The National Register.
London, England, 1822-06-02 00:00:00

OLD 'MILEY SES.SIO.4'S.

SATUR D AY. I'lA v 25.—Thomas Ramsey, Samuel Green-
wood, and John Bewer, were capitally indicted for
assaulting Thox. Stanghton, in the parish of St. Leonard,
Shoreditcb, and 'ebbing him of a watch, value 71., and a
gold seal.
Thomas Staughton stated, that OR the 15th May, about
eight o'clock in the evening, be was going through Long-
alley, Moorfields, in company with his wife, when he saw
a man standing at the end of Angel-alley, who stood still
till he tame up to hint, when be received a back-handed
blow act OSA the bridge of the more, and at the same time
his watch was snatched front his fob, and the guard-chain
was broken in several places. He pursued the thief down
Angel-alley, and was about to seize him, when three men
caught the witness, and said," What's the matter?"
NYS!, forced his way through them, and the thief escaped.
He had no doubt but that Ramsey was the very man who
robbed him. It was Greenwood who caught him by the
lady, and Bewer, he believed, was another of them. Ile
gave information to an officer, and next night be saw the
flu re prisoners in the wateh-house, and immediately knew
them to be the men. . _

The case (upon this evidence) went to the Jury, who,
after considerable hesitation, returned a verdict of Nut
Guilty as to all the prisoners.
Motions', NIAV 2i.—The Common Sereeant took his '
seat on the bench this morning, lot the first time since
his election.
Henry Snellgrove, aged 18, as principal, and Samuel
Deighton, Thos. Buck initialer, Joseph Smith, and Francis
Boyd, as riders and abettors, were put to the bar, charged
on the verdict of a coroner's inquest with killing and
slaying William Pratt.
Samuel Thompson, a beadle in Mile-end New Town,
said, be was at the fight on the 22,i of Arid last, and it
appeared to him to have been conducted very fairly.
William FIN (Hilmar, headborough, deposed to the sante
effect ; and four other witnesses were called, who eon-
tit inert the testimony of the above.
William Black, a surgeon, said he was called in a few
bourn before the death of the deceased, who was at the
time. in a state of insensibility. After his death, he opened
the head, and found an extravasation of the blood upon
the brain, which might have been occasioned either by a
blow or fall.
The prisoner Snellgrove, in his defence, said, that the
deceased bad sent him a challenge, which provoked him
to fight.
The Recorder, in snmnsing up, observed to the Jury,
that there did not appear to be aggravated circumstances
connected with the tight. The prisoner Snellgrcve,
ac-
cotding to the testimony of one witness, said, before the
tight—" lie loved Pratt as his own brother." There was
not a certainly that the deceased had come to his death
by the blows on that particular day, because the surgeon
said a fall on a previous day, viz as tench as three days
before the decease, might have occasioned his death.
With respect to the other prisoners, there was not suffi-
cient evidence to convict I hem. _

Verdicb—Suellgrove, Guilty. The other prisoners No'
Guilty.
TRIAL OF TIIE MAN UNKNOWN.
At five o'clock the Common Sergeant again took his
seat, and " the man unknown' was pill to the bar.
Mr. Clarke read the indictment, wbiclt charged " that
lie, a mast whose name to the Jurors is wholly unknown,
and who, being brought before the said J tam s in the cus-
tody of an offii er of his Majesty's gaol of Newente, did
wilfully schise to disclose Ida name, did publish a sedi-
tious and blasphemous Wird, Ste. tic."
Pi isoner.—l pleaded to that Iwo sessim s ago.
The Common Sergeant.—This imatut the same indict-
ment as was preferred two sessions ago. You have now
to plead guilty or not to this.
Ps isoner.—l am not guilty.
Mr. Chu ke.—Will you be gird now, or traverse ?
Pi isoner.—l will lie hied now.
When the Jury were about to be sworn, lie asked if any
of tleem were in the box two sessions ago, and being an-
swered iu the negative, the trial proceeded.
Mr. Adolphus then proceeded to read the indicted
passages, and concluded by calling upon the Jury to con-
sign (tic prisoner to the punishment o Well he 'limited.
The work was then read by the Clerk of the Court, and
the following witnesses were called :
Mr. Paine, the etc' k of the Justice Room, Guildhall,
proved that the pamphlet was put into his hands by Wm.
Smith, who obtained the warrant tit: the pa isoner'a appre-
hension.
William Smith proved purchasing the libel of the pri-
soner in Carlile's shop.
The prisoner, on being called on for his defence, read
it front a voluminous collection of papers which he held in
his Maul. lie began by requesting the indulgence of the
J ory, he being Indy a journeyman mechanic, and there-
foie, as they might suppose, an unlettered man. lie went
taa to justify the whole of the work which he was charged
vs him publishing, and boldly avowed a defiance of the law,
said he cared nut for punishment, and indulged in lan-
guage which called forth audible expressions of honor
and indignation.
The. Common Sergeant proceeded to charge the Jury,
and having read the several passages indicted, said, lie
telt i elf bound to state, that, iii his opinion, they could
not be regarded in any other view than as most libellous.
There was great difference of liptition as to what was, and
what was Out, libellous, and it was undoubtedly the pro-
vince of the Joey to decide finally upon the question. The
law of libel was not perhaps defined; it Wits not certainly
to be traced to city particular statute, bat it was a part of
tire comment law of the land, which existed for the pur-
pose oh giving protection to the pi opeo ty and the morals
of the community at tinge, mot if a man published any
thitig to the woo Id by which either was end:lnge' eil, be
was undoubtedly a tit object lot pens( clique' and punish-
ment. It was for the Jury to decide a briber the primmer
had, or had not, done so in this instance. With respect
to any difficulty which striblet have existed as to his name
being Unknown, that had been teuroved by his having
pleaded to the indictment its its present above. It was
with deep re gret he had heard the prisoner pursue the
line of defence o Melt lie had done, and the Jury would
judge whether he had dune tiniselt any service in it. In
some cases it happened that a Jury might be justified in
acquitting a man on the ground that he was the
the unwary, or the ignorant nest, nt of publication of
libels ; but this could not be togged here, for the prisoner
had, in his defence, boldly adopted the titiuciples and
k:agoage of the publication, and avowed them to be lie.
tr.ati z t Ifittri opted the. pi leaLtr in his deft:bee ,