The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-06-29 00:00:00

EXTRAORDIX3RY CASE OF RIOT.

Thii inhabitants of Warwick and Leamington have lately been
nmeh excited by the visit of a Miss Mary Ann Wassail to the for-
tiler place, who has been persecuting Dr. Wake, by following him
min place to place like an evil genius, for the purpose of procuring
hp evidence to the hand-writing of a person deceased. The lady
'.,p ears to be about 45 years of age, of a florid complexion, and
•eiy animated and eccentric manners. She is, we understand, a
ladyurconsiderable property, and went to Warwick attended by
her nephew and niece. She had industriously circulated reports in
the town to the prejudice of Dr. Wake, who was on Friday week
jimmied by a mob, in his gig, and had a narrow escape. ?dim Was-
sail was apprehended, and the circumstance was investigated before
tletaleyor on Saturday and Monday. The facia of the case are
briefly filmier—The lady in question has now a suit pending in the
Court of Chancery, by which she seeks to obtain the payment of a
sum at between fi and 7,0004 out of the estate of a ptr•on named
Pinfold, who died in Paris some time ago ; and which that gentle-
man, whofonnerly paid his addresses to her, borrowed from her to''
liquidate a debt of honour. The lady now produces a document,
removing to bcidgned by Mr. Pintidd. in which he acknowledges
tillo.itsetice of the debt. It is drawn upon a common piece of paper,
evidently by a person totally unacquainted with the usual penal
form, and been the name of no attesting witness. Tie Lord
Chascellor, according to her account, said, on a late occasion
when the cue came on for hearing, that as won as she was in i
comb-dun to prove that the signature to this instrument was
In • the hand-writing of Mr. Pinfold, he would order her
to receive the full amount of her claim. She has since applied to
Pinfold's relations, but they deny that the signature in ques-
tion is in his hand-writing, and notice several peculiarities in the
tigruation of the characters, to proof of their assertion. In order t.,
stcount for the variation obssivable in the writing of this signature
anal Mr. Pinfold'* ordinary mode of writing, Musa Wassail 44y a,
that. at the execution of the instrument, he was labouring under a
mortis disorder, which occasioned a tremor of the hand, and
ineepacitated him from writing with, his usual steadiness.. This
444. efler trying in vain to obtain the necessary evidence to sub-
elantiate her claim in the neighbourhood of the place where the
deceased resided, came to Warrick, about fire `eeks ago, and
called upon De. Wake, who, it appears, on one occasion, profes-
Mona% attended Mr.-Pinfold, at beandegton, and was once in
posewaihn of a piece of paper, which bore, among others,- the cigna.
titre of that gentleman. In this interview Miss a-I:assail asked
Lb. Wake to prove the signature ol Mr. Pinfold; which he declined,
on the ground that he had never seen him write in his life. She-
then requested him to allow her to compare the signature of the
document she then produced with that written on the bock of the
paper which Dr. Wake had onee.in his possession. Dr. Wake said
it he could find it lie would give L'her With pleasure, but it being a
Peeler of not the slightest itnportsnee to him or any one else, the
business to which it teferred boring been entirely disposed of severer
'contra, he could not undertake, after the lapse of so grOat a length
or nine, to produce it. Since that period it has been industriously
circulated among the lower orders that the Doctor has an instrument
or, heroin his possession, by the withholding of which site is pre-
'Voted receiving between 0 and 7,0001.; and NO active have been
her scouts. that she has followed him day by day, and, indeed,
I.dur by hour. from place to place, with hundreds of people in her
tram. She has hired a car, at the rate of six or seven shillings a
Mgr, to follow Dr. Wake wherever his professional duty might call
; and whenever she made her appearance in pursuit of him,
caller at Leamington or a' Warwick, the has attracted a greut
concourse of spectators. On Friday. evening she followed Dr.
Wake ro the Circus; and on his leaving that place of amusement
with Mrs. Wake anti family, she would have again annoyed hint
in a similar way, but for the interference of some gentlemen pee-
s- nt, who presented her following him. Tile popular clamour
against the Doctor had arrived at such a pitch to the evening, that
i.e was necessitated to appeal to the-civil power fur protection ; and
oii the following day Miss Wassail was apprehended at her lodg-
ings, on the Leamington Road, on a charge of " having, on the
night of Friday, the 16th of June instant, caused many riotous and
ditiorderly persons to assemble together within this borough, to the
thatutbanee of the public peace, the endangering of the life and
meet! of Charles 11-eke, Doctor in Physic, and others, and to the
annoyance of the inhabitants of the said borough."—On Monday
morning Me was brought up to the Court-house, before J. Wilms-
horst, Esq. Mayor, George Doswell, Esq. and John Edwards% Esq.,
Site was attended to the Conti by her nephew and niece, all of
whom were very genteelly dressed.
The depositions of Dr. Wake's witnesses having been read, and
the case fully gone through, the Alayot inquired if Miss %Valuta
was prepared with suretics for her keeping the peace for three ,
mot the. She wished she was not, nor did she intend producing',
any. Rhe protested against the proecedings of the Court altogether;
tact were bosh cruel and atbitrary. She had committed no of-
t.tc.to against the laws, and therefore should not give security for
hee good behaviour, which, in fact. would be entering into a corn.
prouder' with her persecutors, and to a certain degree admittiog
test she was guilty of the crime imputed to her.
Orden were given to the officers to remove 11ias Weasel!, and-
the Colut Amite OP. She at first Ohjected to trove from her seat,
aftue tome entreaty on the pert of her professional adviser, she
consented to leave the Court House quietly. She was taken in a
to to the Red Lion. from wheisce she was removed in the course of
afternoon to the county
_gaol. When she arrived in a
6.,,,ai5e at the gate she refused to get nut, nor would she quit
tit, chaise until carried out by force. As soon, however, as the
gate dosed open her she became peaceable, and telling Mr. Adkins
me was his tarlsonee„ was conducted by him to her room, arid im-
puted to have regained her ch-erfulnese. •
Mary Ann Woodall is the July who hunted Mr. Pinfold through
the counts, some years ago. for the purpme of comr.elliug hint to
trusty her, and has hem imprisoned twice before for assaulting a
try t espwctable rang lady to whin he then paid his addnesue.

SHIPPING INIELLIGENCE.

LIVER rq9L.Tuksw.y. irsz 27.

Air;“4 the Aurora, ataeek, irOWitsistTA-: 5 ail 1 nth June
the Sough Boson, for Charleston ; and Chariot,
fht OVINA
Th* Elits, Muelull, froto'Llverpnol fur lievanneh, trse spoken
with let tut. nelaf. 41. 14., lerkag, IS. 43.—out fire day%

TALMO:II-in. 'awn 211.--Off the pnrt. the Providecce, Manlen,
(Nan Neorktundland in 17 daya. Soled the L. to-miss packet.
f r mavens Aire.: and dre Osbourne pneteet for the Leeward
Janda —Variahle light winds.
Cow as. At its 27 --Sailed the Agnes, Statpling, for Antwerp,
an' the Mary. Hannah. for Petershargh.
Po NTS YOUTH, JUNE 271.—N0 antralt Of Milinis.--Calm.
•D rta 1., JULY :7.—Arrived and sailed Mr the Ricer tha &entry.
from Sierra Anse; mild for the River the Pallas, Black,
f-ord the fele of France, and the Maitland, finit Bombay.-
1 he/ult., from Rat ael.l, arrived last evening, and sailed
thie liVlTirtg for tfunburgh, Pa.saed throogli from the
litter the Hugh Crawford, liutitinn, for New Rauh Wales.—
Wind K
VanAottrle, f•W.. Jelen 27.-The Penr:denee, raven,
free% Dartmouth Mr Leith ten on slime yisterday attemeon, on
BAR= Ledge, at she back of this Ishintl, and vs. on her Ram
r. sla at low urns, hut she was gnt off nt ten O'clock thin morning,
at d having proceeded, it is supposed the has not auateildd any
J
agam T hee.
Old 74 F,lvira, and NA+, have arrived at Sierra Leone.
In eivneeeies'er of the hang-prevail.rag easterly winds, I,ligiro
Looks repeated yesterday ileassing the unusual appearance of only
tao arrivals. • • -

likfitatT, lima Di.
Mope et lists» Pricy.
a i wtweadle •• ••••••••,tu is .... 211 dd to 321 3d
• ilimiertasd .. I • .... . 3d to 3118 Gd