The National Register.
London, England, 1818-05-10 00:00:00

FRIDAY.

INA \NlTY.—Mathias Maher was brought to the bar for the par.
epose of being arraigned on a charge of forging a power of attorney
l'he prisoner was conducted to the bar by three men, having a fate
hold of him. lie was secured by a strait waistcoat and by weighty
chains at his feet.
The clerk of the arraigns put the usual questionc.l him, " Are
lota guiltyeer not guilty?" but the only reply the inaniae made, was,
" Do you want to murder me 't I have been starAxl here for up-
wards of ri month without eating or drinking."
Mr. Justice Bayley.—•• It' you do not plead either guilty or not
guilty, 1 must direct the jury to inquire whether you stand mute by
the visitation of God, or whether you do it wilfully."
Prisoner.—" Are you going to g:vc me ans tobacco ?"
Mr. Justice Bayley remittal the olsservarion.
t• Prisoner. —•-• I get up with swords and pistols upon tr.e. Year
want me to cat nothing but poison."
Mr. Alley. as Counsel for the priaoner, called several witnesses to
prove his insanity, after which he was about to address the Court,
but was prevented by the Jury stating that they had mule up their
minds upon the question.
Mr. Justice Bayley was glad to hear the opinion of the Jury. Tie
had, himself, long ago trade up his %Mad upon the. ease. If the
Jury thought that the prisoner wet insure, and thetefore was mute
by the visitation of clod, he would be kepi, in sionfitement until the
pleasure of his Majesty was knowu upon this case.
The Jury found a verdict—lnsartity. The prisoner was immedi-
ately taken front the bar back to his cell.
COTT MIS AND MAIMING.-•-.. 1 young Frenchman, of respectable
appearance. was placed at the her, charged with having wilfully cut
. and stabbed Gilbert Mathias with a sharp instrument, with intent tc
murder hint.
Gilbert Mathias said that he was a Roman Catholic Priest, and
pfficiated at the Spanish Chapel, Nlancliester-square. On Sunday the
13th of March, atter tho Paternoster, be heard a little noise in the
crowd. His back was then to the people, and upor. tnrning his
head, he observed the prisoner coming over the rail with his hat on,
and a long uaked sword in his hand.- Witness immediately tan to-
wards the vestry, and was followed by the priaoner, who made se-
veral thrusts at him which cut hie vestments. Witness endeavoured
to shut the vestry door, but the prisoner put his foot and prevented it.
In the endeavour to wrest the sword out of his hand, witness re.
dived a cut in his arm and on the lingers. At this instant, about 30
persons rushed from the crowd and secured the prisoner.
lirtirael Crawley took the sword Irian the prisons:. The prisoner
said hainsulf. when apprehended, " I am mad."
The prisoner—•• 1 did not say I was mad. The people said I was
mad."
The prisoner was relied upon for his defence, and he declared-
- " My defence is this. The priest refused to administer the sacrament
to me; and I think any priest who doe:: thi► acts with a malicious
motive. There being nu law in this ramutry w punish him, I took
the law iuto my (Ala bandit."
ritual Benshawe lived with Mrs. Menistrier, Cumberland-place,
7City-road, and the prisonmlotlgral in the same house. The prisoner
first lived upon bread and water ; afterwards he ate fowls, and ge-
nerally devoured 21 fowls. a week. Oranges he afterwards lived
upon for some time; and for three weeks ate nothing but oil-cake.
t in several eccasions, be brought home grass and roses and pounded
them, and drank the juice. The prisoner af:erwards ate nouting but
peas for a longer time, mad momenines ate 4 peeks a day, 3 pecks of
swelled. and 1 of unshelled peas. Sometimes, when at prayers, the
prisoner would burst into a ihuil laugh. On &mother occasion witness
retched a live rabbit for the prisoner, and he said he would cut oil
one of its legs to cure it. bite prisoner had also an iron crown which
he wore. ilc sent it back once to he altered, and wanted it to be
made yaks: like Frhl. At the request of the prisoner witness
cleaned the sword which had been predueed in Court, and lie attn.-
tv.uds went out with it upon his sUonkler. Else had no doubt but
that the prisoner was deranged. Fer the last three months the pri-
soner devoured Aix rounds of mutton a-day.
J. S,.anwell an ironmonger, had made for the pirsoner three shiehls.
One weighed ,4,51 b. Re was displeased bemuse it was not stout
enough. lie made.coure armour for him, the weight of which was
214 pounds.
Mr. Box had no hesitant-in in saying that the prisoner was Marin...
The Jury found u verdict—Not Guilty, upon the ground of in•
sanity.
CASE: or Loin) Patarensiosr.--I,Matenant ',avid Davis was
brattiest to the bar, and it was net raitliout censidtr.:llle
dilliculty
. slut he complied in pleading " not Guilty" to time wage against

Idni." Ile said that liis sufretings were so gre.tt, that they fluid he
known before he was put upon his trial. lie had been turned from
hie regintent like a madman, and all the world knew it. lie added,
" It I am acquitted of this clituge, I must put an end to my exist.
truce." The whole address was incoherent, and it was almost im-
possible to coilectits meaning.
Lord Viscount Palmerston, proved that, on the tith sr April last,
..he attended at the %Via td about one As he was as-
wending the staircase, a pistol was tired at him. He did not observe
isho it was that tired it, bat he felt himself wounded in the back. lle
had never seen the prisoner until the transaction alluded to.
%Vm. Hoare was a messenger on the tith of April last at the War-
Office, and at almost me ti elude saw Lord Palmerston wine up the
steps through a glass &or. Ile immediately saw a flash of lire, and
heard the reportiof a pistol. Witness rushed unwed, and taught hold
of the prisoner, who exclaimed, with an air.- of satisfaction upon his
countenance, " I have killed him." 'Pile prisoner had a pistol in hit
right hand. lie asked the prisoner if he had a sawed pistol, and he
replied, " No, upon my honour, I have not!" Witnms here pro-
ducet the pistol. It was a small screw pistol.
'Clic prisoner was called upon for his defence. He .rald !hat he
wished to ctuutuunicate what tie intended to be known to his counsel.

Being told by NI r. Ju,tice Bayley that was not allowed, the pri-
soner observed that he had been disinisied from his regiment being
unfit for any thing. and wit ea,ea would be produced who would tall
the Court his suLiings, and prove his insanity. With respect to the
present transaction, he had been refused a personal communication
with hit lordship, and had written many letters to Lord Palmerston
to which he had rec. ived no answer. He bad suffered and was now
suffering great torture. He was an innocent man, and did not deaerve
this treatment. Ile should have wished the circumstances to have
been inquired into in a private manner. He had no friends to Job-
atantiate the charge he had against I.ord fahnersten. lie was him-
self descended of a good family. and he had secret motives which
induced him not to explaM en the present occasion.
Mr. Justice Bayley..a-Have you any thing more to say ?
The Prisoner.—Why should I be crucified in this manner, when
the business might be settled at once ? I.knew I should not kill his
lordship by firing at him.
The witnesses on the part of the prisoner were then called, ankthe
ladies were requested to goout of l' aura
Francis Rogers Pasloe was a surgeon, and knew the prisoner when
he lived at Pimlico in la LC, and was called up to visit hint. Witnesa
proceeded to examine him and t'ound that he had committed a dread-
WI mutilation Oft a part of his hady with:. razor. He was the. de-
cidedly insane.
S. Maud, who lived at Pimlico. proved, that in the month of Nov.
la IS. the prisoner lodged with him, having just arrived from abroad.
He haul no doubt from the very first day that the prisoner laboured
under a mental deningement. He sent witness to an optician's to
fetch a loadstonc which he had bought, he said, for 15s. When he
got to the ?hop, wit-cc.; feting to loadstoue came to five guineas.—
When the pri.t :ler hail got possession of the stone, he asked witnesa
if it would draw his hat oft' the table. The prisoner asked whether
the stone would draw the people through the wall. And wanted to
make stars with the loadstone, and :asked witness if it were possible.
pritoner. sent fora lawyer t.) draw up n ettacnicat to the Duke of
York, but the lawyer could make nothing of it. •
George Vicary lived at 53, Geor:ex-street. Chelsea. The pri4iner
lodged at his house, and came in April lb he remained there
untCl the present occurrence. NVitness thought he had something
particular on his mind. In general he was very civil. but Was at
times in a greatrage.
Mr. Box, a surgeon, considered the print= or. certain points in
an insane state of mind, and he had seen him almost every day.
The 11ev. Salisbury Cotton. the Ordinary of Newgate. had had
frequent oppertunities of seeing the prisoner, and believed that spun
certain palms he was insane.
Mr. Drown, the keeper of Newgate, proved that the priconer was
insane when he entered Nen-ate on the lath of April last.
The Jury having retired for about a quarter of an hour, returned a
verdict of—Not guilty, on the gt cund to insanity.
The prisoner, during the whole of the trial, which r =pied neatly
sic hours, conducted himself with great propriety and calmness.

MRS. F-Dwtx.—The public will hear, we doubt not, with
great pleasure, that the loss this lady has sustained, nearly
every dolt she possessed in the w0r1d..1,6001. ; thehard and
economical ravings of years of professional labour, is
likely to be in part reetoi ed to her. The Gentlemen of the
Stock Exchange, with a liberality that reflects nu them the
highest honour, have set on feat a subscription, which has
a ready received the signatures of the mastrespectable and
opulent of their members. This lady's case is particularly
distressing, and one is which almost all must feel at least
some interest. Considering the honour of Mr. Samuel• as a
Stuck Broker sacred, her agony cn hearing of his conduct
may be easier conceived than described ; more particularly
as he hail taken her all ; which had. been entrusted to him fur
the honourable purpose of huvine an annuity for three lives
—per's, an uncle and au aged mother, both isC whom she hail
long supported comfortably, and herself, when aim should
find it necessary to retire from a profession of which she had
always been cousidt red a bright in minima.
Wednesday a meeting of the propri•rtors of Drury Lane
Theatre was Leld in the Saloon, for tho purpose of electing
an Auditor in the room of Colonel Douglas.--Mr. George
Robins was put in sanninatiou by Mr—Wright, atid Mr. Al•
demean Cox by Mr. Peter Moore. After some desultory con-
versation a ballot took place, the result of which was, for
Mr. Alderman Coa, tei.—Mr. G. Robins, Vs.—Majority, for
Mr. A. Cux, 8. Ilium which he was declared duly elected.
Allusions were made to the secrecy in which the affairs of
the 'hedge were kept Irons the body of proprietors, had ex-
plenatious were called fur by the.lfun.Doirelas.Kiimairtl; Mr.
Robins, and others. The patties were manly balaneee. and
it is obliges; that a full disclosure .sit• the cii eumstancee of the
theatre must he made at thekeeeral Meeting under the Act
in August next, but it was coutended that during the 1643011
such disclosure would be premature.
It was generally expected Otto a proposition would have
been discit.•sed for lowering the prier of 411111111011 to tile
i.OXeS, a measure loudly called for by the public, and which,
it is believed, would be truly nth antageues to both theatres.
No such quest inn, however. was started.
The family of a genteman of great wiped:linty in Mortimer.
street, have been within these few days rendered extremely unhappy
by the attempt of one of its jeeenile members to commit suicide
The untbrtunate individual is al:al about ll', who for some months
past has them, symptoms of mental derangement. On his staying
from the breakfast table some time beyond his hour. a person was
sent to his chamber to call him, rill to his great surprise round him
in a stupor apparently labouring ender the effects of poison. A our.
Been of eminence was called in, who administered a ening emetic,
which had the ;Mixt of bringiug up part of the contents of the sto-
mach. The tintlirtitatite young gentleman still lies in a very preca.
dons state, but hopes are entertained of his final recovery.
A few days ago an inquest was keld at the Macke otth Arms.
Commercial-mad. on the Feely of Susan Sucklim:, aged servant
to a lady iii Turner-strect ; who having disobliged her mistress. and
received notice to quit her situation. replied, that the never would go
to another ; and the sisrie Hight, after closing the street door. retired
to the parlour and cvt her throat, in which state she was Mend
by her mistress with a knife lying by her side.—Verdict, Died by
her own band, not being awspos meths at the time.
Tuesday night as Mr. Waller, of Westminster, was proceeding
along she New Cut, near the Cohourg theatro, he was stopped by
three stout fellows, who after severely beating him, tebbed Mitt of
31. in 134ak of England notes, and his waian.

POLICE.
MANSION-110USE.

The proprietor of the Old Swan Tavern, Fish-street-hill.
preferred a charge of felony against two surgeons. The
wife of tl►e prosecutor had, 'you retiring to rest, broke her
leg. Her husband (who hatl.gone to bed ito a state of inebrity)
rose, and obtained medical assistance. The two gentlemen
were called in, and one of them had occasion to retire.
Doming his absence a pocket-book, coutaining 1191 in notes.
it was soil. was missed. Tili* filet was allreed by the pros.--
(-odor, hut the Load Mayor thinking his evidence insufficient.
sent Mc. Wontoer to the Tavern, where the pithecutris.
declared that she had placed the pocket-book, containing the
money, upon a chair, close to her bedside, and that no
other ',emus hut the surgeons bad been in the room. After
an investigation of more than two hums, the defendants were
eonu ordered to appear on a future day. Tuesday the parties'
again at►euded,when4he solicitor of these gentlemen. Mess, S.
Crofts and Smith, of George-lane, Easteheap, stated to the
Lind Mayor, that some reparation was due to lois clients for
the unjust aspersion cast on their cl►aracters,aud desired Mr.
' Gazelce would cause an apology to be inserted in all the
public newspapers, and should pay ten guineas to the eitarity
school of the %Valli in which he resided. 11 a vomploanee
with these proposals was for a moment withheld, proceedings
woodd be immediately instituted a piust him. At the t
mendation of the Lord Maur, Gagelee acceded to the
proposed terms, and the matter ended. Mr. Gazele-t, in the
course of the invectigation, admitted that he aosit,l3 have
placed the pocket-book under his pillow previoas ro .nettiug
into bed, and that it must probably had slipped to the place is
which it was found.