The National Register.
London, England, 1820-07-30 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER..

defendant, to eThom he immediately said—" You puppy,
what do you mean by drawing upon a naked man."
The
by-slandersiutcrpused and prevented further violence, hut
the defendant still insisted upon making the seizure, and
calling to some soldiers, he placed the horse and cart in their
custody. Immediately afterwards au excise officer was seat •
for. to whom Mr. Pitcher delivered his permit. The pro-
L,ecutor then remonstrated mildly with the defendant, and
asked him what could induce him to draw his dirk upon an
unarmed man who had given no offence. Ile was answered
withgreat violence by the defendant, who said, " t thought
it necessary, fur such soinizgling rascals us you always carry
arms with you concealed." The prosecutor replied, that he
was no smuggler, and that lie was without the means of
offence or defence. In a short time afterwards, the permit
having heen...samined, the prosecutor's horse and cart and
spirits were restored to him without farther übjec . It
appeared that the proweutor was well known to the defend-
ant, and that the latter had previously dealt with him for
spirits. Ilia evidence was corroborated by that of Mr.
King, the publican, and Mr. Iladdan, a stone-mason.
Thu prosecutor's permit was not produced. His cart
had no name upon it, but that circumstance was explain-
ed by the fact, that it had recently been repaired.
Mr. Serjearit Onslow (with whom were Mr. Marryatt,
Mr. Gurney. Mr. Nolan, and Mr. De i.any) addressed
the Jury on behalf of the defendant, without calling wit-

nesse'.
The Chief Justice charged the Jury, shat, if the &fend'
411 t was hone fide acting under the impression that the pro-
secutor was conveying smoggled spirits, it would be then
duty to find him not guilty, because he appeared to be
a legally authorised officer of the Customs. At the same
time, however, if they were of opinion that he had IM
ground for entertaining that impression, they were hound
to find him guilty ; or, if, supposing he had exercised his
ditty, or had acted with mote violence than was justifi-
able, though he conceived himself merely acting in pur-
suance of his duty, still he would he guilty. His Lord-
ship dwelt with considerable emphasis upon those cir-
cumstances of the case which appeared favourable to the
supposition that the defendant had acted honestly in the
discharge of his duty, and not from wanton seventy to-
wards the prosecutor.
The Jury retired for about half an hour, and returned
a verdict of Guilty.
YORKSHIRE.
CROWN SIDE.--111GHWAY -RORBERY•
Joseph Pickersgill, aged 27, was charged with having
violently assaulted and robbed Squire Ramsdell, near
Wakefield, on the evening of the sth of May.
Squire Ramsdell said, lie lived at ‘VakefielJOut-wood.
On the sth of May he had been at a public-house at
,Biay Lane. He went in at a quarter past in, and
stayed an hour and a half. The prisoner was there, and
proposed to go home with hint, but declined to go when
witness did. Witness proceeded homewards, and was
overtaken and passed by Mary Horton. He heard a
footstep, and as he turned to look he was knocked down,
and some person began kicking him on the head very se-
verely,and said "D—n thee,wilt thou not give over ?wilt
thou not hold thy din 1" at the same time pineking
(striking) witness's mouth with his foot. Witness knew
the voice to be Pickergill's ; witness lay still, bleeding
copiously from his mouth and head. The prisoner
then took from him his purse containing Ibis. Witness was
at the time turned on his face, and the prisoner held his
knct uo site back of his neck, pressing his mouth to the
ground. The prisoner next took two small keys out of
witness's pocket, and went away. Witness, feeling un-
able to rise, called for help. The prisoner returned, and
said—.. D—n thee, thou art not quiet yet; but if I have
not given thee enough, I will do." He then kicked
him severely on the other side of the head, on the ribs,
and in a particular part of his body. He then took front
his inside waistsoat pocket a pocket-book, containing a
one pound note and memorand . Witness said,
" Thou bast got my money : let me die quietly." The
prisoner gave a coarse and savage answer. The witness
became insensible.
Other witnesses, who came up to the prosecutor and
carried him home, deposed to the situation in which
they found him.and to Pickergill's having given difkrent
and contradictory accounts of the blood on his
stockings. They saw him throw away a purse, and
drop a pocket-book. The keys were found his pocket.
The Jury at once found a verdict of—Guilty. Death.
On Friday afternoon, Mr. Justice Park, passed sen-
tence of death nu the following prisoners :—Jaities
Shehnerdine and Richard Cook, convicted of burglary;
Patrick Murphy, convicted of highway robbery; and
George Graham, convicted of forging a bill of exchange.
To the last prisoner the Judge held out strong hopes of
obtaining a mitigation of his sentence. Wm. Oltlfield,
of Bradford, innkeeper, was found guilty of the murder
of his wife, and ordAred for execution.

At Preston Sessions, on the 15th instant, William
Pucke, the younger, was found guilty of conspiring with
ten or twelve others, and committing an unprovoked
violent assault nn the Messrs. Frederick Lilly and Joseph
Brown, two members of the Manchester and SallOrd
Yeomanry.Cavalry,during the corps being on permanent
duty, in June last. Alter a painful investigation of six
hours, the jury retired for a quarter of an hour, and re-
turned a verdict of guilty against the defendant. The
worthy Chairman, on passing sentence, adverted to the
enormity of the crime, and sorry was he to see a person
of respectable connexions like Pucke, arraigned before
him for so heinous as offence :—" Your sentence is six
months imprisonment in his Majesty's Castle at Lan-
caster, and at the expiration of that term, you enter into
your own recognizance of tool., and find two securities
of 501. each, for your good behaviour, and to keep the
peace for three years to come."
The Assizes at Cambride terminated on Thursday,
and we are happy to announce, as certainly creditable
to the moral state of the country, that only one prisoner
was capitally convicted (an old offender, who has been
sent twice across the seas at his Majesty s expense, but
now destined for life). We understand twat the calen-
dars throughout the couutry are unusually light. We
know not what apology those gentlemen will make to
an insulted community, who so stoutly and vociferously
insisted that " irreligion and immorality" welt: fright-

fully " stalking abroad" throughout the land ; for this
must be the surest test which can possibly throw the
negative back upon the tongue of the slanderers.

SURREY SESSIONS, .1411,y ti.
—maw—

BrGAML—An old decrepid man, who is so deformed
that he has been front his birth unable either to dress,
or undress himself, having neither hands nor feet,
stood indicted for unlawfully intermarrying with one
Mary Staggs, in March last, at Christ Church, in the
Borough, his former wife being then alive.
Hercules Manning, the parish clerk of Plumstead its
Kent, proved the marriage of the prisoner with Mary
Johnstone, at Plumstead Church, in June 1808 —The
ceremony was perforated by the Comte, the Rev. S.
%%Tatum. _ .

Johnstone,the prisoner's first wile, came into the
witnesses box, and Mr. Manning swore that she was
the woman the prisoner married in 1808.
Mary Johnstone's appearance excited a great deal of
merriment: she was attired in the costume of the last
century, and appeared at least 80 years of age. She called
to the prisoner, "Oh ! you naughty villain." Order
being restored, Mary Staggs, a decently dressed woman,
was called. She said she was 70 yearsolage. She was the
lawful wife of the prisoner. She was married to him
last march, at a church in the Borough. She did not
know the carne of it. . .

only married her to dress and undress me.
Witness—You know better, you left we.

Chairman—Was you married.by banns or licence ?
Witness—By banns.
Prisoner—" My Lord, have mercy—l am a poor help.
less old man—quite a cripple—l can do nothing—l was
born at Brecknock—the women know I am an inno-
cent man, and never does any thing to any body."
Chairman—" You will be allowed to speak in your
defence hereafter."

Mary Savage being sworn, stated that she was at the
marriage of the prisoner with Mary Stages at Christ
Church, in the Borough, on the 2d of March last.
Chairmaa—Now prisoner, what have you to say in
defence of your conduct.
The prisoner then put in a written defence, composed
by himself, but written by a fellow prisoner in form of
an affidavit, as follows :
" 1, Win. Thomas do declare, that lam unable to
cut my own victuals, having no hands nor feet nor
am 1 able to dress or undress myself without help. I
married NI at y Staggs, but she did not long bide with me
before she robbed the of every thing only wiNat I can
stand upright in, and she, Mary Johnstone, aided and
assisted in it, she living as housekeeper with me; she
has since threatened to hang me because I would not
give her money. I gets my living by selling tins about the
country. Now, I pray you, gentlemen, to do what you
can for me, for Johnstone tells me she has hung one and
transported two, and will hang me. 1 hope God will
forgive all my wrongs and you too, for I decay daily, and
must soon die of oid age.
(Signed) " WM. THOMAS."
Horsemonger Lane, July, 1E120."

. -
The Chairinau then recapitulated the evidence, and
said a more extraordinary charge had not been recently
before the Court.
The prisoner interrupted the Chairman-- My Lord,
I was pressed to marry; I did not want to marry. What
could I do? She knew I only wanted her to undress
me at night and dress me in the morning?
Chairman—The case is completely proved it is an
unaccountable transaction; you will consider your
verdict.
The Jury immediately returned a verdict of Guilty;
but strongly recommended the prisoner to mercy.
Chairman—Upon what grounds?
Juryman—His great age and infirmity.
Another Juryman—The prisoner was not able to
dress himself ; it was necessary that he should have
some person to attend upon him, as he has no hands
or feet. We hope the Court will deal mercifully with
him.
Chairman.—Your recommendation shall be attended
to.
The Court sentenced the prisoner to three months'
imprisonment in the House of Correction. The prisoner
is possessed of property in the funds to the amount ul
near two thousand pounds.

According to letters from Stockholm of the 11th
inst., Mr. George, the British Charge d'Af}i►irs at
that place, on the arrival of a courier from England,
set out to join the King of Sweden on his progress
into Norway. Within the last few weeks the prices
of corn and all kinds of provisions had materially
declined in Stockholm.
E=EcuTloN•—On Thursday morning, pursuant
to their sentence, James Gardner, Henry Brawn,
and Peter Miller, for forgery; Thomas Camber, for
sheep stealing, and Wm. Wilkinson, for extorting
money on the King's highway, suffered the awful
sentence of the law opposite the Debtors' Door,
Newgate. The behaviour of the three unfortunate
men who had been convicted of forgery was decorous
and becoming. They were all well dressed, and
were fine respectable looking men. A general opi-
nion had gone abroad, that the sentence of the law,
as far as it regarded these prisoners, would not have
been carried into effect. This opinion was founded
on the belief that the Capital Felonies' Repeal Bill
had received the Royal Assent; and it was hoped
that these unfortnatc men would be the first object
of clemency.—After hanging the usual time, their
bodies were cut down, and deposited in shells, re-
paratory to their being given to their friends fu►
interment.