The Sun.
London, England, 1802-03-15 00:00:00

DUBLIN, MARC I-1 If.

.TRIAL OF THOMAS RADCL,IFFE CRAWLEY.
YESTERDAY came on at the Court of COMMiSSiOII
of Oyer and Terminer, before the Right Hon. Lord
NORBURY and the Hon. Baron SMITH, the trial of
Thomas Radcliffe Cra;wley.
Previous to 'proceeding upon the trial, an appli-
cation was Made by the Prisoner's Counsel to post-
pone it, upon the grounds, that from the short time
which had elapsed since his arrest, he had not had
time to prepare for his, trials and- that the public
mind had been so enflamed by publications respea-
ing the transaftion in which the Prisoner was, sup-
posed to have been concerned) that he could not hope
for a fair and impartial trial.
This application, supported by 'an Affidavit of
the Prisoner, was over-ruled by the Court, who
observed, that the trial had. been once already post-
poned, arid that they had judicial knowledge that
a principal witness was an aged person,. whose'
testimony might be lost by further postponing it.— ,
With respea -to the state of the public mind,
whatever might have been the expression of the
vulgar, the Court could not suppose that a Jury
upon their oath would not be as conscientious
and unprejudiced at this as at any other time. A
Paper professing to announce the, publication of the
Trial (by authority of the Court), with a motto in-
dicating a conviaion of the Prisoner's guilt, hav-
ing been handed up to the Court, Lord ifoßtußY
.expressed his indignation at such a liberty taken
with the Court, and declafed his opinion, that if
any such publication should take place, it would
merit exemplary punishment.
The Jury was, after six peremptory. challenges
by the Prisoner, impannelled and sworn.
Thomas Raflcliffe Crawley was then given in
charge upon an indiament=." that he did upon the
'r7th- of February, last kill and murder Mary
Mooney with an hammer.",
Mr. JONAS GREENE very ably-stated the case at
full length, consisting of farts and circumstances,
which were proved by the following Witnesses.
Dr. Henry Roe, who was called in on the night
of the r7th February to._ see the dead bodies of
Catherine Davidson and Mary Mooney, at No. 9,
Peter's-row. He said that,the body
,cf,..the servant
was cold, but that of Mrs. Davidson retained some
heat ; they both lay on. the floor, and certainly
'died of a violent deatha the skull of Mary Mooney
was wounded, 'and part of the brain on the hearth.
Surgeon Boyton had examined the body of the
mistress.

Surgeon Leake saw the body of Mary Mooney
on the ISth ; her skull was fraaured to a great
extent, and the hone depressed in a circular form
to the diameter of 32 inches ; he had given it as
his opinion, that that frature was given by an
hammer (and an hammer being produced, he said
that was the kind of hammer he supposed) ; he had
never seen the hammer before.
John M'Cuila, a shoemaker, proved that the
Prisoner had on the, rph February, about six or
seven in the evening, borrowed' the hammer pro
duced from him, to put up a shelf in his room; Wit-
ness lived in Bow-lane, Aungier_street. •
Willia M'Culla,. son of the last evidence,
'cor-
roborated this evidence, and proVed that about nine
the same night, the Prisoner had returntil the-ham-
mer to Witness, and accounted for its being wet
by saying, "it fell-in the street." .
The Rev. Dr. Elwood, who lodged at. Mis.,Da-
vidson's in Peter's-row, proved that the Prisoner,
who.he heard had taken lodgings in the iainc.honse
about a week before, had frequently during that
week entered Witness's apartment, and conversed
about Mrs. Davidson's and Witness's property,
which Witness had always spoken of as very small ;
that on the • r 7th of ;February, about six or seven
in the evening, he came into his room and talked
of his expences the preceding day at the Blackrock.,
Witness lived in the, front dining-room, and Mrs.
Davidson in the back parlour ; Crawley left him, and
about a quartet of an hour after he went, Witness
-heard two screams of Mary Mooney-and two moans,
and though at first alarmed, yet recolleaing that the
mistress and maid were used to quarrel, he disregard-
ed them. About an hour after CraWley returned in
seeming agitation, and asked for water, which Wit_
fleas said he could not give, as the maid had not filled
his kettle. He asked for a guinea ; butlWitness said
he had not enough to pay his lodging and Curate's
salary : Crawley then said, "I was thinking whether
you ought to lend me a guinea or I lend you'a shili
ling." To avoid this conversation,Witness took up a
book and pretended to read. Crawley said, Doaor, I
have drank your 'milk; for which Witness rebuked
.him—when Crawley replied, " Never mind, Doc-
, .tor, by this time to-morrow night you shall have
better-milk; and more of it." Witness then asked,
whether he had heard the shrieks ? he said, No.—
. Had he been below ? He was. Was Mrs. Davidson
there ? She was. Did he see her ? He did. Then,
said the Witness, go down and send the girl for
milk he went, and returned, saying he understood.
they were both gone out. He sat silent for a while;
a rap was beard at the hall-door, when Witness de-
sired Crawley to let, in his (Witness's) relation,
Mr. Hows ; he went, and Witness saw him no
more that night. Mr. Hows came up, and said
he was let in by a man he did not know ; he
staid an hour, during which time there was no noise,.
and went away at half . past ten. James Farrel,
Mrs. D.'s nephew, returned, - as usual, from his
work, and was let in by Witness, who thought
Mrs. D. and her maid were out ; Farrel was sur-
prized. at this, and went into the back parlour,
followed by the Witness, where he saw the bodies
lying on the hearth, Mrs. D. with part of her pet-
ticoat burned.
The cross,examination went to prove that Craw_
ley could not suppose either Dr. Elwood or Mrs.
Davidson possessed of property ; that he ladgecl.in
the upper part of the house, and had absented him-
self from his lodging the two preceding.nights ; that
there was a back-door through which persons might
have entered the house, and gone out throtth the
front ; and that, :Crawley might, in the intervals of
his conversation with the Witness, have been in his
own room above stairs ; the Witness saw -no blood