The Sun.
London, England, 1823-01-10 00:00:00

CONFESSION OF lIARTLEY.

In our Paper, Of Saturday last, we gnve an
acoount of the execution of this notorious and hardened of-
fender. It will, however, be seen by the .following particulars
which have since transpired, that he haS made confessions
which may be the means of bringing to justice the long-sought
murderers both of Mrs. DONATTY and -Th. Bum and his
Housekeeper, at Greenwich.. The ruthless deeds of this
Man appear to have rivalled even these of the notorious
Abershaw.

Some days before his execution, 'Hartley. Confeased to the
Rev. Mr. WisiTEll having been concerned in upwards of two.
hundred burglaries in Kent, Essex, Surrey, Middlesex,
HaMpshire, Hertfordshire, Yorkshire, Westmorland, Durham,
Lincoln, and Norfolk. He had been confined in 16 different
prisons, besides undergoing several examinations at the differ.
em Polite Offices and, hod :gone by the. following names
Robert Stainton, Alexander Rombollen, George Grimes, Ito.
best Wood, William Smith, GeorgeCroggington, and Robert
Hartley. •
Hartley's father formerly kept an inn (Sir John Falstaff ),
at Hull, in Yorkshire. He wee .put to school, in that neigh-
bUurhood, but bis 'conduct:. at school was so marked with de-
pravity, audio continually did he play the truang that he was
dismissed as unmanageable. He then, although only nine
years of age, began with .pilfering and robbing gardens and
orchards, till at relight his friends were obliged to send him to
sea. He soon contrived to 'run away from the vessel in which
he had been placed, and having regained the land, pursued his
oat habits, and got connected with many of the principal
thieves in London, with whom he, commenced business regu-
larly as a housebreaker, which was almiiit always his line of
robbery.
Hartley acknowledged,, that from his earliest days he was of
a most 'Vindictive and revengeful spirit. lie had been punished
when at school, and, in revenge, contrived to get from his bed
in the night, and destroy the whole of the fruit trees and every
plant and shrub in his master's garden.7.7.At,another time hay-
ing robbed a neighbour's garden, he was detected and punish.
ed ; when, in order to wreak his vengance,' lie set fire to the
house in the night, which was nearly destroyed, together with 1
its inmates. lie had adopted a plan to escape from his fa-
ther'N house in the night time, without detection, which was
done by means of a rope ladder, that he let down from his bed-
room window, and after effecting his robberies he used to return
to
Hartleyir6i hail once
niinti
lieiore
same
'v'liteeived sentence of death, and was
not respited till within a few hours of the usual time of execu-
tion ; he was then sent to Bottany Bay, from whence he ecin
trived to make his escape, and afterwards entered on board one
of his Majesty's ships in the East Indies. Whilst at this sta.
tion lie was removed to the hospital on :shore,. at Bombay, on
441:4411t of sickness ; but even in this .state he could:not refrain
from thieving. His practice was to scale the walls of the hos-
pital in the evening end way-lay the natives, whom he con-
trivnd to rob by knocking them down with a short ebony stick,
and then seizing their turbans, in which their wealth was usu-
ally deposited, he stole off unperceived, whilst his victims, were
left weltering in: blood,._ which 'always followed his
Whilst on this station, a gentleman on board the ship missed a
valuable box of pearls, and suspicion falling upon a native In-
dian he was put on shore and dreadflilly tortured, (his finger
and toe nails being torn out), to make.. him confess. A few
days before flattley's execution he -confessed that he had been
die thief, having stolen the pearls, and secreted them in a cre-
vice in the shiP's side, where.theyhati slipped down to the hot.
tout, and he never could get at them again. Hartley wrote an
account of this circumstance - to, the commander of the.ship
who came to Maidstone immediately, anti recognized Hartley,
as having been engaged as an officer's servant on board, and
Hartley assured, hint that the pearls still remained in the place
Where be had secreted them.

Hanky acknowledged that lie was an accomplice in the
murder of Mr. Bird and his housekeeper, at ,Greenwichr for
which murder Hussey was executed in IEIIO, but that neither
himself or Hussey were the actual murderers. • Hartley ob-
tained admission. into the house by presenting non) at the
door, when himself, with Iluseey and another person whoni he
named rushed into the house,. and shut the door.--
Hartley instantly rail up stairs, and plundered the drawerit, and
whilst there he heard a thud cry for miercy. He went to the top
of the galss, and saw Hussey pull Mr. Bird's{ housekeeper to
the floor, whilst -.strnek her repeatedly with a hammer.
Hartley ran down stairs, and saw ,Mr. Bird lying dead on his
back. The sight so effected film that he immediately threw
on the table two wetehea which he had scented, and ran out
of the house, and never 'saw Hussey.- afterwards, nor had
any share in' the plunder. Happy would it have been had
his hand* always been, its free from blood, he confessed that
he aftewitrds met a Gentleman on the highway and shot him
dead ; • after which he. took front Ids :person a watch and 751.
Hartley was alsO witness to another ,scene of .murder which
occurred in one of his midnight robberies. Himself and a
companion lied in tend. the house Of a Gentleman, who; 'being
alarmed, seized a poker, and made towards. Hartley,. who
snapped a pistol, which missed tire. The Gentleman seized
him by this collar and dragged. him to the floor, when Hartley's
companion plunged a knife into ,his heart, and he fell dead
,upon Hartley. TWo.Ladiegbad, followed the, Gentleman into
the room, and at the hoirid sight. they instantly-fainted, whilst
Hartley and hie companions made their escape. He hat also
frequently confessed that the murder:of Mrs. Donatty was
the abovt.mentioned -, who he represented to be a most
blood-thirsty villain.
In one of his midnight excursions with, two of his companions,
he had a narrow escape of. ,his.: life. Iley.had packed up the
principal part of the plate in the lower rooms; when one of his
companions, with horrid oath, declared that he Would proceed
up stairs, in attempting which, he was shot dead at the side of
Hartley, who, with Ilia other companion, made :a hasty retreat.
This circumstance only served to harden him in iniquity, as he
aknowledged that he was totally doioid of fear or natural af..
fection. Feelings of remorse were, howerer a little awakened
a few days before his trial, by an affectionate letter from a
sister imprisoned for debt, whom he had robbed 0'2004 by
forging a power of attorney, by which he obtained possession of
a legacy of 20W. which had been bequeathed to her by a dis-
tant relation. - •

Ire looked forward to thc time of his execution with Rite.
nishing coolness; and,. in order that he might have the day
continually before bim, he had drawn a circle on poet, to
form a kind of dial, with an index pointing to.the number of
days yet remaining, and. this index he moved daily as the
days' of life decreased. This monitor he fastened against the
wall of his ,cell, where it was 4onstantly in view.. He was
but twenty.five years of age, and about five feet six inches
•, • •
high.

LAW INTAPAG.ENcE.

COURT Or, IMO'S BENCH, Jaw. 9.
1". WILSON.

Mr. BRODERICK stated, that the declaration alleged the
plaintiff' to be an attorney, and that the defendant had publish.
ed a libel of him in reference to a prosecution at the Old
Bailey, in which he was concerned. The libel was published
in a Newspaper called the Hull Advertiser, and purported to
boa report of certain observitions made by Mr. Justice Bayley
on the conduct of the plaintiff, Imputing to him subornation of
perjury.
Mr.. SCARLETT addressed the Jury for the plaintiff.—
Various, he said, were the modes which had been contrived by
the ingenuity of modern times for libelling individuals. Some
irony was resorted to, and the public were gravely assured
that a party had not committed some outrage on decency
and morals ; sometimes a statement was made with an ex-
pression of hope that it would prove untrue ; and some-
' times a person was informed, with affected kindness and
candour, that reports were prevalent against him, which he
ought to disprove. There was also another mode of attacking
character even more dangerous—by pretending to give a faith-
ful report of proceedings in a. court of justice, or by copying a
report from another Journal with some slight alteration, which
might seem accidental, but might give to the whole account a
different colouring. There were great advantages attending a
true report of all important proceedings in courts of justice;.
and great allowances ware to be made for unintentional errors;
because when discussions were• going on between Judges and
Counsel, the points of law might easily be misunderstood, and
because, to give a correct and lucid report of legal proceed-
ings, a professional education and a knowledge of the principles
of law were almost indispensably regitisite. If the publics.
tion in question could fairly lay claim to any of these allow-
ances, it would not have been made the subject of the present
action ; but it would be found impossible to apply any of them
in its excuse.

Here a private conference took place between Mr. SCAR LE TT'
and Mr. GURNEY, who was counsel for the defendant, after
which

Mr. SCARLETT said, that his learned friend had made a pro-
position to which he would accede. As the action was brotight
to vindicate the character of his client, anti not for vindictive
damages, he would take a verdict with such damages as would
carry costs. . .
Mr. GURNEY observed, that as there was no justification
pleaded, he could not show the correctness of the.report; or ask
a verdict for the Aefendant. lie Would not add an observation
more.

The Jury then, by consent, found a verdict for the.phintitf.
Damages 40s.

SAMUEL v. MACIIIN.

This was an action of trespass and false imprisonment, to
which the defendant pleaded not guilty.
The alleged assault and imprisonment took place in May
last, , at the rooms of the defendant, who is an auctioneer, in
King-street, Covent-garden. A watch, which had been pur-
chased by Mr. Barnett Solomon, was missed; and a proposal
was made that the parties present should undergo a search.
The witnesses for the plaintiff' represented this proposal as com-
ing from Mr. Machin, and that he ordered the doors to be closed.
Ile, then fixed on the plaintiff to be searched, and be was
searched by a officer who happened to be present, but the
watch was not found on his person. No other person was sub-
jected to the same process.
Mr. SCARLETT submitted that the 'plaintiff had not made
out any prima.facie case, but ought to be nonsuited.
The Loan CHIEF Junto,' said, he thought enough was
shown to go to the Jury. The question was, whether the
search was made by the authority' of the defendant.
Mr. SCAREETT began his address to the Jury by saying it
was quite indifferent to him personally, how much time causes
occupied.
The Loan CHIEF JUSTICE observed, that he was desirous
that each case should occupy as short a time as possible; but
he did not think the observation quite decorously made.
Mr. SCAR:LETT replied, that he merely intended to apolo-
gize to the Airy for taking up ,their time in laying evidence
before them. He then proceeded to state his case, which was,
that the search was proposed by the company • that when the
officer came forward, Mr. Machin told lam that he gave hint
no authority, and he must act on his own discretion: and that,
afterall, the officer never touched him., but that he jumped on
the counter, pulled off his own coat and waistcoat., and insisted
on being searched in public. This statement was supported
by four
.The LORD CHIEF JUSTICE left the Jury to decide—first,
whether the plaintiff had been searched at all by any person
but himself; and secondly, whether, if he had been searched,
the plaintiff haul authorized the proceeding. It was very pos.
The Jury, after a few minutes
• deliberation, found a verdict
misibaleh,tihnotnhese
tcloynbfleuilinonisOtaf!,seunc.h a scene, that some of the witnesses
no imputation on the character Tthhaet there. wasiLi .
deed, was afterwards found.
for the defendant. It was
admitted
lot tfett emplaalilnsutAid*.es

. WESTMINSTER SESSIONS.
Yesterday these Sessions commenced before Mi.' COST and
a full Bench of Magistrate!.

TUE: NINA v. CHAULF.S TEIII3UTT, ON TIIE PROSECUTION
OF GEOROW. KENT, FOR AN ASSAULT.
Mr. ALLEY opened the pleadings, and detailed the ease on
the part of the prosecution. Tice. defendant was formerly Cap-
tain of an Indianian in the Company'd Service, -and the prose-
were proved .
cuter was coninneectevdenweeftlLthleiy.ulkliecuPt Ibttss.ad
eleven
once*
in
the
dress circle of the Haymarket q !mare, on the 11th of Oetober,
phs, Chatterley's benefit night. The defendant had much
annoyed the audience during the first and second acts of the
performance, in thrice obtruding himself into a private box,
from which lie was each time removed. After assaulting one.
of the hox.keeepers, he went down stairs into the lower lobby,
where his conduct was so riotous as to disturb and prevent the
audience hearing the piece. It was ut the end of the second
act when defendant was in the attitude of striking Mr.
Hodgins,. a rdspectsble shareholder of the house; that the
prosecutor left his box, as others had done, and remonatrat.
ed with defendant, stating that it was impossible to hear
the performance, and that his conduct and his lifting his hand
to a man old enough to be
.his father, was ungentleman-like,
and that if he had any complaint to make, the lantiger would
remedy it. He seemed satisfied ; but upon Mr. Kent retiring
to his box, he was saluted by defendant with a kick, and he
ran up stairs. The prosecutor went out for the constable in at.
tendance, but defendant could not be found. Upwards of two
hours afterwards,. the defendant made another attack oh the pro.
secutor in the saloon, after asking an exchange of cards. .The
prosecutor said he did not understand duelling, and would he;
the defendant, protect the prosecutor's family in the loss of, A
fattier? The defendant then commenced a furious attack on
the prosecutor, in which he was seriously maimed; and, in
making his escape, he 'was taken and lodged in St. Martin's
watch.house, for disturbance in the theatre. The
_prosecutor
was on the next day bound over to prosecute at Bew.street
Office.

M'Donald, the constable, proved the defendant's general
turbulent conduct during the evening.
. Mr. Hudgins, sen, proved the defendant having gross abused
him, .and puthimself in a boxing attitude, and Mr. Ilodgins,
jun. was assaulted by him.
Four respectable witnesses proved the unprovoked assault on
the prosecutor, whose conduct they described as mild and in.
offensive. • .

Mr. A D 01. P It V s replied, and called a woman of the named
Barclay;and three others, to prove that the prosecutor made
an assault on Mrs, Barclay, and that he challenged to fight de-
fendant for two guineas or sovereigns, when the second attack
was made upon him.
Mr. ALLEY replied ; and the Jury found the defendant
postponed.