The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-04-01 00:00:00

OXFORD CIRCUIT.

CIVIL SIDE.
Before Mr. Justice LITT LIDAIR.
0 SITS V. lIAKIL
T.CRO93 opened the pleadings.
r. Luntow stated that this was an action brought by the
aintiff, to recover damages from the defendant, for criminal con-
versation with the plaintiff 's wife.
At this part of Mr. Ludlow's address three of the Jury were
objected to, and others were, by consent, sworn in their stead-.
' Mr. LunLow resumed—Now there could be no objection to
the Jury who were to try ; he would bring before than the facts of
' the ease. He would make no general observations to show that of
all the injuries which the malice, the violence, or the fraud of ooe
man could inflict on another, this was one of the very wrest, but
he would state the facts of the case as they really occurred. The
plaintiff was • barge-master on the :Monmouth anal. He had
the misfonitne to lose his first wife, and in the year 1821 be mar.
tied his present wife who was a widow, having four children
by her former husband, and plaintiff had also four children by
his first wife, and they thus had between them • family of
eight children, dependent on them for support. The defen-
dant was the master of a trading vessel of Bristol, which also
carried pasengers, and he kept an inn at Monmouth, called
the Green Dragon. fie was also a married man., and had a large
family of children. It happened that the plaintiff's wits had occa-
sion In go to Bristol, and took her passage across the Severn in the
defendant's vessel. She embarked at Newport, and from that place
it takes two tides to go to Bristol. After proceeding a little way
the weasel pounded, 'and it would appear from the evidence that
on that occasion the defendant, in the cabin of that vessel, accom-
plished the ruin of the plaintiff's wife. This was certainly not a
ease, from the station of the parties, to call for very large damages,
but though the damages ought to be moderate,. yet some compen-
sation was due to the plaintiff'. Ile should prove that the plaintiff
and his wife had lived happily together, and unities the plaintiff
was • man lost to all moral feeling, they must know what the in-
jury to him must have been. It would no doubt be said that the
plaintiff's wife was seduced very easily, and there was room for
wine observations of that kind ; but the fact was, that he was In no
condition to prove what solicitations the defendant had used ; but it
ought not to be forgotten that the defendant, as the master of a
passage vessel, was bound to consider the passengers in his vessel
as under his care and protection.
Mr. William Matthews produced the register of the plaintiff's
marriage.
John :Herrick was called, and raid that he was a labouring man,
and he wished to be paid his expenses. The witness being satisfied
on this head, proved that the plaintiff and his wife were the persons
named in the register.
Cross-examined by Mr. TAUNTON—The plaintiff'a wife was a
widow, had a former husband named Francis Burley, but I heard
the plaintiff say to her the day after they married, If Bob was to
come back, would you go to him ?" and she said, " I would cer-
tainly go and see him, but I don't know whether I would stay with
him. I have also heard the plaintiff's wife say that she had bad
four husbands. (A laugh.)
Mary Price, a passenger on board the mewl, proved that she saw
the plaintiff's wife go into the defendant's cabin, and that she re-
mained there during the night.
Cross-examined by Mr. CAMPSELL—There was both fire and
candle burning in the cabin during the whole night, and the cabin
door was never closed. 1 was a cabin passenger; the passage money
was a shilling.
Re-examined.—The cabin door was opened about eight inches.
The defendant bad his bed in thatcabin.
William Matthews said, I served the defendant with the process
in this action ; he seemed alarmed, and said he ought to have an-
swered Mr. Smith's letter, for it was a bad jab. I asked him what
be meant to do in it; and he said it should be settled.
George Thomas said, I keep a public-house at Newport, called
the White Lion. I know she plaintiff and his wife; tiny appeared
to live comfortably together; the plaintiff afterwards took a bed-
room in my house, and stayed till his wife threatened him with •
knife, and then she was taken nut of his house, and he went home.
He came to my house on the troth of this affair.
Cross-ilicaniined by Mr. TAUNTON—The plaintiff bad the beg
in my house for near a month, but he we occasionally absent, when
the tides required him to attend to his boats.
Anne Richards said, I know the plaintiff and his wife; I have
known them fifteen years ; they lived happily, tiEept that they
quarrelled.
Cross-examined by Mr. Cansatxt —The plaintiff's wife, what
she was the wife of Burley, lived at Bristol, but I don't know what
sort of a house she kept. ...
Mr. Justice Lir TLXDALV thought that lien was not much in
the case, thougit he should leave it to the Jury ; for there appeared
little criminality in l'eing in the cabin of a passage vend full of
people, with candles burning and the door open.
Me:TAUNTON was proceeding to address the Jury, for the de-
fondant, but they expressed themselves satisfied, and found a vet.
diet for the defendant.
CROWN SIDE.
&Pre Mr. Bares CIARROW.
4...z...MM1RM HENRY MIMiIMAR. XISQ. MAYOR OF MONMOUTH,
ANTeiNOTTERR.
This was an indictment Which bad bens found against the de-
fendant, who was Mayor of the town of hlontnouth, tor assaulting
a person of the name of Tudor, and as soon as the Jury had been
swore, • conference took place between the Counsel engaged in
the case, and it being stated on behalf of the defendant, that in
what he had done he had had no idea of assaulting; ow even offend-
ing the prosecutor,
Mr. Lyn t ow, who conducted the prosecution, stated that his
client was satisfied, and would cement to the acquittal of the de-
fendants. • -...-
A verilkt of Vut Guilt* awl iiiiiiiiided..
I COUNTY AfONAfillAlit ASSIZES.

SINGULAR CASE.
Edward M'Elroy coulee country lad, aged sheet % was
capitally indicted for setting fire to a car.honse, belonging to Mr.
David Woods, of Cs illy, near Carrieknuerose, in February
last.
Mr. Woods, the Seat witness, deposed to the circumstances
attending the burning wf his cat-house, which took place about 12
o'clock at night, *hes the family were all in bed. He stated that
being awake he heard a noise outside his house, as of some person
stumbling, in consequence of which he was induced to rise out of
bed, and on going down stairs and opening the hall.door, which he
did quietly, he beheld his car-house on fire, and distinctly saw the'
prisoner (WElroy) urging the flames towards the dwelling-house.
Thomas iVoods, son to the prosecutor, stated, that on hearing
his father call out that the house was on fire, be ran out naked, and
saw the figure of a man at a-distance running from the flames. Hw !
could not say who that person was.
This was the we fir tblifiaseution.
In defence, amain atri 13, the daughter of the pro.
sscutor, appeared.- Bbi denied that any attachment sublimed
between herend the prisoner, and then gave the &Hawing amazing
account of the burning, in coming forward to declare sitfeb,,
she said, she wu actuated solely by a regard for truth, siad
a desire to save an innocent life:-.She -related that on 'Gel
evening in question all the family. excepting begarn ant sk
servant girl, whom she called Ellen, went to bal..belllMOD;
nine and ten o'clock. She usually slept in a einoll W4O.
on the ground floor, off the. kitchen ; the servant gist; •Iso slept In
the same room, haring some articles of westing apposed to •mend,
sat up for that purpose, unknown to her master and fluidly, and
she (the witness) remained in the kitchen assisting her, until about
half-past eleven o'clock, when, hearing hes father cough and make
a noise as if rising, she and the servant hurried into their bed-room,
extinguished the candle, and began to undress. She explained
that she was afraid of her father knowing that they had been
sitting, as he had expressly prohibited any of the family from
doing so. Miss Woo& went on to state that she and the girl had
just knelt down to their prayers, when she heard a stool fall, and
her face being turned towards the kitchen, into which a small win.
dow looked, she observed her father approach the fire from which
he took a lighted turf; that she then beckoned the servant to
watch her father, and the two followed him to the door, where they
remained concealed, and actually saw him with his own hand sin
hrsi -