The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-08-01 00:00:00

, •
lIUSSErs TRIAL & CONVICTION

Fut THI
MURDER OF MR. BIRD AND .
HIS HOUSEKEEPER AT GREENWICH.

[By Express.]

KENT ASSIZES.

aistrositoNE, FRIDAY WIGHT, JULY 31.
The intereat which this ea.e excited was so great,
that so rally its five o'clock in the morning. the
Court was needy filled by proems who were anxious
• in Ile i 1 rm.,11 at the trial. Among them were a
number .of fadliou.,ldly dressed Ladies.
At eight the Prtattlier, Homy. was put to.
the Ida • He was dreamed io lil.clt clothes, and his
general air corresi dad with his dress, Ile seem-
tit to li.teo with at g anxiety to the terms of the
while he was arraigned p but lie hr..
trared soothing like a want of &mural, nor did he
rimier the alighte4 rimming).
'rise Clerk of Arraigns read the indictment,
winch charged him with the murder of George
B:41 aad Mary Simmons; amid the Prisoner on
called upon for his tiler, in a loud and firm
toile of voice, and without the slightest appearance
of tremor. replied, " Not Guilty." He looked
around titan as if anxiously expecting to recognise
some a...gamuts:hers, and his manner was that of a
preset quite aware of the unfortunate situation-
in which 1w st.md, but at the some time per-
fect!y collected, firm, and undismayed. His
stye. smiler was that of a genteel, anti rather an
intelligent looking young maim—his complexion vs.
Misr lair, but with good dark eyes, he looked 'them.
lively at the Jury while each iudividual was sworn,
but leer ‘yell nothing like that conscious feeling of
gait whirl) in ordinary observer expects to find is
the drone simur of a mosii charged with so dreadful
a crone, wider all the imposing circumstances of
judicial I.lyestigation, and loaded with such au ac.
coin ion of circumstantial evidence, and the
eon s.~urnt wright of public opprobrium. He
aeem.-d, as might be naturally expected, ember-
raiswil, hip not iii any strong degree.
Mr. B:. kie ii, tier Solicitor for the Prosecution,
enterrti Court at an early hour, and, with the assist.
nee« of the sylvanite of the Court, placed on the
Lowe a 1 oi.d. Nioure wooden box, containing a very
complete model of the late Mr. Bird's premises, at
and also of the Greenwich Academy,
where Litton lived, mud of Mr. itchard Smith's
grminds, which adjoin the Greenwich Academy.
Nearly at the Pala,' time with Hussey, Richuret
Bete/tin was *wallop d, fur feloniously killisig and
slam till; limes Tray, at the house of Lady Barham,
at Troika,. w the county of Kent.
Tio• cvo,!..ce was very diffuse, but it resolved
it..-11. Pon the mere circumstance of a quart,' in
tbr +errant.' hall. The deceased challenged the
Ptisilitrf m light, mid they went nut, the Prisoner
er.iye.g a gip; with him, which happened to be in
lit, hand, at the itionient, with which lie gave the
loonier a sudden blow on the month, which threw
lints His the gro sssss I, by which Ins skull was hart used
hi. death eatitued. Both parties mete proved at the
woe t., have liven its al,,letzt atiXer.
Verdict-I,llliter if IliaNshiesgAter.--ptientenced
to a liar of Is. a.,41 II months' imprisonment.
Ai I Charles Hassey wan *gam pat to
the hut, aid hi, trial commenced.
Air. Peacsias read the dedication.
Mr. ti•• Firalit ONOLOW owed the case to the
Jim. antl in a speech of conaidenible length
tailed the whole wright of circumsnencial evidence
▪ the Prim:ewe., as it appeared in the following
rvide..ee, ..i.rl ',milord it with great force amid me
gri.siiiy to the laces of the case. The public are
already- aware of she circumstance. of ibis case. The
p.ew tarts deueiled by the Learned S-iitaist were,
that from the sap-mint of the Tier's, !lead where
II usually lodged at Greenwich, there was a
tin oct view of the roam at time opposite aide of the
mired w Alr. Bard's house, where he usually wrote
..e.l kept his money, and where he might °eat-
en...illy he seen arranging hie Batik motes. He
* id it would be shewn, that there was every limbo-
lahry of the murder hiving been consuiitted be.
tarn', eight amid
the 7,i, of February He described the mr-
compostices of the deceased's brother being in-
(!uctii, at one o'clock on the Sunday. on seeing the
%Helots closed at that hour. to get iu through the
bet k d,-or, *litre he found Mary Simmons lying
th. 1,1. with the appearance of tiering vomited, and
sort of mark nu the head winch usually de.
oh • a fracture. The late Mr. Bina was also
i‘l6l Iltar a table, which was overturned;
• .rein Pram the situation in which lie lay,
11:1 he had hern advancing towards the female Der-
who appeared to have gone towards the door.
also he said clear from the marks rime the
dr' persons, that the wounds were iudicted
:1 11,1-111 by an instrument like a hammer, Tie
`11,•% the time of the murder, it was only or-
't•-nn to state that a Mrs. Cooper, about eight
• saw Mary Simmons standiag at the
..r i.,1kluit to a strange mao, and also the late
llr• lard, ss if advancing near her. The de.
"'abed was also in the habit of supping at nista
• Prret•ele ; and his supper, which con-
j.. "Itd 1011,1,811 v tut haked potatoes, was found on
the Sunday untouched its the oven, tied the
Slippers placed where they generally were for him
to put of at supper time. The Learned Ser.
kohl stated the particulars of the suspicion
ILITIn fallen on Hussey, and the circumstance
°r its clothes being Ittistid bloody, and marks of
thßthisig an Instituters, and the lingo being found
meal imu.•hich were the property of the deceased.
Ile aka stated the confe.sien of Hussey, which had
leen reduced to writing by Mr. Bicknell. This
a:. otatemi nt that the Pri,,ther had found the
l
"1"14'. after with% a mats rpii tuff front hear the
'lilt %Own. it iii, That the time of the
h•liimrly and molder out. short, was perfe. tly
• dr, for on the f1..0r a Bank mite was
11"4: the plate in the parlour remonied un-
-I.°tiled, and therefore all that rensailool was for
No.wy lii account for lc. mos. racioto iwiweet. right
sit 4 ...ca•o .
sco au II„asII111.1sy Haw also
• "'VII "--y. in the pAst-entut the triter, that
" knew swami aLruut the matter ." If