The National Register.
London, England, 1820-12-17 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

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surrs.inithri by a gati4 of thieves, and his watch and its
app...tlag,k.s were stolen. He felt his watch being drawn
From his fob pocket, but did not sce the persun who
took it.
Several Bow-street Officers swore, that they saw the
prisoner with the prcsecutot's watch in his hand; in
about a minute after he was robbed, they took the pri-
soner into custody. He had previously been in company
with a gang of thieves.
The prisoner said, that he picked up the watch in the
street, as it lay on a heap of straw, when he took it up.
Mr. Baron Garrow called back the witnesses, and
they s..ul it Iva,: impossible, from the density of the
crowd, that the prisoner could have picked up the watch.
The prosecutor produced the watch; there was no
mark or the case, and it did but appear to have fah len
on the stones.

'Fite Jury found the prisoner Guilty.
Two young men were indicted for stealing a hive of
bees, the property or Mr. Simon. The prisoners were
stopped with the hive by a watchman at Kensington.
Mr. Simon identified the properly. Several persons gave
the accused most excellent characters. The prisoners
said that they picked up the bite at Uxbridge, on the
ma I side.
The Jury found them Guilty, but strongly recom-
mended him to mercy.—Several gentlemen oil. red to
take them into immediate emeluy, if they were dis-
clidr,ed.
Nfr. i3aron Carton addressed the prisoners in a most
feeling manner; he believed the present was their first
offence, and that up to the present charge they were ho-
nest and industrious men. lie implored them in future
not to deviate from the paths of rectitude, but it work
failed, and distress overtook them, to hope for a brighter
day. lie sentenced them to pay a tine of one shilling to
the King, and to be delivered to their friends.
FELONY.—John Samuels, a fisherman, stood indicted
for stealing two sets of chaise harness, the property of
Robert 11'httlock. .

Mr. NI, hitlock identified the property, and proved that
it was stolen from his premises in the night time, in
October last.
Heitman, a constable of Fulham, apprehended the
prisoner, and searched his house at Fulham, and found
the harness and other property in a cupboard.
The prisoner said, that he timid the property in a
ditch in the middle of the night, after having moored his
barge, and W 33 returning home; there was no reward
()tiered for the property, and it was not advertised, or he
should have taken it to the owner.—Guiliy.

The Officer stated, that he was told there was a plant
(a secret recess for stolen property) in the prisoner's
house ; and :ilia some starch, he discover.3l the cup-
board by striking against the door, and with a knife cut
the paper round the case of it, and betides the harness
he found a crate of glass that had been stolen.

A CASE OP GREAT ATROCITY.—JanIes Tohin, a
young man of remarkabty genteel appearance was put
to the bar, upon a capital indictment charging the pri-
soner with robbing Mr. Overall of lot. in bank notes,
ender the same circumstances, but this was not tried.—
Mr Charless Overall deposed, that he is an assistant to
his brother, an opulent tradesman, residing at 1.:2,
Lover Thames Street, and on the 24th of October last.
while in the warehouse, the prisoner came in and begged
to speak to him outside. Witness stepped out, and the
ironer looking carefully round, " you don't know who
I am, do you?" NVitness replied its the negative, and
the prisoner then said, " my name is Johnson, I ant a
Bow-street officer, :Ind have a warrant against you for
au unnatural offence." Witness was horror-struck at
the charge, but replied that it was false, and demanded
to know who was his accuser? The prisoner said, that
did not matter; that his brother was au Attorney; that
they had often settled affairs of this kind between parties
—and he asked the witness if he would not give a suns
of money to make it up rather than have his name and
character exposed ? Witness asked the prisoner what
sum would be required, and he said :lie last" job of this
sort" that he and Its brother, the Attorney had, was
tor a gentleman at the West-end of the town, and he
gave them 95 canneas. Witness said he could not raise
so touch, as he hail little more than his regular earnings,
upon which the prisoner asked him if he could raise ;,01.
and bade him remember that his character, nay, pro-
bably his very ext-truce, depended upon it ! Witness
said he would try what he could do, and an iippoint-
ment was made lin them to meet in a neighbouring
street the next evening. AS the prisoner was going
away he said, " Oh I I want some loose silver, give me
what you have about you," and witness gave him five
shillings, and then returned to the warehouse. 'lhey
Ina the following evening, and the witnets gaVe
101. but with this he seemed much dissatisfied, and
another appointment was tnade for the ffillowing night,
' at an adjacent public house. Witness, scarcely know-
ing wit it steps to take, applied to a young woman named
Catherine Thomas, with whom he had formerly coha-
hited, and repeating the circumstances to her, she agreed
to accompany him to the public {noise. They hail not
been long there before the prisoner came :/1 and beckon-
ed the witness to follow tun out, but the young woman
desired him, if he had any thing to communicate, to
say it there. Ile seemed angry, and a sharp altercation
ensued between hint and Catherine Thomas. lie at
length said, if would be the worse for him, and
desired him to meet him the next morning at how-
, street Office. Catherine Thomas said, " No, he shall
not meet you at Bow-street, bin at the Mansion Ilinisr."
To this the prisoner seemed to egret, and went away,
and witness and the woman were waiting nearly the
whole the next day, but he did not make his appoar.
once. In the evening, however, another fellow came
' to him with a message front the prisoner to demand
more money, but he refused to give him any, and his
brother, Mr. --Overall, to whom he had column-
' nicated all that had occurred, MOW!' this messenger to
be taken into custody and conveyed to the Mansion
House. Two or three days afterwards the prisoner was
taken into custody. Hu parted with his mom/ from

Ti') other cause but the fear of a public exposure, and
the consequent ruin of his character.
Catherine Thomas corroborated the statement of Mr.
Overall, as far as her knowledge went.
Mr -- Overall, brother to the prosecutor, was
called in corroboration of his brother's statement.

Anthony Harrison, the City Marsha!man, deposed.
that on the 29th October, in consequence of an appli-
cation from the prosecutor, he proceeded in search of
the prisoner, and on the Thursday evening following
Mr. Overall came to the Mansion-house, with a man,
named Simmons, in his emsiody, and witness the same
evening apprehended another man, named Johnson.—
They were examined the following day, and in conse.
quence of further information, witness went with Mr.
Overall and Catherine Thomas on Friday evening to a
publie-house in Long-acre, where in a two pair of stairs
back room he found the prisoner and two other men.
lie took him into custody, and informed him of the
nature of the offence with which he was accused ; upon
which he said he certainly had the money, but it was
not " that" meaning that it was nut obtained tinder the
threat described.

Siirmons and Johnson were discharged.
The prisoner made a very long and artful defence,
which consisted almost entirely of horrible atcesations
against his prosecutor.
Harrison was rec.illed, and declared ►hat the prisoner,
when at the Mansion-house, made no accusation against
the prosecutor, nor did he mike the defence which he
he had now made. Witness heard the prisoner say, as
as he vs as leaving the Mansion House—" I dare say
they'll hang we, but I don't care for that; I'll open such
a scene when I come to the ()Id Bailey:"
The Recorder summed up the evidence, and the Jury
merely turned round in the box and pronounced th•
prisoner Guilty—Death. lie heard the verdict uus
moved.

Mr. Law then rose and said, that although he had
defended the prisoner, as he was bound to do, to tun
best of his humble ability, he felt himself called upon
to declare (now that his client could no longer be preju-
diced by such a declaration) that he most perfecily con.
corred tit the propriety of the verdict given by the Jury.
It was in justice to the prosecutor and his own feelings,
that he made this public statement.
The Recorder—" No reasonable man could enter.
taut a doubt upon the subject."