The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-07-18 00:00:00

HOME CIRCUIT.

HERTFORD, FRIDAY%
wrlncier a. MORGAN.
This case lasted until six o'clock. The Jury retired for an
hour deliberating on their verdict, which they delivered at the
Judge's lodgings. Verdict for the plaintiff—Damages 10001.
Alt. Sergeant Tabor tendered • bill of exceptions upon the
ruling of the Chief Justice.
SATURDAY. JULY 16.
At half put ten o'clock this evening, the Assizes for the county
terminated.

Thomas Rees, a shoemaker, aged 22, was indicted for malici-
ously setting lire to a house anti premises at Bishop's Stortlord,
on Sunday. the 17th of April, and also for sending threatening
letters to the parish vestry.
This awe excited extraordinary interest in the county.
A model of the preinises and the surrounding houses was placed
on the table.

The prisoner was rell.dressed, anti answered to the arraignment
with a mild. but firm voice.
Mr. ANDREWS, Mr. Anotrnus, and Mr. BRODRRICL, con-
ducted the prosecution; and Mr. JESSOP, Mr. LAW, and Mr.
Pince, the defence.

Mr. Ore, an attorney, living at Bishop's Storford deposed that
M... Francis the prosecutor had a house at Bishop's Storford. Three
tires had happened at Bishop's Storford in March and April. A
meeting was convened, and a committee formed for discovering who
were the incendiaries. A reward of 500 guineas was offered for
their detection, I remember the fire on Francis's premises on
Sunday morning, the 17th of April, about four o'clock. There
were faggots burning in Francis's kitchen ; they had been placed
in a cupboard under the staircase, and a large candle with a large
wick. There was straw in the wastehouse4 red and white wheat
straw ; some ears corresponding were found on the prisoner's
premises. Allasider was placed against a wall at a distant part of
thepremises, but it did not appear to have indented the ground
much where it rested. There was a house between the prisoner's fa-
ther's'. and Francis's.
Cross.ezamined.—There was a passage in another street by which
a person might have had access to the premises. if the wind had
blown that way, the premises of the prisoner and his father would
have been consumed.

Mr. Francis stated he lived in At orth.street, Bishop's Stortford ;
that he and his family retired to bed at eleven, on the night previous
te the tire. I keep faggots in my wood-house. I Mad no straw. I
had two ladders in my wash-house. One was found placed against
Patmore's wall. I was alarmed by the ringing of my bell, and a
cry of fire, between three and four on Sunday morning. I saw the
prisoner in my gravel walk after the fire was extinguished. I
missed rome teaspoons, which were in my back pkrlour on Satur-
day night. There was a smell of rosin among the straw.
The wile, daughter, and main-servant of Mr. Francis deposed to
the same facts. Aline Francis added, that she saw the prisoner at
The time of the fire, in front of the house, with his nightcap on, and:,
without a coat, and he told her of the fire. After the fire she saw
him again near the wash-house.
Mr. Bruce, a chemist, living between Frantis's house and the
prisoner's, proved that, in August preceding, be had sold the pri.
sorter R phosphorus box.
tioss-examined.—l have sold fifty others to fifty different people
since. There are many inflammable substances in my shop, of
course, liquids and solids.
Alt. Brace stated that being awoke by an alarm of fire on that
morning, she looked out at the back window, and saw Sees stand-
ing at the foot of a ladder, looking at the fire- Ile was in his own
yard.
The maid-servant proved that she saw Rees at the foot of
the ladder, and that he said, "Oh dear Oh dear ! What shall
we do 1"
. _

It was proved that a letter addressed to the Committee at the
Vestry, passed open through the Stortford post office, where a wafer
was put into it, and it was delivered to the Committee.
The letter was read as follows by 51r. litrepp ;
" To the Committee at the Vestry.—Revenge is sweet; we defy
your poiice nr your 11,09/. We are strong; you are weak. If Sonic
and Dunnage do not come home, Stortford shall be laid in atheist
I sin their Captain and leader, and see are sworn toxevenge. I
alone ant possessed of a secret to fire any premises at one hundred
yards distance. So watch on. There are three of your Committee'
who have made 'lternaelves very busy on this occasion, whom we
have sworn to send to Paradise as soon as possible, and stop their
piping in future."
Mr. Mullins, a stationer, at Stortford, proved that he told
prisoner a sheet of cartridge paper, similar to that on which the
letter just read was written. lie also.sold him a sheet of foolscap.
Ile had examined the
,parcel of paper since, and the water-mark
was ..I Rump, 1824:' -

r
Cross-exam med,-1 publishes] the hand-bill for the reward, and
my name was to it.
John Turner, servant to the prosecutor, proved that he found
• letter lying by the chancel door of Stortford Church, and ahow-
ed it to severai persons, on the Monday after the fire.
John Fuller proved, that Rees met him on the Monday evening
after the fire, and asked him if lie had nut found a letter, and where
it was found, and where it was, and if it contained any thing about
flames of fire reaching the clouds.
The witness stated in cross-examination, every body in Stortford
was talking about the fire ; and added, that on the morning of the
fire, he got into Frantis's premises over Fatmore's wall, to give
assistance,

It may be remerkrd here, that former witnesses had stated this
to be impracticable.
The Learned Ballow observed, there could be no doubt there
were other means of getting into Francis's premises, than by
Rees's passage.
James Coward proved, that on Monday evening, after the fire,
he RAW the pi:sonar go through the church-yard.
Cross-examined—l had a difference with the prisoner about a
love affair. •

Bishop the Bow-atrectoffiee, searched In Rees's bcd-room, and
found a leaf of a Rietory of England about Faux's conspiracy. A
phosphorus box was found in the privy.
Cross-examined—l believe there is SOOT. offered as a reward, but
I have nothing to do with that. I have been too long en the police,
to he mixecrup with that.
The prisoner being called on for his defence said, he was per-
fectly
i innocent, and left his case to his Couns'l.
tnesses were called, who gave the prisoner a good character.
Mr. Baron Gamest summed up the evidence for the Jury, in
an able and perspicuous manner, and remarked that if they felt
themselves bound to come to a conclusion, and affirm the prisoner's
guilt: there could be little hope that mercy could be extended to
him. It was, therefore, a case to which he begged they would give
their most attentive consideration, neither allowing themselves to
be swayed by the enormity of the crime, or the consequence of a
conviction.

The Jury consulted a short time, and returned a verdict of Not
The prisoner was again indicted on the statute dth Geo. IV.
c. 54, for sending threatening letters. The evidence in this case
was nearly similar to that in the former. The prisoner was found
Guilty, and sentenced to be transported for life.
The business on this side was not over until near eleven o'clock.