The National Register.
London, England, 1816-08-11 00:00:00

'WILTSHIRE ASSIZES.

These Assizes commenced on Monday last. After a charge
from Sir J. A. Park to the Grand Jury, Mr. Scrjeaut Pell ap-
plied to his lord•lpp, to order that the sum of .13231. ly. 2d.
taken from the person of Samuel Mewman, (charged with
forgery) at the time of his apprehension, should be delivered
up to him, to enable him to employ au attorney and counsel in
his defence. His lordship refused to MI der.
Samuel Flower was iedicted for highway robbery on the per-
son Of John Dutch, on the 9th of July last. The prosecutor,
John Dutch, stated, that he lives at I)crvizes ; that on the 9th
of July last, about seven in the evening, as he was walking from
Hishops-Cannings towards Devizes, he saw the prisoner lay-
ing on the ground apparently sleeping, he had a little dog which
barked, and the prisoner rose up and walked with Dutch, tell-
ing hint he was also eoing to Devizes ; when they came near
to a pubic-house at a place called Shepherd's Shore, the pri-
soner proposed that they should drink together at that house,
and they had a pint of beer each ; they came out of the public-
house together, and went but a little way, when the prisoner
drew a stick out of the hedge, and soon after, as the prosecutor
was lookitig to the left, the prisoner struck him a blow on the
right side of his head, which knocked him down; prosecutor
rose on his knees, when the prisoner struck him a second Wow,
and fell on him, saying, " If you do not deliver your watch, I
will stab yon." Prisonsr had lust his stick in the scuttle, and
rose from Dutch to pick it up ; the prosecutor then got up,
!fired prisoner by the collar, and cried " murder;' they both
fell, and prisoner heat proveenthr about tho head till he was
quite blind ; knocked him down again, and said, "If yo open
your mouth again, I'll stick you." Prosecutor then said, • For
(]od's sake, spare toy life !" Prisoner took prosecutor's watch
out of his pocket, and ran off across the fields, leaving him
blind mid neatly dead. The sleek was produced, completely
smeared with bl:ml. The landlord having received inform-
tion of what had happened.went with several other persons to
the spat ; Dutch was carried back to the house quite blind ;
and John Weston, Jall)e. Rudman, and sonic others, found the
prisoner concealed in a tieid of vetches near the spot, with the
watch upon him, He was then apprehended, after much re-
sistaeee, and threatening to stab the first man who came near
him, but is which he was happily prevented.—Guilty—Death.
John Lampier, Robert sheargold, John Herbert, and John Sly, were
eeyitalle convicted of divers burglaries; and James l'aicta and Edmund
Bath, of a highway robbery.
Satnael Siewman was put to the bar, charged With forging and utter-
ing a bill of exchange, pun orting to be drawn by and It. Holt and
Co. of Roeedule, directed to Messrs. Willis, Percival and Co. of I.on-
dun. Mr. John Bannister, a partner in the house of Phipps, Biggs.
and Bannister, bankers, at 11'anninster, deposed, that on the nth of
May the prisoner came to their balk at Warminster, after bank-hours,
and requested him (the witness) to ensh four hills. After some con-
versatit,n, prisoner left the bills, and yelled again in an hour ; prisoner
said his tisane was John !punt, of Frome; that he had taken a cottage
within a qdarter of a title of his friend Mr. Messiter, the hanker, who
woald have cashed them, but he issued no larger notes than those of
ii. which prisover said woald nut do: that he was employed by Simeon
and Co. and Bannister and Co. to buy up cloths, winch he thought he
could do te neater advantage by paving ready money for them. 51r.
Beenieter Nave him the cash, and he went away. 'the bill (the sub-
ject of tne present indictment) wits endorsed by Montgomery and Co.
merchants, of Liverpsal. and .Inc;, Fox, and Co. bankers, of Man-
chester. Mr. John Warren, clerk to Phipps and Co. Of Warminster,
owroborated the evidence of Mr. Bannietar. John Ashton proved that
the signature to the bill was not the hand-writing of either el the part-
ners in the hoax of lick and Co. of Roehtlale ; the acceptance by
Willis, Per+ id, and Co. and the enclors-nemt of J. Montgomery and
Co ..ere severally proeial to be forgeries. Mrs. Messer:l., of Frome,
mad, that the prisooer bad iteplied at the bank of Mr. Messner, on
the kth of :kitty, in the timmtb,l% for cash for the fan hills, which was
refused ; she knew of no person of the name of John hunt at Fronice—
The prtames was newest from Frome to Warminster, Trok bridge. and
Lath. Mr. Wm. Gv.nclry, a banker, Ciiippehluan, gave prtsoner