The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-07-27 00:00:00

YORK ASSIZES.

The business at the Cattle of York closed at the
Crown End, on Satur :ay se nnight. Is following
is one of the most interesting criminal causes that
..vere tried, and from the peculiar circurn:t inc -s un-
der which the wirier was committed, excited un-
common interest throughout the con .ty. A little
before nine o'clock iu the morning ot Friday, the
17th, the prissner was placed at the Bar, and the
Court was crowded long before the Judg,t took his
seat upon the Bench. The foil (wing rely), tof it is
extracted from an early edition of that hizlily respcia-
able, and widely circulated Newspaper, 6, Tux Yoatc
lieitaxo :"

TRI,‘L OF JOll4 ROBINS: N. Ft)R TIE WILFUL

MUROER UY sUiANN/04 WILSON

Mr. Raise opned the c Ise on the part of the
prosecution with great distinurness and precision.
The indictment charged the prisoner with the wil-
ful murder of Susannah Wilson, by infliamg on
h_r head divers mortal wounds by means of a hat-
chet or other inst u.n •nt, on the tßrh of February
last. The prisoner, who was a farmer, lived at a
lone house, called Longstone, near the small village
of Mickleby, in the neighbourhood of Whitby ;
the deceased had lived some months as servant with
him, and left his service in November, on account
of her pregnancy becoming visible, and resided
with her friends at Guisbrough, where she lived
until the 16th of February, when the deceased left
her relations to meet Robinson, at his request, at or
near hit own house, Kali • had promised to give .ter
some assistance towards her appraeohing confine-
ment. The distance is lij iniles. No intelligence
Was heard of this young worn to from this time un-
til the thith of March. when her body was found
busied in a field of the prisoner's. The peculiar
cis urn antes act:to:hog the concealment of the
body, furnished the prinsipal evidence against the
prisoner.
Elizabeth Green stated, that she lived at Gals-
brough, and was acquainted with the deceased, who
was her cousin, and w to went to live with Joho
Robinson, some tim.• bef ;re May, Nov:so-
ber following she came to her 114-ase. Worn, she re-
f:l4'l.lA until the I tr:b of Fe:sentry, when Sae left
the 3 house to meet the Prisoner. 'The witness was
p: oceJing to relate some conversation which .!,e
h si with the dtc..iie..l. but the C Kart ieterfered, as
it could not be received as evidence. The witness
then prneeeded to state, that her cousin never re-
turn-d, and that no intell'gmce or information re-
speling her was received until about six week, after,
when she saw the dead body at Mec.kieby, on the
28:h March.
On her cross•-examlnation, she said, that as soon
as the deceased was sup. :ion fell on the
Prisoner, as being the cau...e of it ; which she ac-
coanted for. by stating that her cousin, before she
left her house, said, if any harm came to het, it
would be nobody best itobinson."
William Terry stated, that he was servant to the
Prisoner in February lust. and env erect his service
about eight weeks before Martinmas, 1806, and that
Samna!) Wilson, use deceased, was then living
with the Prisoner. as servant, and that she left hit
service in about six weeks alter he went. or. account
of beieg with child. He proceeded to state, that on
the Ifitn of February, his mister came to him ab eu.
five o'rl eck in the evening. in his usual working
dress, and said he was going to Staiths, a distance
of four miles, to receive souse mane; which was
owing to him, and that he should not return u,stil
toe text de e ; Witness di:suede:el him from genus,
the night Ling rainy. This Witness proceeded to
rate. that on tie 214 of March, a week hfore the
body was found, het rn slur told him to cut some
thorns, while h,, n. Prisoner. made a sleeg • read
(which is char by retn.win• the beige, and fi:io.g
up the ditch to the tace.Of the eaeih by sods and
earth). The Witness was so situate when he was
cutting the thorns, that he could not see the Pri-
soner, owing to the interposition of a rising ground ;
this spot was fixed on by his rniver. When his
master had finished the road, he called to the Wit-
ness. aid said he hid thir-is cm" cut, and desired
him to come and look at his job. Witness went.
• and his master asked him if it was not a good
job ? to this he made no enorer.—The Witness
was here asked. if he thought this road was neces-
sary or useful? To which hr an.overe.l, that in his.
opinion it was of no use at ail. roe Witness pro-
ceeded to state, that his master made a short chan-
nel. to prevent the water from undermining the
road. After the moil was 6M:he!, they brought
the thorns on a sledge over the road which had
been rust made, and which, of course. 1-ft the
marks of the sledge on the road. Witness WA,
asked whether he had assisted in in eking the road t
He replied he had not. This Wit.•ess pr, :eded to
state, that on the 27th of March, the body of the
deceased was fogad ; that he was finm home that
day, and when he returned in the evening, hes mat-
ter said to him, they have found the girl where we
made the road. Witness said " he had never mail,
a road since he entered his service ;" to this the
Prisoner made no reply. Witness went next day to
Mickleby, and there heard that it was reported that
he had assisted his master in making the road
When Witness returned home. he asked his master
why he had said that he had helped him to make Cur
road t his master replied, you must say so, or
they will say I hove marslered the girl " Witness
made no reply to this caner, atien. A letter sets
shown to the Witness, which he said was given to
I him by his master's wife on Monday last, and be.
lieved was his master's. Ilse lever
was then'reafl. It begsn with vegetating the Wit-
ness to Jo eclat he emild for the PRsuner, and sug-
gested to him variriu; circumstances which lie was
to swear in, irtß..h the writer said were in his brief,
particularly that he, the Prisoner, had advised with
the Witness about the making of the road ; that he
had called to him when it was half done, and that
they had both agreed that it would ts, very use'ul ;
that they carried two waggon-loads of whin. over
the road; that there was &hole. which it was very
useful to cover with whin.; and that many people
might have gone that way and nave seen nothing.
I The letter concludes! with bidding the Witness to
recollect what he had sworn before the Magistrates,
and also contained the following remarkable ex-
! pressitat : Ifyeti rye see we ever this reed-makusi, I
I half *shim Sofres%
William terry, the same Witness, denied every
rant he was instretteJ is Ais letter to assert. His

mister never consulted hint about the mad, nor did
be ever say it was useful, or come to his master
when it was half 6ni,lied nor was there ever any
waggon-load of whirls earrieJ over this road, nor
was it ever used, except for the purpose of convey.
ing two small sledge-toad of thorns over, which he
cool,' easily haw* iiirown over the becks nor did he
Jinn'," any dung of any hole that i• was it, oful to have
covered with whim Witness thought his master's
rea-day was within a day or tw.r of the 16th inst.

Win. Pearson said, that he lived at Staiths, and
that the Prisoner came to his hou-s alter nine
o'clock in the evening of the 16th instant, and re-
mained there until one o'clock the ttillowiog morn-
ing. Vv"itness said to the Prisoner, if my wife had
not got her bed, you would hive been too fats. The
father of the precedi ig witness said, the Prisoner
slept all night at his house Both these Witnesses
stated, that the Prisoner wis perfPaly sober ; they
could not speak positively as to the Prisoner's dress,
but thought he had a great coat over his working.
dress.

James Redman proved, that the Prisoner was at
Ellerby, at nine o'clock, on the night of the 16th of
February. Ellerby id oily a mile from the Prism.
er's house, on the road ti. Smiths. The next =ru-
ing the Witness saw Robinson, who said, in answer
to a question (rani the Witness, that he was at El.
lerby, at nine o'clock the preceding eeeniig. Wit-
ness observing that the Prisorm looked rather disd,
or fered, ask -.I him if he had not been getting
drunk ? Witness acknowledged that he had had a
good d, ink at Pearson's, the former Witness.
Wm. Harrison, a mole.catcher, stated, that he
remetnhers going to Rohinson's farm. on the 17th
insmot. and saw Robinson on the top of the quarry,
with a hedging bill and mittens in his hand ; Wit-
ness was going towards the Prisoner; Robinson said.
are you among your imps ? Witness re.lied, he
was, and was coming into Lis premises, and asked
if there were any moles briny, the quarry. Witness
said there were not, and reqlested him to ;et alifhis
traps in his cornsfietds, and at the Sam time desired
him to assist him to di shAep into the corn.
ti id, With which request ae cons), ed, but *Aid 'se
sh 'rip returned imme.iiritly into their IN txt.r situ.
ation. On his cross-ertminviern, he Identrtei that
that was tar most prows season to alt ex.'s-traps
among the corn.

ACHAII C werdale lives near Micklrby; was at
Staiths on the evening ot the sixteenth Februa y g
the evening was rai..y. Oa the twenry,e:ghth
,rch (Good Fiidar). Wt.: vela, accompanied by
several others, searched for me body of th • J:lceaseil
am in the peat holes ot toe Ina ir It their war_ h
they escered the grouadeiat toe prisoner. when their
attrarion was direr:lei to a new road, which appear.
ed to have been recently made, particularly as it did
not appear to se of any 'tie. The body wis die,
eaverel by nal, of th • party thruiri,g a stick into
the gioun.., which brought up part of a wynllen pet.
ticoat. o.i remaviakt the earth and sods, the body
was fad::_', rather ,lightly rewind with whin; ; A..d
it WAS the Wirness's opinion. that nu persuit could
hive made 'his road without diacovering the bony.
He also described, %vita :ansid-rable minis •:IC.Os ,he
position in which the body lay; it wet dip ed in
a cavity, hollowed ont by a current of water. about
a yard in depth. where the feet by. and 1;11-.6.
fourths of a yard where the bead lay ; r:e sail And
sod which lay immediately upon the body. appeared
eaazily ',1111114 to the &tire part of the roe.' nearer
the surface, and appeared to have been laid there
at the same time. T. is Witness also stet rd isn thee
very material fAI. that t"c 'narks of the sledge ir ere
visible on the road. and on that part of it which lay
immediately ova toe body when they oegan to cif,en
the ground, which des ly dem •arrrated that the
body must have been id t irz Sofnre the
road WAS made, as the sledge was taken over I'. .nd
1;U marks 14).111445 1100i1 is it W4l
road sv.is composed of sods -in I earth ; nu oirmaes
were 'lied. The Witness assisted in ri-rniariii .! the
dead body. Oa dig cross-examinatian, he pet, led
in declaring it as his opinion, that ho person caul.'
have formed the roe ! with nit discovering the body,
an.l that he observed a new c at.widch served to take
the water from the body.

biro Haggai.% was also ;new= when the
boiy was firma. who.e evidtnc. was the selme in
s.ih,tance as that of tie prec.:ding peas.
Thomas Petty, who was also prillents strongly'
corronorAted the testimony of the two preceding
Wonci,es, and alio descri'md the place from which
the s ids of at-th were taken ; and said that those
which were nearest the body seemed to hr nf one
sort with. he rest of the road. and to have been lai4
there at the same time. The three last atiroe.ses
all agreed in stating, that the reed in their noiniors
WAS perietly useless, and that no perso ceold haie
made it without discoveting the body, whic:i lay
immediately under it.
Thomas Pet y, one of the fornspr vritnesses, who
is a ‘onst.thle at Micklehy. stated, that he went 'n
Easter Tuesday. the 31st of March, at the .-Tqu'ist
of the Magistrates, to measure some part of the
priscrier's farm, and that tot this parting he had a
rop: coiled round h s arm. 'Lie prii, .ier, , when he
came in. seernel agitated, and nis wil• to
him, " she hoped he was no. g., 1g to 4.0 toss
what he had never done ;" that male nn
answer. On the same night the witness Apr .
broiled him ; the 'prisoner ma:le no attenict to
escape, though he was well aware of the in.picions
which were entertaiaed of him. The witness pto.
Geed:el to state, that on rhursdiy. the prisoner being
in his custody. he was sea..ed on one side of lints
and the prisoner's *rife on t to nther, when the wife.
in a whisper, said," one has b en here who said,
if you would keep your own counsel, they could
not hurt you " The prisoner wished her to be silent?
aid no more Was said. _

Mr. John Fletcher, a Surgeon. at Goldwasser,
stated, that en Sun,' y, the itnh of Marco, he es.
*mined the body of Susannah Ism, at Micklel" f
that he found the skull fradtured it; several places,
ens of which, on the right side, was attended with
a considerable depression upon the brain ; chi
believed to be the itwneJtate cense of death.
left eye was completely rennaved from the sot'

the uper and JAW fradtered. He could
settle so brunt 01 the chest or abdomen. except
a consitterable tarot Lation, the came of wire%

?riming the isntly. arose from the enlarged rte'
He made a •e3ian in that organ with has knifes
whirls be extrated a fates or female eltrid
its siee awl position in the womb he behered