The Sun.
London, England, 1805-08-01 00:00:00

ASTLI?,Y 71. stundms,

. .. .
Mr. GURNEY opened the pleadings in this case,
-and stated, that it was an aaiomby Richard Astley,
against the Rev. Joseph Sturgies, to recover-the sum
of 601. the price of a horse which the Plaintiff had
sold to the Defendant.

Mr. Serjeant BesT, as leading Counsel, observed,
that if he, had not been convinced of the accuracy
of his Learned 'Friend, who opened the Oeadings, he
ShpUld have certainly thought he had made a mis-
take in calling the Defendant the Rev. Jog. Sturgies,
for he appealed to the Jury whether there were any
outward and-visible signs of the clerical chandler in
the dress or manner Of the Defendant—[Mr. Sturgies
was in CoUrt,dressed in a light frock coat and waist-
coatof the Jockey cut]--But, however, it seemed
the: fa& was really so--and he believed the Jury
would-think that there was as little of the Parson in
his conduct -as in his dress, when they heard the
evidence in this case. It was not denied that he
bought the horse;and agreed to giVe 601. for it; 'fior
was it denied' that the aniinal was sound, for the
, Defendant kept him. All that he had alledged
against him, in his clerical language, was, that he
could not tell what the- devil was the matter with
him, for.he gave him as much corn as he could eat;
and yet he did not look to please him. In payment
for this horse the Rev. .Gentleman had given his
client a 'Bin of Exchange on a receipt stamp (by
mistake no doubt), which was of course of no value,
and perhaps he now thought that they had no other
evidence to prove the transaCtion; but he would
find himselfdisappointed, for he should call witnesses
which would clearly entitle the Plaintiff to a verdidt.
Thomas Tomlin stated, that he was Bailiff to the
Plaintiff, who resided in Leicestershire. He knew the
Defendant, and had several conversations with him,
in xvhich he acknoWledged he. had bought the horse
in question-for 601. He had said that the horse did
not please him, and could not think what the lull
was the matter with hiM !--he would sell him; and
pay only as much as he fetched at market. One
day he had a conversation with hirn at the Plain:-
tiffs house; and-several persons, told him the horse
was worth the money-out, by G—d, he never in-_
tended to pay-until he was convinced it was worth it.
He promised that he would send it in a • few days,
but he hat never done it. He was Cross-examined
by Mr. GAaaow, whether the Plaintiff was not a
horse-d aler, who obliged the Students of Catii-
bridge in the article of.liorse-flesh ? He said, No ;
the Plaintiff was a Gentleman who rented a fiin,
and had horses, which he sold.
Mr. GLRROW, for the Defendant, contended that
his client was a young Gentleman of Cambridge
University, who had been most egregiously duped
by the Plaintiff, a knowing horse-dealer. It was la-
ther singular that he should conic to a Jury in Heti-
! fordshire to obtain justice, when he might so much
easier have got it at home in Leicestershire; but there
• might be a very good reason for it—he. was known
at home, and not so well known here. He thought
the obseivations on the Parson's white coat were
very unnecessary ; but if they were of importance
at all, at least look at the other side of the question,
and ask what was the Defendant ? Although his wit-
ness would not allow it, yet in simple truth, •he
was a mere horse-dealer ; and it • had often been
Said, the animal called a horse-dealer had such a
propensity to cheating, it was 'so much in his
blood and bone, that he could not resist the temp-
tation of defrauding even his own father. Place,
therefore, the chandler of the Horse7dealer against
the Parson's white coat, and that pagetof the account
was balanced. With respe& to the merits of the
cause itself, he observed, that no evidence .was given
of the value of the horse, except that of the Plain-
tiffs Bailiff, which he was sure the Jury would never
trust to, and therefore they. would cut down the de-
mand made against his Client.
Mr. Justice HEATH told the Jury, that there was
no evidence that the horse was worth' less, than 601.
and if the Defendant meant to dispute its value, he
ought to have had witnesses. to prove it.
Verdi& for the:Plaintiff 601.

• JUI-Y 30.
Christophir Simpson, the young man who' was
lately apprehended for having committod several
highway robberies in this county and -Bedfordshire,
was put to the Bar, and charged on two indiaments,,
the one for robbing Richard Oakley, 'a farmer, on
the 11th July last, at King!s.Walclen.; the other for
robbing John Bryon, on the same day; in' Bedford-
shire:. When ealled upon to • plead, he answered;
Guilty: The Learned Judge, with. the usual huma-
nity of Liglish Judp,es, accused Win to- rotraa that
plea,.and take his trial; but he persisted in adhering
'to it. f. •

The Judge informed him, That it would he no cir-
cumstance-in his favour that he pleaded Guilty, nor
would it operate any more against him thr.t he should
be found guilty by the verdia of' the Yu!.-,- after 'a
plea of Not Guilty. He replied, that he was not
flaunted by any such motive ; his guilt was too fia-
,grant, and he should consider icas an aggravation of
the crnuestehad already committed if be were now
publicly to deny them. The plea of Guilty was then
recorded.

. •
The Prisoner is a genteel-looking young. m an-, but
not like a Londoner, and apparently quite resigned
to his fate. We understand that since he has been
in gaol he has alWays expre:ised his determination to -
plead : • and has admitted' the name: Which he
gave,was not his true one, nor will he disclose who
are his la miry: or 'friends, -declaring that they are ig7
no ant of his situation, and lie hopes his fat: will be
.cletermined before it reaches their knowledge. He,
also regretted that some of the Sharp Shooters, who
apprehended Lim in'the Wo9d, did 110 t thout him

LONDON : Ilintcci by R I CHA p HARRIS, of N 0.4, Martlett-cotat. Ilow.strect ; :;1,1
at tho E, No. 112, Suand ; wke.re Akertigrients Order; IV

117Muni Trim was indlaed for„St&iling a gr.:y
;Itliflg, the property of Witlimn Smith, E 4 from 1
Wadord, in this county. A person of the name of
Routh, who keeps a public-house at Haiehtere, in
surrey, swore that he bought the horse of the Pri-
soner on the 4th of May, the day after it was stolen,
in the town Of Haselmere-,—Guifty.
-Warner was indicted for sheep-stealing... 7—
George Bull. -a Farmer at Rushdea, in this County,
stated, that on night of the 13th of May his fold
was. robbed .of several sheep ; by the track they
could discover that three men had been there in the
• night, and they traced the sheep to a neighbour-
ing wood, where they found the skins-of three •
which -had 'been slaughtered. They followed the
footsteps Until -.they led oto the Prisoner's house,
which they searched, and found a quantity of mut-,•
ton salted in one room, and in another a shoulder
of mutton, the joint .of which exactly tallied with
the leg part left in one of the skins.! The Prisoner
was in consequence apprehended the next day.
James Winter, the sotf4n-law of the Prisoner,.
who was an accomplice in the trana&ion,. gave evi- ,
defice, that the Prisoner, the Prisoner's- brother, and
himself Were the three persons who had committed
the theft... He- stated, that he was seduced into the
commission 'cif-Abe crime by the persuasion .of . his
tither-in-law;---Verdid,
James Winter, the last witness, was also himself'
indided for the same offence; but he was sriffere&
to go at large-on .his recognizance to give evidence
against Warner's brother, when' he should be appre-.
'tended, he having absconded. •
Thomas Douglas was cOnvitaed of stealing ..a
pocket-book, the property of Henry Ding, con-
joining three ban,: notes, of the value of seven
pounds. The Prosecutor stated, that .he was standing in
Royston fair, about eleven in the morning of the tith
of July, when he felt a hand in. his pocket, and.turn-
Mg round; he caught the Prisoner by the collar, say-.
ing, you have got my pocket-book." The Pri-
soner immediately pulled it from under his. coat, and
returned it. to him. The Jury fonnd hitn'. guilty,
and the Judge immedately sentenced him to seven
years transportation. _ _ _

The whole of the Prisoners being tried, Sim‘pson,
the highwayinan, /Parnt4'; for sheep-stealing, and
Trim, for horse,stealinE,r, were put to the fir. The
Judge immediately pronouneed._sentence Of. Death
on them. He addressed Ym that pson, and lamented
his crimes should have brought so young a man into
such a situation. There were, however, some favour-
able circumstances in his case, which it was his in-
tention to make further inquiry into. If the result. of
that inquiry should prove favourable, he Would re-
commend 1;m to mercy—but if not, he must expe6t
the dreadful sentence of the law.

SALISBURY; Tvtv 3°.

. ,
Benjamin Crocker;who has for a long time jxist
excited a great deal of cUriosity in this and ;thq act-
joining counties, la this instant been found
charged cm the oaths of Win. Tucker and others,•
with fcloniowily iiir,;ing, A Salisbury, a ceilainspro:-.
inissory note fic the payment, of
,701.41111iptention
to defraud the said Win. Tucker. Aso cjetaifle4 9';
the oaths of `Villa Gapper and Others, with felont-_
ously forging, at Salisbury, a cortain:promissorynote
fur the payment of tool. with .iiiet!t to defraud'the
slid Wm. Gapp:T. These notes, and also tlpv,,aicli
Of 200 others, were all written upon i. s. stamps.—
Death.

1,4111' I; EPORT.

COURT OF C:OMMONTLEAS.:

TrIONI&S \VEST ',AND • 0L1t7141, lIIS :WIFE-, V. J.

GAN

-Mtn-

THE 'Plaintiff is the Stockton Ciri T!.k 1)Y
fendant.is a Cheesemonpr in Bi J.wpsgate-strect,--
This-Was an Aetion for Assault and Battery.

Mr. Serjeant BEST, for the Plaintiff; said,lhat this
was a barbarous And cowardly assault committed by
a man on a helpless female. The Plaintiff, in the
course of his business, had -unfortunately placed his
cart opposite the door of the Defendant, after which
he proceeded to a neighbouring house, to procure
some parcels for conveyance, leaving his wile in the
careeof the cart. During his absence, the Defendant
drove up iu his gig, accompanied by a young. Lady.
The latter did not •coedescend to signify his ap-
proach, but leaping . from his gay vehicle, struck the
horse of the Plaintiff, which was impatient of the
blows, and ran away. At this instant the Plaintiff
arrived, and luckily by his agility prevented any de-
struEtiVe accident. He humbly remonstrated. with
ihe-Delendant, who answered him by a severe
gelation. This, however, was not the subject of
the Aftion; as the Plaintiff was able and willing to
return the compliment. While the parties were in
this situation,' the wife of the Plaintiff could not be
wholly indifferent, and ventured to interpose, upon
which this recreant knight presuMed to 'strike her
with his lash, and, not eontented witk•appiyhig this
chastisenient, he reversed his wefpon, and levelled
at her many violent blows with the butt-end of his
whip. The injury the. woman snstained by this
assault occasioned her confinement for' a fortnight
to her bed, and the Learned Counsel hoped for the
future the Defendant would learn to moderate his
passions, and that the verdia.Of the Jury Would . be
essentially conducive to this beneficial elfe&. Two
Witnesses having e. t tblithed the bas,
Mr. Serjeant Sunentan, for the Defendant, per-
fetqly concurred in the re*peCi and veneration which
was at all times due to the fair sex,* but wherrea, fe-
male ventured to deviate from the natural mildness
of her eliaraMer, and the eitquisite delicacy*, of her
manners, and assumed the attitude of a bruizer, the
awful reference she inspired was necessarily dimi-
nished. In the present- instance, this modestequiet,
and decent young woman, abandoned the sphere of
her duty In a carrier's cart, and stooped to the inde-
cerous department of a Billingsgate. The fag,
:tr*:pp:.d of .he embellishments Which the ingenuity
of ht.; Learned Brother had supplied, were simply
these :--e;On the arrival of the Defendant near: his
own door, he found he was precluded from access
by the cart of the Plaintiff. He called out, that the
obstruEtion might be removed, but no reply was
given. la this situation he occasioned- the horse of
the Plaintiff to advance ;a few yards, which so ,en-
raged the vtlit:scan, that she-struck at him with -her
whip i and ween .he sought refuge in his own shop,

l'lllll.slied by'AVit.r,tA M A MIFACE Sc 'ri't'irs, of Sbuth,t4ol
)r the Pape-, Letkll for the Tiitor,'N:c. n

l'e was pursued liv herrnot only with clamour, ba
raise ,bl"'s: . Self;defonce induced the De(cabana
nii whip, the lush of,which he very ineffedu•
ally applied when ieSiSted by-her raiment. 'lt wai
true, that under these cirairnstancs, lie used the
mere inas"sive part, and by this alone he was 'able w
and injury.
_The Leaned CGunsel added, that gi no
Justificalpil was- entered on the recbrd, a terdia
iir:itnic:id:frtibcstreds:ea;o:revent further d
1111.1 A be fmrod for the. Plaintiff ; but in a CaSC Of tbil,
given. .
:Mier a short address from hi 3 I.lnlship, the Jay
in a few ininates. returned=-A liegli 3 for the Pl'i".
ii g, ijc y:,z,, tv 001.
the aecornpllshed I:,turbat:co
o.4aketri.cfminal damages wouldbi
- ' PARSoNS v. BOI.IL.
This Was an ualon on a policy. of inclitance,
brought against the Underwritery of tbeSttip calleit
•It appeared that the vessel was laden with ti.,'',i
and WfA bound. for Londo, front Archangel. tn
the Moth of Oaolker she encountered very 71
‘veather, and was obliged to put into Wiiii4m,.'
and,
Nbi'VaY ; she then left that Port, anti, attar bait:orgt
about -for a considerable time, rat into another fort
in Non's%) y, where the Captain gaS obliged to, 5,e._
the ves,el , for 1 001. she being in such bad coadayi
that slie conld ilot proceed ou. her voyige; nor c,,,°'i.
land,
vessel be procnred there to carry the tar W Plo
,t4ougit.every exertiOri I.VaS iii3de. ),. air
„, The Jury instantly ;rave a veraia for the
lm
--Mmages 571, 1.5. 6*.d.
Cl A v rsr ND, j1.1,y 33. so
Plssed by—the Favourite Voll:kto; fr,,111 Satittatill oit
bridge, Taylor, . from 1 bu;dura, Mame, Web.e,,,tio.
liourtieAux F kiwi V row Eishia ‘Vaybritige, frOtan'd fp
sale`t—tnc "°ll3O, Nt......vit00 for raitica; I°l;(Lyi
rash, Ferner, --- for the Cape : tie Verdes; 1:311)lioi
tor Sr, l'etershurgli ; Thom,,, ihirchni2n, la :oohs
Angl Sophio Cornelius, for Statirk • row r'',"'olg•
Wi,:ktmEn,.W'e,ilwatts, %Vatts, ;wit V foil' Margaret"
ter, for Vareil.

Slll.l' IVEI

,11,41? 181),
Last tvcck, at Sr. dame, yelvirch, 11r. I'4l°4°f
to Miss Gill. of

• into ~,,4 forc!2Y, Are:
On wednemby, at CI aph:iin Common, ,"-- 1 1,,54, -‘'
lia. of Pin itarclo, law vl Cinii,ticV IWl'l'
ceased.' , cf
- , .
7. 7 : PE obert rivr, _
Latcl yt in the 'West nunrs, ~,cutenot .. odyjporic
Ilis. NI gjesty's Shin Vi)rnit,'6e, vdlo waslllll4,ll,tt 501'4 vau
ed With I weir., (Ip:cri in one (A the lioats ul t"''
in eItILS of an I.Enenir:; Scliooder.
. _........,,,,---