The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1822-03-18 00:00:00

ESSEX LENT ASSIZES, Manta is.

Dodd Seward, altos joyteard, was indicted for
the iirslfol murder of John Ballard, at Rumford,
on the 3.1 of October Ira, •by *tabbing him in the
shdomew with • shoemaker's knife. of which he.died
an the 4th of October, in the parish of Hornchurch.
This case excited very general interest from the
peculiar circum•Mipos under which the offence
imputed to the Primmer was committed, and dur-
ing she day this Coin lem mended almost to suf-
focation. Sts. • •..I 9 ..
The ease wen Meted by the leading Counsel for
the prosecution iu a very impressive address to the
Jury, iw which they were milted upon to exercise a
diammaiitatiwg judgment upins the facts which
11101111C1 be detailed in evidence. The witnesses were
celled iu the following order
James Basket said he wee a ahnemaker. living at
Rumfind. On the 3sl of October, I, wrimpabas
seeing the Prisoner et my house two or three' times;
the erit'time he came what one or two o'clock ;
he borrowed nothing of me. About five o'clock
toy trikashed we if I would lend the Prisoner a
hear to cut a stick. I sanctioned the lending of
When I went into the shop the Prisoner was
gime. The knife lent to to the Prisoner was a
long sharp shoemaker's knife. I cannot tell the
length of it. It is • knife with a handle, and a
sharp point. The •blade was about four iuchei
sad a half in length.. The Prisoner came spin
to my house about nine the same evening. He
told toe he had been us fir as Rush Green ; that
there.hgjeset,pergkihe young roan and wosnuo, He
did rat strati«. •their ninon. lie told me tint
whas..h. **ll speuhiug to the young woman, the
mail name up and knocked hint down, said in the
smile he hail lost nay knife. He offered to pry me
for my knife, but I did nut receive ally thing. He
asked me to go to the White Horse public-honer.
at Chadwell, to see if any thing was the 'wooer
which I Chadwell is two miles from Rail-
- ford. r Pr:rottt
Siovisremket, wife of the loot witness, deposed
as follotsiti I remember, ou the 3d of October, the
Prisoner came to soy house at five o'clock. He
asked use if I would lend him a knife to cut r slick.
He went and took it limn the seat. I said yea, and
the Prirouer took it from the seat. 1 mount say
what sort of knife it war. Being • person who fre-
quented our house, I had no dilligolty in lending it
to him. I saw him sharpeo it., lie,shorpated it,
I think. upon a rubber stone. r
Deborah Smith exaunued.--I have been called
Mary Smith in service. The prisoner had hyena
sweet-heart of mine at one time All intercourse
had been broken off between us for five or six mouths,
prior to the third of October. The prisoner came
up to me in the marketplace, in Rumford, on
the morning of the ad October, and he asked me
how I was, and whether I had received any let-
ter from him. I was then alone. I said, No, I
had not received soy. I had, in point of fact,
received oue, but I did not acknowledge that to
him. He then asked me what time I was going
home. I lived et the White Horse, Chadvrell •
Heath, which is about two miles from Rumford. It
was oboist one o'clock when tine cooversatioo took
place. I told hint I did tiot know what time I
should go home, and it did out signify to him.
he witness then described that the Prison,/ had
watched her during the whole of the day it this
Rumford market, and that on her return home, sc.
compacted by a young OHM of the name of Bol-
lard, he (the Prisoner) came up to them and used
abusive lengusge to her, WI which the young
can interfered and a scuffle took ',lace, and
during which the Prisoner stabbed him in the
abdomen, of which wound lie died the following
dry. The Prisoner bud several times ihreateeed
the witness (Deborah Smith), that if she broke off
'her acquaintatice with hiw it should be worse
for her.

The rest of the evidence was of no importance.
Mr. Baron GRIIIaM summed up the case with the
greatest minuteness, charging them, that if the Pri-
soner had had no previous malice, and the un-
fortunate affray in which the deceased lot his life
arose from ■ sudden provocation, the Prisoner
could only be found guilty of manslaughter; but
that if the Prisoner, having previous malice (which
was to be judged of by his borrowing a knife, and
sharpening it), sought this occasion to pick a
quarrel with the deceased, who tied supplanted bins
in the Affections of the young Woman, and had
Isiu in wait for that purpose, the Prisoner would be
guilty of murder, though the deceased was the
first aggressor in striking ■ blow. The inten-
tion of the prisoner upon the question of malice
was to be judged of by his previous conduct:—his
borrowing the knife—sharpening it—watching the
parties during the fair—his subsequent expressions
—his lying in wait—and his expressions towards
the young women, tending to provoke the deceased
to interpose in her behalf.
The Jury immediately found the Prisoner
Gotilty—Death.
Tile Learned JUDOS then pronounced the awful
sentence of death, and ordered the Prisoner for exe-
cution on Monday next.
The Prisoner seemed stubbornly unmoved dur.
ing his trial, and retired Rum the bar apparently
unceocerned. At Rumford he was designated as
the " Dazedly Cobbler." He was abuts' Set years
of age.

MEETINGS OP CREDITORS AT THE COURT

OP COMMISSIONERS OP BANKRUPTS,
10.1101111101011.
N. ■.
J. Cepa', Siraerl, batter
W. Earle, Rutile,MUD", victualler ..... I 10
J. Race, lace of bowers Town, baker
G. and J. Haub, Edgware.road, bricklayers
J. Arwistrour, Heading, liaeu.d.aper
D. G. Sieves., Harlow, lineu.draper ..... 2 10
P. Herbert, Isle blamer of I►e ship Thalia 1 11