The Sun.
London, England, 1809-11-23 00:00:00

1,211 L REPORT.

COURT or KING's BENCH, Nov. :2.

ELOPEMENT

TIDE KING V. SHILLDON. '
Mr. GARROW stated, that the Defendant in this,'l
ease, against whom a Writ of Habeas Corpus had
been dirttled, charging him to bring into Court tile
body of Elizabeth iVkirhouse, had complied with
the order of the Couit, .and that both he and the
young woman were in ,attendance, that she might
be given t-o the custody of her lather, who was
al-o in Court. He presumed, Itowever, that it
would not be necessary to trouble their LOrdships
fartlicr on the iubjec:t, and that his Learned Friend
Mr. Topping Ivould now be satisfied.
Mr. TOPPING said, he believed it would be better
that the business should be completed in Court.
Mr GARROW suggested this merely'. from delicacy
'to t h : feelings of the_parties.
L ELLENBOROUGt 5:11d, as the Writ was re-
turnable hire, it was better that the young woman
should be delivered over to the custody other father
in Co/urt.
At affidavit by the Defendant was then read by
the proper officer, stating that Elizabeth Muithouse
had come to res:de with the Defendant of tier own
free will and consent ; that he.bad never exercised
any constraint over her since she had so come to re-
side with him ; and that he had never used any
means to preterit her returning to the protealon of
her father if she had beon so inclined. He at, the
same time bowed with submission to the process of

the Court.
The D: fendant was then called into Court, and
appeared, bringing with him the obje6t sought to be
recovered, .a very handsome young girl, genteelly
dressed, and corresponding in Appearance to the
age of 15 or 16, as her father in his affidavit had
stated her to be. •
The father when called on to receive his doughty,
came forward, and with feelings to every appearance
highly agonized, held out his band to his deluded
child, who fell into his arms, and was supported by
•him out of the Court.
Lard ELLENBOROUGH desired that .no..molesia-
tibn should be given to father or daughter in going
home. The Court was bound to watch, and would
watch over the execution of their own-writs, to the
extent of seeing that complete effect was givetito
them.

THE KING V. WHEELER AND OTHERS.
The ATTORIVY-GENERAL said—". I am to pray
the Judgment of the Court upou these Defendants.,
Your. Lordship had before the .Court lately, for
judgment, a woman convicted of seducing a person
out of the military service of his Majesty, at Liver-
pool. This is a prosecution for a- riot to- prevent
persons. from being impressed into the .nnval service,
in the same place ; and I am exceedingly sorry to.
-say, that these pra6tices are ;carded on to such an
extent in Liverpool, that unless checked, it will
be impossible to. conduti either the land or sea ser-
vice, +here ; therefore, however inclined the Crown.
may be to mercy, to my certain knowledge, it is im-
possible to show rterey to such offenders as these
without endaegering the.whole.community.
The Defendants.werethen all called in, and appear-
ed they' were nine. in norntier—*-John Wheeler,
Wm. Darliegton; James Fazakerly, Henry Drain,
Samuel Hayton, Edmund Ildashaw, Richard. Ash-7
ThernasNalance,. and William Harvey.
It appeared by the affidavits for, the proseculion;
that, on the 2nth of November-last, a person of the
name of John Crossly I.adbeen duly impressed into
his Majesty's sea seav;ce by Lieut. Thomas Evans,
assisted by others,. and taken, to a-rendezvous-house,
called the Prince of Wales, in Liverp.ool. That
about 200. persons assumbled as a . mob, of which
the nine Defendants were a part, •and active thts
riot which ensued they had axes, hammers, clubs,
bludgeons, and other .offensive weapons. They de-
manded.that John Crossly should be delivered up
to them, that he might be taken to be examined,
for that he was not a proper subjeet
,of the impress
service; they theatended, that it he was not deli-
vered up they would kill those who irnmssed hitn,
and bern.the rendezvous-house ;
_upon which the
officer, to spare bloodshed, gave him up,_but- instead
of his being taken and exatninc.d, he went to sea in
a-merchant vessel. .
A great number of affidavits were then read in
behalf of the defendants, the general outline of
whiCh was, that .the defendants were rope-makers ;
that their weekly wages were moatly 'IL 4s. per
. week, one being and the lowest only 188.;
that they -were all married, and had children de-
pendent upon them for support ; that they felt sor-
row and contrition for this their error ; were be-
trayed into it by a misguided zeal, but promised
most solemnly to eqnal, in future, the best of the
King's subjects, in obedience to the laws, as they
telt an unfeigned attachment to a beloved Monarch ;
that they had expressed these sentiments in a memo-
rial, which was presented on their behalf, to the
Lords Commissioners of - the Admiralty, in hopes of
having their. Lordships, recommendation to mercy ;
but they were disapp4itecl in -Their- hopes, for the
tont), answer they received to. their memorial was—
The law must take it course." They then im-
plored the mercy of •t he Court. Their employers
and neighbours gave them excellent characters:
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL spore . as, follows;
" My Lords, 'it is very distressing to.me to ask the
judgment of the Court, and that not a light one,
against persons who, have the description given of
them which these men -Wave given
,ot themselves;
but, my 'Lords, in what condition must Liverpool
be, if persons, entitled to the charaeter which these
defendants have .received frOmtthose.who made affi-
davits in their favourare ready to juin in a riot of
this descriptjon, in which they could have no other
object themselves than to rescue,, front the legal
claims which their country hai.upon the ser.vicea
of
those who have embraced a seafaring lite,..tueir
of
tliAt description; and to take them forcibly away,
againSt, and in defiance the authority of the
law. I am sorry to inform your Lordships, and it
- will not be cOntradiEted, it. is not . in rope-makers
merely that this opposition to the impress service
etends, but there are other .classes of men in Li-
verpool who are bent on-resisting that se4vice,, and
t heir'resistance is alarming; so alarnjing, t14,34..1. have,

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