The Sun.
London, England, 1822-12-27 00:00:00

LEWES, DEC. 24.

George Cord and George Smith were indicted for felo-
niously assaulting John Hawkins, on. the 17th of October, and
taking from his person two sovereigns, and other money, at
Itother field-

The prosecutor, a labotfring man,. was at a public house in
Lewes, on the evening of the 17th of October. There he met
the two prisoners, and after drinking together for some time,
they asked him which way he was going. He answered, to
Tunbridge Wcllq They said they were going to the same
place, and they might as well go in company together. The
prosecutor accepted their offer, and they accordingly set out.—
When they had arrived near Uckfield, they met a man named
Bunker with a returned post chaise. One of the prisoners
proposed that they should ride.. This was agreed to, and they
got into the chaise. They had ridden three or four miles when
the two prisoners desired the postilion to stop, as they wanted
to go out for a short time. Their desire was complied with.—
When they had been absent about two minutes, they returned
to the chaise door, and insisted upon having the prosecutor's
money. Ile replied, he had got none. Smith said, "If we
do not have your money, we will have your life;" and imme-
diately presented a pistol to his breast. Hawkins finding it was
useless to resist, delivered all the money lie had to them. Just
as the prisoner was shutting the door, the prosecutor finding
himself thus left pennyless, asked the prisoners for some money
to carry him home. Smith then gave him two shillings, and
the chaise proceeded. The prosecutor gave information of his
loss to .some police-officers in the next town, and a pursuit was
commenced. By information which they received on the road,
they were enabled to trace them to the town of Hatfield. There
they found them drinking together in a public-house. They
were immediately taken into custody and searched. In the
pocket of Smith they found a pistol loaded with powder only,
without any priming, and two farthings, which were amongst
the money taken from the prosecutor. On Cord they found
two pistol flints.
The prisoners, in their defence, merely stated that they were
innocent of the crime, and that the prosecutor had wished them
to go and steal fowls, and he would sell them, and allow them
a certain sum for themselves.

The Jury found the prisoners Guilty—Death.
William. Watson and John Piggott were indicted for bur-
glariouslg breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Lydia
Geer, on the 6th of November, and stealing different articles
of linen-drapery, at Firle.
On the night of the sth of November, the prosecutrix, who
keeps a linen-draper's shop at Firle, retired to bed about half-
past 12 o'clock, leaving the house perfectly safe. In the
morning it was discovered that a hole had been made through
the wall of the shop, and a great quantity of different articles
removed. Inquiries were immediately made in every direc-
tion, and after a considerable time had elapsed, she was in-
formed that the two prisoners had gone to a public-house, called
the Royal Oak, in Kent-street Newington. on the 13th of No-
vember, with two large bags. Two police-officers, suspecting
from their appearance that the property in the bags was stolen,
determined to watch them. They soon after took them into
custody, and on examining the bags discovered several pieces of
cotton, and other articles
.of that description in them. When
they searched the prisoners, they found a pair of gaiters in the
hat of one, and a handkerchief in the pocket of the other. Mrs.
Geer was then informed of this discovery, and when the pro-
perty was shown to her, she immediately recognized it all to be
her own.
When the prisoners were called upon for their defence, they
said they had set out in company for Portsmouth some days
before they were apprehended, and met a man on the road with
a very large bundle on his back. He proposed to them that, as
the night was approaching, they should retire to a lane which
lie knew for the purpose of sleeping. The next morning the
two prisoners divided the bundle between them to assist the
stranger. When they had proceded some distance further, the
latter made a present of the gaiters to the one prisoner, and the
handkerchief to the other, by way of compensation for the
trouble they had taken on his account.
The Jury found the prisoners Guilty—Death.
Before the Hon. Mr. Baron GRAHAM.
Moses Chandler and James Crossingham were indicted for
stealing, on the 26th of November, a mare and a gelding, the
property of William Barnes and Charles Snoad, at Frant.
Mr. Snoad, a grazier at Brookland, had, on the evening of
the 25th of November, turned the two animals into a close near
the house. About seven o'clock the next morning, having oc-
casion for the mare, he went to the close, and found to his sur-
prise that the gate had been opened, and both the horses
stolen. Inquiries were immediately made as to the probable
road the robber had taken. By this means it was discovered
that the two prisoners had gone to the Gun public-house
at Eridge-green, which is 30 miles from Brookland, on the
morning of the 26th, about seven o'clock, with a mare and a
gelding. When they had put the horses into the stable, they
went into the house, and asked for some refreshment. Mr.
Brown, the keeper of the Gun, having heard that those two men
had conic on horseback to the house, was rather suspicious that
they had obtained the animals in an improper manner. He
thereibre asked them what brought them out on the road at
that early hour of the morning, as they certainly could not be
riding for pleasure. Chandler answered, that they were taking
them to a person named White, near Lewes. Mr. Brown af-
fected to be satisfied with this account ; but when they went to
take the horses from the stable, he accompanied them. He then
observed, that the horses were very dirty, in a strong perspira-
tion, and apparently very much fatigued. This confirmed his
suspicions, and he told the prisoners he was very much afraid
they had not given a true account of themselves. Chandler
answered, " That he did not care for his suspicions." This
conduct induced Mr. Brown to detain both the prisoners, and
accordingly a constable was sent for, and they were taken into
custody. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Snead, hearing of this oc-
currence at Eridge-green, Immediately proceeded to that place,
and discovered the gelding and the mare found in the prisoners' u
possession to be those he had lost from his own close. Further
inquiries were made at Frant, and it appeared that the two pri-
soners had been seen together, near the prosecutor's house, on
the evening of the 25th, the day before the robbery.
The prisoner Chandler, in his defence, said that a Gentleman
had desired him to take the horses to Lewes for him, and he
was proceeding to fulfil that command, when he was detained at
Eridge-green.
The other prisoner said that lie had met Chandler on the
road, and the latter had given him a ride on one of the horses.

The Jury found both 'the prisoners Guilty—Death.
On, Monday evening Mr. Justice BAYLEY passed sentence
of death on the six following prisoners—Wm. West, James
Johnson, Wm. Pipe, and Wm. Payne. for burglary ; John
Dearing, for litep stealing ; and Wm. Leury, for horse steal-
ing. On Tuesday evening, he passed a similar sentence on
nine others—James Brown, Thomas Sears, John Marks' Ed-
ward Hedger, Wm. Watson, and John Piggott, for burglary ;
Thomas Purser, for horsestealing; and George Cord and Geo.
Smith, for highway robbery.
On Tuesday evening the Court rose at half-past 7 o'clock,
and sat again on Thursday morning at nine o'clock; Mr.
Baron Graham, we understand, for the purpose of trying the
rest of the prisoners.