The National Register.
London, England, 1819-05-31 00:00:00

TRIAL OF Clitatri RICSNIT.

Charle: Rennet was put to the tsar, and eharxed in the
indict Meld 11 ail the bat of Noseinher, maliciously
and let ' :pay eAt 4.41 antsy a certain male chili, under the
age of 10, and about the age of three years, Joseph Charles
Horsley, the son of Joseph Hor•ley, and Sarah Eliz:beth
his wife, with intent to deprive the.parents of the poirc►sion
of the-mid bi!d.

Mr. Alley stated the ease on the part of the prosecution.
Mr. Horsley was the first witness culled. He war a mar-
ried man, husband to Sarah Elizabeth, and had• four chil-
dren. Tile child in qisestion was horn after the marriage.—
On Sunday, November S. he intrusted too servant, named
Elizabeth Culbeoulc, two children, Sarah Elizabeth Hostelry,
and Joseph Charles Horsley. Site took thrice out in a little
chaise, aud was to have returned at half-past four, but never
did so. Oa the NI meday morning he found the child Sarah
Elizabeth in the hands of a publicans's a ife. On 1 hursday,
Nth of November, he set tailor the continent after the pri-
soner, and went by Bove r to Calais, and f thence to
Holland. He founal the prison. r at Brach, in Germany.
On seeing witams, the prisoner exclaimed '6 0 (Mal, 0 (hall"
embraced his legs, and asked for mercy. Witness, a Wand
reply, left the room. Ile afterwards saw the chile which
he had lost, at the house of Mr. M'N.unare, the Consul.—
(A letter of the retainer's was then handed to se ituess, and
wetness believed it to be b.s ha/1,1-w 66140

Eltzvbeth Co!brook, lived in November last as servnt.t to
Mr. Horsley. She finst became:acquainted with the prisoner
about two mouths before N oven:hero nil been:mem acquainted
with bun by walking out with the childien. Witness ads
Out married I and the prisoner, about a week before No-
vember, made proposals of marriage to ber. (In Sunday,
hth November, she sans out with the children, and ant the
prisoner at Canouhury. lie accompanied MI to Islington,
and said that he nod his brother were going to Birtnitialimn
in a post-cha:se; he went away fora short time, soy Mg he
was going to his brother, sued when he returned, told her that
she must go to Birmingham that night in a coacn: he dare
witness '2l. for that purpose: he took her place an the name
ofJacksism, Witness than Welli away, und left the children
with Rennet at Snow-hill, tell.ng them to take them home.
Witness wished to go It with the children herself, but
the prisoner ramed. That night she oval to Birmingham,
and did not see the prisoner there. Ski returned to Laudon
en Wednesday and gave information of what had happened.
The letters imploriag miTcy, written by the prisoner to
Mr. 11'Nrinattrarrud Mr. Mosley, were then put Wand read.
The case fur the prmecution was tbeu closed.

The prisoner was then called upon for his defence. He
immediately took from his pocket a roll of paper and
opened it.
Mr. Adolphus, who was his commie! (with Mr. Andrews),
begged to say that he was ignorant of the conteuts of this
paper.

The prisoner then read the paper, of which the following
has extract :—" lait ine er.t. cut you, my Lord and Gentle-
men of the Jury, to listen to a persecuted and much-wronged
individual, anti decide with that mercy and liberality which
so eminently characterise a British court of justice. 1 am
the graiiiiala of Mr. Charles Rennet, lute of the Inner Tem-
ple. In the course of his extensive and respectable practice
he realised a corsideiable fortune. He posseawd several
estates, real and personal, iedepeudently of money in the
funds to the amount or several thousand pounds. The
priu-
t estate was estimated at :10,0001.,sitirate in and
including the manor of West Meta), in the county of South-
ampton, was given under my grandfather's trustees in tins'
fur my f
father (the only son)and heir of his body. lie amply
provided for his other children out of the remaining states
oust funded prop. t ty.
" At his decease, my father entered into possession of the
estate bequeathed to him, and continued is the enjoyment of
it up to the time of his death, which happened at an early
period. Ile left a widow, a daughter, and myself. I rom
that time I date all my miseries. Mr. Chits. Dignum, the
the singer, bad teat tied my aunt, the sister of my father, alto
was executrix under my grandfather's will, and trnatee of the
estate bequeathed to my father, who at the time of the tcs-
lator's decease was under nee. •ii her death, dr. Dig-
num, as her legal representative, acted as sole motto-. y.
father several years previous to his decease was of inikicile
mind and debilitated COliFt lotion. lie made a will iii 18.3,
giving the whole of his property to his ode, daughter, :told
myself, naming his executrix, and two respectable gentlt men
his executors. Th 4 distribution of property nut meeting tile
views of Mr. Dignum, he, in 1809, inc. •ert wills Mr. James
Auer, of flare-coot, temple, a man known to my grand-
father by being often at his table, HAM, advaistne of my
father's mental weakness, gist him 14 si,.,a at Agar's cham-
bers a paper, previousls prepared by Mr. Agar, which gave
all his real estate equally between my sister, self, and Mr.
Agar's illegitiwate child."

Mr. Alley here interfered on the past of the prosecution,
and put it to the Count whether individuals should be suf-
fered to he thus calumniated in a court ofjowice.

Mr. Justice Bayley said lie (mild not stop the prisoner
in his defence; and the poisoner proceeded:—
" His pei semidry was given to a prostitute, who had
been L./lament's servant, and then cohabited with my fa-
ther. They named her executrix, and themselves exerts.
tors, leaving his wife, now living, improvided for. This
scandalous will answered a double plumose; in the first
place it was calculated to increase my difficulties in reco-
vering my With-right, the seizure of whit+ was even then
in contemplation, as my fathei's demise was an event sup-
posed to be not very distant ; secondly,in case I unionately
succeeded in obtaining my sight, it might offend a coin•
fortable itrovision fur Agar's Illegitimate offspring. My
father died sin rounded by his wife and children, smiler
die impression that hr livil provided for his Camay by the
will made in Iboa, the only one known by them to be in
existence, Use himself tondo was his mental incapacity)
having no llace WI his i of the
stasis,) sonde in Judge of our aslotei-lonent and
indignation woes this viltninuns oluctimcnt was produced
and read to us at Agai's cliambrrs. Manna' acted alone
as executor. After pas Mg the tribute of crocodile teals
to the memory of his brook r, and vowing he
would be the friend of the wialow and children, his float
act was to lay claim to nod take pvasswioa of the family

175

estate. He then put op to hale ell the pentiumd property
left by my Esther, ineludini every &Wide of f.moOnie,
which having acconspliNhed, she widow and children were
turned nut of doors, to du the beat they could for tin:m-
adam"

The prisoner here became so h at:itaird that he
could scarcely 'sleeted. Alter a few moments paa be, ho
confirmed:—

"The properly included the resi.lue of tlie lease of some
houses its Grafton.euurt, the deeds thereof being in Dig.
011111's 11066111114111, which, on being put sip fur sole, found
sin bidders it being mated that the securities were lost.
Moulin, ;he executor, became the purchaser ut one
fourth of lite value. Whenever I
endeavoured to remon-
strate with him on the injustice and cruelty of slept icing
me of my birth iielio, he stopped me by Nominal) asking,
why I did not take legal steps for the ornately ut it, well
knowing, in addition to my hying swdr r age and without
a guardian, that I had slot the means or pinehasaig the
necessai its of life, much less to defray Inc cspen. e of law
proceedings. Hr knew lie ought to have gives me pos-
session as helr-at-law ; independent of which it was his
legal as %ell as moral duty, as mister, to institute a suit
in a court of equity, if lie dot.hted eny right to the pro-
perty. After a lapse of about 5 years, I applied to a soli.
eitor, who at tint warmly advocated my cuti.e; bat after
a meeting held at the chambers of my proseentor's regal
adviser, he abandoned me, and 'serape the toliedor of ply
prosecutor, alto about this time (he bring in ballade cir
remnant.%) mai ried Dienum's (Wielder. Fire yews bad
then elitism' since me tathei's oldish, daring which my
pane aged mother and myself underwent all the miseries
attendant on the lowest state of poverty.
" Dien ))))) , taking advantage of my disarmed condition,
proposed to me that it I could give a release to my claim
on the estate, he would use his interest to to ',cure isle a
situation in the East India-house, or souibutfice touter go.
veranda. 1 indignantly rejected this ',tropisms,.
" Sunk iu pot erty, eat despairing of the sestitittion of
my right, I had no resource but to propose to these up.
111.1101111 to repulse it small conspeonostion fur my claim.
Tlin lewdness was negotiated by my prosecutor on 'mina
of Dignimi, myself, and a Miss Fat sten, who also claimed
all Mann iu the property. Eves y sircuutstaure that
appeared calculated In bring me to an acreeianre of their
o~sn terms was eagerly laid hold of by my prosecutor. My
fathei's will of 18011, and my pot erty, 411 d con‘espient
eapaedy of preens ding vigorously with legal petieeeilings,
were contracted with torts ability to protract the gull fur
a number of yeas, se bids Mr. Horsley assured me it was
their determination to do, if we could not coi,d• to terms.
"lass sitoeted, I was !reduced its the deplorault needs.
illy of disposing of soy title to an estate, for a
amounting to one-lialithe proceeds thereof recessed by
my oppressors since my fathei's death."
The prisoner 11101 'detailed another story of & similar
sort. _

The prisoner then rehtitted the accusation of haring!
used the children cruelly, b) declaring that he regulated
tie servant to take one child Mime, hid she relosed;
likewise refused to leave it at the greengrocer', at whit it
Mr. llorsley's family dealt. So careful. war he of the
child which lie It ft behind, that before it left his sight., lie
SAW it in the hands of three respectable intlividtrais. Ile
then proeceilvdt—ss
" I have miry to add, that I have suffered sin months'
confinentent,tive of whicn have been in a forego COlitit I ;
and that a beloved infant has perished in 0 prison, '1 Ii C
its mother was taken on soviet tttt of being
" ktßinr, my Lord aura Gentlemen of the Jill,
yolirrantloirr, I throw tayself upon >our most Imoritue con-
sideration."
The prisoner read this defence with great :narks of agi-
tation.

No witnesses were called on behalf of the rianner, and.
after a ming tip from Mr. Justice Bayley, the July
without hesitation pronounced a vet diet—Uuilim.
Mr. Justice Bayley, i iiiiii ',Lately otter the verdict was
given...adds-eased the prisoner to the folios% ing eflect ;
" You have been foiled guilty by a Jury of your eosin.
try, upon such evidence as could allow of no deribt as to-
your guilt. It is a crime of enormous magnitude, and if
yens look back upon your own conduct, and consider what
would be the feelings which world uaturally be excited in
the winds of the parents of the children thin, boo from
them, if you have any feelings yoniself, if you have any
reinoi‘e, you will be (mist ions of the enormity of the
oftener yon hove committed. If in a moment of agony.
the pas it'll! of these itifints had been hi ought to a forma- •
tore death, which Wight have happened, ur if they had
been deprived of reason, what compensation on caulk
could you base made to these unhappy beings? 'lle de-
fence which you have read is, that you have rues used
family wrongs; bet is this the way in which such wrong*
onclit to tic redressed? Are you to ise the judge in your
Owls eause> Are yowts be the avenger of their
anees lon have forfeited the protection of the 144411,
and you twist prepare to caret your punishment. The
sentence, which will i•c passed at its proper time (for
should not properly discharge my duty unless I informed
you ofyour fate), will he tsan•putlatiuu for seem"' )tats,
the highest punishment whirls the law 6.116 W A."
'Vice primmer aas then.rentoved.ftesn yo dock, and will,
at the conclusion of the Sel.giOTlS ho hrnug l,t lip among
the other prisoners to receive the senteuce of the law. lie
did mei stein much affected.

.and went into lbe shop for that purpose. bat Mrs. Brooks
toid tame it was unnecessary that they should strip, as she
. had oa doubt butt they had disposed.of It to the third wom,n,
.and threatensd to send to. A roost:00e. The primmer then
imido.ed metes. and told Mrs. B..soks if she would go with
Ler to her lodginAs in a street (of winch bite did not know
the namr), but it a onl,l not take her mule then n (punter of
4.11 hour, site si 'add pay his for she liag. Ml 4. 11. accord
iagly arrompanild her in turnpike a distance of
four talks nom her house) w here a dray was I/44111g, 0114.1
Vie pi-boner jumped upon it, gave the dray men a ei;aiherat
wh.sper. unit he whipped the lo•rses, which tan away. Mrs.
Mrouks opt 4111041 a coach and pursued the i user to lawn.
The pi ismier theta aent Into a house undrr.pteteuee of get-
s /lie money for the ring, and eseriped tom one house isito
.anut:.er, and finally eseaptd4tliAetber, but was apprehmed-
..ed .orne time after a aids. . .

The In ison,•r persisted iar her innucenee. and said the wk-
aes. iiiti•ticli•J to ►n rise her life unay.

Mr, Baton Cori ow bummed up Aridly, and the Jury,
without a moinenrs hesitation. found her Intik) —Dem h.
Th.•re was manlier indicts...rid risainst her for bteselinz a
i.ittle and a .haol, and Mr. Wilson Oarrow lasted, that
with eave of hi. Learned Brother he w0..1.1 try bee alma
I iti. radii t mein 1.1.... lie did iwromil 1.1. e fauad Guilty.
On the verdict ()via.: T. turned, the Learn. st Judge oh-
seised. thus no humus' mind, properly composed, eould en
certain a doubt of her ~wilt, and he had hied her !second
iu order (if any such doubt could exist) to satisfy the
Imo& of the Jury.