The Sun.
London, England, 1844-12-07 00:00:00

NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—York, Dec. 5.

At the sitting of the Court William Potter, yesterday
convicted of arson, was placed at the bar, and after a
very solemn address from his Lordship, receive sentence
of death.

Sarah Wilson, Thomas Addy, George Reynolds, and
Christopher Ingledew, were indicted, the female prisoner
for stealing from the person of Richard Harland thirty-
seven 51. notes, and the others for receiving the stolen
property, and with being accessories after the fact, by
harbouring and assisting the principal delinquent.
Mr. Bliss and Mr. Blanshard conducted the prosecu-
tion ; the prisoners were defended by Mr. Wilkins and
Mr. Overend.

It appeared from the statement of the prosecutor, Mr.
Harland, that on Saturday, the 19th of October last, he
was at Yarm fair, and had in his possession a sum of
1851. in 5/. notes. Of these ten were motes of the National
Bank of Scotland, which he had received from a person
in the fair. He had paid away a sum of about 301. for
some sheep, and of this 301., 15/. consisted of Scotch
notes, leaving him still possessed of 1551., including
seven Scotch notes. He had been at several public-
houses in the course of the day, and in the evening was
in one kept by a person of the name of Baker, in whose
stable his horse had been put up. Being about to leave
Yarm, he came out into the passage, intending to go to
the stable for his horse, and there met a woman, who, he
said, was the prisoner Wilson. She addressed to him
certain solicitations of an improper kind, which he said
he repulsed. She, however, still followed him into the
stable-yard, and on the way she was spoken to by two
men, whom he did not recognise, one of whom wore
white tromers. Wilson then suddenly tore open his
waistcoat, snatched his pocket-book, and she and the
two men ran up the yard and disappeared. This was
the sole direct evidence as to the actual robbery, and
it appeared from the other testimony for the prosecu-
tion, as well as from Mr. Harland's cross-examination.
that he had on some occasioni given a considerably dif-
ferent account of the transaction. It appeared that on the
morning of Yarm fair the four prisoners, with the excep-
tion of Reynolds, came together to a public-house inYarrn,
and from a conversation which took place in their presence,
it appeared that they, with Addy's wife and two chil-
dren, had come over together from Northallerton that
morning. They proposed to the person that drove them
to take them on to Stockton, where they said they
wished to purchase some hardware, but it did not seem
that at that time they carried their intention into effect.
It appeared, however, that late that night, and after the
time the robbery was committed, the same party were
seen entering Stockton on foot, and they applied at the
house of a Mrs. Cowley for lodgings. They procured
one bed there, which was occupied by Addy and his
wife, and Ingledew and Wilson, who had passed as mar-
ried people, were accommodated with a bed at the house
of a J.M. Chapman. To her they stated that they had
come from Darlington and were going to Middlesbo-
rough. In the course of that evening Reynolds was
seen at Stockton, and went to a shop kept by a person
of the name of Weldon, of whom he purchased several
pairs of stockings. He tendered in payment a note of
the National Bank of Scotland, which he took from a
roll of paper that seemed to the shopman to consist of
notes, and in which there was, at all events, a second
51 note. The shopman declined changing it, and it was
handed back to Reynolds, who said there was no harm
done, and put it back with the others. He subsequently
went to another shop and purchased a hat, in payment
of which he again tendered a Scotch note and received
the change. Early the next morning he called at Mrs.
Cowley's and saw Addy and his wife. They were
shortly after joined by Ingledew and Wilson. In the
course of that morning, Sunday the 20th, Ingledew and
Addy went together to a livery stable and bargained for
an omnibus to take them to Thirsk. At that time In-
gledew produced a pocket-book in which was a thick
roll of paper, which, to the witness, seemed to consist
of notes. The omnibus wont to Mrs. Cowley's, and the
party got in, and went on to Thirsk. They were shortly
after taken into custody, but upon searching them very
little money was found. Reynolds was taken into custody
at Newcastle.

Mr. WILKINS addressed the jury for the prisoners,
contending that not the slightest reliance was to be
placed upon the evidence of the prosecutor, and that,
taken in connexion with his statements to thel con-
stables, it tended rather to show that Roberts was the
person by whom the robbery was committed. As to
the other evidence, it did no more—rate it at the highest
—than raise a mere suspicion. The possession of a
Scotch note by these parties was not to be wondered at,
when many of that kind had during the day been cir-
culated in the fair, and the witnesses were probably mis-
taken in their ideas as to the amount of money in their
possession, a probability strengthened by the fact of
hardly any being found upon them. As to the strings
of the cloak, it would be a very dangerous thing to make
the guilt or the innocence of the prisoner to depend on
their identity ; even supposing they were satisfied of
their identity they would still have to take for granted,
without proof, that the prisoner had placed them there.
And suppose they were satisfied of all this, it would
only prove that some time in the course of the few days
preceding the prisoner Wilson had been there, a thing
which, whether guilty or innocent, would probably have
been the case.

His LORDSHIP having summed up, the jury retired,
and after being some time in consultation, returned a
verdict of Guilty against all the prisoners. Sentence
was deferred.

John Haigh, aged 46, was indicted for stabbing John
Crabtree, with intent to do him some grievous bodily
harm.

Mr. Pashley and Mr. Pickering conducted the prose-
cution. The prisoner was not defended by counsel.
The prosecutor stated, that on the day in question the
prisoner came into his house, and said, " John, she's a
foolish woman to think I'm going to do something at
her," and without further preface struck at the prose-
cutor with a knife he held in his hand. The knife
struck the prosecutor on the side, but not being
a straight thrust, it turned, and merely passed
through the waistcoat. The prosecutor caught the
prisoner by the wrist, and endeavoured to push him
down stairs. The prisoner got his hand loose, and again
stabbed at him. lie again succeeded in catching the
prisoner's wrist, and finally, after a severe struggle, got
away from him, with no more serious injury than a cut
on the hand. The prosecutor went down the road and
met one of his neighbours, to whom he stated what had
occurred. Shortly after, when the prosecutor was gone,
the prisoner came up. The witness said to him ",Jack,
what hast thou been doing ?" The prisoner replied,
" D—n the knife, it is doubled, or else —." The witness
said, " Come into our house, and let us know what thou
hest had up." The prisoner went into the housa And
related to him the transaction. The witness said
" Thuult have to be hung if thou follow'st those tricks."
He replied, " God had ordered him to kill three that
day ; he had his work to do, and he must go and do it,"
Witness then seized him, and a scuffle ensued, but the
witness finally succeeded in mastering him. The pri-

soner then said, " D—n thee, its been a good one, let's
try again, I can whirl thee next time." He became,
however, apparently tranquil once more, and talked ra-
tionally for some time, but took the opportunity of wit-
ness going out for a minute:to get possession of a carving
knife, with which i.a so terrified the inmates that they
4 rushed out ,•1 the Louse in a body. The witness hearing
the alarm came into the house, and seeing the prisoner wi th
the carving knifo in his hand, cried out, " Jack, if thou
does'nt lay that down, I'll cleave tha' yead," on which
the prisoner laid the knife down, and was taken into
custody.
This witness, on further examination, stated, that up
to six or eight weeks before, the prisoner had been well
behaved, and a quiet hardworking man. About that
time he began to neglect his work, refused to wash or
clean himself, and would lie in bed all day, "saying that
he was clean beat, and had no strength in his limbs. On
one occasion he came to the witness and asked him to
put him in n chair and keep him for a show. The wit-
ness added, " Soomtimes, when we had coompauy, we'd
bring him down and knock him about, to see if 'ud do un
any good." He explained, however, that the knocking
about meant merely an endeavour to enliven him by their
society. _ .

The prisoner was acquitted on the ground of insanity.

SOUTH WALES CHlGUlT.—Chester, Dec.s.
(Before Mr. Baron GURNEY.)

THE CASE OF XL WINTERBOTTOM.-CHARGE OF FOR-