The Sun.
London, England, 1807-04-09 00:00:00

OLD BAILEY.

YESTEIIDAY, the Sessions commenced 'at the Old
7;aiLy, befoi%:,• Lord EI.LENBOR6UGH; BaronTnomr-
'::ON;, 11h. Juiticc 1100y.r., the LORD :MAYOR, the
IttoonDirt, &c. when twenty prisoners were tried;
one of whom was cdpitally-conviaed, viz.
T7awws- Thork,,.ror stealing 11 silver forks, 4 sil-;
ver ladle,;, and ,r2O silver spoons, the property of
Libt.fci Devitt, Esq. in his dwelling-house.
Thirteen were convicted of felony, viz. Thomas
Ginn and Wm. Bowser, John' Seaton, Elizabeth
Hough, Daniel Newman; Richard Eve,VM. Swash,
Thomas Ward, John 11/landing, Robert Berms,
nosey Lovett, and Thomas Bland ; and six were
acrinitted. , • . . . .

jumes Clarkson pleaded guilty fel an indiAment.
agamst him for having forged notes in his possession.
Alin Simms was capitally indiaed for stealing a•
bible, value 40s. on the'3oth of March last, in the
dwelling-house of John Stockdale, 'a bookseller in
Piccadilly.
John Stockdale deposed, that on the 30th of Martell
last, a sale of books was
,goin'g on in his auction-
room, at. the back of a shop which belongs to him,-ad-
joining his own dwelling-house. The back house, of
which thisauction-room forMs a pan, is connected
with the front house by .a covered bridge, paSFing
over the back area ; and in a garret of this house, his
son, whom he pays as his servant, sleeps, for the
greater security of the premises. - His sbn, he said,
was not his partner, nor did he pay 'him any rent for
the premises. The auction was going on for the- wit-
ness's account. Mr. Walker, of Paternoster-row; a&ed
as his awtioneer. Round a large table in the room,
on which the books put up to au&ion were shewn
to the bidders, 'sat about thirty or forty persons,
amongst • whom was the Prisoner whose back was
turned to the Preisecutor c a person in thq room,
not now present, winked at the Prosecutor, and
direaed his observation'to the• Prisoner, 'whom, he
said, he then perceived tying up in his handkerchief a
quarto Bible, upon the form on which he hitnself sat.
Ile sent the Clerk, who wally delivers the lots
and receives the money, to ask the Prisoner if he had."
purchased the book ; and in consequence of what
afterwards passed between the. Prisoner and the
Clerk, he sent for a Police Officer, and desired that
the Prisoner might be watched, while he himself
stood in the door-way to prevent. his escape, if he
should attempt it. ,
Cross-examined ky Mr. Bor,t Aatc--He acknow-
ledged that the Prisoner tied upthe,book in his hand-
kerchief without manifesting any effort at conceal-
ment, and in the presence of all the persons about the
table; that he did not endeavour to escaOe'after he
was jowl-opted; nor make any resistance when he
was searched; bit then it was because (as the Pro-
secutor added) he ,was told resistance would be in
vain, and because he would not have been suffered
to escape.
The Clerk of the Auaion-room said, that in con-
sequence of what the Prosecutor.told him, 4e asked
the Prisoner jibe had bought the Bible?, The Pri-
soner answered, he had, for 245. Another person in
the roo:n, named Tappy, also said he had bid for'the
book, and that it was knocked down to him for 255.
The lot .was therefore in dispute. The Prisoner said
be bad paid for the booli.. It was the first day of
the witness acting as clerk there; but knowing there
was no person in the room authorized to receive
money but himself, and. that it was not given .to
him, be asked the Prisoner to whom. it was that he
had paid the money ? Pris Oner .answered, to a per.
son at the top of the room.• The witness imme-
diately referred to his cash-book, in order to remove
uncertainty, and found, no such money entered.---
He was. positive he had not received it. 'Twas
.possible he could be mistaken. He -went agziin, -and
told the Prisoner it was not paid *to him. The Pri-
soner then took the Bible out of the handkerchief,
returned it to the table, and turned abbut with his
back to it, as it abandoning it altogether,
Both Jain Stoekdale and 'his clerk were minutely.‘
cross-examined by Mr. BOLLARD; but nothing ac-
tually contradictory to what appeared in their direa.
evidence came out. , . .

. ,
Several pe. rsous.of respedable chargier
,gave the
Prisoner most. exct.llent recommendations, from an
intimate acquaintaflce with, him of six
.orten years ;
they alwrays underSfood him to have a respe6.lable
occupation:in'. the City of LOnaon, either as a'Stock
dr Insurzince Broker, and said they were never
more astonished than on heating of this charge

against, him. .
Baron in om PEON, who tried the case, in summing
up for the Jury, observed to them that thecapital part
'of the charge was obviated iu.the first instance; for
it was proved that the Bible, laid in the indietmeo at
40s. had been knocked down to the highest bidder at
255. It was then for the Jury w consider 'whether it
was Satistatorily proved by the remainder of the tes-
timony, that the Prisoner really intended to steal the.
book, or whether he had not alledged the payment
under a mistake, or tied up the book with a really
fraudulent intent. If they had any reasonable doubts,
they would, of course, give him the benefit of the
very excellent character he had proved. The Jury,
after a few Minutes deliberation, . found a verdict of
Not Guilty.

Yesterday, at the Middlesex Sessions, Mrs. Jane
Dailey, a Lady of elegant appearance, residing in
the Edgware-Road, was indiated for assaulting Sarah
Lodge, her servant, in August last. The Prosedu-
trix stated, that in consequence of a dispute With
her mistress, the latter turned her out of the house,
pushed her off the step of the door, and., by the fall,
she received a severe wound on the head. Mr.
ALLDY, as Counsel for the Defendant, represented.
this case to he one wherein the 'well-known ex-
travagance of servants respeaing the disposal of
property placed under their care had been manifest-
ed. The Prosecutrx had not only wantonly de-
stroyed the provision's sent into the kitchen, but had
behaved with the greatests insolence to her Mistress, .
who had consequently discharged her. The Learned
Cotinsel denied that any assault had been commit-
ted, but attributed the wound received by the Pro-
secutrix to an accidental fall. Under all the cir-
stances, it did, not appear that the Lady bad ,con-
duEted herself with any impropriety towards the
Prosecutrix, and the Jury pronounced Mrs. Darley
Nut Guilty.