The Sun.
London, England, 1812-11-03 00:00:00

- I t
1-11 ::S
_A,MIII, Lion,
sh& 1-Gdg 1 that at
coo(:. ' F.uk. wae'rntiggle4 into the epentry;
(1):: 'ie • 1 of y.- Had
o,)cJit.ti.
1.-.oiliey) his ,harids, :he had expe,cfpd to
ut.t pot:aci-i.'cir it; for.d6 silk of that sort,
tho inaiicet. • • -

,Theanas ArnOtt, one ofs the `partners of Mr.
(Iratitsea'ho was sent to pay the doties of the silk,
which amounted in part to 454 said, that the
duty,oo raw 'Valencia silk is ss. 6d. per lb.
Mr. 'lltotiihs FerrOw, a silk-broker, in COrn-
hill, depoed, that, in July last, lie show Sams.
plc of siik to Mr. Prater ; it was Valencia raw
it was left at his 'counting-house when he
was,from,homesa G: Howard; the prisOner, called
on hit on the 10th July, after the sample had been
left. The prisoner said he had left a sample of silk
sonic days befOre ; this was about 10 in the morn-,
ing, and he told the witness, that he bad gtit one
cwt. sveight, and afterwards said, that he had in
the whole about two cwt. He'aSked 265. per lb.
for it, ready money ; he said that he had refused
255. per lb for it from:Me. Ballard, of Love-lane ;
the sample was left by the prisoner. He recollect-
ed the day distine'tly front his ,clieck-book; that
this happened on the-10th of July. On the 14th
of 'July he sheaved this sample to Mr. Prater,
of Noble-street, who is aolealer in silk, and told
him the price that Harris had put upon it. and re-
fereed bin: to Geo. Harries, as the owner of the silk.
The witeAess had known George Harries for
year and a half,' by reason of his brother Samuel
having worked a commission in a case where the
witnesa-waa ereditor; he had known him in the
character of 'elerk. to his brother. The witness,
after having referred Prater to Harries as owner
of the silk, saw the prisoner at his hrother's.office
when his brother was present. The‘witness Men-
tioned tee; Harries that Mr. Prater was to take
the silk at 265. pd lb. and consented to the
bargain. George Harris said that it could not be
delivered for two days, and it was agreed to be
sent on the 1 'ith of July. The witness attended
the delivery of the silk, . George Harris was pre-
sent, at Mr. Prater's. The silk was brought by a
woman porter in corn sacks. The ii-oman brought
it at twice, Alin about half an hfur. The silk-was
weighed whilst Harris was there, and it amounted to
1901bs: Mr. Prater was not at home, and -Air.Codd,
his clerk, Weighed it for him. The sacks in which
the silk came were similar'in appearance to those
delivered up by order of Cooper, •to the Officer,.
The marks on the. sacks were the same. Next
-mrhiling elle witness:saw Mr. Prater, and desired
him to inform Mr.'George Harries, -that he re-
quested him: to take, away the silk, for he would
have nothing to do with it. No reason was assign-
ed for this order. Upon this the.
-witness went to
George Harries, and found him- at his brother's
office. He told Harries the message he had from
('rater, and informed him From -himself, that.the
reason of the non-acheptanee of the silk was,
that it resembled too much 'the silk that had.
been stolen. This remark the witness had made
the day before, both to Harries and Codd, for
he had examined the silk exposed, at Union Hall,
and therefore / declared that he would not he
broker in any s.uch transaction. This extensive
robbery •of silk made a considerable sensation
in the silk, trade. Shortly after this he suns ap-
plied-to hOsireGrant, to learn who was his-prin-
cipal in this transaction with Pruter, 'about the
silk. Upon this application, he went to Gectg
Harries to ask his permission, and he found him
with his brother Samuel. He told him that Grant'
had applied to him to give up the name of his prin-
cipal. George 'Harries said lie hoped there
would be no necessity for giving up his name, as
the siik belonged to. very honourable people.--
Graat applied, again, in consequence of which be
went to Geo. Harries._ This was the second time,
and he went for the whole three times for permis-
sion ni.give up his name. On the third time he
consented to give up his name, and the witness did
not give up the name of George Harries till he'
was taken and examined on oath at the Police
Office, Atethe Office he found the two Harries's
in attendance, in a piofessional way, about this
business. A.s. soon as the witnesses revealed the
name of George Harries, he did not know whether
or not they continued any longer at the Office:—
At that time
,Cooper and the other' persons we're
undergoing examinations on a charge of being
concerned in the robbery For six or eight months
before that period, no raw Valencia silk had been-
expbsed to sale in the. market.
Goff, the Officer, •put into the hands- of the'
witness a hank. of silk, 'delivered .to him by
Cooper's'ivife, at Horndon, and he said it exactly
resembled the silk left at his sample-board by Har
He said the same of s the silk which was
found in the stable of Norman. Another hank
was produced frdm the parcel sent to Mr. Percea.
val, which the witness said exactly resembled the
silk sold to Prater by George Harries. He' exa-
mined some of the cut banks, which, he said,
could net he done in the col-I-1)11On course of busineaa.
In hisscross-examination, lie said, thathe had
been. 30 years acquainted with the, silk. trade, and
knew Valencia silk well, for it appeared frequently
in the market. .A great deal: of silk, however,
came. to hand that came io.an irregular manner,
'some of which found its way. to market, and much
of it did nat. {law
.silk, in running to this coun-
try, might come into private individuals' hands.
Harries informed him that the silk belonged to
hononrable• men, from which the.witness inferred
that it. belonged to other men. It would be ra-
ther difficult.to know silk thacliad been removed
from its packages, 'There was no distinguishing
mark on this silk that would make it known from
other raw Valencia silk. -
Eight other witnesses were examined, when the
eviderce for the prosecution closed.
Baron TnomesoN having called upon, the pri-
soneis-for. their defence,
Mr. ALLEY-submitted to his Lordship that the.
case of the prisoner Knox, onght not to go to the
Jury.- He Observed; that allathe evidence against.
him rested on the precarious veracity of accom-
plices, who only went, at the farthest, to provg
that be hadoiarticipated in the original 'schame of
robbery, which had been abandoned, and had not
even been meditated within 'the jurisdiction of
London.
Mr. POOLE? , sbubmitted the same'plea in behalf
of Ivey, which, on being briefly answered by Mr.
GUENnY, was dismissed by the;Bench, and the
whole ordered to go before the Jury.-

as a

a: S. Winter pleaded.innoc2nt, and laid that the
Witriesse de.•,crived uo credit ;-and he prayed for
Mercy. . • . •
Benjamin innoteiii, in the same
words.
Taylcr :mainOne:4 that he waS.
cent; .and asserted, ilra ErOwn was a ieprobtad
char ac , and would s'•year any thing for money,
.IveY
,pleaded innocent to the whole charge;
and prayed 4 fOr mercy, heeause of his Wife and
children.
Joseph Knox pleaded innocent.
Robert Cooper said he had boOght 10. ev;:t, Of
silk, which he pnrch-Csed as smuggled. kt was
true he, sold Stevens and,Gibbs• 16-olb.s. as smua,-;
died lie knew of no other: When Ile .was taken
into custody he refoseihtosive as is of the
person he bought it from., for fear the parties
should be exchequered. He was taken to.prison;
and there Grant, the supposed o;ri!er or the
came to liim and ine.nireil if he had any, inure
than vt,4at he had sm f to Stevens and 6ibbs:
answered he had. Grant asked if he w;.-,.s
to resign it up; and he told him as' SOel as lie
had gone to the °ince he-would let him
Rather than have his name accused of a felonious
transaction, he gave the officer information crip.tre
the remainder of the silk %vas to be had, and Mrs.
Cooper accompanied Goff, and brought it to the
.Thames Police. A man., as 1 • am, with two
'houses, one in Ratcliffe, and another in Picea -
diliy; the first he returned MAR yearly ftr,
the second 7,0001. did they think a man of his Tr: -
spect•ability would be guilty' of- nurchas;ng goads
kno..wing them to be stolen 7. had stnall
children of his own. He hadanOther taa:bly
_support, left destitute, with 13 children
was all bis defence.

%.ii 1:

George Harries protested he kneW not tb-it Cie
-silk was dishonestly come by; he had receircil it
as smuggled. Ile trusted the Gentlemen of tile
Jury would be of the same opinion.
Upwards of thirty witnesses were called- Who
spoke very favourably of the characters of the pri-
soners.

Baron THoMPsoN commenced the summing u 1
of the evidence to the Jury, by !ibserving, that
.aftrer a very patient and ample investigation of a
most remarkable ai-41...andaCiou§. felony, they
appwa..4edSoWards a conclusion, for which many
of them would be well pieaSed, for they had
suffered considerable privntions: Three of the pri.
loners, liTinter,Taylor, and Allan; stood capital-
ly indicted for having planned andacComiinilied
this felony.. Ivey stood capitally indicted for a
guilty participation, after tile schenie.of robbery'
had.been planned; and Knox stood also capitall .
ly indicted, for having counselled and as.;isted.in
the formation of a
.plan of robbing, which was
Lonsuminated by the felony of the Bth of July;
though in the act -itself he wasinot a participator.
Robert Cooper stood iiitticted for being an acces-
sary atter the crituciwas.cfninnittril; by managing
:to dispose of the stolen 'goods, George Harris
stood also charged, for having, With a guilty
knowledge of its being stolen, received 190 poi/Qd.s
weight of silk, value 2801._ That long and iinpar4
,tant investigation had disclosed a scene of greater
iniquity than any which be ever remembered to
live been revealed bekore tr-Britith CoUrt of
Justice. They beheld a robbery committed in time
centre of a populous city, the consummation of a
deep and long premeditated scheme, from the ne-
complishment of which they had not et all been -
deterred or intimidated by the failure of their first
plan and attempt. Theirguilt, however, would
depend much upon the 'belief which the Dory
would attach to the ample and substantial evi-
dence delivered against them by their accomplices.
It would be necessary for the Jury to examine
and compare, very accurately and pai'.-ientiv, tie
confirmation of their evidence, by the'depositioa
of persons whose conduct , made their veracity re-
main im e
itnpeached. The vidence.of accomplices
was, however, necessary, to prevent, in cases of •
a heinous description,:the t?tal failure of the pur-
posesof justice. Having made these brief obser--
vations, he would proceed to sum up the di'i-
dence, with all possible briefness, to the Jury, -
Stopping occosionally to direct their attention to
the ,iinativial points of the evidence. [Here his
Lordship recapitulated the evidence.;
The charge lasted upwards of four. hours, when
the Jury retired, and, after a consultation of two
hours and forty:minutes, brought up the follow-
ing verdict:—

,
Joseph Sirnmoncls .Winter, Benjamin Allep, and
Witliain Taylor-Guilty—Death.
John Ivey, Guilty of being an accessary only.
Joseph Knox, Not Guilty. •
Robert Cooper, Guilty of receiving.
Georglarrits; Not Guilty.

MANstoN-I-TousE.—Mr. So!omo-?, a jeweller,
from Spital-fields;,Vvas. charged w;'.ll having a 501.
note of the Bank of England traced to him, the
same having been itolen soine time since !'rorn the
.Banking-house of Messrs: Robarts and Company..
The 'defendant as9erted he .had given a valuable
consideration for -this note, but did not know
from whom he had taken it;he having taken many_
fifty pound.notes, without making any memoran-
dum whom he had them from. Upon being ask-
ed from whom he botight his goods.? he said he
made all his got ds himself, with the assistance of
'one' man, who lodged at a public.-house. The
Lord Mayor, with the consent of the pa:ties Con-
cerned, admitted hint to give in bitil for Lis ap-
pearance next Thursday.
On W4dnesda7,7 last, Mr, Thomas Hole, clerk
to Mr. Bray, of Tavistock, put an end t(.;
istence, by swallouiin a large dose of- I...iudannin.
He was married only on the •.Satinidav to
a young
ilady; to whom, he had ton 7 paid his ad- •
dresses. The followingis the copy 4a letter ;wind
in the waistcoat pocket of the deceased, addressed
tb'his. wife

• " My deareSt Grace,—l must leave you for
ever—the :great Supreme Being, I crhst,
you to his care ! With my latest breath 1 hvio
to beg' the Almighty to blesi3, preserve, and keep
yOu ?—Oh, • koy poor distracted- brain ! Wlmt
shalt Ido Can live to hear my name stionatiseA
• * *

The few reautininig words were imintetn;;lble,
the ink being apparentit stnca7cii-witi4 tbt.,
—(Plymouth Pc.p6r.)