The National Register.
London, England, 1820-03-19 00:00:00

KENT LENT ASSIZES.

CIVIL SIDE.
(Before the Lord Chief Baron and Special Juries.)
THE ICING V. GARDENER.
This was an intbriaation filed by the Attorney Gene-
ral against the defendant, for assaulting and obstructing
Thomas Hamstead, a mariner of the Severn, in the ex-
ecution of his duty, whilst searching for contraband
goods, r.t Deal, on the 13th of Aiwst last.
The under case went to the Jury undee"Learned Judge's
directions, abd they Hind the defendant Guilty.
THE KING v. HICKSON, SHEAF, AND WADDELL.
These were similar prosecutions against the defen-
dants.
The cases went to the Jury under the Learned Judge's
directions, and they found the defendants all Guilty.
BREACH OF PROMISE OP MARRIAGE.
RICHARDS V. PUGH.
This was an action by the plaintiff for the breach of
a marriage promise entered into with her by the defen-
dant.
Mr. Gurney, with whom was Mr. Chitty, stated the
plaintiff's case.
The following is an outline of the circumstances:—
The plaintiff was a young lady of considerable personal
beauty and mental endowments, and one of the ten
children of a respectable surgeon and apothecary, resid-
ing at Seale, near Seven Oaks, in this county; the
defendant was a widower with two children, carrying
on business at Sheerness as a linen-draper. The plain-
tiff's age was stated to be 27, and that of the defendant
35 years. In the month of July, 1818, during the elec-
tion contest, which took place on Penington Heath, the
defendant happened to meet with the plaintiff, for the
first time, and was on the instant struck with her per-
sonal charms. She was in company with her brother
and a young lady, named Pyne; he took occasion to fall
into conversation with her, as it should seem uninvited,
the subject of their discourse being the merits of the then
candidates for election. There the acquaintance seemed
to stop, but at the end of eight or ten days afterwards,
as was stated by the plaintiff's brother and her mother,
he came over to Seale, called at her father'‘ house, and
without any prefatory introduction he proffered his hand
its marriage to :Miss Richards, and required to know
what portion it was in hen father's power to bestow upon
her. He was informed that the whole of her fortune
was comprebentivi in her person; upon which lie dis-
claimed the idea of all pecuniary considerations, said he
was enamoured of her person, and represented that he
was in a very flourishing way of business, and possessed
besides 7001. per annum, independent property, and
was extremely anxious that the connubial knot should
be tied forthwith, and that his wishes should be column.
glinted to the young lady. At that time Miss Richards
was on a visit with sonic friends in Sussex, and her pa-
rents immediately communicated to her the offer that
had been made. In the mean time the defendant ad-
dressed a letter to the lady in rather familiar terms,
tendering her his hand and fortune, and requiring her,
if disengaged, to bless him in a matrimonial alliance.—
The young lady returned to her father's house, and
wrote the defendant a letter front the dictation of her
father, giving him to understand that his addresses
would nut be discouraged. Immediately afterwards the
defendant again came over to Seale, and spent two whole
days in the young lady's company, during which he was
extremely anxious lon the immediate consummation of
his happiness, but not being then out of mourning for
his late wile, she objected to so hasty a proceeding, but
consented, at his urgent request, that the day of solem-
nisation should not be postponed beyond the ensuing
Christmas. In the mean time, however, lie made it a
condition that he should have the happiness of writing
to her, and that she should answer his correspondence.
lie then took his leave, after having besrken one of
her sisters to act as bride's maid at the nuptials, which
were fixed on all hands to take place about Christ-
11111S. Between the time of his departure, which was
about the middle of August until the month of Decem-
ber, witen the match was broken off, a most affectionate
and ardent epistolary ourrespoadence was kept up be-
tween the lovers, but towards the end of the year the
defendant's letters altogether ceased, when, in conse-
quence of a desire expressed by the father to know the
Cause, lie returned for answer, that his views towards
Miss Richards were completely mistaken, that he had

never contemplated any thing more than the hap :1175
illilit.l•l:,tl,oaornr,ilagthea: nothing of corresponding with a woman of education an' .e,l;"'-
i(i)tchoililigseltclitiaesneefartohfertiftrisonsiulrili)sr;,iro- Eiwii
'nation, a professional gentleman was coot' r",
%Anne to the defendant on the subject o'' js promise to
the plaintiff, and in answer to that letse he assigned as a
reason for his conduct, that Miss Ric bids had to one of
her recent letters intimated to him flat a yom,ger 3110
more worthy rival than the defend i!,had bee" paying
her considerable attention, bad p ed her neasnYs and
that she doubted her power to ri° at his importunities to
bestow her hmal and heart no-•' him.--'These were the
Aapost priouso„.... ciscumstasscvs of the case on the part of
The plaintiff. A volume of the defendant's letters was
Oen in evidence, and as usual CM such occasions, their
contents irroduced a visible effect upon the risible mus-
cles of the whole court of auditors. It appeared that
the defendant had never seen the plaintiff, mote than
twice in his life.
Mr. Adolphus, for the defendant, addressed the Jury
with great ability and eloquence, on behalf of his client.
The Chief Baron summed up the case for the Jury,
and told them, it had beets admitted on the part of the
defendant the plaintiff was entitled to a verdict, and that
the question of damages was peculiarly for their consi-
deration under all the circumstances of thsF case.
The Jury retired for about hal: an hour, and returned
a verdict for the plaintiff—Daniagt s 7001.
CROW N SIDE.
•
RANI or ENGLAND PROSECUTIONS.
William Stepney, a youth aged t 9, was indicted for
uttering a tinged one ',Mind Batik of England note, at
PI tttt stet!, on the 10th of October last.
The prosecution way conducted by Mr. Bowen. The
prisoner was without Ciontsel.
It appeared in evidence that on the day mentioned in
the indictment, the prisoner and another young man
named CIUWeli, tendered the note in question to Mrs.
Henderson, the landlady of the Red Lion public-house,
at Shooter's hill, in payment for some bread and cheese,
amounting to i's. and received the change. After they
were gone, circumstances of susßicims aeose, and one of
the Bow-street parole sitl'iramened to-he on duty in
the neighbourhood was sent after them, and having
taken them into custody they were searched. Tile
prisoner threw from him a piece of paper, which being
picked up was found us be a forged one pound note.
• Both prisoners were taken before a Magistrate, and were
afterwards lodged for safe custody in the parish watch-
house ; from which, however, they contrived to break
out and make their escape. n the 16th of November
the prisoner was again apprehended in Middlesex, and
on being then searched he threw front him another
forged note. The other man, Curwen, has not yet
been retaken.
The prisoner, who represented himself to be a maker
of mats, stated its defence, that be had,received the note
in question from a gentleman, wlto had purchased four
mats of him on the day mentioned in the indictment.
Mr. Baron Garrow summed up the evidence, and the
Jary found the prisoner guilty.—Death.

.YORK ASSIZES, MARCH JO.

TRIAL FOR MURDER.
William Booth, William Garrett, and Benjamin Bower,
were charged with the murder of Thomas Parkin, a game.
keeper in the service of James Archibald Smart Wortley,
E.sei. on the 10th of October last, at Tankersley, by shoot.
ing him through the body.
Mr. Cross stated the case on the part of the prosecution,
and afterward called the following witness:—
Joseph Parkin stated, that he was employed by Mr:
Stuart Wortley to take care of his game and look after
poachers. On the night of the 9th of October witness and
Thomas Parkin, the deceased, went out to look after
poachers: about four o'clock they saw four men upon the
road coining towards them. Witness proposed !ts
Parkin to go out of the way. William Garrett, one of the
prisoners, ran towards them, the other three following
close after him. When Garrett came up to them, Thomas
Parkin put his hand upon his shoulder, and said, " What,
my lad, is it your They then passed the two Bowels,
but they said nothing to them: the fourth man Samuel
Booth, had a gun, and was not more than a yard or two
behind them. Thomas Peskin went up to him, and said,
" What, Sam, thou hast got a gun 1 see." lie put his
hand on the outside of his pocket, and said, " And thou
hest got a pocket full of suickles." S,murl Boo:11 said,
" Damn thy soul, art thou going to rob me ?" He turned
round and presented the gun, and immediately shot Thos.
Harkin, who fell down, and said, "Oh ! lam Matti" The
moment the deceased fell, the other men seized the witness,
and Booth struck him on the head and shoulder with the
butt-end of the gnu. Witness felt other blows, but does
not know from whom they came. Witness heard one of
the men say, " Hit him hit him!" or " Stick hint; stick
him!" he could not tell which.' It was John Bower's voice,
At this moment he heard a gun go of, and then, becoming
more at liberty, he ran off to procure assistance; but when
he returned to search for the deceased lie was gone, and
lie afterwards foetid him in a cottage near the ruad.side.
Witness said the deceased died on the following evening.
The shot entered his left side and came out at his back.
Witness, on his cross-examination, said there was no strug-
gling before the shot was fired, and no assault was com-
mitted upon any of the prisoners either by the deceased
or himself.
The deposition of the deceased,taken tinder the impres-
sion of immediate death, was then put in and read ; which
agreed its almost every particular with the statement of
the preceding witness, and which expressly denied that
there had been any struggle between the parties.
The Jury, without retiring, found all the prisoners--

Guilty.
His Lordship immediately passed sentence of death
upon the prisoners, who were usdeted for execution on
Monday.
On Monday Samuel Booth underwent the sentence of
the law, for the murder of Mr. Stuart Wortley's sante-
keeper. At half-past 12 the unfortunate man was con-
ducted to the platform behind the chapel. He was ac-
companied by the chaplain to the gaol, with, whom hit
joined in player for about ten minutes, during which time,
though he appeared at intervals to attend seriously to the
Rev. Gentlemms, be occasionally looked about witb an