The Sun.
London, England, 1832-11-22 00:00:00

ATTEMPT TO ESCAPE PROSECUTION

An inquiry, a few days ago, took place at New-
gate, before Mr. Wontner, the Governor, with the
particulars of which it is necessary that the public
should be informed. Two women were, a short
time since, fully committed for trial for robbing a
man in a house of ill fame. Soon after they were
locked up in Newgate, the following letter was re-
ceived by the woman of the house in which the man
was plundered :

" Noogate."
"6 Mrs. W—, I am toled to inform you that Sal
tuck sick when she was brote to this ere cruel spot, of the
collar ; and poor Bet —, (the name of the other pri-
soner) was her nuss, and cotched the simular sort of a hill-
ness wich swelled her wery much in the bowell., and all as
the doctur cud do want no use, for she went off quite re-
sined, and she is now with her MAKER, in heven. Tell
Bet's sister not to take on, nor to be downharted, for we
must all on us go off either that way, or may be a worser
way. She lays in the bonehus, and we'd be gl for to
see you for to look at the boddy. It's a spectacle. Mrs.
lost
ru r
hh%eivsra money, s
ewo nieseryfly,
kind
satpwohl
wi
eol yi
raoybuli
can'tre
0: p
rl
gyftaaaeocnutue
k,.00 ffvnoegrr
aoot to
nof
arhtobshaubeal
yrtlegolrearnnthtttlwleeihlomri
ekwaienngli
oykurakvetsee:d
gceoto
overrses,
it.
and
GOD
will bles you. Poor Sal ant likely to get over it. She's
W—, pleese to tell the unfortunate young woman as goes
she hopes Goi will bles him. The doctor says as how
n
her hed. Poor creetur, she is always a tauking of her
in her last moments.—Your's, " 111. R.
" From the Start (Newgate), Nov. 18."
This composition fell into the hands of Bet's
sister, without a very necessary explanation to it,
and the poor girl immediately ran off to Newgate,
overwhelmed with grief. She appeared before Mr.
Wontner in the deepest distress, and complained of
the unkindness exercised towards her on the subject
of her sister's illness and death ; and she begged, for
mercy's sake, that the body might be given up to
her. The Governor was surprised to hear of the
death of a prisoner in his custody upon such autho-
rity, and gave orders to one of the turnkeys, who
soon returned, leading iti the person who was re-
ported to be dead. The sister, upon seeing her,
screamed aloud and fell into hysterics, and, on her
recovery, a scene of great affection took place.
All this was quite unintelligible to the Governor
—who, however, suspected that there was some
trick in it, although the sister of his prisoner did not
appear to be a conscious party to it. He at once
y;
o ant personhdeaftol.lvaoghtwin
whom
gt he
ieenffed a
supposed s ed
confession was
from
Sal privy
theto settst
afioldry
e matter,
Beter
The gentleman who had been robbed was in the

habit of going to the house where he was plun-
dered, and the prisoners thought, that if the letter
should reach him he would suppose that no trial
would take place, and that, of course, it would be
unnecessary for him to appear as a prosecutor—a
mistake which would necessarily lead to their im-
mediate acquittal. But the consequence of the suc-
cess of the stratagem would not only be the libera-
tion of the women, but the infliction of a heavy
penalty upon the prosecutor, by the forfeiture of
his recognizance, for not appearing at the Old
Bailey. The great probability is, that if the sister
had not, in the warmth of her feeling, gone to the
Governor, the plan would have hit; for the pri-
soners were getting up another letter, as patheti-
cally recording the decease of Sal. The loss to the
prosecutor, in the event of the success of the scheme
would have been 401. Whether the person com-
mitted to Newgate be alive or dead, when the time
the
h e Old
has
theß seaym, and n
claim
no t
depart
of trial arrives, it is the duty of the prosecutor to
attendrt
withouttiteJus leave;ticeHal l o
and f
for expenses, whether be is called upon to give evi-
dence or not.

The following letter to the Governor of Newgate,
from Kennedy, one of the men who were tried for
the murder of Mr. Wilkinson, on the Thames, was
written without assistance from any body, although
the convict could neither write nor read when he
was committed. It was written on Kennedy's de-
parture for New South Wales.
" Respected Sir,—l cannot leave this prison without
expressing to you my most grateful acknowledgments for
the kind care and attention you paid to me and my unfor-
tunate fellow-prisoner and companion, William Brows.
I am fully aware that to you we were indebted for our long
stay in Newgate, after our unexpected and most merciful re •
prieve, for which neither I nor my companion can ever be
sufficiently grateful. It was your kindness and charity
whitl placed us in a yard and ward where we experienced
every attention our dreadful situation required, and where
we were taught to read and write, and have been learnt to
pray to God, who hath mercifully spared our lives. And
oh, Sir, I earnestly and sincerely pray that God may bless,
preserve, and keep you ; and that he may continue me in
the grateful remembrance of your kindness and his mercy,
is the sincere prayer of, Sir, your humble servant and
prisoner, " WILLIAM KENNEDY.
" Chapel-yard."
His Majesty's Government are making a sharp
distinction in the punishment of offenders. It is
regulated by the degrees of enormity, in a manner
hitherto unpractised. In the report of the last batch
of convicts it is ordered that tour prisoners, whose
offences were of the worst character, should be im-
prisoned in solitary confinement for two months in
the House of Correction, kept to hard labour at the
treadmill for ten months, and afterwards transported
for life. Formerly those whose sentences were
commuted from capital punishment to transporta-
tion for life, were sent away as soon as possible;
but the Government, desirous of shedding as little
blood as may be consistent with the public security,
have of late commuted the punishments of men cow
victed of those forgeries to which ►he Statute still as-

signs the penalty of death, adding to it, however,
the bitter annoyance of a solitary dungeon, and
treadwheel labour. They are, it is understood, de-
termined to try the effect of that dreadful sort of
imprisonment, which is considered by many as
worse than death. Convicts who have been trans:
ported, no longer can boast of living at their desti-
nation quite at their ease.

THE MARKETS.

RET.—Nov. 21.
Per Ton. 4;
Walls End Hilda 20 r,
Walls End Riddell's 21
Walls End Walker,. 21 .7
Walls End Hetton 22. `‘;
Walls End Lyons 21 as"
Walls End Stewart's.........
Barnsley 17 u
Walls End 17
Hartley l9 2
Llangennech 26
Howard'sNethertonMain 17 0
Newbiggen small 14 0
e last market-day, 3.