The Sun.
London, England, 1821-04-09 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

SURREY LENT ASSlZES.—Ktvacriw, APRIL 7.
The Assizes for this County finished here this
evening, about seven o'clock, which ended. the
Home Circuit.—Both Courts sat this day to try
pr'soners.
BURGLARY AT ENGLEFIELD GREEN.
John Lambell, Jesse Sangzr-ell, Charles Smith,
and John Weston, were indicted for burglariously
breaking and entering the dwelling-house of Eli-
zabeth Green, widow, at Eghim, in the night
time of the 2(ith of March, .and stealing a silver
snuff-box, a silver clasp knife, a miniature pic-
ture, two pearls, a gold ring, and other articles,
her property.--This case excited very general
interest, from the daring circumstances of the
robbery.

Mr. COMMON SERJEANT and Mr. ANDREWS
conducted the prosecution. Mr. CuawooD was
for Sangwell and Smith ; Mr. .BRODRICK for
Lambell ; and Mr. TURTON for Weston.
The facts proved in evidence were these :
Mrs. Elizabeth Green was a lady of fortune, far
advanced in years, and at the time of the robbery
lying on her death bed, attended by her.daugh
ter, Mrs. Hamilton, and two nurses, who were
standing round her couch, in• sorrowful anxiety,
expecting every moment the extinction of life.—
Mrs. Hamilton had retired to an adjoining room
fora few minutes, and at twelve o'clock on the
_night of the With of March she •was alarmed by
the violent screams of the nurses, ancl'apprehen&
lag that the fatal moment had arrived when her
mother was no more; she rushed into the apart-
ment, and to her surprise and horror she found

two ..ruffians at her mother's bed side, each holding
a nurse by the arra, and presenting a pistol at
their respective heads, demanding money, and
threatening instant death if they made the
I.igl:test noise. With great presence of mind,
at . eo terrific a moment, Mrs. Hamilton forbade
the use of violence, 'and demanded what they
. wanted. ' The ruffians said, they wanted-
money and plate adding, that they knew there
was plentyin.the house, and they must have it.,
She said, that what money there was in the house
they • should have, if -they would allow her to
fetch her keys, which had been carried up stairs
in a work basket. One of the men said, " You
shall not stir without me !" and 'accordingly he
accompanied her, leavipg the other man in the
room with the women.- The• former kept close
, to Mrs. Hamilton with a istol in his hand, and
h compelled her to unlock a: cabinet and a
reati, took from a drawer a 10'. Bank Post
a•purse with silver in it. She offered
him whatever apparel there was in the room ;
but ha said he did not want clothes, he wanted
money and plate... He ransacked several draw-
ers, and seized a. silver bedroom candlestick,
and demanded the fellow to it, saying, that
he knew there were' ilyo. He was urgent for
more plate, and said, lid :knew, and had been in-
formed, that there were silvt.T forks, and that they
were under the bed. He was'old that they were
in the bedroom where the servant man slept;
but he did not go in. He searched some boxes.
On their return down stairs, Mrs. Hamilton heard

the voice of another man at the baCk door, .crV-
ing out, ‘'‘ Make haste ! make haste !" When
they got to the ground floor he made her open
another cabinet, from which she delivered to•him

a bag, containing 11 guineas. lie then took up
a tall silver candlestick, which he put into his
pocket. lie made her open an interior cabi►►et,
from Which he took .two miniatures, a child's
knife, a seal, a ring, some pearls, and a purse,
containing some half-guineas, a quarter-guinea,
and a Ding William crown piece. He then
took the silver candlestick, which was the
felloW to the one which was above stairs.—
At this moment Mrs. Hamilton was startled by a
fourth voice from the back door, which said " be
quick ! be quick!" Having loaded themselves
with all the valuables they could get, amounting
to about 80/. to replace, the first man asked for
the key of the cellar, which was given to him,
and he took four bottles of wine. Neither of
the men Were in any manner disguised. Mrs.
Hamilton swore positively that the prisoners,
Lambell and Sangwell, were the men who had
thus robbed the house, and that it was the former
who accompanied her up stairs. She said she
was perfectly cool and Collected, and the appear-
ance of the great danger she Ivas in gave her ah
unusual degree of fortitude and firmness. She
was convinced that there were four men concern-
ed in the robbery. The entry into the house was
effected by taking out the pantry window. It
was a very stormy and wet night.
The two nurses swore pcnitivelT to Lambell and Sangwell.

It was alleged, on the part of the prosecution, that these. pri•
sceers were London thieves, and that Smith and Weston, who
resided at Sydenham, were acquainted with the prosecutrix's
premises, from residing in the neighbourhood, and that they
were on the outside of the house when the robbery was cotn-
rnitted.

Information being given next clay of the robbery at Bow-
street, Ruthven apprehended Lambell at his lodgings, in a gar-
ret, No. 9, Belton-street, Long-acre, and upon him, and in his
room, were found almost all the articles mentioned in the in-
dictment, and also a phosphorus box and matches, and a pocket
pistol.

Mrs. Hamilton and her son swore to the Rroperty found.
The same day two other officers named zenith, apprehended
the three other prisoners at Sydeuham. In Sangwell's house
were found three guns, two of them loaded, and a pistol key.
The prisoners Smith and W6ston were apprehended in bed to-
gether.. In the pocket of the former was found a small purse,
which Mrs. Hamilton expressed her firm belief belonged to her
mother. On Westqn were found seven one-pohnd Bank of
England notes, a five-pound Southampton note, and three gui-
neas in gold, of the date of those that were stolen. There was also
found in their apartment a pocket pistol, the fellow to that
found on Lambell. All the prisoners were proved to have been
absent from their respective homes on the night of the robbery.
This was the evidence against the prisoners.
The facts implicating Smith and Weston were the finding a
purse on the former, and three guineas on the latter. Mrs.
Hamilton could not swear positively to the one or the other.
Smith's landlady said she had seen such a purse in his pos-
session three weeks before the robbery was committed.
The LORD CHIEF BARON summed up all the evidence with
great minuteness, and remarked upon the deficiency of the evi-
dence against Smith and Weston. There was certainly a strong
suspicion made out against them ; but a jury of Englishmen
were not to deal with men's lives upon mere suspicions.
The Jury immediately found Smith and Weston Not Guilty,
and Lambell and Sangwell GuILTY—DEATH.
The Learned JUDGE then passed the awful sentence of
death, and recommended the prisoners to make the most of the
very short remnant .of their lives, for they must expect no
mercy on this side the grave.
The prisoners begged hard for their lives;. but they were
told not to delude themselves by any hopes of mercy, but to
prepare for a speedy execution for their enormous crime.
FRAUD ON A BIBLE SOCIETY. .