The National Register.
London, England, 1821-08-19 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL -REGISTER

hour with "H. Skelton" signed to the order. The money
was paid to the prisoner. Messrs. Greenwood, Cox, nod
Co. refused to honour the order on the ground of forgery.—
Tbe prisoner was apprehended in Leeds, when he confessed
the forgery. The 'Prisoner Des nequilted upon the indict-
ment, because the hunt letter in the signature appeared to be
in, and nut n, as charged in the indirtMent.,
PETTY TREASON AND MURDER. _ .

AUGUST 10.—This trial excited much interest, and the 11
Court was excessively crowded in every: part long before'
Mr. Justice Holroyd took his seat on the beach. The ladies
formed a large majority of the spectators.
Ann Barber, aged 45, the wife of James Barber, was
charged by the coroner's inquest with the wilful murder of
Jul. Barber, her husband, by giving loin white arsenic in also
and sugar, on the 16th of March lust, of which he died next
morning.
Warm Maude and Hardy conducted the prosecution.
Mr. Jones defended the prisoner, but lamented that he
had not been applied to, or received his brief, till this moru-
Mg as he was coming into court.
Mr. Maude stated the following case, 'which was after-
wards fully proved.—The deceased had a small property
of his own at Rhodes-green, in the parish of Bothwell. He
had married the prisoner in 1803. They had lived very hap-
pily till n young man of the name of William Thomson
came to live with them at Mammas last. They laid two
rhildren, the younger Vor 10 years of arc. The mother of
the prisoner lived very near, and was thi rc at the time of his
decease. ller brother had come with another lean and
prayed with the deceased on the evening bailie his death.—
The prisoner would be ',Loved to have bought a penuy Mill
of arsenic at Wakefield, on Ft iday, , the 16th of Maten, and
to have given it to her husband that evening in tile aid
sugar The motive had been a ciiminal attachment to
TI son, with whom she hail lift her lams.• on the 96th of
December, and lived for a week with him, in a cottage with
one room, which she had taken for the purpose, ;it l'olovens,
four miles distant from her husband's house. A house and
cart had been bought by money lef. her as a legacy by her
father. Thomson's moue was painted on th a cart, and in
this cart they conveyed some furniture fur the cottage from
her husband's house. The neighbour, became sn indignant,
that the prisoner and Thomson were drii en with riot from
their cottage. The husband received het-nolo, but Thionsou
was obliged to leave her society. It would he proved that
she refused to call in a medical man, and said on the night
of the 16th that her husband would be dead before the
morning. The medical man who opened the body would
fully prove that the deceased had died by poison taken into
his stamich, and the evidence which would be laid belore
them would leave no doubt that the poison had been admi-
nistered by the prisoner ut the bar.
Thomas Picton produced an extract from the register
of inarriage, to prove the marriage of the deceased amid the
prisoner. _ .

. - - -
Mr. JU•tice Holroyd summed up the evidence with great
pains. and explained the various points of law connected with
with the case.

The Jury retired for 10 minutev, and found a verdict of
Guilty.

Clerk.—Ann Barber, what have you to say why sentence
of death should not be passed upon you, according to law ?
Prisonet.-1. am very sorry 1 should be d guilty by
false swearin4.
When his Lordship had covered his fiend. and was pro-
eeedittg to pass sentence, she shrieked tied iaupped down.—
When raised, she caught fast hold of I lie iron bar before her,
and looked tenants fain Lordship with a countenunce ex-
tremely distorted is kb horror sliver fate, acid kept making
the responses within parentheses: the colour of lwr cheeks
deepening as his Lordship procceded,till it hreame blood led.
Air. Justice Milroy d.—Ann Barber, yea have heen t I
guilty of the dreadful crime of murder, and a insider of
very aggravated nature, inasmuch as it was the murder of
your husband, whom by your marriage vow, you were homed
to love and cherish. (•r It is all false swearing.") You
have been convicted on w hat has appeared to me the-clearest
evidence. (" No, Sir.") Nu reasonable creature ran has e
a doubt of your guilt from the clearness of the proof. (" I
am very sorry.") Your defence has been conducted very
ably, and all the objections in point of law which could be
made were urged by your counsel. It hat been represented
in the evidence, as if your husband hail got rid of himself
from pain and anxiety arising from your conduct. But other
eircuinsiatiaces show completely that the poison was eilmi.
nisteied by yoursill (" NW%) and on the %err day on elocb
you bou,rlat it, (•• I never was in that shop in my life, my
Lord.") so determined were you on his destruction. that
you said it was not necessary to scud for a medical man, for
that lie wunlil be dead before morning. This effect you
expected Iron the deadly poison you had given him.—
" No, my Lord, no.'') It is deplorable, and i lament to
say that the obduracy of your heart continued even when
you saw your husband in agony under the pain of the
poison you gave. You are a dreadtul example et* the con-
sequences of giving way to dissolute inclioations. It was
your dissolute inclinations that brought you into the nose•
rahle and ignominious situation in which you now stood.—
It is impossible, in consistency with rue security of so-
ciety, or with the laws of God and man, that mercy can be
extended to you. 'the very short time that remains for
you it is necessary that you employ in the most complete
repentance. (Here the prisoner cried and wept in the
bitterest manner.)—llumble yoursell before God, that you
may receive that mercy hereafter which 1 rept t is impos-
sible to be shown to yon here. It now remains that I pro-
11011111Ce upon you the sentence of death. (Alter sentence,
she clung to the person who stood uext her Mid Cried—.
0 save me, save me.")
She was asked whether she knew any reason why exe-
clothe' of the sentence should be delayed, and answered
in the negative.
'Plus unhappy woman has the appearance of having
been a sober, grave, thoughtful, and most industrious
pi anon. She was meanly clad, and looked considerably
older than the calendar tele ',ems.

Erall, AL GUST 13.L-71.111;;71:1;3,ion for IVO county
was upond on Saturday, which is eat lit r than usul, it
havinv, beer found necessary finiti the loess of btisiness on
lengthen the assizes; and t before, as the Judges :mewled
divine service yesterday at the Cathedral, both emit ts were
opened at on curly hour. On the crown 51.1 e there sv.oe 71
prisoners; but their trials eat lie but little inters st, and per.
hops nes er did that court create so little rurntiun. Ou the
civil side causes are entered, II or w6n b ire seerial
juries. Mi. Baron Graham, who presided :al isi
divosed of 17 muses, the greatest parr Jr h:eh, 11.,,%c%cr,
were undefended; at all events the paiwi is ex.,' ell of its
rubbish. 'l' he inily trials of interest are the t'olloss tin; :

BR6wEI U. NO0111:.

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