The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-07-29 00:00:00

TIIE MURDERS AT WOOLWICH.

KENT SUMMER ASSIZES.
MAIDSTONE, FRIDAY, JULY 28.
TRIAL AND CONVICTION or NESBETT.
ron, m MURDERS or MA. PARKER
AND 1119 HOUSEKEEPER.

EXPRESS.)

1/10

The interest excited by the expected trial of
Nesheit was very greet. At an early hour the
Court was crowded to excess; a great many ale.
gently-dressed females were of time number. Soon
after eight o'clock Mr. Baron Woo° entered
the Court, amid the prisoner, James Nesbett, was
placed at the bar.
Mr. ANDREWS immediately rose and addressed
his Lordship. He said dirt it was not till late last
night he had been given to understand that a inas
terial witness was absent, which the Prisoner, from
want of means, had not been able to procure the
attendance of ; he therefore requested, on his part,
that time trial might stand over, to enable him to
procure the attendance of that witness, which he
considered so material to his case.
The Learned Judge said. that as the Prisoner
had had plenty of notice of the time his trial would
come on, he could not put it of ou the grounds
which had been stated.
The indictment was then read, which charged
the Prisoner with inflicting two mortal fractures on
the skull of Thomas Parker, with a hammer, in
the parish of Woolwich. on the 3d of March last,
and thereby killing and slaying the said Thomas
Parker; there were separate indictments for time
murder of Sarah Brown, the housekeeper of Mr.
Parker; for the burglary ; and for setting fire to
the house—to all which the Prisoner pleaded Not
Mr. CHITTY opened the pleadings, and Mr.
COMMON SERJEANT, in a succinct manner, stated
the frets to the Jury as they appeared by the evi.
deuce. He commented on the aggravated enormity
of the offence, which to murder had superadded rub•
bery and arson, and congratulated the Jury on
the late period at which they were assembled to try
the Prisoner, when the prejudices excited by the
statements which hod beeu published had had
time to die away.' He thought that no person,
however poor in intellect. but must come to the
conclusion, after the evidence should be heard which
he should call, that the Prisoner at the bar had been
guilty of the crimes with which lie was charged. If
they should entertain a doubt of it, they would, as
a British Jury always did. let the Prisoner have the
benefit of thakdoubt. He then called
Isabella Johnson. who lived at Mulgrave.place,
Woolwich, in March last; her house is opposite to
the late Mr. Parker's; site knew him and his house.
keeper well ; saw her on the 3d March, between
one and two o'clock. with a plate of chops from
the butcher's; saw Mr. Parker in his own parlOur,
between five and six o'clock in the afternoon ; never
observed any blankets put up by way of blinds at
Mr. Parker's house.
Mrs. Mary Giles—Lived next door to the late
Mr. Parker ; she heard, •about seven o'clock in the
evening of the Sd of March last, the door of Mr.
Parker's house open and shut, but had heard no
knock ; she heard a noise at 1 t o'clock, but could
not tell where it came from.
David Brooks—Does imot know the Prisoner at
the bar. Witness is • bombardier in the artillery,
quartered at Woolwich; on the 4th March, at one
o'clock at midnight, he was on guard, planting the
sentinels, and saw a smoke coining out of Mr. Par.
ker's chimney; about half an hour after, the alarm of
fire being given, he went up to the house and forced
open the outer door; it was locked by a spring
lock, and wits not bolted. He went into the par-
lour first, and found • great smoke and some fire;
he got water from the next house and threw 011 the
fire in the parlour; it was the furniture which was
on fire. He then went for an engine, and on
his return he found two dead bodies in the
parlour on a table covered over with a sheet ;
he could distinguish one to be a woman, very little
of her being consumed. Of the man little hut the
leg remained and ■ shoe on the foot. Time sight
was so shocking he did not look much. Behind
the parlour door he ebserved blood, as if a person's
nose had been bleeding; the blood was not then dry.
William Lyon is one of the band at the barracks.
On the alarm of fire, lie went to the house. and saw
on the parlour floor a human head, and behind
that the body of a woman ; her legs, feet. and,
clothing were burnt, but the features of her face
were.entire. There were mluks of violence on her
bead, and the body was still bleeding. In taking
up the body of Mr. Parker, one roan at the head
and another at the feet, the body was so much burnt
that it separated its time middle, The remains were
afterwards laid on a table.
Stephen Howard is apprentice to a carpenter,
living at Mulgrave.place ; he heard an alarm of
fire on the night of 3d March last, and saw some
artillerymen at Mr. Parker's door ; he went home
for an adze, and on his return foam! the door had
been forced open. He procured a ladder and broke
open time *iodates of the ground fluor ; lie went up
to the first floor amid found a chest of drawers
partly open, and appeared as if they had beets ruin.
imaged. and the room was in confusion. Time
counterpane and curtains of the bed appeared to be
burnt, but the fire did not appear to have
been communicated from below. There was
a blanket put up us- the room . which was
parted off from the room in which the fire
was ; but no window looking towards the street in
the room in which the lire was ; nothing was burnt
or diatui bed in the back room ; neither of the beds
appeared to have been NM in that night ; the back
door of time house was fastened ; witness Woke it
open.
Cross.examined by Mr. ANDREWS.—Is not sum
that the hods had not been slept in.
John Hay, Barrack-master at Woolwich. wept
to time house of Mr. Parker with the engine, about
two o'clock in the Rooming of the 31 of March
last ; lie found about eight or ten persons iu time
house ; he went in soil found the whole of the
drawers had been opened mu every room, amid soli'.
cieut things taken out to chew what the drawers
contained, and the articles pulled out were dropped
just under the drawers; witness observed that tire