The National Register.
London, England, 1822-01-27 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER

MounaY, ssiun3 commented this
morning, in the O'd Bailey, in pursuance of public notice.
The Grand Jury having been spurn,
Lord Stowell addressed them upoil the nature of their
duties. The Grand Jury then retried to their room, and
return* d into Coati at elevt n o'clock, and by their Foreman
iittlitiUtiCed.that they had found a true bill against Charles
Bennett, fur n rape on the body of Jane Newman, un the
logo teas.
The pri.oner, w Ito is n being
honking young man, was then
put to the bar, and, on being to aigoed, pleaded, " Not
Guilty."
The Jury being shorn, the inilietnit at was lead. The
offence w..s clizia Laid to have built committed on the 3d of
June, on board his Majesty's slop :Forfar, within 300 kusues
tit Siena Leone, on thi• coast of Alt Ica.
The prusecutriv, a ho is a o ouidu of respectable appear-
once, was then calleil. It appeared float het evident e, tat
she oas on Wood the Tartar, on tier voyage to Sierra Leonhe,
on the 3d of June.—tier husband was putter's steward,
and the prisoner was lob-lolly boy, and did the dirty work
tomer the doctor's males It was the duty of the piitutier
iicensionally to come to her husband's bit th for things which
were wanted. She had no other intimacy with hints On
the night in question she Bent to bed nt nine o'clock. Her
husband %cot is it It her. lei the ClitllSC of the night her hus-
band went on deck : he tet t nut well. lie left her nhine
the ha mimic k, a hick was eoclosed by a screen or curtain.—
She fell iSFlceti, but was no mkened by the shake of the ham-
mock. Site " Neu 9. an, it that you ?" but 'voiced no
answer. Her husbaiiii beiog veal) deal, she that not surprised
twat he slit slut LIMN er. She then turned on her left side,
and tv as going to sleep. Sae felt a matt Cwt mut the hammock.
—At first lits feet were to her head; that %sits the way her
and het husband slept on account of the weather, mid to
give them ie town. The witness then described the vio-
l. err ts Inch hail been c 11l mit ted by the pi twiner, in defiance
tit her resistutice and cries. She immediately w
communicated to her husband %%hitt had oltarieil, and told
Sir George Collier, w Ito counnanded the vessel, in the
morning.
11l cross.examination, she said she never said that the
w tole bud been (Wilt by !mistake, and that she did not discover
Got it wits not her husband till after the pi isoocr bud com-
post, d his purpose. The ptisuace Ist pt the pillow on bet
iii w Idle lie effected his object.
John Timpson was ei whirl on the night alluded to.—
Kmew the prisoner and the proseeittria. His post wit. 14
feet !rem the prosecutriv's With. Did not see the prisonet
go to Mrs. Newman'. hanisnock.—lletween tine and two
o'clock hefted an tilai all from Mrs. N. The first thing he sow
was tilt' prisoner coming to him fur a light; lie then Irad
ltis troisseis and shit t Oils Ile asked hint what he meant to
do with the light, and he said he ts nutted to gtst :mine
ntedi-
elm s for the slaves. Did not see Mts. Newman sal the came
up the ladder to go to het ltu,band. She bad called to him
final her hammock. Ile had maile a noise. tutui lit foot
ill
scratching it, and then she, idled thin he supposed after She
heard the noise. Sue std, '• Sentry ! sentry!" The prisoner
is as then tit the bottom of the ladder, dressed. W ititess
asked her vi hat she wanted, and she said the pi isoner had
insulted her in her hammock. He took no more notice.—
is. Newman then w Cid On deck to her husband. Site had
a petticoat on and an ilproil round her shouldeis. Iles lint
baud came down awl asked it amiss who had been taere
hile he tins ,ca ay ? Ile said, " Nobody hut Bewail ;"
II lion St lIICh 1%;1,1% Ilion said, '• I'll cull open )tin at u N ittlessi"
always told the sabre
ill LI 055-Viiittlinaihiii, it Vness said he hail seen the pri-
Miller go down bey ei al nights before to the cock-pit, but
nt ver heard any noise from Mrs. Ni' w man. The pus-ner
had not had time to it css himself after witness heard Mill.
New nom.
Geot ge Newman, husband to Jane Newman, confirmed
her testimony as lei as came walls.' his knowledge. The
first he heard wits flout his wife coining on deck to
him. 'lbis was a little shier ten o'clock. She was appa-
tently in peat agitatioll—site: cited and fainted. 'Look
her down to the cockpit, and asked the sentinel who had
been there ? He said, " Bennett." He told his w ire nut
to disturb lonisell, hot to tell him what ocelot red in the
intoning, which she did. She went to Sir George Collier
in the mot nimg.
Benja 11l i l 'ferry, a constable, of Portsmouth, received
the prisoner in his custody ill September last, and took
him before the Mayo'. In their way the pi isoner, in the
euitise ul conversation, admitted what hail occurred be-
tween hint and Mrs. Newman, but said she had give', him
libertiesbefore.
The prisoner, in his defence, protested his innoe.enea
and said, if the sentinel had nut made a 'wise with his
foot, lie never would have been at the bar.
The husband was then recalled, and admitted that he
had said he would moke the prisoner pay well tor nit
conduct, or pa usecute him.
Two men were then called, who gave the ptisoncr a
good character. If a woman hail been dying tut, they
said she must have been heard by all the ship.
Mr. Baron Graham then slimmed tip the eviderec with
went impartiality, and the Jury pronounced a set diet of
Not Guilty.
When the Grand Jury came into Court with a totw bill
against the prisoners whose case is mention( d below, the
Yoreinan addressed their Lordships, and said it was the
Nish of the Grand July to call the attention of the Court
to the conduct of two Lieutenants of his Majesty's navy,
who, it appeared by evidence which had been given upon
the Lill now presented, had gallantly risked their lives 11l
save the lives of Whets, and their conduct had been such
Goat It was the unanimous of the Gland Jury' lion
it ought to be t Qom ti to the Admiralty. Theft names
were
Lord stowell.—" Yeti have not stated what were the
pal tieutlai eitcums;aners of !brit uuditet."
The Foreman.—"'flint will come to the knowledge of
your Lordships in the ei.ot se of the trial."
Lord S.owell said, the Court would have an opportunity
of judging of the tus ;ter in the course of the trial, stud the
representation of the Jury wmuld no dm itt be attended to.
John Sobbing, William Bni. her, jlsllliouins
Denny, and William Il ill ht r, were pat to ilk.• bar opus
un indictment, chaese.l with conspiroig, on the ails u
cembet last, to 'dewier a cm tain brig in distress, WI
high sees, n ithin one mile of Lon stuffy, on the es.
sutfolls ; and ill pursuant e of that conspiracy, coil;
turntig adrift a hfesboat whirb hail _one to the a...__
of the said bog, and 'beret.) 'art r siting the cargo from
being saved.
Mr. Justice Bailey said, the trial ud these men was likely
to occupy a very considerable portion of time, and as it was
probable that the Ji l y vs, tit,. he tie, mucli fatigued to give

tg siod
.tatice

44?rf-

it that cniptidt.l ation which it waald dt•serve, the Court
thought it bettt to adjourn mail to-ittri ow.
Sever:ll seamen, changed a iih variou- ollence4, but against
whom no bills were found, were brotti;lit up and di►charged
li) proclamation.

TLESDAIi, JAN. 22.
John Stebbings, William !hitcher, jun. Thomas Ellis,
William Butcher, sen. and Joint Denny, were pet to the
bar, upon an indictment charging that a certain brig,
called-the Westmoreland, being ou the high seas, Within
one mile of Lowestotle, on the coast of Suffolk, in a state
of distress, met a life boat having put eff to the assistance
of the said brig, that the detendants conspired to prevent
assistance being given, and in pursuance of such could-
dry did cut the tope by a Inch the life boat aas fastened
to the vessel.
Sir C. Itubitison, the King's Advocate, opened the case
to the Jury.
Thomas Bates, reunited by Mr. Jervis.—He was a
seaman on board the leestmeretted, humid from Stockton
to London. Out the nth of December last, iu a gale of
wind, she unshipped her rudder going over the Stareport,
not far lions Lowestotle ; she broached to
and was miniaeageable—slie went ashore on the Newt:time.
She drew ten feet water—she was laden, and the value of
her cargo was (.0001.; she eves 108 tons adineasurement,
As SOOll as she got on the Neo come, the master ordered
the anchor to he let go, which was done, bat it did net
prevent Per fruits striking. cable was then cut, and
a signal of distress hoisted, and four or live pilot heals
came off to them. Among the rest a yawl, called the Sea-
man's Assistance, with about 13 men on board. Denny null
the other pi kernels wile of the crew. They threw a seat p
to the boat flow the brig, and the yawl hauled alongside,
under the weather bow. Shortly after, a life boat came
off, previously 'o whist: the yawl had put two men on
board the brig, namely, John Stelthings and William
Butcher, jun. When the lire boat came alongside, the
signal of distress being still flying, but as soon as Stebbinge
got on board he went to the biped, mid began to haul it
down. No ()relies were given by the master of the brig
Ito lower the signal. The lite boat came alongside white
Stebbings was engaged in hauling down Ike 61g011 ; she
came Olt the lee how; she was under sail, awl pulling with
oars as well. Lieut. Harmer, R.N. was oil hoard the life
boat, and lie Mittle her fast to the brig. The men in the
yawl upon this bang out, " Cut her away, cut her away."
—When Si ebbings had hauled down the signal, he came
towerds the starboatil how, and winless asked hint to as-
sist him in throwing out a Warp to the life boat. Instead
of doing so, howeser, he leaped over the bow, and cut the
line by which the life boat was fastened to the brig. The
anal was at this time blowing bald froin the south, and
the title was setting strong to the southward. The si a
was very high. 1% ittiess epon this aunt to Mr. Ryder, the
master of the In ig, and said, "The villains have cut the
life boat away ;" to which lie answered, "The villains,
the villains!" No one on heard had ordered Stebbisigs to
cut the rope. The Wig was at that time in extreme dan-
ger of going to pieces. When Stebblees heard Captain
Ryder say, "'lire villains, the villains!" lie came up and
said, "'They have no business here; the Map is ours, and
we have gut the ship; we ate' yottr safeguard and protec-
tion, and you are as safe as it' you were on shore—we'll
take you on shore." 'ldle captain made no :ewe et that
witness could hear. The bi t then began to tloat in a
little, and the yawl being made last to the steel), awl tow.
itig her. Additional sail was then made; they filled the
foresail, jib, and tare-stay-sail, the ol.jt et beteg to get her
he c the wind, and so to Inn her 00 Levrestotre beach.
They gut her oti the Neer:come, and got lulu a gouil clime
nel. She had been aground about an hour, beating
Ott the Newcome. When she got into deep water, she
would nut aeswer the helm at all, the rudder being still
unshipped. When they felted that she nettle water, wit-
-0666 and two others of the mew went to the 1,11111114, and
found that she was its a sicking state, and told the men
trusts the yawl that it was no true pumping, and di sired
them to haul the yawl up, and take the clew on 'maid.
They did so, and the yawl's people got on board, and took
out the female passenger and the caloin boy. Witness was
anxious to get on board the yawl to save his life. The
yawl's men, however, had nu sooner gut the woman and
boy aboatul, that. they cast ou the rope and went away,
leaving winless, the captain and mate, and three other
seamen, on bused the brig. They called out loudly to
them not to leave them, but they paid no uttention, and
meditated their course right away. Witness and the mete
had put their dollies on board the yawl before she heft.
'file brig at this time was settee; forward and going down
rely fast, mid all the crew got as tar abaft as they coins
to get to the yeah yawl was large enough to hold
them and tiny men snore without danger. When the
yawl cast MI, the lite boat was about the distance of a
platter of a suite ft ma them. 'lite time was about
live in the evesiiiig, and it was a little dusk. Captain
Ryder seemed quite helpless, from distress. The brig
drove to about 200 yards from the slur:, a lien the
clew cleared gaily a boat, and gut her along side, mid
two t urn got into her, lett she upset, and the two seen
were lost. Witness by the same sell, was viallied up into
the setain rigging, nod remained lie the a ater left
him. Captain Oder was then abaft, mid witness and
Southern the mate went to 1 • . He was soon after
knocked octets by a blow uu the head trine the tiller,
select* was swinging to sod fro. Witness and southere
men tt ll g to go into the main top for safety, tried to get
the captain with them, but he was inseesilite, mid aas
webbed enema by several successive ayes, until lie was
quite dead, and then witness aud Southern left him, aud
acid tutu the insist top. They remained thete itll the
'text iiiii ruing, about two o'clock, when a boat tame ult.
'el them %%dim Leen Helmer, tied put him on boatd, met
he called out to them hi the male top to stop whet e they
wet e, and he %wan never least them until Le gut them
into a boat. Ile aas left on boat it alone, the boat being
obliged to go sway, and scummed there until the boat ap-
pi °ached *gain, and he searched fur a lute 10 throw her,
butt could out titill one. He kept on LOalli until Ute boett
threw a rope, ssltichi he caught, and made last, and then
ca!li el to es iii.ess coil Seetheitt 10 clime down tit/1111k
tagging. N tti.ess ,;..urn, but southern was unable
to ugh front weal netts, diet Lie Helmer went up and
'nt hart ewe it, :10.1 cat tied himut.
to the boat, anti they
were taken ashore.
Ily the Court —The people in the life boat had not time
to come on hoer(' belt le Stebbings cut the rope. if the
lite beet Itsd been Buttered to assist in towing her off,
witness consideis she a 'mid have been of material service
iti getting her tens deep water, and they undoubtedly
could have taken them out of the Wig.
William Southern was cook on boa. d tile frotmureland

K '! .

...:~