The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-01-11 00:00:00

STEALING DEAD BODIES.

The practice of stealing dead bodies from their gravel,
has, we segrs I to state, extended to this part of the country.
There is reason to believe, that ibis mo.t horrible offence has
ln•ra committed to a considerable retro* in North Shields
and Tyssemoush clitirch-yard,and some others in that neigh-
bourhood. Suspicion having been excited, several graves
have beets opened and found robbed of the ►odies deposited
in them. The bodies, it is supposed, have been sent to
Edinburgh by the coaches and waggons. ()a the *9th ult.
• box was brought by the driver of one of the gigs which
run between Nord, Shields and this town, to Mr. Anderson's,
the whartiager, in Pilgrim. •t, to b• forwarikd to Edin-
burgh. It was directed (or a Mr. Dickman, to he Lit at a
philosophical oistrument maker's., fu Edinburgh. Several
hoer, of • s.milar dem riptitin having lately come to Mr. An-
to be sent to Edinburgh, created • suspicion in the
mind of one of Mr. Andereon's clerks that there was some.
thing improper concealed in them, lie therefore opened this
box the day following, upon .hick it a•as found to contain
the body of a "woman, apparently from sixty to eighty year,
of •e. None of Mr. Anderson's clerks, who were present
when the body cause, knew the gig man who brought the
bunt or the Mill alai accompanied him. A Coroner's. Inquest
was heist on Friday, when the Jury returned a verdict—
" Thai nu marks of violence •ppeated on the body, but
when mid where the deceased died, the Jury were unable to
my." The body was afterwards decently Interred in All Saints'
chereb•yard. l'he box in which it was contained was a sea-
nosn's chest, tied down with a tarry rope. It was brought
to the gig at the Bull-ring, North Shields, having been land.
ad there from a bost,—;Nesseruf fa Chronicle.)

EDIA
MGR COURT OP JUSTICIARY.

On Monday, previnus to the trial of Reynolds
and 111•Ghie, the Logo ADeocaTit eddrestied the
Court at considerable length, relative to an article
which had appeared in * periodical paper, publish-
ed in Glasgow, called 4, The Spirit of the Union."
commenting on the proceedisigs
.of the Court in
the case of Nit. Kieloch, of Kinloch. The article
was in a number dated the 25th day of December
la-t, end be Palm-lilted that it cosstaioed a gross
contempt to this High Court, and illilieral
attack on the characters of the Judges. Ills Loid-
ship stated, that most unfair amd incorrect state-
ments had been made in moose of the public prints,
to impress upon the minds of the people, that
juries were packed by the Sheriffs of the different
counties. Nothing could be more Glee and ground-
less; the list of jurymen were furoiaiied by the
high constables, and also regularly required from
the counties of Linlithgow and Heddieglosi; tlwy
were thee put open a roll, which was put into the
heeds of the Clerk of Court, and he could appeal
to the gentleman of he was not the person who
struck the jury, by taking 45 after 45, until they
*rived in rotation, and ior place of bring cited by
the Sheriff's officers, were cited by a mace, of their
Lordship?' Court. His Lordship then proceeded
to read and cumoirtit upon the arlijsetiou,blo tie*.
seges 10 the number of the paper alluded to, sad
put in a ave. moving the Court to grant a war.
rent to co,- ;tarty of the names of Gilbert
11`Leoal, William Carer, amid Hugh Nl•Ktudrick,
'winters in Glasgow, to appease at the bar of the
Court, to answer fur this contempt of Court. His
Loralahet stated. that he hail slouched the reeardis
for precedeutu, and found atwo—owe in the year
1765. in the well-known cave of Catherine Nome
and Captain Ogtivy, who had litre tried fur tamest
mud murder, *liege die Court called to 116 e bar the
propti-sors of sr vend Edniburgh isewspopers; end
in a more modern isear, of Mr. Juliswton, proprietor
of The I.:ditcher/A Gazetteer, for ob-etvistiosis of a
contemptuous nature mole by rim ii. his nalnlcr.
upon the trial of three men fur •edit tots. Ills
ship stated. that the three persona he had mooed,
he had good reason 10 believe, were the proprietors
and publishers of the newspaper, celled The Spiral
if the Union." Toe Court, alter s irate &Idlers.
t , an order. that they should he cited to
appear at the bar of the (7041,1 on Saturday next.
The persons 'above alluded to, viz.—Gilbert
NPLeod, IVIIIIIII/1 Curse, arid Hugh Nl•Keildrick,
editor. ',rioter, sod isressvissass, were on Mosiday op.
preltei ded at Glasgow, on a cliarge of publishing
libellous seal a.dition. matter, red all their papers
seized by a warrant from tier Sheriff of Letiorkslaire,
Tuesday came on the trim of Henry Kerr mid
Alexander Fraser, from P. rile charged with sea
'reunite acts oh househreakaig •mil theft. The
Priarmers pled (Mill, to three of the charger. The
LORD Aoyocira departed from the other three,
sod resiricted the libel to au arbitrary punishment.
Lord Pint:Let% addres.ing the Court, lenient-
ed the frequent and almost daily uecurreiice amines
of this native, and in such a state of society, eon-
crived dist their Lerdships would only be doing
their duty to the public were they to v sit the caul-
mi„„i„„ of these crime, wish the most severe pu-
nishment. As his Majesty's Advecate, from cir-
cumstances attending this raw. hod deemed it
proper to restrict the libel, yet his Lordship
eumi-
dered that the highest arbitrary painishmeist ought
to he inflicted, to deter other. from committing
similar offences. and proposed that the Meunier'
should he transported hermit sees for life.
Lord NIEADOWDANK concurred in the sums °vi-
sion.

The LORD JUSTICE. Cteux ■dd,rs.rd the Pei%
and pointed out io than the very narrow
escape they had finm r.,iguounisious death, fur had
the charger been proved ou it hith they were brought
to the bar, Ins Lordship assured than they would
have received the highest punishment of the law.--
Ma Latish''', in a feelitig coroner, motivated them
a% to thrir future conduct, and trusted dirt this
day's proceeding% would have the most ►alutary
cowaquei:ires ou their bthavtour through life.
The NI-otters, who are young lads from 16 to 111
years of age, were then .ri.tenved In be transported
beyond brae for life, with the usual certification.