The National Register.
London, England, 1819-05-03 00:00:00

111 EL A A'D.

COMMON PLEAS, V.'coviesoAy, APRIL 21.
SEDUCTION.
BIRCH V. MEttIiDYVH.

This ease, which elicited a very lively interest, came on
to be tried yesterday, before Lord Norbury, and a most
respectable special Jury ; Alderman %est, foreman.
Mr. Burrows, in a must pathetic address, laid the plain-
tiff's I nse berme the Jury , and Nit. G. ally replied on behalf
of the defendant. Thee was but one witness, called Sarah
Birch, daughter to the pinintilf, mid the object of the ai Lion,
a very pretty interesting girl, of 19 yews ofage. and
apparently extremely faiscinwing in her manners and address.
she underwent a long rind minute investigation. The fol.
lowing is a sketch of the lend n 4 farts of the case t—
_

The plain' tlf •as the praprirtoo of an hotrl in the srmoll
town o:f lirmidstairs. in I..tigland, within ha;l n mile of
a hit h his coil; hter &Slab resided, at toe home tit Ler wild,
a re...pert:dole lads; she had tato bistros older than kert•elf,
one of odium had hems married to a gentleman of (whine,
the other to a captain of the navy. 111 the month of August,
11415, the olsft•ndant, M r. Mc red) th, a pmag truth gentlosuan.
under age, ahu bad lately brow'', by the death of his
father, the owner of an estate of 4 or 5,0001. n yeurtarrived
lit the tolaintdrs hotel its ar baron/elm and four, acid loosinz
sta.' the rlaintiff's daughter, then but 13 years old, at her

MAY.

father's, where she tonictaaes went of inessagcs fur her aunt,
toil bring duck with her personal attraction., he WWII
rirerte.i nu Illquantatoce ail!) her. After a few iiderviews,
lie contrived oue evening to induce her it, take a drive in his
barouche, but she flailing he was taking advantage of I er
esti eine pitith and inexpoienee, alien he had driven Ice
about the distance of tan miles, got alarmed, and asked him
where he was taking her to. lle gave her an evasive nn-
aver; ; retie. ed promises of marriage he had made to her
before, and continued clris ing on until they arrived, at I 1
o'clock at nik•ht, at a town about 30 miles f firondstairs,
here they alighted; and after supping they retired to their
respective mums. While the young lady, howeser, was in
the act of lacking her dour, the defendant made his way in,
and in de-",:::e 0 lrr remonstrancet, ff.'"Ti".••l :te run f.f
his unfortunate victim. After taking her to different places
In I:nglaud, they went to London, and Hipped at Bates
hutel, Dover-street, where they were pursued by her brother,
who, however. did not succeed either in woman', his sister
from bcr seducer, or obtaining satisfaction for the injury he
bad done ha family. The defendant made his prof, gee dis-
guise herself in the dress of a housemaid, and contr.ved
to avoid being taken up by the police office's, who
were brought toe that purpose by her brother. Pe then
came over to Ireland, and after stopping at one or two
races for a short time, be took a house fur her at Itanelagh,
where she was confined in July, 1616, of a boy, who %as
called after his father, Joshua Paul Newels th. Hitherto.
and for some time longer, the defendant treated her with
kiadoess, although of a very jealous disposition; so much
so, that fur sixteen months she was in that house, the was
never permitted to cross the threshold. In August, 1817, he
drew a kind of wilt, hi the shape of a letter. mist rably ill
written and spelt, in a hich he mentioned her with great
affection, and settled as h s disposable property on her and
his child, whom he confided to bee guardianship. However,
his affection at length shared, and his conduct towards her
(flanged; and she staled that be even heat her cruelly. Ile
seat a fiiend of his to tell her, at list, that he must pact with
her, as he was going to get married, and had therefore taken
lodgings in wail for her, her child, and a couple of sec tants.
and would settle an annuity of 2001. n year upon her, and
give her a sum of money in hand. His promise, however.
hedid not think 6t to perform, and she removed to her new
abode with no more than r. in her pocket. Here she re-
mained fur several manias, w ithnut his even coming near her
or giving her any money for her support; except on oue
occasion that she vent to him at an hotel,. in Capri-street,
when he gave her a pound note; ■od on another, after as
integral of some weeks, w hen he gave her 21. She was cos-
seqoends compelled to pawn her csatch, teals, pelisse, and
several other a. tides, even to her child's froi ks, to enable
her to promise the means of subsistence. The witness, in
stating this, pulled the duplicates nut of her purse, at which
the leagued n. mantel a ha was examissiug I.er ( Mr. Gould) was
so much affected as to be unable to refrain from shedding
tears. As for the wretched girl herself, the as direient pe-
riods of her examination wept billet ly ; and indeed every
body iu court appeared deeply to deplore the fatal indis-
cretion that had reduced the lovely young Creature to such
premature misery.

la charging the jury, the nobl: Judge, after deprecating
the conduct of " the spoiler who I oald first rub the ruse of
all its an erts,und then fling it, Ike a loathsome we. it, away,"
asked, whit must he the feelings of the parents at losing
such a child, whose education, it was plan from lieu t-
alent, was far limn having been neglected, even at the
lender age at which she had fallen. His Lordship Voss so
overpowered by his feelings, that hr was obligi d to stop and
weep far several n mutes before he could proceed. He con-
cluded by cautioning the jury against suffering themselves to
be led assay by their feeiings as ha had Iv, en by his t at the
alias' time to mark their seise of the dries dimes conduct,
by uwardine such damages as would show, that crimes of
this nature were not to pass unpunished. Verdict-2,0004
dutusig,m.

There is as great a Frospect of au abundant crop of
apples this year as there was the last in the cider minutes.
The sprint is throimhout the kingdom extremely for-
ward, and the lice of the country has a vernal and most
cheering appearance.

OLD BAILEY SESSIONS.

MONDAY. AriuL.ll6.

Thomas Jeffcott was arraigned on a similar charge
to that of n hick he wee acquitted on Satnr•lay, vis.charging
M him with has g, en the 14th of September last. stolen out
of a leiter, w hid' had come into his porser.ion by vino, of
his Fitaalion at the Genets, Yuri-OtEce, a lot. Rank of
England note, that had on th3t day been rend by Mr.. 11.21,
sy. rending in Le iceoer-square, to a gentleman living at
Little Stoneham. Siittollh. .

. -
Mr. William Tassy was the first witness called, and be
slated, that on the bib Sept last he sent a 10t. Bank note
to the Rev. Janice Riche's! Vernon, at Mr. Goni
Little Stoneham, Suffolk. This Cute was enclosed in a
letter, and lied been obtained from Mr. Wriglit's banking
house, in Henrietta-street. 'fists addles+ was written upon
t, thus—" Hemiestm.street, W.T." The aminher
of the note was 3,548. (The Basil-note was then banded
in by the witness.) The letter, In ino sealed and slit ected,
sync sent to the Pust•oflire by his set vent, liens y Lang.
lientv Lang, sr' vant to the last whin ss, ItlOVed that he
took a letter uss the lOili of September for Isis wester to
Ilse rceiving• hosts,. in l'since'..stseet, Ltirester.sqnate.
Mr. Tessy recalled, stated that Iwo or three days after
the letter was sent he received intelligence that the lette►
had %ever as s ived. _ _ .

he emu Wl' the proseentlon brine eloped, the prisoner
save in a written defence, which was the same u that
whirl, he delivered on Saturday.
'I he whole of the plate taken from the prisoner's lodg.
togs us. product d, and counted over piece by piece, b 7
Adkins, the officer. The prisoner's landlady was called,
who proved that he was a very regular young man. He
was always very rueful of his plate, 111141 generally cleaned
it himself.
A stivervmith, who bad known the prisoner fur IS or 15
year., upon lulling over the plate, said, that the ni w prti e
would not amount to more than OW. and the 0:11 price
would rtduee it to 60L

MAY S.

,
Mr. Tipp,•n, yzwriler, th..: of t:,4 ire S j....,-
dneed lie had made far huo 16 31.,11S agth There were
eight or trine other rings pi °dared, ;owe of them were
worth three guineas and two guineas a piece; altogether
%oriel about 151.

Several ino..t respectable witnesses were called, who
gave the pii,liner a most excellent character. Most of
them had known the prisoner fur 10, 11,12, and 20 yea, +.
He bore the character of a most honest and houuurablc
man. _ _ _

Mr. „Titmice Park then maimed up thr evidence.
The jut y, atter a short deliLeration, found the prisoner
Guilty.
As soon as the sentence was pronounced. and while the
prisoner remained at the bar to know whether lie was to
be tried upon any of the other indictment:, a most dig-
graceful accuse was exhibited. The plate and jewellery
belonging to the prisoner still remained ex pnaed its open
court. The Under• Sheriff then applied to the Judge fur
'kin order to the Sheriff to take the plate.
Mr. Justice Park.-1 shall give nu order; let it be taken
out of court.

A most disgusting scramble (for we can call it by no
other tern') ensued. Adkins, the police-otficer, oil the one
hand, was moil active in collecting the pieces of plate,
while the sheriff's officers, on the other, were all
their fn e.• to pi event this seizure. In the midst of the
Adkins addressed himself to the bench, end re-
quested tile iuterierruce of Mr. Justice Park in his behalf.
The leartic,l jufl4r, however, repeated that he would give
no order a liont it. Adkins at leligill succeeded 111 eollectin2
the g, eatcr p.ut or the plate, with which be made off,
*sing a7l a.isaginable speed through the barrister's dour.
By this means he got away tuna Isis persecutors, and we
believe was aot afterwards to be found by the sbetitt's
other's.