The Sun.
London, England, 1804-02-16 00:00:00

OLD BAILEY.

FIRST DAY.-.-WEDNESDAY, FEE. 15.

THE Sessions were this by commenced in the
usual form, before the LORD MAYOR, Mr. Justice,
LE BLANC, Mr. Riron HOTHAM, the RECORDER,
&C.

Joseph Stott was indicied far feloniously assault-
ing, putting in fear, and taking from the, person of
Britannia Lee, on the 3d of November, a purse con-
taining a one pound note.
The Proseeutrix stated, that she was crossing
the fields from Newington, Green, !to Islington, in
company with a Mr. Francis, .token they were
stopped by a person dressed in a,dark coat, his
hat pulled over his face, who dethanded her mo-
tley, at the same time presenting a knife.tbwards
her breast, and desired her to he quick, and not
give him the trouble to search her ; she according.
ly gave him a purse with ail. note in it. 'The
man then desired her to. go on, and not take any
notice, or 'he' had something worse for her. He
Went towards Balls Pond, and soon after she meta
gentlernari•to whom she communicated the robbery,
and he wentin search c,f the man,. but was not able
to find him. She could not positivelyswear to the
Prisoner as the person who robbed her.
Cox, the pairole, stated, that having heard of
many robberies committed in the fields near isling-
ion, he went in search of the offender, and per-
ceived, the Prisoner, whom, from the description,
he suspeaed to be the man. The Prisoner walked
away ; he, however, secured him : he told the Wit-
ness that he lived in Bowling,-Green-lane.
Several persons gave the Prisoner a good charac-
ter for honesty, and stated that he is by trade a
chair carver. The Jury acquitted him.
There were two other indidinents against him,
on both of which he was acquitted, the identity of
his person, as being the man who comMitted the
robberies not being clearly proved.

Sophia Dale was charged with a capital offence
in feloniously, wilfully, and maliciously setting on
fire, on the zd of February, the dwelling house of
Phoebe Mordecai.

It appeared in the conrse of the evidence, that
the Prosecutrix, Mrs. Mordecai, .occupies a ready.:
furnished house in Clarges.street, Piccadilly. The
Prisoner has lived with 'her in capacity of servant ;
they freqtiently disagreed, sometimes qu'arrelled, and
the Prosecutrix stated that the Prisoner often ran
her in debt in different places in the neighbourhood.
At length it was determined she (the Prisoner)
should leave the place ; and accordingly, a few
days previous to that appointed for her quitting,
another female servant was hired, and had been in
the house a day or two before the affair in question
happened: On the evening of the day stated in the
indictment, about six o'clock, the Prosecutrix was
informed by the new maid, that a smoke was issuing
from one of the bedrooms. In consequence of
which she, accompanied by two or three of the
Witnesses (the laundressi the, servant boy, &c.)
went up and found that several parts of the furni-
ture, as the window-cuttains; bed-hangings, part
of the bed clothes, a toilet, &c. were on fire ; tt
was not a fierce, but a smothered fire, and some
parts of it appeared as if endeavours had been used
to suppress it ; and it was remarked that the fire
appeared to be mostly in separate parts of the fur-
niture, where no communication existed ; beside,
several artialeS of the furniture, a part of the archi_
trave, and framing of the window, were burnt ;
these appearances in the ignited bed-chamber were
minutely described by the Witnesses above alluded
to. A short time previous to this it appeared the
Prisoner had gone our, staid all night, and did not •
return till the next day, and,further, that the same
evening, between four and five o'clock, the Prisoner
had been in the room ; she said she had shut all the
window-shutters, which; however, it appeared she
received no directions to do. There was an ap.
pearance as if some candle-grease had fallen on the
stairs, though the Prisoner had not been observed
with a candle in her hand.

Being called on for her defence, she protested
her innocence of the charge, said she had not been
in the House at the time such a la& could have been
committed : she admitted she hadsgone to the room
in' question that'day, but said it was on some ne-
cessary business.
Mr. Justice Le BLANC charged the Jury upon
the case ; he held the Indittment to be well laid, as
stating the House- to be,that of the Prosecutrix ; the
mode in which she appeared to have held the house,
gave her that sort of property in
The Jury, after deliberating some time, found
the Prisoner—Not Guilty.