The National Register.
London, England, 1817-08-04 00:00:00

VIA NATTONAL REGISTER.

the little sufferer ; threatens to, blow hint up the clilmnev
with gunpowder (and here we have malice prepense proved
by his own words), and ends by fastening a rope to the
pair creature's lezal by means of which lie dislocates his
neck and too:lmes instant death ! This is called by the
Scotch Jury " Colrnble Hatoicide," and the monster who
commits it escapes whin fourteen years transportation. Now
by the Scots law writers it appears that to constitute culpa•
ble homicide, there moist be a previous combat, carried on,
at least, if not commenced by mutual consent, during which
a blow is given which terminates tlrtul:y. We cannot con-
ceive, therefore, upon what principle the verdict wascouched
in the terms Culpable lionlicidiv," unless there is some part
of the evidence (favourable to the prisoner) suppressed in
the report o hieli 114,4 reached us.
littilt COURT OF JUSVICIARN, Jct.! el.

This day en= on the trial of JoSeph Rae and Robert Reid.
chininey.sweepas, charged with the murder of J. Fraser alias
Thompson, a boy 1 t years of age, an apprentice of the seid Joseph
Rae; the indictment also contained a charge that the Paid J. Rae did
previously evince deadly malice and ill-will against the said John
4aser alias Thompson, by map-treating him and using him harsl lv
on different occasions. The lord Adeucate put off the trial of Reid,
and he was committed upon a new warrant, and he is to be tried in
September next.
Janus Thompson, chimney-sweeper, said, one day in the begin
ing of June witness and pannel had been sweeping Tents toge-
ther. Ab it:: four o'clock. in the afternoon, die panel proposed to
go to Albany-greet, where the pannel's brother was cleaning a vent.
with the assistance of blcaaa, whom he had borrowed from the pan-
net. for the o, erasion. %When stews and pelmet gat in the houae
Albuiv-street, they found Fraser who had gone up the vent
between eleven and twelve o'clock, not yet some down: On entwine
the house they found a mason making a hole in the wan. Panne!
said, what WWI he doing ? I suppose he was taking a lazy fit. The
pannol called to the boy, " what are you doing ;—what's keeping
you ?" 'lke boy answered that he amid not come. The panne'
warkod a loag wade. sometimes persuading him, sometimes threat-
enin • and swearing at the boy to get hint down. Panne' then Paid,
I will go to a haol ware shop and get a barrel of gunpowder, and blow
yen and the vent to the devil, if you do not conic down. l'annel
then began to slap at the wall.—M'itnem then went up a ladder and
spoke to the boy through a small hole in the wall previously made by
the mason—but the boy did not answer. Pound's brother told
witness to come down, as the boy's master knew beet how to mintage
him. The witness then threw oft his jacket, and put a handker•
chief about his head', and sahl to the pannel, let me go up the
chimney to see what's ketming him. The pannel made no answer,.
hut pushed wimess away front the chimney, and continues' bullying
the boy. At this time the pannel *AS standing on the grate, so that
witless could not go up the chimney ; witness then said to panniers
brother, there is no use for me here, meaning that pannel would not
pennit him to use his services. He prevented the mason n•aking
the hole lwger, saying stop :and I'll bring him down in five minutes
time. Witness then pin on his jacket, and continued an hour in the
room, during which time the pannel continual bullying the boy.
Pannel then desired witness to go to Reid's house. to get the loan
of his boy Alison. Witness went to Herd's house, and asked Reid
to come and speak to pannel's brother. Reid asked if panne' was
there. Witness answered he was ; Reid said he would send his boy
to the panne', but not to the tanners brother ; witness and Reid
went to Albeny-street ; and alien they got into the room, Pannel
honk his head out of the climney, and asked Reid if he would lend
him his boy; Reid agreed; witness then returned to Reid's house
for his boy, sal Reid called after hint, " fetch down a set of ropes
with you. by this time witness had been ten minutes in the room,
during which time pannel was-swearing, and asking what's keeping.
you, you steundrela when witness returned with the boy and nipes,
Reed took hold of the tope. having loosed it, gave Alison one end
and directed him to go up the chimney. saying do not go farther than
his feet, and when you get there fasten it to his foot. Panne] saki
nothing all this time. Alison went tip, and heviag fastened the rope.
Reid desired hint to come down ; Reid took the rope and pulled, but
did not bring down the boy : the rope broke ; Alison was sent IT
again with the other end of the rope, which was fastened to the boy s
foot : when Reid was pulling the rope, pannel said, " you have net
the strength of a cat," pulling as hard as he could. Having pulled
about a quarter of an hour, pannel and Reid fastened the rope round
a crow bar, which they appliep to the wall as a lever, and botn pulled
with all their strength for about a quarter of an hour longer, when
it broke. During this time witness heard the boy ay, and say,
"My God Almighty !" l'annel said, "if I had you here I would
Cost 'Almighty you." Witness thought the cries were in agony.
The imager of the house brought a new piece of rope, and the
pannel's spliced an eye in it. Reid (amused a wish to have it fastened
to both thighs to have greater purchase. Alison was sent up for this
purpose, but came down and said he could not gait fastened. Pan-
ne' then began to slap at the wall ; after striking a long while at the
wall, he got out a large stone ; he then pit hie head, and called to
Frazer—Do you hear, you sir; but got no answer : he then pit in
his hands, and threw clown- deceased's breeches. He then came
down from the ladder. At this time the pannel was in a state of
perspiration • he sat down on a stool, and the master of the house
gave him a dram. Vs imess did not hear panne' make any remarks
as to the situation of the boy Fraser. Witness thinks, that, from
pannel's appeasance, he knew the boy was dead. Reid's wife came
to get her husband away to a job, and the pannel went with him.
This was between six and seven o'clock. Fanners brother enlarged
the hole, but still could not get in. Witness then went in with
difficulty. Ile }Mind Frazer lying on his belly, with his hands
stretched above his head. He WU lying at a turn in the vent, and
his head jammed at the head of the turn; had a towel about the
head, and a shirt round his neck. Witness tore off the shirt bit by
bit, and threw it on the floor; then brought down the bey; there
was a little heat in the budy....got spirits and washed the boy's temples,
but in vain.—Witness went for lir. Poole, who came and applied a
hello-es bit in vein. NVitnes.s knew the deceased twelve months
past in .May— used to come to witness's house. Witness always
gave him a piece or a halfpenny—boy complained that his master
used to starve him, strike him, and toe him badly. Witncas stopped
in prisoner's house for some time in May. tal6. One Saturday night
heard Fennel's wife say, you are done Dow ; where's your ladder
and materials?—away ; whereupon he made the deceased strip him-
self—boy applies' to witness to save hint. Witness asked panne'
to forgive him—pannel said, if it were Cod Almighty himself speak-
ing from the !havens, lie would not forgive him. The Foy was told
to strip himself perfectly raked, patina beat him on the back with
the single end of the sweep's ropes, apparently with all his strength.
The boy cried much ; about ten o'clock at right, the pannel took the
boy to a back room, and made him go naked sty and down a chimney
till one o'clock on Sunday morning. Pannel afterwards acknow-
ledged that the ladders and materials were in the house all the time;
boy was a fine boy ; witness has stuck in a vent himself, but never
saw ropes used; did not remonstrate, because boy's master was the
principal. The mason said that panne] was killing the boy, and that
be could get him out, but was hindtred by the panne'. Witness
thinks that the expressions used by the pannel to the boy while in
the vent were from revenge • pannel seemed in anger at the buy ;
did not hear deceased speak after panne" bad left the house.
James Stalker, publican and grocer. in Albany-street. in most
respects corm:a:gated the preceding witness. He stated, that before
pannel left the house, he (witness) said to him, Sir, you have killed
hint ; end either Reid or panne' said it was not the case—it was the
buy's cunningness. Witness aktin said, he might depend upon it
lie had killol him; pannel said it was not the case—he would not
wonder if he were in a feint. _

.....
John Cameron and James Steel, porters, also corroborated the
statements of the precedihg witess.
Thornag Marwood lived in ;winners homy along with deceased ;
saw paned tie deceased to a chest, gal, his nomth with a stick, and
beat him with mix"' till th • blood came, and then put saltpetre on
him ; has ►een pannel make deceased rat the vilest offal.

The Lord Chief Justice Clerk having summed up the widens
at concder-ble longth, the Jury retired for about half an l.rour, anl
returned a verdict, finding by i:llurality of voiors the panne! voilty re
culpable homicide. The Lord Chid Justine then adtire,e .1-
the prisoner, and told him that his case eproaelod t!.c. nosirbt '9
murder of any casein which a culpable bomielee be:n retione.i,
and the panne! was sentenced to be transported for the period of
fourteen years!!

Samuel Hall,sa chimney-sweeper, was brought rip for trial
at our Sessions, and pleaded Guilty. It appeared that he
had so ill-treated his little boy, only five years of age, whorrt
he employed in his business, that the little creature's back had
been completely lacerated. A leathern strap of many thongs
was produced in Court, which was the instrument of his bar-
barity, and be the frequeat use of nhich the child had be-
come so terrified, that he chose to remain in a chimney nearly
two hours, lather than come down within hi, reach. This
eiremnAtance, which happened in May last, induced the Ma-
gistrates to hold him to ; bat being ramcde to procurer
sureties, he had been in prison ever since. Although, as we
have stated, he pleaded guilty to the charges agaisst him, he
continued throughout the explanation eequired by the Court
to deny having ever ill used the child! but its start of horror,
and its tears, on being placed in, sight of him, spoke a lan-
gict;:e net to be repelled by his assrrtions. Re,peetahle evi-
&nee was had to the facts charged -and the cnlprit was sent
again to prison, and to hard labour, for lour mouths.

SURE EX SLSRIOXIL--Jarnes Woods f.r stealing a trunk.
containing a quantity of children's elothes and lin.-u, the tire.
I" rts of sfr. Palaser, a harness maker in Bermondsey •strect,
during the melancholy eonflagration at the hnese of Mr.
[thick, oil-man opposite Bermondsey Cherch, in which that
unfortunate geieleman, his wife, slid infant perished, eat
sent' tired to seven years transportation.
EXPLOSION or (ha AT THE CUSTOM —4 part of
the pipes being laid down, and the 'myriad preparatinus hiring
otherwise incomplete, the risers oir emir:Mime the siphons.
for pre% entir: communication were not Ii led with water, as
iurrrded; and in this situal some gas had escaped which
had heen turned on in the main pipes. An acennntl.htutt was
thus farmed in the cavities under the lauding of the stunt.,
mixed with such a portion of atmostplieric air as to render it
explosive; a person (without being direeted) officiously
opened a re-ervoir to examine it, with a lighted candle,
and ignited the vapour, which exploded with notch 103 cc.
Several large stones forming the landing place, and some
steps w errrent and forced, but without daing any material
damage; atillthe person who occasioned the accident, toge-
ther with several. others who happened to be near, rereived
no hurt. cc children in particular, who were tilitylag OY
a stone step which was rent into three pieces, escaped with-
wit the slightest injury.
Miami! Navu.—An important official dornment
has appealed in the shape of proposals and regulations rela-
tive to the Navy, made Isy the Board of Admiralty, and
sanctiotted by an (h der of Commit. After going at great
length iNto what may lie termed the neimait of theaervice,'
teen. is a reform effected which :mist give every Englishman
satisMetion. After elecidating the accidental causes which - ,
have introdimed the esivtihy anomaly of retitle ships at
certain number of gnus, while their real rotnplement ex"
recited that norninaranumint, the Board, with a just and pa-
ttiotic t'eclitte, makes the following observatein :S=" We
blast we shall be esensed for observing to your Royal High-
ties', that it is wholly mtworthy the thermion of the Royal
Navy of this kingdom, tumaintaln this system, is Met, though
introduced without any design of deceptian, yet may give
eecasitin to foreign nations to accuse as of misrept tie station,
whew we state that a British frigate of aft guns has taken a
foreign frigate of 44; when, in fart, the British frigate was
of equal, if net superior Mire." It 'Monk' be remembers
that though this practice with respect to ns, move hum the
lapse of time, and the change of circumstances, it was prac-
tised against us 115 the americans, in a late war. as paltry de-
ception. A proof' of this appears in the document now be-
fore the public.-.-It is therefore officially stated, that the
American ship President had 33 ,tuns mounted on the day of
her capture, though she was rated at only 44. In the British
Navy this practice will no longer contionte ; for it. is tow or-
dered that the rule which prevailed pi ior, to 174;3, shall be
revived, and in future all his Majesty's ships will be rated
at the number of guns and carromsdes which they acutely
carry on their decks, quarter-deck, and forecastles. We
sincerely rejoice in this regulation; fur the Navy of England
stands upon a basis too broad and unassailable, to require the
aid of any little evasive tricks; she can never want them 39
le:Mations for defeat, and she should disdain them as biota
which tarnish her conquests.
--•

WILSON THE PEDESTRIAN.-... 011 Saturday last, within 5f
minutes of twelve, p. m. ikon fully arcomplished his ar-
duous attempt to walk one thousand miles in eieliti en days
( the intervening Sundays excepted t, at Mr. Tiaker's Gardens
Cully Mast, Manchester Towards the close of liis task lie
was very much annoyed by the pressure of the crowd. and but
fur the kind and determined Interference of Mr. Audits, n r
worthy deputy constable, in the veteran's behalf, Ins Cloth
would have been frnstrated with surreys infant view.
MR. SA DLVIt'S DESCS NT.--Mr. Svilkr's descent was in
corn field, within a mile and• half of Holyhead, at a pier,
called Purthydufuch, where be found several people who,
readily afforded diets- assistance to secure the baloon, white
lie disengaged himself front it, and who afterwards remiss eft
it to Holyhead. It seems that, in a very short time after
his departure from Ireland, the breeze which at first tick hoe
forward rapidly, lust a great deal of its vigour, and the ve-
locity of his motion was consequeutly,cousideisldy diminish-
ed. A favourable change, howeser, gave the hallows a fresh
impulse, and it mole the part of the voyage .ery ezped tin a•
ly. Had the wind held up fa•ontably, as on his first iiSCend-
inr, Mr. Sadler would base reached his destination: in less
than lialftlio time that his trip actually occopird. !hiring his
voyage lie felt the vicissitudes of heat and cold at the same mo„
mein. The son was at one time inconveiiii 'illy hot, and af.
feeted every part of Mr. Sadler but his feet, which writ' ex-
cessively cold, and, required some additional cosei ing to re-
store circulation. During his voyage he encountered a snow
shower, which was traesloonted to ruin before it reached the
earth. He passed perpemlicidaily over, and saw very dis-
tinctly, the packet e.birf. hailed ti out Huh head.

1....tn5• Anna Mt it n A v.- - This bent.% oleht t Irt;-ae ter 'Tward.
ed the fidelity of her SVIV:Illt?. in the must Woe; al utaintei, as
the followiiic statement of brquest• will sheer;—
To her housekeeper. who hal I.s.en nearls 35 year, in her service,
she has gs.rctl 3,5001. mid her wanlrobe ; to her butki, who had b..tt
24 y.ar4, 1 ; to her cook, v. lio had been 17 years, ;001. ; to her
latindr.ss, who hod het n II years. ; to her two housenta;...s,
one of whom had been IS and the other 9 years in her service. 6110 L
each ; and to her footman, who had bean 9 years, 6001. •1:. resi-
due of her Ladyship's property devolves on George Finch Hatton,
Esq. of Los:well l ark, in holt, who married Oct neice, and 7etidp
is app doted wle exelitor.