The National Register.
London, England, 1819-11-01 00:00:00

ARSON.

Jane Co,k was put to the liar, charged with having on the
d of October feloniously set fire to a certain house in the pa-
rish of St. Marylebonc, the property cf John Campbell Esq.
Mr lA' ALF orto opened the case, and Mr. Boi.eastri stated
it to the Jury. on the part of the Sun Fire office, who had
insured the house
George Wilkinson, a coachman, remembered the morning
of the :id of October. Lived near Seymour.place, and from
his own door could see the house. No, 69: saw it on fire
about 7 in the morning, the fire coming out of the first floor
wind. w. Went with sonic others to get the servant out.
They went from room to room, and in the back parlour they
saw a bed, but did not perceive at that time any person in it.
They went out; but were induced to return, when they foiled
the prisoner in a state of insensibility. They spoke to her,
but she did not znswer. The corner of the bed was on fire.
They wok her away, and soon after returned to get a Led
for her to be hid upon. After the fire was nearly extin-
guished, they went to see how the prisoner was. She had
then recovered in a great degree, and talked rationally, but
was a little convulsed at times. He asked her how the fire
had happened. and she said that she was the only person
roiliv, and she knew she must suffer .she added, that her
friends had all turned their backs upon her, that her charac-
ter was blasted, and she had no remedy whatever to get rid
of all her enemies. but to be burned in the flames. %Votness
asked her whether she had been advised by any one. She
said no; not in particular; that every one was her enemy,
and she wished to get rid o' life. She had done the act, and
no one else was to blame She then described the way in
which she had set Pre to the house. She got up about three
o'clock, and took some laudanum and some hollands out of
her master's cello-, And drank it She had cut up some
sheets an l set fire to them, in the back kitchen
Cress-examined by Mr Cuawoori. -Prisoner appeared
Ike one deranged, What she said abou: setting fire to the
bark kitchen could not be true, front all he had seen.
By the Coo • —Shy had some scratches on her throat, as
if she had attempt -d to make away with herself- She said
nothing toiliim shout them
Mr. John North. a surgeon, saw the prisoner on the morn-
ing in quesion. She was a good deal convulsed at intervals,
He examined her throat, and found a few very slight inci-
sions, but they were of no consequence, being only on the
skin In the c-iirse or an hoer or two after, lie vosi•eci her
again and found her compara.ively tranquil, but rill much
agitated Here this witness corrobora ed the regionally of
the former one, as to her concession o' the fact of ing fire
to the house. She denied that a soldier had any hand in the
tran-action ' • but soon after added, that she could not tell the
whcle truth, for fear of the peop e Wanes. gathered from
some other parts of her converaation that she had liven
ill-
treated by her husband. •he told witness that she had at-
tempted to emit her throat, and the wounds bore the mark of
a very sharp instrument. She also acknowledged to having
taken some laudanum.

In his cross-examination, he said, if called in to give his opi-
nion as to her sanity he would hesitate in giving it under the
circumstanees of agitation in which she was. However,
judging from what he had seen he could not say that she ap-
pea-ed sane then She was sent to Maryleboue Infirmary.
Mr. Goodger, the apiehecary to the Marylebons Infirmary.
saw the prisoner when brought in there She was then in a
very stupid state That might have been occasioned by lan•
damns or other opiates. He saw her several times after, and
she talked a great deal of nonsense. As soon as the effect of
the laudanum had subsided, he had no doubt from her man-
ner that site was deranged she wa► insane upon one point.
She always .magined that some persons wore scandalizing her,
and sometimes she conceived that she was go:ng to lose her
heed.

Mrs. Frances Stowe knew the prisoner; used to pay her
board wages for keeping Mr. Campbell's house t witness saw
her in the Infirmary, where she confessed she had made away
with some of the property she told her where they were to
be found: witness went to one of the hou es, where she found
a silver cream pot and sugar tongs, and some tea Toot's.
Witness saw those articles, but d d not esamine them ; she
went to rifler places, but could not find any articles of Mr.
Campbell's property.
Mr. Thomas Webb. the surgeon to the Rouse or Correc-
tion in Cold Bath-fields, saw the prisoner wh, nshe:camethere,
and every day whilst she was there; and to the best of his skill,
she did rot appear to be any thing deranged in her mind. She
appeared a good deal debilitattd in her bodily system. She
had been sent from the Infirmary to Cold Bath•6elds house.
The care had gone thus far, and no legal objection was
made to the indictment, when a gentleman of the name of
Owen was called by the counsel for the prosecution. The ob-
ject in calling this gentleman was to give legal proof that the
house, de-crilseil in the indictment, was the property of John
Campbell, Esq. For this purpose Mr. Owen produced the
probate of a will, made by a Mrs. Eliza Stapleford, in which
the house, No. 69, Seymour-place, was bequeathed to Mr.
Campbell. But the term. of the bequest ran thus—" To her
dear friend John U Campbell, Fey ;" wh the indictment
laid the lonise as the property of John Campbell, Esq., with-
out any other name being prefixed or added. Upon hearing
this,

Mr. Jos.. Pena ktopped the evidence. and sent for Baron
Wood, who had been out of Court for a short time. Having

consulted with Baron Wood for some minutes, Mr. ludic;

Park was suffering she case to proceed, when
Mr. Cnawimo submitted, that the indictment could not

stand, in consequence of the misnomer. 7be indictment
charred the prisoner with hiving set fire to the house of John

whereas it now appeared, that the house was

the propel ty or John Cenipbell. This, be contend.

.
ed. mubt render the indictment void, as if the prisoner was

acquitted on it, she could not urge such acquittal as a plea
in bar to any future indictment which might describe the
property as that of John graham Campbell. It was held that

U