The Sun.
London, England, 1805-10-26 00:00:00

CRULLTY.

Robert Reynolds, a Soldier hi one (if the Regiments
of Guards, was indiEled for assaulting,• beating, and
otherwise cruelly treating George and Elizabeth
Reynolds, his oivn infant children.
The case for the prosecution was very(pathetically
stated by Mr. COMM, and the tenor of the e,vidence
was as tbllows

The Prisoner, who is a Soldier and Armourer, had
lodgings for himself and children in the kitchen
story of a house, No. 12, North-row, -Parish of St.
George's in the West ; and a Mrs. Elizabeth Fry
proved, that on the morning of Sunday, Septem-
ber an, as she was passing by the honw where the
Prisoner lodged, she heard repeatedly the piteous
cry of children ; she went to the window of the
cellar whence the voice proceeded, and looking
through, saw two children apparently tied to a dres-
ser, and crying lamentably; she-tapped at the win-
dow, and on inquiry of the poor infants, understood
that their father was a soldier, quartered at Port-
man-street Buracks, and had beaten and tied
them there. She went immediately to the Bar-
racks; and endeavoured to get in, with a view of
complaining to the Officers; but while she was dis-
puting with the centinel, who reftased her admit-
arum, two Gentlemen came up, the one nalt/ed
Keeling, the other Bligh, to whom she told the
story, and they accompanied her back to the house.
They could not get into the cellar, as it was locked;
but one of the Gentlemen, by breaking' a pane of
the window, was enabled to get at a nail, or screw,
that prevented the sash from being put down,
and to enter through the upper part of the win-
dow, and in the kitchen he found two children,
the one a little girl about ten years of op • she W."
naked, standing upon a dreamer, with her hands ex-
teodod to the utmost stretch asunder, and tied to
the top of the dresser, her feet tied together to the
lower part, and her back so lacerated with stripes
as to present a most shocking spectacle. The boy
was tied with his hands before him. to the lower
IPooartt °of tf
driZert:aadP4Marhilkslt't'alioti***'lo.4ft(sre4hvectreerimtlol

ut nut so saver* as the girl, itugs were I.l4une—cl

. .. . . .
found their hands to prevent them from untying the
)igatrients ; and 'upon a tabletat sonic distance tic'sihem, 'stood a large loif NithiCh bad been eat, watti
the slice Iyitig iipOli it, and a piece (ii-beef about Mho
• pounds weight. They untied the poor infnits ; and
the girl, on bi:ing liberated, . Was so ex hausted th 4.
she fainted away. .TheY Were both conveyed to the
workhouse, and placed under the,Medical•Gifitle.,
men in attendance. '
The ApethecarY and 1)r. iacksOn, who,. Saw the
children, and gave their testimeny, said, that they
considered the Fife of the girl, especially, iti,,,datige.r:.
That 'her ba7.l, about her shoulder blaze, was so
much . 'contused and inflamed; he apprehended d
aunpuration,... which might haVe 4rought on a fevt.tir
extremely dangerous to licr life. It Was With diftiL
ctlity the children were conveyed to the work;
houie, where, however; they recnVered in a real
sonable time, but 'were . not sufficiently. well to at:
tend last session to give their evidence on the pro;
Secution of the Prisobef.

The poor children were arse sworn, u~itta trio
usual precaution towards their tender Lige and
capacity,, and examined. They corroborated so
much of the former evidence as 'concerned their
situation ; said their -Mother was 4aq, and that
their father had beaten and tied 'them thus; fut
witching from school ; that they had eaten nothing
after their dinner on Saturday;, until found in the
situation' described on SWlday,
The wretched,PriSoner, who, either from the stins
of-remorse, or some other, cause, appeared wasted.
to a skeleton, offered, in his defenclp a str.tement
in writing to the Cvurt, in whiO that
he had al ways treatod his childreti tenderly, and gave
them enonh to eat but that they ,iqueutly told
hint lies and mitchedfr(
from school, and that he had "
chasti:4ed theft t with' a rattan,: and pumshed them
thus to deter them froth so doing in future.
A man named Plant, a l3eadie, who lodged in the
house with the Pris'onet.., appeared., to give evidence,
in his behalf, but only corroborated the eVidOnCP
against him..,

Tillie Court,. in charging the Jury, observed, th;it
if they believed the Prisoner, in con.eaing those
children, had tr:insgressed the reasonable bounds, of
severity whicip parental discretion ought to 164., it
would be their duty to find the Prisoner guilty
which they did, without .hesitation; and the Pri-
soner was remanded,' that the Conn might Ciinsitl6.
of the proper semnence to pronounce Upon hint.
Elizabeth Randal was cow:4(A of • stealing two
odd shoes; and, as au old ()Wender, liolienced to
transportation for'seven yeas.
Two other women were conviaed of petty of.-
fenCes, and sentenced to short imprisaninetits