a coach. Wit-
ness said she had been deceived so often by prisoner, who told her
that the young man was in Malmsbury, and had never brought him
to see her, that she would not give any more money. Prisoner
answered, " Ile will certainly come, or semi you a letter,
by Friday," and thin she repeated with an oath. Prisoner then un-
tied witness's apron, which Witael4seppirested her net t 6 do, but
prisoner persevered, and in untying the apron heard some money
jangle in the witness's pocket*, She demanded this money, which
witness said was to pay her shoemaker ; but prisoner said that she
would bring her a 10/. check on Friday from the young man, anti
that she must have the money. Witness was reluctant t 3 give the
money, but prisoner pulled forfh a penknife, which site pointed at
witness with an imprecation, and witness through feet gave her ail
the money she had, which was only 3s. Primer afterwards
' sad, that if witness told what had passed else would strike her dead,
or make her a cripple. Under fear of these menaces, witness never
told what the prisoner had done until it was discovered by her
mistral, who missed her clothes. Prisoner brought witness a
letter on the Friday after she had robbed her of the 3s.
Several witnesses were called to prove that the prismer had sold
the clothes which she had obtained from the deluded witness, at
prices considerably under theit value. The letter was also read iti
evidence, and it was proved that it was wristen by a kind of female
village amanuensis, at the desire of the prisoner, who remunerated
the writer by paying her 20. It was in the following form:—
" Dear Mary Ann—l take the easiest opportunity of writing
this few lines, in hopes to find you in good health,las I am but very
poorly at present : and I am very uneasey in nay mind to think I
was dimpointed in not seeing you on Sunday last. Dear Mary, I
hope I sloth imbrace the opertunity of seeing you, or is your part
changed, Dear Mary, to another. Dear Mary, my hart is not
changed away from yow, and I hope ynurn is the same, for bed
nor up you will nor ever be out of my thoughts. (1 Dear Mary, I
shall be glad to know it yen do intend to give warning, for in my
mind 1 have no rest when I think of you. Dear Mary, I was very
glad to here of you, as I herd from weld of mouth that yow was
owell ; and Dear Mary, I hopelwhen you do send to send by word
of mouth by the Bearer of this, as my Master is a very perticlor
man, and I must try to pleese him; and I hope you will try and do
your best endevor for to see me or to rend. Do not blame the bearer
of this, as it is not her faulght in seeing of me when I was there on
Sunday last. I thought in my hart I Need you pass, wish filled
my hart with pleashour. 0 mold I but once lir:brace the oper-
tunity of seeing you, Dear Mary, I would never let you fly from
my harms ! 0 that I had wings, that I could fly to the banns of
my dear Mary. Dear Mary, you shall never want for nothing
wilst I am living, and if I had now that you had the regard for me
as you have, I shud not been away so long, but. I have seen your
sister, and wish you would tell me whether do intend to be mine or
not, as I have bought many valuable things for you. So no more
at present till 1 see or here hoot you. From your afectionate
lover till death, (Signed) WILLIAM PAGE."
Addressed, " Dear Mary Ann, this conies by bearer, Ann Hill."
The case for the prosecution having closed, the prisoner was
called upon for her defence.
She isstd that it was all false. and got up by two lawyers and the
girl. She said she had no witness to call.
The Jury without hesitation returned a verdict of Guilty.
The Learned JUDGE then addressed the prisoner. He said that
she had been convicted of a capital offence, but he should take
time to consider whether it was necessary for hint to pass sentence
of death upon her. She was stated to be RI years old ; and when
this was represented, it might induce his Majesty to extend his
clemency and spare her life. What punishment would be substi.
tuted it wan not for him to "ay, but he wished it to go forth to the
public, that if a similar offence had been committed by a younger
woman, the justice of the case would demand that her life should
be spared only under the provision that she should quit the coun-
try for ever. The present was a very aggravated case, but he
should take time to consider what sentence should be passed on the
prisoner. 4
After the prosecution conchided, Mr. filr newersrea, the lead-
ing Cu:noel, intimated to the Judge that there was evidence to
prove that the ulterior object of the prisoner was most diabolical,
and Mit- if she had succeeded, the onfidittmate girl would ban
been utterly ruined.
The old woman retained her composure during the trial, and,
upon being removed from the bar, appealed to heaven with mock
solemnity to testify her innocence.
The prosecution was carriers on by Mr. Chubb, an attorney, re-
siding at 31almsbury, in whose service Mary Ann Body was.
CIVIL SIDE.
[Before MC Justice Gases E E.]
SHEPHERD U. OULLIVEE.'
This was an action to recover 81. 10s., the price of' a horse sold by
plaintiff' to the defendant about three years ago.
Mr. Sergeant Wtsue (with whom was Mr. Bananquet) stated
the plaintiff's case.
Two witnesses were examined to prove the sale of the horse.
They stated that Gulliver, who was a small farm, r, came, in com-
pany with a man named Cox, one of the game class, to plaintiff's
house, to look at his horse. Plaintiff demanded 9/. foe the horse,
Gulliver only offered 111., and it was finally determined to split the
d.fference.
Mr. Sesw vie (with whom was Mr. NS'it mire.) for the defence,
stated the defendant's case. He was instructed, he said, with a
complete answer to the case made out by the plaintiff: The fact
was that Cox, whose name had been mentioned, was the real pur-
chaser of the horse. and had been frequently applied to for the
price of him. It was nut until Cox became embarrassed, nay, until
he had been arrested for debt and discharged under the Insolvent
Act, that Mr. Shepherd thought of proceeding against Gulliver,
or even of applying to him. Ile would support this case by the
evidence of Cox himself, who would also state that the plaintiff had
made overtures to him to the effect, that if he would swear on the
trial that Gulliver was the purchaser of the horse, he, Shepherd,
would give him hat the damages lie might recover.
To support this case, Cox was called, anti swore that he was the
buyer of the horse, and that he subsequently sold it to Gulliver.
It was by witness's desire that defendant's son went to Shep-
herd for the horse. Witness always acknowledged the debt, and
said he would pay Shepherd when he was able. Shepherd proposed
to witness, in the presence of his wife and of a third person, that if
he swore Gulliver was the buyer of the horse, he should 'here the
damages.
Cross-examined.—Witness was not shocked at Shepherd's pro.
posal. He had bought another horse front Shepherd a week be-
fore, but it was not for the value of that horse that Shepherd ap-
plied. Could not remember whether he paid Shepherd the price
of the first horse before he bought the second. Sold both horses to