The National Register.
London, England, 1819-08-09 00:00:00

CAMBRIDGESHIRE ASSIZES.

Tlic3e Assizes commenced on Tuesday. before Chief Justice
ailhis and Justice lturnmgh.
Thomas Weems. ivai indicted for the wilful murder of Mary
Ann Weems. his wife. on Friday, the 7th of May last. in the
parish of W.mily, in this county. The particulars of the horrid
deed for whikil uiis prisoner was tried, we detailed fully at the
time,

About a year and a half ago the deceased swore a child to him,
upon whiiii he wa.e apprehended by the parish officer:, and com-
pelled to marry her ; Weems k 4 his wife immediately after, and
got work at Edmonton, where he became acqtueinted with a girl
to whom lie promised marriage, and to enable himself to fulfil it.
lie resolved to get rid of his wife; accordingly he returned to
Godinancheater. end under pretence of habit; his wife to live with
hint, they set off fur Edmonton ; but on the road front Wendy
to Royston, lie took her into a field and murdered her.—The wit-
nesses having deposed to the chief facts, the following voluntary
confes►ion, which was made by the prisoner while in gaol, was
put in and read ;
•• Alter I had been at work with Mr. Andrews about a month,
I gut acquainted with a you.ig woman, named Maria Woodward.
I represented myself as a single man. After icing acquainted
with h.•r I dews-mired to marty her, and to murder toy wife. I
Rest tkought of cutting her throat. In three or four days I
thanked my mind, and determined to hang her.— This day week
(the Monday premding the murder) I lett Edmonton for God-
munches-tan—On the Friday morning I left Godtnanclaister with
my wife Ito Edmonton• about sor b o'clock. After walking fours
teen or fifteen milts, she complained of Is. ing Meal. I asked her
if she had not some toast in her pocket, which she did not eat for
brehlefast, and she ;aid she had some. I said to her, if you will
go in the lield and sit down and cat the toast. I will take a nap
till the coach contra ❑p. We sat down together, and she began
to eat the toast. Soon after she la-gan to eat the mist, I clasped
my hands found her neck, and said, •• now I ant going to he die
death of you." I clasped toy hands round her neck, mil stock
toy two thumbs into her windpipe. She said, Oh, Lord !"
and that was all the noise she made; and I pressed her with my
thumbs till she was dead, which was in about tire minutes. I
then took the garter oil' her leg, and tied it round her neck ; 1
then put her into a ditch, or more like a drain, put sonic grass
over her, and then left her. 1 then intended to go to Edmonton,
and go to the clerk of the parish to pot the Lantos in, and be mar.
ried."—The prisoner, being asked if he had any titia.g to say to
the Jury, stated the bud terms on which his wife and himself had
lived; that she swore herself p•egnart by him, but never was
; that she hail rubbed him of money, and also of his watch,
to give to another man whom she 14. as atcq nutted with, and that
lie could not live with her. That he got acquainted with the
young woman at Edmonton, and wished to many her; but he
whe could not whilst the other wife was living. It then came
iota kis head. and lie determined tomurder her.—The.lury bound
•he prisoner Guilty, and he was ordered to be executed on Friday
itsurning.—'flie prisoner was in tears during the whole trial.

A French Paper asserts, which is not remarkable
for its accuracy, that at a late entertainment given
by the Prince Regent, there was a plate of peaches
that cost—ifly guineas !
According to letters from Paris, the Duc de Riche
lieu is about to take up his residence at Odessa, the
place of which he formerly was Governor, and
which is partly indebted to him for its present state
of prosperity. lie has written to the superintend-
ant of one of his estates there, to prepare every thing
for his reception. By private letters from Liver-
pool it appears, that the trade of that port is assum-
ing considerable .utility : more than •10,000 bales
of cotton were sold in the course of last week, and
at an advance of Id.-to l id. the pound.
We understand that the Russian frigate Kams-
el.atka, commanded by Captain Golovnin, which
sailed from Portsmouth •in t•'te month of October,
1817, for the purpose of staking► discoveries in the
North Pacific Ocean, is on ber return to Europe,
and may shortly be expected to arrive at Spitbead.
A correspondent informs us, that a turkey-cock
nt Auchincruive, having lately shown an ardent de-
sk* for hatching, was repeatedly prevented; but at
length succeeded in securing a hen's nest, contain-
ing a dozen of eggs ; and being allowed to remain
in peaceful possession, brought out four chickens,
the rust of the eggs, as• is supposed, having been
bad. .• He was most attentive to the duty he had
taken. upon -him when hatching, and afterwards
evinced the strongest attachment to his young pro-
geny, and on their being cruelly taken from him
beueme extremely dejected. :Since that period his
spirits have rather revived; and as he still shows all
the desire in the world to be busily employed in his
favourite pursuit, it is bored he will not only be
gratified, but will be ultimately more successful.
On Wednesday last a match at cricket was played
at ftlureliwood, Hampshire, between eleven single
and eleven married women of that place, which was
won by the former by a considerable number of runs.
Thousands of spectators assembled on the ground,
amongst whom were some of the 'first respectability
and fashion, to witness this singular contest.

EYTRAOUDI!IARY t: a nzit.—it la the custom 1U Russia
to place a corpse un the night before the initial in the
chtereh, where the Priest, accompanied by a chin-Wm., is
alblifirli to prsy. It once bappotted iii a vAlage, on such
an occasion, that to I!.e amazement of the Pliest, the
corpse suddenly nro.e. came out of tie coffin, and
matched op to him. In vain thr Ytirst trinkled lum
with a quantity of holy water ; he nes seized, thrown to
the groasid and keno:. 'lll,ii story Na. Slime.' on die fol-
lowing as.lotiog by.tlie test if et' dim 6tvr. who bail el rid
into a etir•ler and concealed Idiom If lit positively Sailed,
that after ins perpetrated the crime the dead man laid
himself down ii, the eaten again. Ile was lound tio.
Noliudreould conceive how 11.11, minder could base beet,
rusamitted. At length eller the lure of many yeses it nas
discovered. % rotilser, oho among many other cornea
confessed this also, had slipped in the dark into the chin eh,
pot the corps. aside,and taken his place in the coffin.—
After iierpetrating the crime, he Nati pot et ray eking
again inArder, Ind then retreated, 'Odium biting pet:
cetera. The motive of this. morale, was haired to the
rt itUroccmionad bl as old istanal.

AUGUTS 9•

Further Particulars of the kite ea-tenting lingerq
R. Pryor, the your mutt who stauds charged with the
forgery on Mesnrs. Mrtin, Son, and Etsghes, of King-
man, Cheapide, is o remarkable in person, dress, and
manners, and so well known among the different officers
in the city, that it is scarcely possible he should escape.
if diligent search be made alter him, unless he has al-
ready left the country. It is given mit among his
acquaintance, that a letter has been received from him,
dated on board a vessel, under way Ir Liverpool,
hound to America; but other circumstances lead to bllipl.
cunt OW lie is still in Lon/lan. Messrs. Martin and Co.
lifee beet' stogillariy unfortunate in their clerks ; the
individual Wilton Pryor succeeded defrauded the house
of nearly 2,0001., which was discoverer! by Pryor, and
this circumstance placed him so high in me confidence
o: Messrs. Martin and Co., that not the slightest suspi-
cion was entertained against him till the moment he ab-
sconded. One of the putters having discovered, upon
inspecting the books. that the account of the individual
in whose name the bills hail been furged was considerably
overdrawn, directed Prvor to write to hint on the subject/
and desire him to remit the money for a bill of ttuet,
about to come doe in a few days: the letter was writtol.
aceonlihaly; and on some pretence that tie was going
towards the Post-office, he undertook to put it in ; the
letter, however, was never sent Pryor ah,conded shortly
afterwards, and 01) breaking open ins desk, a gennitie
bill, that had ben paid by the house sometime before,
was Mond, which, it appeared. had been used by Prior
as a copy to torge from: the body of Coe bill was filled
imp in the halt&writing of a clerk, with the common ink,
and the signature and endorsement were written with
the shining black japan ink, both which circumstances
Pryor had carefully noticed to his imitation. The for-
geries, it should seem, were committed in their own
ermottog.hoose, as a small bottle of the japan ink was
found Pryor's desk. To account for the expence at
which he lived, he gave out that he had gained 5.0001.
in the lottery; and, latterly, that he had received a large
sons upon the death of hi. father, all of which is sow
ktviwit to be untrue. It has been rei•ifiried that his t.i-
titer, who resided in the country, and bad some small
properly in the f Is, was defrauded by his son, si Ivo
1) room (I his signature to a power of attorney to tratis.-er
tit:: stock, under pretence that it was merely an andirons,
to receive the divider/di, and that under that power lie
convened the property to his own use; but, upon in-
quiry. there is reason to believe that the accitation is
unfounded. Such, however, was the belief among his
friends that he was a man of property, that a very • •-
'nate acquaintance of his had nearly iiictirred a loss of
sante amount through his credulity. A day or two after
Pryor nail gout off, a bontinaker to whoni Ice owed be-
tween VOL 341(1301. sent his servant to the person al/tided
to, for the purpose of learning when he Would be its
town: indignant at the thought of his friend Iseing ilsos
hunted for, he asked the man if his master was afraid
Mr. Pryor would not pay lion, and offered to give hint a
check (or the amount himself, if he would take off 5 per
cent. Tne ratan, however, declined, having on authority
from-his master. The next day the master applied, and
was willing to ta' e off the discount for the accommoda-
tion, but was told he was a day too late: the secret had
transpired in the hue g i iii , sod the gentleman, cued. Ins
money. It is not conjectured, that Pryor has made up a
purse, or carried much property off with him, as he
coottoued his expensive habits up to the an, 'tient of his
absconding, and within the last five weeksgave a dinner
to several Itiends at a respectable tavern, which cost him
upwards of 401. The amount of the forgeries is said
to be upwards of 8,0001., 2,5001. of which is reported
to hoe taken place within the last It months. Bills
to tne amount of 7,0001. have been a:ready paid by the
house.

Advice. from the Cape of Good Hope, dated May
10, were received yesterday. They communicate
information of another irruption of the CaiFres,
who, by the last accounts, were supposed to beans-
pletely repulsed, to the number of 30,000 men.
They had cmssed the river which divides their ter-
ritory from that of the Cape, and were committing
the most extensive depredations. Orders had been
issued to compel the military service of the
ants of-the adjoining district, and all the horses had
hcen put into requisition, in order to «o.ip a portion
of them as cavalry, the species of force best calcu-
lated to repel the attacks of these dastardly t..t
mischievous invaders.

The Club of Female Reformers at Stockport,
among other regulations, have resolved, that net
more than twelve Ladies shall speak• at the same
It is apprehended, if this severe restriction on the
tongue is not taken otl; that it will occasion a revo.
biliun in the Mb.

GREAT PIOLON MaTr:ll.—A match for 250 gui-
neas a side, betwcen three crack ►hots from Oxfor‘.!..
shire, ugainit three of Buckinghamshire, took place
on Wednesday morning on Finchley Common, from a
trap 21 yards !'rout the gun—charge onliniiied. The
Oxfordshire party killed 51 birds from li as fol.
lows: Mr. ()wen killed 19 from 21, Gik-s 17, and
George 15. The Buckinghamshire party.killed 49
birds, namely, Mr. Hutchinson, 20, Ferguson 17,
and Holt 12.—Mr. Holt hit every bird, but lost
five, which died beyond the 100 yards' boundary.
Clarendon's history contains the fidlowing noti.•e
of a Sir Charles Woiselv of former times.—"
(the Dee of Buckingham, who was: accused of
treason). intended. on such a day to in in Stidliora -
shire, at the house of Sir Churh a Wolsely, a get,t 1, -
man of great eminency in Croinwell's Council, mi.l.
one of those %rho had been writ by the House of
Commons to persuade him Iv accept lle.. :I'rcten rnit.
the title of lives!!--Vol. iii. p•. b l T•

AUGUST 9.