The National Register.
London, England, 1822-07-07 00:00:00

OLD BAILEY SESSIONS.

These sessions commenced 0.1 Wednes lay morninz.
—Tobias Burke was indicted (or intermarrying with
Mary Aim Bruce, his lawful wife Mary tieing at the
time alive.

Mr. Alley Stated, that the prisoner was a man of fell.
pectahle family in Ireland. In 1815 lie became ac-
quainted with the family of Mr,.Bail r, an Irish gen-
tlemais at Cashel, and paid his addresses to his daughter
Mary, to whom he was married. 'l' tory went to reside
in. Dublin, where the pi isoner entered into lousiness, hut
d
telly supplied with money,
his failed
slim which be received on
116.1i:3e:11:v1 t
to hits
be wag
°,llswni:taajej;;2l
irrileeebi nietaelabesil
sub business, he separated hunt
his wile, but they afterwards joined again, and came to
England. Hew, in a short tune,
and in the year 1620 he became acquainted! with Mary,
posses-
s Bruce
dari‘:.ir.otitaist:iotasi;aeidrre. limes,ibhrit:
qv,
n1:1811:1:1:
tiecontrive)daughterii
ed
ithitet:sradoi..tiori:riara
icclgeghe,atuzi
rtiecl
ieichi,
to
lei
wia.rot
akiirctireafh:lll
tatiiralogrilesei
lie ac-
companied her to her father's door. This he repeated
many times, and succeeded so far in engaging the aflec.
bons of the voting lady, ilea she conseuted he should
make au apptication to her rather on the subject.—lle
told Mr. Bowe tie %visited to marry his daughter, and re-
presented himself to be possessed of propel my to the
alllollllt Of lieu 7001. a year. \l r. Broce said he would
not consent io the union with any man who could not
make a settlement to a certain amount upon her, and he
asked the prisoner it he could do that? to which the
latter very frankly answered in the ne,..,.mve. Mr. Bruce
that positively tot bade any Coin inonication between him
and his daughter. But torottO the instrumentality of
a faithless domestic, he contrived to convey letters to
to her, and he prevailed upon her to be married to hint
by licence; to °Main which he had sworn he was a Its.
chelur. They were martied in December, 1820. Sne
lea her father's house upon the refusal of the latter to
receive her husband as his son-in-law, and went into
lodgings with the prisoner for a time, but was soon glad
to return to the paternal roof. lie had heard before his
marriage, that there was a considerable property in the
fun ;s its the name of Mary Ann Bruce, and would not
he dissuaded even by his wile that it did not belong to
her. lie actually made her accompany him to the Bank,
and there write her name, in order to ascertain if her
hand writing corresponded with the signature in the
bank-books but it did not. Ile theta found that she
had no income. A rumour having reached the ears of
Mr. Bruce that die prisoner had a lawful wife living,
an advertisement was published, and it was answered by
the relations of the hm wife. The latter unfortunate
woman was found in the workhouse of St. Pancras,
Eliza and Julia Bader, (sisters to the first wife), A
Bruce, Esq. and his daughter, Miss Mary Anne Bruce,
proved all that
the learned counsel had stated.
The prisoner, in his defence said, he was a Protestant,
mad that lie was entrapped into a specious marriage whets
he was drunk. He never considered Mary Butler as his
wife. He called the following witness—
Thomas Maher has known the prisoner from his birth.
Was at his christening; he was ehristened by Mr. Jordan,
a Protestant clergyman ; the prisoner's father and all the
family were Brotestants to the best of witness's bite.—
' Knows the Buslcr's in Ireland. Neaer knew one of
that name to go to a Protestan church in his life. Had
seen many of the Bilike's at mass.
Edmund Burke is an elder brother of the prisoner's
and is a Catholic !Music. The prisoner was broaot
tip in the Protestant religion. Witness was at Cash.
at the time of the supposed marriage; witness dined with
them all at Butler's, and recollects hearing Mr. limier
after dinner say something about sending fur a priest. -
Also heard him say he wishell to give prisoner one of his
daughters, but did not know which of them to give
Witness torbad Mr. Butler to do any thing of that kind,
telling him that prisoner was a Protestant, and a mar-
riage would not be lawful. The subject was dropped,
and they began drinking and playing cards, which con-
tinued for three hours. About 12 o'clock at night the
Rev. Dr. Wright, a Catholic priest, was scan for. Mr.
Butler then asked prisoner to comply with the toms of
the Catholic chinch, and marry one of his daughters,
hut he refused ; and Dr. NV right got up to go away.—
The prisoner, who was not sober, also got up in go
away, but Mr. Butler said, neither he nor Dr. Wright
should quit until they had more drink. W ttness
.re.
unlined there until two o'clock in the morning, by which
time they were all stupidly drunk. Nothing like a
marriage ceremony took place while witness was there.
Cross-examined.—Witness lives 17 miles from Cashel,
and lie went there on this occasion, in consequence of a
letter from the prisoner, informing him that his mare
had strayed from Cashel. Upon his oath he was nos
invited to be present at the marriage. Had not seen or
heard of his brother for seven years before he wrote to
him, and then the sole subject of his letter was the stray-
ing of the mare.—He would swear he never gave his
brother away so Mary Butler in marriage. Dr Wright
dead. NVittiesis mother was a Catholic, and his father
a Protestant. When witness quitted Butler's house
at two o'clock in the morning, his brother was stupidly
drunk.
Dennis Burke, another brother to the prisoner, said.
his father was dead when the prisoner was born. Prisonee
was always of the Protestant persuasion.
Cross-examined.—N ever saw the prisoner go to a Ca-
tholic chapel with his wife.
John Burke, another brother, never knew the prisoner
go to mass.
This closed the case for the defence ; and Mr. Alley
requested leave to call Miss Eliza Butler to contradict
part
lie Fare theofihaetes
ofiinatty
prisoner
away Edi Edmund Burke, who had swots
that
Miss Butler declared, that Edmund Hurke placed the
hand of the prisoner in that of Dr. Might at the cere.
lemony. This was at sin o'clock in the Luning, at lies

P

father's house. All parties were perfectly sober, and not
a single card was played.
Mr. Justice llohoyd, in his charge to the Jury, said,
if they should he ul opinion that a marriage had taken
place, aid that the prisoner was a Catholic' they would
hod him guilty generally. If they thought he was a
ibroiesialit, they would acquit hint, uniess they should
think he had passed himself off as a Catholic, and then
they would find a speei of verdict of guilty, subject to the
decision of the twelve J telges, as 10 whether the marriage
sit brought about was legal or not.
The Jury found a verdict ol Guilty, anti on the motion
of Nit. Alley, d Burke was detained.
Tit u RS DAY, JULY 4.—ThonasPiefson, was capitally
indicted for httrelarniusly breaking out of the dwelling-
house of Francis I\l•Gma ran, and stealing a clock, an
1111 tier, and some silver spoons.
The prosecutor is a 'madman, keeping the Two Spies
public-bons:, in Catharine-street, in the Sttand. On
tile night of the 12th of June, his family were alarmed
at idiom four o'clock, and on searching, the articles in
tioestion were found missing. The till had also been
opened and emptied of its contents. The street door
was unbolted, and the window into the bar had been
forced open.
A waiter, in the service of the last witness, proved that
the prisoner was, on the night in question, at the house
%vitt' souse others; witness was the last tip in the house.
Ilc did not see the prisoner go out. When he went to
bed the liar was bucked and all was safe.
A watchman in CallerlllC.SlMel saw the prisoner and
another young man between two and three o'clock on
the morning of the robbery. They walked past witness
into the Stand ; each of them hall a bundle under his
coat. Witco a few yards onward, they looked round,
and, observing witness look a: them, rail away. %lit-
tlest ran alter them in the direction where he heard some
glass breaking, and pursued then clown Wellington-
street Ott reaching the bridge one of the men took the
stairs to the right, and the other to the left. Witness
took the stairs to toe left, and the tide being out, follow-
ed the footsteps under the arch to the right. Ile saw
the prisoner standing against the wall, bleeding 11'0111
the mouth and nose, and took him. The prisoner had
not been more than half a minute out of sight, but wit-
ness had not seen his face until he took him.
The toll-keeper of Waterloo-bridge proved that about
three o'clock on the morning in question he saw two
men running. One took the stairs to the left, and the
other to the right. They were pursued by the last wit-
ness. When the prisoner was biosight up, he recognised
him as one of the men who had gone clown the steps.
It was twilight at the time, and he had a full view of his
face. After the prisoner was brought up, witness went
down the steps, and saw a man running towards the
Savoy, along the dby the common sewer. The 111411
vv ho escaped had iii his hand a handkerchief, containing,
an hydrometer, es. in copper money, a toad-lent' and
stone silver spoons. These were afterwards claimed by
the persecutor.
The prisomr in his defence declared his innocence,
and called one witness to character.
The Jury found a verdict Not Guilty.
NVilliam Banbury was convicted of stealing to tile
tra'sie of 395. in the dwelling-house of L. Hansard.
FRIDAY, JULY s.—Bridget Dart, Eleanor Collins.
and Pittebe Elizabeth Douglas, were indicted for pri-
vately stealing a quantity of lace, value 12s. the property
of Mary Ann Nicholls and Sarah Markham, residing in
Shoreilith, on the evening of the 24th of May.
The prosecutrix deposed, that on the evening stated in
the indictment the prisoners Dart and Douglas came in
and looked at some lace, but bought none ; Collins then
entered the shop, but had no conversation with the other
prisoners, and 111 a few moments a piece of lace was
zoiasing. The prisoners were charged with the theft,
which they totally denied.
Wm. H. Hill, a constable, deposed, that he took the
prisoners into custody, and searched them, but nothing
was found upon either, our did any conversation take
place between them. lie still suspecting that the pro-
perty was concealed about their persons, went for
another officer to assist in taking them to the watch-
house, when, on going along, the lace dropped from the
clothes of the prisoner Collins, which was afterwards
identified by the prosecutrix.
JAIIICS Brown, another officer, fully confirmed the
last witness's testimony.
The Recorder summed op the evidence to the Jury,
who, after a few minutes' consultation, found Collins
guilty, and acquitted the other prisoners.
Joins Pedley was capitally indicted for breaking into
the dwelling-house of Mrs. M. Elgar, and stealing 12
bottles of wines and spirits, a quantity of copper coin,.
and other articles, her property, on the 26th of May, in
the parish of Hornsey.
The facts nut being clearly made out against the pri-
soner, he was acquitted.
E11241)C111 Copps, Catherine Carrick, and Mary Smith,
were charged with a highway robbery, and stealing 4s.
from the person of Joseph Read, in Wellington-court,
Drury lane.—Copps was found guilty; Carrick and
Smith acquitted.
Mary Seekins was indicted for stealing, in the month
of May, in the dwelliog-houst of Mr. Gould. of Mary-
le-leme, fotor pair of stays, a quantity of jean, and other
property.—The Jury (timid her guilty.
John Kenney was indicted for stealing in the house of
Samoa Bird a quantity of wearing apparel, a table spoon,
a set of razors, &c. value 41. and upwards, his property.
—The Jury returned a verdict, finding the prisoner guilty
of stealing to the value of alp.
.V biaiu Millart was Mewled for steeling a variety of
shawls, lawns, !mishits, &c. the property of Ir.Thoutas
Muelik li•
Mr. Titomas Mitchell examinecl.—Prisoner haul lived
ith him 14 years up to March, 1821, at which time
he expressed a wish to go into business on his own ac-
count, when witness expressed his readiness to assist
him. anti gave hint credit to the alumna of 500 i. 'Owing
to some information he had received, he went to pri-
VJIMI'S shop uu the 4th ultimo, having previously beau