The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-02-02 00:00:00

broken opm, he made a stab at a person with his pike, but some i
one broke the knife off his handle, and be was bilged to get another
spear.
One of the men on die premises voluntarily appeared, and'
wan sworn yesterday. /lie account was, that distress alone
caused him to be there, where he got victuals and a small
pittance for his starving family. lle proved they had turned
nut by force the tax gatherer, after which they fortified the
house and made their spears. The exciseman was next turned
out. There were then about twenty, sometimes more or lens, in
number. They formed th .mselves into watches; fbur went on
the watch fur an lima, and then were relieved by four other,
while the rent slept no straw in the stove-roam, where they dried. the
leather. His Maskr repeated impressed upon them to use the
' knives against any person attempting to break in. This witness
said to Lawson about the knives, " Master. you are eery wrong,
snit are potting a halter round your neck," or words to that effect.
Ilis master turned one roan away because he remonstrated about
the pikes. Witness went over the wall and read the warrant, and
went back and saw his master, who was standing in the yard. Ile
told him it was a warrant for an assault, and ordered him to give
himself up. Lawson said there was something else, and he would
not. Witness then went backwards to try to escape: after his
master was shut, he got out at a window into a weaver's house, and
afterwards going to see what was going on, lie was known and
taken into custody, but discharged. Ills master *minded the dog
with a spear.
Mr. TwIrFORD shortly addressed the prisoners. lie said, after
a due investigation of this ebse, he felt himself bound to commit
them to Newga'e to take their trial at the Old Bailey. Various
facts came out in evidence, of which he was nut aware of in the
first instance, and which, in the discharge of his duty, pre-
cluded him fmni disposing of the case in a less serious way. Ile
then read the commitment, which was under 44 Geo. 111. c.
callfd Lord Ellenintrough's Act, viz. : —The aid Edward lisle-
son, for feloniously. wilfully, n.aliciously, and unlawfully stab.
hing and cutting Joshua Armstrong, one of his Majesty's sub-
jects, and one of the police constables of the police-office in
Worship-street, with intent to obstruct, resist, and prevent the
lawful apprch-nsion and detainer of the person of the said
Edward Lawton, for assaulting and beating one Smith, and the
said James Lawson for counselli..z, aiding, and abettirg the said
stabbing and cutting of the said Joshua Armstrong, by him, the
said Edward Lawson, against the statute, ice."
Mr. Lawson inquired. if the whole of the charge against him was
under Lord Ellembormigh's Act ?
Mr. Twe roan informed hint that was the whole of the charge
for which he committed him.
Thar two prisoners were then handcuffed together, and in the
eitstmly of Garton and Vann were conducted in a coach to Newgate.
Mr. Lawson expressed himself pleased with the treatment he had
received. and with the conduct of the officers.

DREADFUL AND DETERMINED SUICIDE OF
MR. CHARLES lIIRDERT.

Yesterday evening Thomas Shelton, Esq. the Coroner fur
ILon-
don, and a Jury of the most opulent merchants in the City, assem-
bled at ithe Three Tuns Tavern, in Jewry-street, Aldgate, to in.
quire into the death of Mr. Charles II ibbert, of the firm of Messrs.
Hilbert, wine-merchants in the above street.
The melancholy affair has produced the deepest sensation in the
city, and the Jury room WM numerously attended by gentlemen,
friends of the unfortunate deceased.
The Jury being impanelled and sworn, pr3ceecled to the late
residence of the deceased, nearly opposite, to view the corpse. The
body presented a most appalling spectscle, befog ball undressed,
with a desperate wound in the throat, which had completely severed
the arteries. and divided the windpipe.
. Daniel Hall sworn—l live in tattle Tower-street, and am ser-
vant to the deceased, who was in partnership with 111 r. John /lib-
bent, his brother, In the wine trade, in Jewry.street. NVithin the
last week I observed a great difference in the manner of the de-
ceased, which seemed to increase upon him. Yesterday he asked
rile for a cork-screw, and when I gave it to him I remarked that
be squeezed my hand, which of course excited my surprise. A few
minutes after, about twelve o'clock, Mr. Charles Hibbert, his son,
called me rap rairs, and on my reaching his father's dressing room,
I found him knocking at the door, and calling fur admission;
upon his receiving no answer he broke the door open and went into
the room, when we discovered the deceased lying in the bed with
all his doilies on, except his coat, with his throat cut liom ear to
ear, and the razor with which he committed the desperate deed
was grasped in his right hand. He was not quite dead, hut totally
insensible. I ran immediately for surgical aid, and Mr. Frett's
assistant came immediately and placed a ligature around the artery
that was severed, but all his efforts to prolong existence were
useless. . . .

Coroner—You say that thtre was a visible difference in the de-
ceased for the last week. Can you mention any particular act that
caused you to notice that difference ?
{fitness—l cannot do that t but he always appeared very low
spirited, and used to sigh aloud very frequently.
Juror—{{Jut time did your master come into town that morning
from his country residence at Tottenham ?
Witness—About three quarters of an hour before he destroyed
himself.

Juror—Do you know whether or not your master was on 'Change
before he came to the counting-house ?
Witness—l do not. _

Juror—l understand he was.

By the Coroner—The room in which the deceased commiced the
melancholy deed was a small room directly over the counting-house,
which was appropriated to his own use as a dressing-room.

Mr. John Wilkes Hill sworn—l am a surgeon, and reside in
Cooper's-row, Crutchedfriars. I was sent for about twelve o'clock
on Tuesday forenoon, to attend at Mr. Ilibbert's in Jewry-street.
On my arrival I proceeded up to his room, and found him lying on
the floor, his head supported by a pillow. On examination I found
a wound in his throat about five inches in length. A young man,
an assistant to Mr. Frett, was at the time taking up a branch of
the carotid artery, in a manner that did him much credit. The
windpipe was completely severed, he was quite insensible, and in
dying state. At the time I entered a great quantity of blood had
flowed from the wound and deluged the bed-clothes, On
looking about the room I found a tumbler, which contained
the remains of poison, which it would appear the unfortunate
nian had drank previous to applying the razor to his throat.
I have chymically analyzed the sediment in the glass, and from
the test I have tried i.. with, I ant prepared to state that
it wasa mixture of opium and arsenic. I also found on the drawers a
brace of small pocket-pistols, quite new, loaded with polished ball,
and from their appearance I should imagine they had been attempted
to be fired, but had flashed in the pan. It is, therefore, apparent
that the deceased had attempted his life both by poison and shooting
himself. The pistols bore the name of " Bond, Cornhill," and
were evidently purchased that morning. The witness now produced
what he termed the last melancholy evidence, as accounting for the
cause of the deceased's deatlitanicly, a razor. which was much
stained with blood. lit conclusion, he added, that no human as..
sistance could have been of any avail from the extent and nature of
the wound.

Mr. Alderman Thorp asked Mr. Hill if he had attended the
deceased professionally before he perpetrated the sad act
Mr. Hall answered in the negative.

Mr. Helack sworn—l am a merchant, and reside in America.
square, Minories ; I have been acquainted with the deceased for
many years. He has been in • very dejected state for some time
past, which I consider was produced by some misunderstanding
between him and his brother, which had ended in an agreement to
dissolve partnerships, together aith the unexpected return of one
of Ins sons from America. I have taken great pains to sooth him,
but could not. The return of his son, which was attended with
peculiar circumstances, added very much to his despondency. On
Sunday 1 went to his residence at Tottenham, when I found him
in the same state of mental affliction. I saw him again on Mon.
day, and he was then so bad that I told his son Charles to take
particular care of him. Some years since he was afflicted in a si.
milar manner, but with care and attention he got Co ve r it. He was
a man of very weak nerves. Ile has left a family of ten children.
There being no further evidence to produce,

The Count;En read over the evidence. and observed, that there
could be no doubt hpt the deceased committed the rash act him-
self, and the que4ion fur them to decide was, in what state of
mind he was in at the time. They had heard the evidence that
bad be brussisht forward, and upon which they would decide.
The Jury, after a few moments' consideaation, returned a verdict
—" That the deceased detruyed himself in a state of temporary
derangmeot."

Yesterday a Court of Directors was held at the East
India House, when Captain John Orr M'Taggart, of the
ship Sir David Scott, took leave of the Court previous to
departing fur Bengal and China.
BANKERS' PARCELS SrOIEN.-011 Sunday night the
Express stage-coach, on its way from London to York, was
robbed of a parcel containing Bank of England one pound
notes, to the amount of one thousand pounds. The parcel
in question was from Messrs. Glynn and Co., and was in-
tended for Messrs. Swan and Co. bankers in this city. It
was given into the hands of the guard of the above coach,
and by him deposited in a hag, which was put into a basket,
and then locked up in the boot. There were only four in-
side passengets, two of whom gut up at Loudon, and a
third at Islington, all of whom left the coach at different
places, and in rather in an abrupt manner; the fourth came
through to York. The guard several times in the course
of the journey looked if the parcel was safe; but on task-
ing a similar examination at Ferrybridge, although the
boot was safely locked as before, yet the valuable prize was
found to be missing. We understand that one of the pas-
sengers' name is Jones, and with another of them the
guard had frequently travelled before, so that his person
is well known to him. It appears most probable that the
party had known of the valuable consignment, and had
been provided with the necessary means for opening the
lock and effecting their purpose, i❑ which business they
have proved themselves snore than ordinary 'der ta in their
eluding the well-known vigilance and attention of the
guard, to whose custody the parcel was entreated. There
can be little doubt, from the peculiarities of the case, that
the thieves will not remain long undetected.—Furl: Cogrant.