The Sun.
London, England, 1809-04-08 00:00:00

YORK ii:SSZES.

josepli Brown wai indicted for the wilful rnt-trder
of Elizabeth Fletcher, 'ot''Hensal, near Ferrybritige,
by administering puisou to her iu the month of Uc.►o-
ber, 1-804.

Robert Challenger lived at. Hensal,.,in aioher,
1804,, and was a near neighbpur of Elizabeth Het-
ch?r at the, time of her death ; saw her the • night
before she died, on Sunday; 2lot October; when she
appeared in health. Witness was in her 'house?
about eight or nine in the evening, and saw the-pti-
sutler, Joseph Brown, and Joseph Hazzlegrove,
there at supper; at that period they lodged there;
recolletts Hazzlegrove-fetching a quart of ale; which
he mixed with a quantity of sugar, and thenlaVe
it to the deceased, desiring her to. drink heartily of
it, having previously put the mug to' his own mouth
to drink, but witness could not shy whether he ae-
Wally drank of it or not. The deceased drank•of
it freely,. and gave it to her sister, who also partook
of it. • Brown poured some ale unsweetened into a
mug, saying, he did not like it sweetened; and the
whole at thelweetened,.ale was takeh by the de-
ceased rind her sister. Prisoner and FlazzlegroVe
went to bed about a quarter
.of an hoar after he ale •
was drinik, and the witness returned home about
nine o'clock in .the evening.. About• eleven o'clock
in the morning of the next day, saw Etizabeth
Fletcher; she was then dead,- and her sister was in
a deep sleep, in which she continued until six,
o'clock in the evening, when she awoke, and took
a little refreshment.

Mrs. Longbottom finding the windows of the de-
cea,ed closed at a much latter hour in the morniug
than was usual, went, at' the desire of Mrs. Fletus-
worth," into the housiej the door, was shut, but not
fastetied. In going into the Wise, she found. the
deceased and her sister apparently in a dying state
the sister lay helpless on the ,fieor, and the ..eceased
was exteaded on the bed. -Witness thour;ht at
first she was dead,. but on, :moVing 11:,:r a little, she
perceived she was alive'; ipercetting a rtriantity of
troth at her Mouth. .Witness remained with her
until she died, which Was about a quarter of an
hoar before eleven The deceased, never
spoke ; she was motionless, and; her eyes were
closed, though .siie moved: her Tao wit-
ness had i‘ideli the decease,i, en Sunday, the day be..
fare her death, and she theli Appeated to' be in a
good state of health. 'Witness said Sarah Fletcher
was upon the floor ; witness assisted to remove' her.
into a chair ; she opened Tier eyes, •but cltd •nut
speak ;it was six o'clock before she spoke. E. Fret-
Cher was about 56 years. of age.
Rebecca Harrison lived next door •to the de-
ceased :n the time of her death ; went into her
house about ten o'clock in the morningon'the.day
bbe died, and was There also at eight o'clock the pre-
ceding evening before supper, and she was thew in
a good state of .health. Dal not see die prisoner
there in the tatelning ; found the deceased lying-on
t he. bed : she appeared sire lig') coat/trisect; find troth
came out of her mouth. Sarah Fletcher, the sister of
the deceived, was.subjeet 4o contukionlifS,' bat her
sister enjoyed a good of health,.
Thomas Wb°eates, Constable, knew • Elizdbeth
Fleicner ; went to her house the day she diet].; lite
was lying upon the bed, appeared to be in a,con.
vulsed sate; went to the overseer' 40 get medical
assistance, but was informed she was dead,.beforelt
could be procured. Went for Mr. Marshall; 'of
Selby, who was.Corotier, was examined before him,
bat no tnedical person was procUred to.' examine
the body. Brown and Hazzlegrove had then left
their lodgings. Saw the ueceased 'and her sister ;
when the, latter awoke, be eared, what had 'beet]
the matter with her ?, To wjtieh 'she 'replied, She
did 1101 know, and: fell asleep, apitt iintnediatelY.—
Sarah Fletcher being in a state approaching idiotcy,
4s. a week. was paid by the parish towardfher main-
tenance. The deceased was a very endeavouring in-
dustrious woman. •

Thomas Thorp lives at Knottingley at present,
but in Odaber, 1%304, lived with Mr. Durham; of,
Hensal, and was then acquainted with the prisoner,
who at that time lodged, with the .deceased. The
prisoner, a short time before ,E,.gleieher's death,
told him tie had some thoughts: of marrying her;
for she had a good bit of, money., Witness asked
him how much ? • To which he replied 201. it .would
be a good thing, and set him aterchand, The pri',
soner ;said, this conversation was false; it could
not be nue, •lte.said, because he was at that time
married, and therefore could not talk of marrying
another person: 'The witness'. slated, that both
I.kown anti 'liazzlegrove had represented' themselves
at single men. 'The prisoner again repeated his de-
nial of this.

Rebecca Fletcher, sister of the deceased, went to
her trouse-on the 2d of October; found her "'sister
Elizabeth dead, and her sister Sarah' asleep, Said;
that about three weeks before; her sister strewed her
box to her; she had then in her box three guinea,
notes and two pieces of gold, but,on examining the
box alter her decease, found the. kick had - been
broken open, and tbe money, taken away; the other
contents of the box appeared much rumbled. The
box was kept in the room where the prisoner and,
his companion slept. Prisoner asked the witness
she had not before stated that she had found ative-,
shillings piece in the box ? To' which she replies/I
she "hhal 1101. Bey sister, Elizabeth, the decease,
had .a good slate of health for many year§;land
Gering that period had not been subjeat to aufkind
of lics.

Join; Carr sated, that the prisoners had been em-
ployed It: tiax ; they were to do it by the
jno and ni4condett on the morning of the 22d of
Oaober, betete they had done the quantity- they had
agreed to dO. 13utit ()latent had represented theni-
:lves as unmarried men.

Mr. W. Perkin, Surgeon and druggist) of Snaith,
Stated, that the prisoner came to his shop on the
18th or Ith of Odober, for some tagdanum) the
witness .asked him his name,, and the Wit he in4end-
ed it for. The prisoner said his name was Joseph
iweher, and that he lived at. Hensal ; and ,that:the
lathlanutn was
_lor the use of .his fathr, who jivcd,
at CHWood, and who was trouhled with pain, and
could Obtain no yest, at night. Qu :this represenntj
tion, the witness let him have six,penny-worth,
wiuch Was rather more than an vuttual .WitneAs
nt-ver saw the'pristmer again, ;until he was, exairin=
ed before the Magistrate, on suspicionbiAniving

• s
poisonjd the deceased, which was about ten days
after ; but he was perfealy sure as to the identity of
lhe prisoner, dud that the prisooer had represented
his name as .b tog Joseph Fletcher: Tilt...quantity
of laudanum, bought by the. prisoner ss as sufficient
to produce the cifeet described by the preceding
witnesses, ;in a persontwho had not been in the
ht bit 91 using laudanum, and to produce. death ;
dud that the: symptoms described by the witness
were such as were likely to result trews the.adinini-
stration of laudanum ; and -from these, symptoms,.
he had no'doube but the deceased died of the poison
of laudanum. .

. .
Mr. Sewell stated, that he was. a solicitor at the
Isle of, Wight, that --the prieoner was brought by a
serjeant ot the depot to the office of the,Magistrates,
at his own desire ; that. no threat, promise,. or in-
ducement of any kind, was held out to hint to Make
confession ; that he took it down in writing at the
time, and when it was fairly written out, it . was
reed over to hint disOiCtly ; he said he understood it
ail, and. it. was all. true, The reasoo.assigned by
the .prisoner for making this confession, was the
extreme anguish,: of [Mod he suffered from his re-
flectiops, whsieli absolutely rendered ~.life insuppoii-
able. The confession .was dated Isle of Wight, 3d
' August, 1808.. This f;otilession.stated, that he had
been acquainted with Joseph Hazzlegrove upwards
of- six years, that in the , month of October, 1804,
bitusell . and Joseph, klazzlegrovelodge`d. with Mrs.
Fletcher, of Mensal, Ferrybridge, and there formed
the design of.pe- tisoning her,. in order to possess
themselves ot spine:property they supposed her to
possess ; that !Or this purpose he procured sixpenny-
,worth of iaudailuin of a Mr.. Perkins, of Snaith,
' which he
,gave lo Haeztegroyee who mixed-it in
some beer, plottg with some .sugar, and gave it to
eLtieabeth Fletcher and heesister; the former died
in cooseqeence of it, and ,early the following morn-
ing ,they broke open her box, and rook. out one gni=
-nea and a,.luntsietliatt hey were afterwards appre-
hended,
.aiet, eeereeiped.: [Mere ,a Magistrate, w ho,
not' considering, the evidenceeitefficiently strong
:against them, or4ered theneete,beetisebargetle The
confession also
,recited t be . oomenission 'of several
' other crimes,
.particularly that t.f theenorder of Cal-
vert, the Selby.,; arrier ; but the Judge would :not
permit that,pere pt. it to be read.. -
The prisoner heist g eelled.epen-•for his defence,
referred to a paper \vhicii had bean delhered to the
' Judge, ar his lodgings; bpi hitterdshie said be
could traku no pot)ce of any papers deligered to him
out of Coerteebut -it 'the prisOrter wished. it to ho
reed as his defence,' he would give it td bin ; wi;Ect;
the prisoner aecenting to, it was reed by tbt Cork.
of the Court---This paper:stated, 11141, arr-,.t. ~.-v-eri
years ago, he commenced an intinuite eteei H:ii-lilLsO
‘4"iiii Jeseph Hazzlegrove, whictt h• . ettittued
--
lutmbruken to the present moo .. :at in the
m
early perteet their friepdship,•a: t ,i, : e high rank
and fortune became enamoured eeelet his nietrd,
aq imattY. Interesting aucetines :: ::.e,:t; place bi:tween
then); and as lie e.ii emp:ey• . I,e..ilisilriend to car-
ry Illt;Ig sas to the lady, . e:i :.oittriee teterviews
trtw'een teem, this gave . . : 01 seem-ey and rues-
tory to their , conduct, e : : :, people :.represented
' mooch to their, disedvaue,,-, alei itisiouated that it ;
was for dishonest.purpe .., h t 114.cy had:Allen, night-
ly meetings; and th sock ,:, pitch of malignity and 80-
purstition did their I 1 :.1! i Le arrive, that. there was •
nut a murder et H0,,,.+ '.-'s wition ten miles which
was not attlibuleo ... them. ThiAl narrative then
proceeded to a n . , , , . ot the ditferent prose cutione
which had bec it coeine aped •avulse Ahem, which
all of these in igliated, ~.3 he represented, iti malice,- ,
amid that in, cow:l.:queue,. of the evidence of II Vile i
it-in, they we... convicted el a ,butglary,;: but that
the Judge e. is tituelt dieseejstied whir the verdid, 1
and their seieeetce was 041vd from death to being I
sent on hoard the hulks, ;iinid subsequently they
were poi untied to enter his ,Ilajesty`p inlvice, where
their
.suilerings were so extreme, in consequence of
the &titan which even then telloweri;tbea4,ihat he '
determined, by a false. confession, :killer ,to hove
an oppum tunity of vindicating their ..clterade'rs iii. a
Court of Justice, or ot pettehing: in the. attempt': .
and he knew that no confession which dill ay' in.
elude the death of
,Calvert, v,uelit satisfy the gen-
ilemen-ef Nerkseire ; and as to, the death olltiza.
bent Fletcher, it was occasioned by _a lit, to which
She had beep stihjett;: '
' 'This written paper concluded with protesting their
entire innocence of the
.vgious crimes of which they
had been' accused, and also included a prayer for his
enemies and persecutors. . .
The JuDoa then asked the Prisoner if he wished
any witnesses to be examined to substantiate his
dentrice ? To which the Prsoner replied in the ne- "
gative. His Lordship then procceeed•to steel up tliti
evidence, and the. Jury, .without retiring, imam-
'fliately returned a verdi4 of,-Gui‘ty. ,
HiK Lordship then proceeded to pass sentence:—
" Joseph Brown, 1 .am. again called upoo,
,in the
painful exercise of my public fluty, to pass sentence
upon a person found guilty ()roue 91 toe,. greatest
offences 4 against society—the *crime of dehb(i. fate
rourior„, You suultian awful an:l striking example
of tAl' Astice of Provideneer—of that pnhi.hinenf
which, sooner or later, ise4r fails to overtake the
gitiity. You have been &impelled, by the agent=s
, of remorse, and the ophrardings and tortures of a
guilty mind, to 'furnish that evidenCe agipst your.,
self, : which ‘'‘.'as Wanting to establish rate proura
'your guilt, and to supply that litik in the chain Or
eviclenee which appeareu to be "imperte4. 1 trust,'
that every one who hears of your tate,- will bears in
mind; that a time will arrive, probably in thi:, world,
rn another, when guilt will meet its
di;:t putraitsllitril) its
''l'tt. h
. lit your unhappy c,e, that pes
rind has-already come, whep you must receite the
reward of your criMes: Impelled by the hope of
possessing the trasure which you supposed your un-
tottimate victito'had saved from her hard earnings,
, you deliberately 'fOrTed the design of destroying ite: ;
for this purpose, you percilased a dewily- dreg,
• e. aid) you procured to be mingled in the 'cop which
you offered to 111;r turbot-the guiseOf triendship.-,
. When the potion kid taken eilel you plundered
her of her property, ihciugh it was tench less than
your guilty ettpidity had suggested. Your crime .
appeared likely:to be perpetrated, as to this,werrhl,
-: with impunity ; 'mitre titan four ':years had olepsed
'lhiec its perpetration, and the remeirilirence
.of it
- began tete& from the reeolleetiun of emery one, but
the,guihy author of the -d.;;:pel ; aud it seemed. proha-
S. hie- that nothing more would have been heard of it,

ilthe consciousneAof, pair crime, more poignant
and destrudiye than the poisoned botil, !bad not,
compelled you to disch.se the horrid secret. Ow-
ricered, as yotir life -has been, with critnes,
not indulge the hope that any thing. that I can • say
will hare any lasiing etiati upon yen; burl cPp•
jure you to spend the tew,retnaining hours yhtihaye
to live, in earnest prayerand supplication to His vn,
for mercy; and may your unhappy fate cum it ce
others, that though their critnes may b • coannitivd
in the darkness of the tight, they will hereafter be
proclaimed at noon day." 'His Lordship,then.passed
sentence of death upon the Prisoner, in ihe usual
torte, whit!) sentence was carried into execution on
-Monday; the enth Kirch..

Qn Monday next the dividends, will be paid to tho
Public, at the Bank of England; and on Wedves-
day morning the Lottery Wheel. will 4o round, and.
the first-drawn Ticket, above LA. will have 1000
tjlolq Tickets, bdsides the chance of four 2.0,tg10i.
twu 10" W. two s'ooo. six-1,0001. SeQ.
- • Not to have a 'chance in the Lottery on
i. Wednesday next, where there is so much given, and
so much to be had, can only arise.from. the want of
knowing the real Benefits it. posseses. - It is nut ten
for one edema to the Adventurer, ,'bet it, is Oth
Thowsand Tickets or Shares to be ()wined brlye
buying of onl one: also ?iv,: Hundred '6r the
cons. Day's thawing. , The value of these Prizes
incalculable, and are in addition tta: the tisti,ll non,-
her Of Capal HofWVY ifiliCa F IC
favour of the P.:blic on the-pres..-nt occhtOP,
at tfr"it
..thficest 26, cionthin,. atul St. • M •
Oqrough,,tiod :no ciNe utt (heir
London. -.

11111111,5".,'.
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• - On Tiles !ay the 4th clist.' at Ilti s,,bat at 1-liwtton, ht Cher
.sltirF, ill.: Lfro.ly of Sir l'itormts S. At.issev Stal,le,,, ;Lat. 4f
4 sott, ,
Ott Welines:lay last. :it SAthlwich, the La,t). or cifarks
'Mats3l), Esq. ut.thi. Navy, Via Sun. ..
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Litti.l) , Airs. i;corgt:Stititrlewurth, of A ustio-triars, 01 a
Diughter..tvitu rapiteti twoltottra atter birth,. ,

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