The Sun.
London, England, 1801-07-07 00:00:00

OLD BAILEY.

FIFTH DAY-MONDAY, JCYLY 6.

. .
Catherine Ford was indifted fora capital offente,
in feloniously stealing on the z4.th of June, a silken
purse containing nine guineas, ten half guineas, and
a two guinea piece; the: goods and monies of 'PeteP•
Everitt Mestaer, Esq. i.rl
The Pii'soner was ayoung girl, whO, it appeared,
Ind been discharged-from the service of ihe Prosecu-
tor, about five ,weeki_before lire Robbery. was com-
mitted. On- the clay above mentioned, Mrs. Mes-
taer found her Seratoire broken open, and the purse'
containing as laid in the indiament taken
The servants were all severally and closely examin-
ed about the circumstance,,-bU!' without effea.." A
particular search throughout the .hotise then took
place, .then, in-one of-the Garretts the:Prisoner. was
found lying betwee.n, the marass and the bed, The
Purse was lying under her, and a broken case knife.,
Op being discovered, she immediately Said, '' lam
the wicked thef, search no further." She appear-
ed to I ye been at the time in circumstances of very
great distrest, eyed in a starving condition. Some
broken "victuals were found ire her possession, Which
it seemed, she had taken in the house. She was im-
mediately delivered over to the charge of an Officer,
and the PUrse was fully identified by the PrOsecu-
for's Lady, who swore also to the two guinea piece,
and one of the half guinea s.
The' unhappy girl,` 'who '.Was ' much aff,...Cled
throughout hertrial, Was unable to offer 'any defence.
No Witnesses appeared in her behalf. '
The RECORDER briefly stated the circumstances
of the ease ; and with respeCi to‘t he faCl of the Pri„
soner's in the extremity of distre:•-; at the
time, -Which was very hinnanely dwelt upon by
the Learned • Counsel for the Prosecution, Mr.
KNowt.`ps, wl,oinhisopening observed, that it was
matter: for consideration with the Fountain of
Mercy in apportioning her punishment, and nor to
influence the Verdiet of the 'jury. In regard to the
charge itself he thought it 'clearly. Made out, .and',
saw no opening left. ' •
'I he Jury shortly found the Prisoner,Guilty,
(Death)' bUt recommended her 'to iVietty on the
grounds of heryouth, the extreme distress she was,
in, and" the probability' of its being her first of-
fence.

James Walton,' it private in the -Coldstream' Re-
giment of Foot Guards, was also capitally con-
vided, on a charge of .feloniously stealing in: the
dwelling-house:of Daniel Cowley, a Bank of
England Note, 'another fOrjol. and other articles,
Ms property.
The. Prosecutp, it appeared, •keeps the White
swan public-house near Execution,Dock, at which
the Prisoner was quartered. On the loth of May
the 401. note in question was rezeived by the wife
of the Prosecutor from a Mr. Cottrell, in the al);
sence of her husbana.. On his coming home, he
locked it up, together with. the tol.. note; in )lis
bureau, and the next morning he missed them. By
the evidence of one Riding . a soldier, and a com-
rade of the Prisoner, it appeared that .on the itst
of May he. had been drinking with the latter at the
public-house : they also dined together on some-
thing extraordinarily cornfortable,and in the course
of the day he saw a 401... and . a 191. Bank-note
with the Prisoner : the latter he changed for him in
payment of the reckoning, as the Prisoner, it ap-
peared, could not read.. He afterwards requested
the Witness (Riding) to procure casi•for the. 4.01.
note,.promising him a compensation for his trouble.
In this endeavour, the parties went to the ._shop of
one Levy, a clothcsrnan, in. Rosemary-lane. Riding
there agreed to give 15s. for a coat, and tendered
the 461. note for. change._ Levy's people deetnin,r
it rather a novel circumstance for a soldier tO• be
possessed of a 401. Bank of England note, sent to
inquire at the Bank whether it was genuine. The
parties accompanied the messenger ; but while the
application was making at the Bank the Prisoner
kept at a little distance. The note being found ge.
nuine, and no reason then appearing for withhold.
ing the change, the Witness_ received at the Bi7.'nka
201. note, a tol. and" the rest in small notes, which
were all given to the Prisoner.
By another chain of evidence it appeared,. that in
consequence of, some information received. by the
Prosecutor, the Prisoner was apprehended in about
a fortnight after at a public-louse in Green‘Vich
he was searched, some money, and about 6 or 71. in
notes,-was found on his person : these he afterwards
acknowledged to have received from the mistress of
the public„house in change for a. 201. note : this was
really the case ; and .the 201. he gave the woman
was produced ; and this note, upon subsequent. and
sedulous inquiry, was found to be'that lic.had re.
ceived at the. Bank as part of the change of the 401.
through the medium of the Witness Riding : and-it
farther appeared in evidence, ,that_ the +ol. note' in'
'question was that received by, the Prosecutor's wiN,..e
from Mr. Cotterell as above mentioned.
•It also appeared, that when first taken bpfore
Magistrate, he-made a sort of confession and ac-
knowledgment that he had received the notes laid in
the Indiamenlfiorg the Prosecutoi.'.s maid, who he
said had desired.hihi to take care of them for her.
On evidence to this general effe& oil the part of the
prosecution, and the defence offered by the Pristiner
"not being satisfaefory to ,the Jury, 'they were in-
duced to find a verdid pf—Guiltj, Death. .