The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-12-24 00:00:00

ADMIR.ILTY SESSIONS, Funs, Dec. 23.

These Sessions commenced to.day at the Old Bailey, before
the Right Hon. Lord Stowell. Baron Graham, Mr. Justice Garr
lee, and a Bench of Civilians.
There were only three prisoners against whom bills of indictment
were preferred viz. John Greenland, for the murder of W. How-
titian, on the high seas ; J. IV. }left, for stealing 25000 dollars,
on board the ship Tartar, and J. Smith, for stealing 24 gallons
of
The Grand Jury having been sworn, and the usual procla-
mation made, Lord STOWELL delivered his charge to them in the
foffosing terms :
Gentlemen of the Grand Jury—l feel it my duty to conform to
the prescribed usage of addressing you upon the present occasion.
I will not, however, dilate upon the general duties of your
office, as your knowledge and practical experience will render
that unrecessary. I shall therefore proceed to make a few
observations relative to the business which is about to be sub-
mined to your consideration. There are but three cases which
are likely to occupy your attention, two of which. are of very
great importance. The first, in point of magnitude, is a charge
of murder committed upon the high seas, under circumstances of
pearlier aggravation, the nature of which I will briefly state to
you, obeirving, by the way, that a Coroner's Jury have returned
a verdict of ' Wilful murder against some person or persons
unknown." It is represented that there was a boat occupied by
six persons who had been detected In smuggling transactions, and
which boat was seized by some persons employed in the preventive
service. A person properly armed was put on board the boat by an
elhcer of the revenue cutter, with such orders as his superior offi-
Ce 7 thought proper to give him, and this person was thrown over-
beerd and +lowed of life. The inquiry resolves itself into two
pewits, first, whether a murder was actually committed; and second,
*bother ale party indicted was the person who committed it.
That the unfortunate man has been dewived of life by some means
or other there can be no doubt. The great question therefore is by
whit means he was deprived of It. It is not necessary to prove that
tt'e person charged was the actual person who committed the
offence; for if the murder was committed by another, sod he was
present aiding and assisting, he is equally guilty ; indeed, every
persoperson on board is equally involved in it. The law to prevent
n on board in eqnally involved in it. The law to prevent
.Ucit trading is one of great antiquity, and necessary for the safe
collection of the revenue and die protection of the fair trader. In-
deed the most able writers have vindicated its necessity fur those
purposes, among whom were Mr. Justice Blackstone and Judge
Forster. Gentlemen, you will have the case more fully explained
14 yon by the witnesses. and I feel perfect reliance that you will pay
that attention to it which its great importance demands. The next
CaPC, gentlemen, is also one of infinite importance. It is a charge
.r staling property to a very great amount, and the person charged
his been guilty of a violation cf the confidence reposed in him, as
iee was the Captain's steward, and by virtue of his office ought to
have protected the propey. This is an offence of very frequent
......-urrence, but It seldom happened that a case of such
magnitude was presented to the consideration of &Jeep—Having
made a few general observations the. Learned Lord dismissed the
(hand Jury to their chamber, to proceed in the examination of the
witnesses.
Mr. Law made an application to the Court relative to Captain
Christie, who had been tried at a previous sessions on a charge of
committing an assault upon an officer *longing to a King's ship,
and obstructing him In his duty, when taking volunteers from his
it2hrhories) vessel; the Jury acquitted the prisoner of the assault,
but there was a question reserved as to whether he was not guilty
fio: obstruction in point of law. The Learned Gentleman said that
Os anent hail been at large •n recognize/ices which he was most
snxines to discharge, as lie was going a voyage next month, and
would be absent for a year.
pt:geJUDGES said shot the Lord Chief Justice had made no re-
e them on the eubjer I.
lir. Lew then moved that Captain Christie (who was in Court)
=iglu be allowed to depart on has own recognizance.
'file Coen granted the application. and permitted bum to depart
until the next Sessions, upon the understanding that the recogni-
maces should be enlarged from time to time. The recognisance,
of his sureties were consequently discharged.
JAN Greenland stood capitally indicted for the wilful murder of
V. or. Bowlike% belonging to the King's Preventive Service, on
the high seas, oil the night of the 9th of ()etcher last.
The KING', Ai) VOC•TI (Sir C. Robinson), the SOLIC ITOR-
x cut AL, and 3lr. HORACE Tales (Counsel for the Admiralty),
conducted the prosecution; and .Ir. A not.eut: s, Mr. BROUS-
Rica, and Mr. C. PittLtirs, appeared as Counsel fur the pri-
SOCK.
The Ruses AnvocATE stated the case to the Jury. Ile ob-
it Awed that the evidence to be adduced against the prisoner was
eireemstantial, but was, at the same time, of so complete a
nature, that he thought the Jury would consider it fully sufficient
lir support the charge, sod to bring home the aime of murder to
Nee prisoner. The Learned Advocate then detailed the facts as
tiny wens afterwards deposed to by the following witnesses :
Oast,* Edward York, examined by the Societ eon-Greg.
a55....4 anus scam',, belonging to the Ramifies. In October last
I was stationed at Folkestone; my employment there was as upper
num. I had bren on that station two years previous to October.
know the prisoner perfectly well; he is • boatswain ; he lives at
Folkestone. I have had several opportunities of becoming ac-
qoainted with him. After I was relieved from the pier a little
after twelve at noon. of Sunday, the 'Jth of October, I walked
up the pier and met with Greenland the prisoner, who was dressed
:a a white gaberdine, sad had on a covered hat. There was
an, h=r man with him. They were going down towards the beach.
The prisoner had a pair of pett'coat trousers and a jacket in his
hand ; the other man also had &jacket and trousers under his arm.
I then went up to the battery. I returned In a few minutes, and
went up to the ramparts to witch the boats that were going off.
There I saw the prisoner and about five other persons carrying
ballast flags to the water's edge. They laid the tlsga on the beach.
and returned up to the full of tile brief,, and there they launched
the beat Yentas. The full is above '.Ah-water mark. The boat
lied gone by different names, but it was then calleil the Venus;
she was perfectly white outside, except the ground for her name
on the stem, which was painted black. They then put the ballast
fags into lux and went on board. I saw the boat go out to sea. It
vs out of the surf, and sailed towards the south. Another haat
left the harbour about the same dine, called the Po of Dover. The
name on the Venus was Henry_ Butcher; I cannot sty whether
Itatcher was one of the crew. The prisoner went into the boat lust
's .d acted as cockswain. This was about noon, on Sunday the
Stn. I did net see the Venus ems back. A little before one
o'cieek on Mender morning 1 raw the Venus at Folkestone, to
which place she had returned.
Tire further examination of this witness was postponed.
Lieutenant Cele, of the Ranulier, examined.-1 am cxployed
the Prev,entive Service, and was stationed on the 9th of October at
Use 17th martello tower, at Dungeness. I went out on the evening
al that day in my Ole", manned with four men—John Howlihan,
John Shecarnan, Patrick Itnyle, and Thomas Walter. This was
raisin.* quarter after eight. I had hail no information nor suspi-
cion of any thing, but was going out on a search. The night was
dark and cloudy, and there wee a moderate breeze from the west.
High water was at nine o'clock. I rowed to the westward, to-
wer& the Iferring-hang, and there I observed a boat to the seaward,
bout 199 rods from the shore. I rowed up to it, and the men in

THE BRITISH PRESS.

white boat ; the prisoner WU in her ; saw the prisoner before that
time ; know the Po ; she came in atfer the Venus.
A witness of the name of Jordan corroborated the testimony of
the former witness. The Po came in without a rudder. . .

Lieut. Hillard examined by Mr. IL command the
naval force at Folkestone ; I land Lieutenant Cole examined the
Venus.
This witness corroborated what was already deposed respecting
the rudders of the two boat...

This 1121 the case for the prosecution.
Mr. Baron Un ARAM then called on the prisoner to say if he had
any thing to urge in his defence?
The prisoner handed in a written paper, In which he asserted his
innocence, and that if he was guilty he would never have exposed
himself so openly to the officers and men of the preventive service,
to whom he was well known, anti that the evidence against him
amounted only to a suspicion of guilt. lie appealed to the Jury
for a verdict, and reminded them that their decision would consign
hint to an ignominious death, or liberate him from so serious a
charge.
William Holmes, the first witness called for the defence, was ex.
amined by Mr. Attotrtins—l was one of the Coroner's Jury
which sat in an inquest on the body of the deceased. The coast
Is ehelving where the body was found. There are quicksands
there. r I heard of several men being drowned near that place. It
is called the Herring hang. I know the Frivoler ;he was at my
house during the inquest. I saw him two hours after. He has
the character of a humane man.

Thomas Dring. iiretreatvri;neas, a grocer at Primehurch, cor-
roborated the testimony of the last witness—He saw the prisoner at
the funeral of the deceased. There were forty-nine of the pre-
ventive service in the procession.
This closed the prisoner's defence.
Itircto summed up the case. He commented on
the evidence on both aides, at much length. Ile said the law was
that, when any number. of persons engaged in an unlawful un-
dertaking, and murder took place, the hand of every individual
who was present was the hand which committed the murder. It
was for them to consider whether such a case was made out against
the prisoner.
The Jury retired for about an hour, and having returned into
Court, found a verdict of Nrc' Guilty.
The Grand Jury having thrown out the bill against John Whiter
11tH, steward of the ship Tartar, indicted for stealing 15,000 dol.
Las, were discharged:
George Smith was tried for stealing 25 gallons of rum, the pro-
perty of John Jones (Captain of the Arcadian) upon the high
seas, near the island of Bermuda. The only witnesses produced
against the prisoner were the Captain himself and a shiproate of
he prisoner. No witnesses were called for the defence ; the Jury,
however. found a verdict of Not Gritty.
The Court broke up at ten o'clock.

WINTER HOME CIRCUIT.
SUSSEX ASSIZES, Lerms, Dsc. 22.

John Barrett was indicted for assaulting Maria Ford, an infant
five years old, with a leathern strap wad an iron nail, intending to
commit murder. Other counts varied the mode of stating the pri.
soner's offence, and there was a count for a common assault.
This case excited extraordinary inteteet, from the tissue of un-
natural barbarity and savage ferocity which it exhibited.
Mr. Lowo stated the ease for the prosecution, and presented to
the Jury a narrative of frightful brutality, which, for the honour of
human nature, is scarcely to be paralleled in any Christian country.
The prisoner was a labouring man, about 35 years of age, living
in Cavendiah.street, Brighton. He was a member of the Society
of IVesleyan 3lethodists, and was employed by that Society as a
teacher of the younger members. Two or three years since he mar-
ried a widow named Ford, who lived at Poole, in Dorsetshire. Mrs.
Ford had by her first husband three children, one of whom was the
infant whose treatment was the subject of inquiry. On the second
marriage, these children were left in the care of some relatives at
Poole, until the month of July last, when they were brought home
to their mother at Brighton. At first, the prisoner treated them
with kindness, but after a abort interval his conduct became al.
tered. Ile appeared to be a person of an ungovernable temper, which
manifested itself on the most &Mal occasions. The children were
often beaten with severity, and sometimes wantonly stinted of food.
Maria Ford, the youngest, seemed to be the peculiar object of his
hatred, and from his continued ill-treatment, no reasonable doubt
could be entertained that he meditated her death by lingering tor-
ture and suffering. This helpless infant was almost daily beaten
by him with a razor-strap, armed with a nail at one end, the effect
of which was to bruise her tender limbs and lacerate her skin.
Sometimes the instrument used 11.16 a rattan cane, a yard in length
and two inches in circumference. with which she was beaten in every
part of the body, in a manner calculated to terminate life. On some
occasions, during the absence of her mother, he locked her
up an entire day in the coal-hole, without light or food. In one
instance she was confined in this manner from a Monday morning
until the Wednesday evening following, without any sustenance
whatever. But the climax of the prisoner's barbarity, and which
was decisive of the deadly intent charged in the indictment, was
the practice of seizing the child with one aim, flinging her up to
the ceiling, and then letting her fall on the floor with her whole
weight, at the imminent peril of dashing out her brains or mang.
ling her limbs on the spot. At length the child's wasted form,
and apparently declining health, roused the neighbours to apply to
a Magistrate, when the prisoner was apprehended, and a full dis-
closure of his unnatural conduct took place.
The child was now presented to the Court, but from her tender
years, was not sworn. Her appearance betokened long suffering,
and, though considerably recovered from the effects of such con-
tinued ill-treatment, her con:Minion was visibly impaired.
Jane Ford, an intelligent child, seven years old, sister of Maria,
being found, on examination by Mr. Baron HuLLocx, capable of
understanding the obligation of an oath, was examined, and proved
the case as stated by Counsel. Ha evidence was corroborated by
that of Elizabeth Ford, an elder sister, aged nine years, and by
some other witnesses.

The prisoner, who did not ask any of the witnesses a single ques-
tion, was then called upon for his defence. Ile did not deny what
was alleged against him ; but endeavoured to extenuate his of-
fence of being wholesome and necessary correction.
The Jury found the prisoner Guilty of the whole charge, and he
was sentenced to two years' imprisonment and hard labour in the
House of Correction.
The Assizes ended on Thursday afternoon.

EXECUTION OF JOHN SMITH, alias CROKER,

FOR HORSE-STEALING.

CHELMSFORD, DEC. 2.
Yesterday es the hell of the prison tolled the half hour after nine
this ill-fated young man terminated a short but aggravated career
of crime. bong previous to the hour at which the " dread fiat" of
the law Is generally carried into execution, the streets in the vici—
nityof the scaffold were thronged with a multitude of persona wait-
ing in anxious suspense the appearance of the wretched criminal.
During the preceding night Smith remained up in his cell, not.
withstanding every argument was used to induce him to retire to
rest. The greater part of it was consumed in perusing the Bible,
and listening to others in doing so. At eight eclock in the morn-
ing the Rev. Mr. Hutchinson, the Ordinary of the prison, was in
attendance, and spent the time until the moment of execution in
like pious exercises. At that hour the finder-Stteriff; Mr. Mason,
entered the prison, and the executioner proceeded to pillion his
arms, after which the melancholy procession passed from the chapel
to the place of execution. In his progrees thither scarcely a change
was perceptible in his countenance. His step was firm and un-
faltering. until he reached the platform, and then, and then only,
was an alteration distinguishable ; his eye-lids dropped heavily and
apparently involuntarily. He addressed a few words to the execu-
tioner, begging him to make his sufferings as short as possible. In
a few minutes the bolt was drawn, and he was launched into eter-
nity with the dying apostrophe of " Lord be merciful to m soul"
lingering on his lips. Either owing to the shortness of the drop
' or the animal strength of the unfortunate man, his struggles were
long and dreadful ; a thrill of horror passed through the assembled
spectators, and the executioner was obliged to seize the criminal by
the feet, and put n termination to his sufferings. After hanging
fur the space of an hour the body was cut down, and being placed
in a shell, was removed into tbcchapel, waiting the arrival of some
friends who were expected to convey It to London. Smith's ap-
pearance was that of a petwon in the middle and respectable class
of life. He was attired in a fustian shooting jacket, fancy waist-
coat, Prince's cord breeches, and top boots.
Since his condemnation, is is but justice to hie memory to say,
that he evinced the deepest sense of his criminality, and the most
anxious sense of repentance. On Wednesday evening his father
paid him a farewell visit ; the interview, as described by the per-
sons who witnessed it, was of the most agonising nature. On thst
I occasion the father Implored of him, if there was any thing on his
mind to mention it, and if he had any accomplices in his crimi-
nality, by the discovery of whom they were to make some atone-
ment m the offended laws of his country. To the request he in-
variably replied, that he was alone the guilty person, and that no
others were implicated with him.