The Sun.
London, England, 1810-04-07 00:00:00

ESSEX ASSIZES.

ORQ,IVN SIDE.

William Dean, alias White, and I~illiam Nicholls,
were capitally indieed,for stealing, in the night of:
the toth of February last, one gallOway Scot ox or.
bullock, value-xOl. from Gidea Hall Park, at gam-
ford, the property of_Aleaander Black, Esq.
POOLEY stated the case to the Jury, *d:.
afterwards proceeded to support it by evidence.
The Mat witness examined was Nathaniel Kings-
hury, who stated that he was Bailiff to the late Mr.
Jackson Barwis, whose premises were within .a
quarter of a, mile froth Gidea Hatl, the seat of Mr.
Black. He knew Nicholls'very well, becauSe he
had put him into Mr. Barwis's farm, as.looker, and
in witness's absence he was accustomed to manage
the entire bitsinegs of the farm. He was a married,
man, and lived in the house: On the loth of Fe-
broary last,
switnesa was Making a search about the,
premises, and found some beef. His attention was
first drawn to the cow-house, where he found three,
pieCes of meat, of about ten pounds weight each,.
uncovered.aad exposed. Not suspecting any thing.
amiss, he called the wife of Nicholls aad gavedaer
the beef, 'desiring her to take care of it. On look
ing further, however, he found two hind-quarters
of-an ox's carcase, covered over with straw. What
led to this discovery was,•the disturbed appearance
of the-straw, which induced him to take some no-
tice of it.- The beef was still warm, and seemed
to be rather mangled, in a very unbuicher-like man-
ner, and recently slaughtered. These extraordi-
naty circumstances exciting in his mind a great
deal ofsuspiciou, he had the door secured, and im-
mediately'went to inform Mr. Ashton, the con-
atable, Of what he had seen. Mr. Ashton returned.
With him to the farm, and they made a further
search. 'Behind the barn ;they found the entrails of
a bullock, 'nearly covered up with earth ; blit what
struck the witness as most. extraordinary was, the
removal of .all the bloody straw, and 'tracks
blood, which he had seen in the Cow-house, before
he went to the 'constable; 'and fresh straw placed
there-in its stead. • After direding his curiosity fur-
ther, he discovered some small bits of an ox's skin;
but, on searching more closely, the whole skin, cut
into-different parts was found, by means of a dog,
who rooted it out of a cavity in the cow-house.
This skin was afterwards shewu to Mr„ Bucklin,
Biack'S Bailiff who recognized it to be the
properly. of the prosecutor -
Jona Ashtoo, a constable, of Romford, stated;
that he went in company with Kingsbury,. the last
witness, to Mr. Barwis's farm,, on the day men-
tioned by him, for the purpose of searching: the
premises. ItaWaa-about two o'clock when he first
went there.
.On approaching Mr. Barwis's house,
he saw a man digging in , a field.; he believed.hina
to-be. Dean, the prisoner„; and saw another running.
away from the spot where Dean a as. This was
near the barn, anti witness went up to the-barn, and
found Delta propping up the .dour with a Shovel.-
lie witness) pnited-the.shoVel away, and on
opening. thesaloor, found Nicholls the prisoner there
just coining away from the straw. He secured hint,
and brought him away immediately to Hare-street,
where he was confined. He returned afterwards,
and on searching the spot where Dean had been
digging, he found the intestines of a bullock con-
cealed in a hole, along with a bullock's head, with
a little of the skin upon it. He took it and put:it
into the barn, along with part of the skin which
had been found therein. .When witness was tak-
ing Nicholls before the Magistrate,. in some con-
versation he had with him,' lie told him, that two
or three bUtchers had ensruAed the carcase of the
bullock to his care, to keep for .a night in the barn,
for which they were to reward him with half-a-
crown. Witness said, that the parts of the bullock
he shad seen, were mangled in a' very unhutcher-
, like -manner. He knew Dean before; he had a
woodeo-leg.
John Bucklin, bailiff to AleXander Black, ,Esq.
stated, that his master had, at the time of this rob-
! berg, six horned and twenty-four polled bullocks,
making, in, all, thirty. He had counted
on Saturday night, and' found: them sale. On the.
Sunday morning following, he did not count them,
again, according to his usual custom, having some
otter business to mind. However, 'about fur
o'clock iu the afternoon of Sunday, on enferiag
-his :Master's -field, he- found the gate taken off its,
hinges, and lying on the ground, and, upon count-
ing aim cattle, missed one of the 'polled bullocks.
He afterwards saw the skin, and, the head of the
bullock, found on Mr. Barwis's premises, and, from
his knowledge of certain marks upon them, -he' was
,pretty sure that they belonged to the btillock miss-
ing Item his master's field.
John Maze, au accomplice in the robbery, being
isvoin and examined, -said, he had known Nicholls
for a long time. He also knew White, alias Deana
having worked -With hiM at Mr. Black's for about a
,
_maul). ale -One witness) along with the prtsoners,
stole the bullock front Mr., Black's park. Oa the
night mentioned in the indiatinent he and they had
been together at a public-house, called the Giey-
hound; at Rotnford. Nothing was said about the
intended robbery before they left the house; 'but
after they got into the road, Nicholls proposed. the
witness:, that he should go and assist Ilan and Dean
to dill a bullock in Mr, • Black's park. Witness at
first peremptertly refused ; but; however, after re-
peated seductitie persuasions, His honesty misgaae
hint, and he consented to go. The two Prisoners
then. told_ him they had every' thing- ready, and
they Went-away to a field of'Mr. Black's.
they arrived, —Nicholls and Dean immediately
singled a bullock out from amongst the herd. It
was a' black one, withoUt horns. They then drove
it. to Nicholls's house, at Mr: Barwis's farm, and
put it: into the cow-house, for• the putpose of slay-
ing; Dean discharged a pisioh,at the animal, but
missed his airri and the ball passed through a
boarded partition on the other side. Nicholls then.
took the pistol out of Dean's hand, with some ex-
pression 'of rebuke of his aukwaiduess, loaded, it
himself, fired, -and killed the bullock on •the spot.
The animal's throat was then' cut to let the` blood
owes This was about.. halt-past eleven o'clock 'at
night. Witness, was then under great apprehension
of being detected, and went away. With respect
to the' gate in the field, he said Nicholls Look -it off'
s -its hingesa and laid it on the ground, but for what

purpose he knew not. The jtzallock, _he bAieved,
was left.in the cow-house, which was about halt a
mile from Mr. Black's park: Witness was to have
no share in the- plunder. The robbery being found
out next day, he was apprehended on the Sunday
evening along with Dean, when he was goinghome.-
He knew nothing about the entrails of the-bullock.
being hid behind the barn, nor did be.kdow how
the animal was
Rebecca. Palmer, a female servant of Mr. Bar-
wis, stated, that she lived in-the same house where
Nicholls and his wife.lived, belonging to Mr. Bar-
wis. On the night Mentioned in the indiament,
about eleven o'clock, she heard. Nicholls come in
and speak to his wife. She did not see pink, but
judged that it him, from her acquaintance with
his voice. Soon after she heard him 'go out again
into the yard, and ,in about half an hour afterwards
she, beard the report of a pistol. Not suspeCting
any .thing amiss at this circumstance, she went to
bed. On Sunday morning the slaughter and rob-.
bery of Mr. Black's
,bullock was. discovered. 'Ra-
ther early on Sunday morning she heard a man
with a w,:oden leg talking to the prisoner Nicholls
at the farm-house. She did not see his face, his
back being turned towards--her. After he was goi.e,
she heard N;cliolls say to his wile, " ,Where ate
you, old girl ?" and froin that circumstance she was
sure it
.was Nicholls himself, although she did not
see him.

The evidence for the prosecution closed . here,
when the prisoners were called on for their delerice,
but they said nothing vihatever, preserving a sullen
silence.

Baron, MACDONALD summed up the evidence,
and the Jury immediately found both prisoners•
Guilty. . . . ,

POLLCL.

1301 V-STREET.—ROBBING u A CHURCH. -- For
some time past complaints have been made of rob-
beries by the daring gangs of pckpockets ill the day-
time, in thy- piAtlic:streets, also at.churches, chapels,
and mectini.:s, particularly at St. Gorge's:Church,
Hamtver-squaie, on Yriday mornings during Lent,
where numerous congregations assemble to hear Dr.
Hodilsoi-i. The Countess of Aylesford, and several
other Ladies of distinCtion, have been robbed theie,
who iold the circunistance to Towasend,' the Of-,
neer. The_ Countess of Aylesford said, she has no
doubt bui Stie vii4S-robbed.W a short fat woman.—
Dr. Hodgson alsoin fo rutted Townsend of t he rob berleS
that were continually etirrimitted in the church ; in
consequence of which To wnsend went to-the church
yesterday morn;ng, and a-; soon as he entered it, be
observed in the aisle Alary Blakeman, alias Hills, a
well-knoWn female pickpocket, genteelly dressed in
a black velvet pelis,,e and a cottage straw bonnet ;.
she is celebrated for robbing her own sex. Ile
beckoned to her to come out) which she instantly
ornplied with, and then addressed Townsend with,
".My good soul, I ant not come here to do any
thing:'—Townsend replied, But you have al-
ready dertesomething." He took her to the.vest rv-
room, and searched her ; but no property then sus-
peaed to have been 'stolen was found. She was cAt-
veyed .to the above :Office, and unde.rwent •an
ex-
amination before M..NARES.'

' The Clerk of .the Church proved -his having seen
her several imes in the Churchl as did the Beadle,
who also said he had seen her s.everal times in tse
avenues leading to the Church, particularly when
the crowd was, going in, when the doors were.opened
and on..the congregation coming out. Townsend
said, he, bad known her to be a thief Itirtwenty-ii%
years. Sayers, the Officer, also had kndwn her to be
a Thief for the slaw length of time ,She was corn-.
mitied- for .furt her examination on,next Tcesday.
ATTON -G KB DE N.—Thurstlay nine keepers of
hOuses of ill-fame, in the liberty of St. Martin's-le-
Grand, were charged before the Magistrates with
receiving lacise company, to the annoyance of the
peaceable inhabitants. They were held to bail to
answer for their condud at the General Quarter
Sessions.

WORSHIPLSTREET.--Thursday Mary Giltert was
charged by Catharine Joseph with robbing her rea-
dy-furnished lodgings, where she passed ai a woman
of consequence. „Being an old offender, she was
fully committed to,Newgate for trjal.
Mary Hedger was committed to the same prison
for trial for robbing Itt. master', Mr. Williamson, of
N orth-st reel, City-road.

The.fichleness of public opinion in France may be
justly said to rival even that of the blind Goddess.
The anxiety of the frivolous inhabitants of Paris on
the approaching .oe6lacle is such, that to view it (say
the French Papers),, " the narrowest windows in
the line of the procession have been bought up at.
five arid six Louis d'ors. each !" 1-nd all, to behold
what—the nuptial procession of a near relative of
that very Queen, who, by,the sari e.eyes was view-
ed, with savage joy, on her pass2g-1, in a cotillion
tumbril, to the guillotine.; and that, too, with the
concurrence and co.,operation' of the ci-devant sans-.
culotte who now conduds to. the altar this niece of
MARIA ANTOINETTE !

The seed season for spring wheat being at hand, it.
may not be amiss to remind our agriculturists of the
heavy losses they have sustained in the two last
years by sowing winter wheat, and to recommend
to those who are the fortunate cultivators of a rich,•
dry loam, to sow from four to five strokes .upon an
acre of the real spring whe.it, and to barrow the
land fine: It is deserving of notice, that in the two
last seasons,.-when the wheat in many places, hos
been scarcely worth reaping, from the eflOs of the
mildew, this article has not suffered in the least,
either in the corn or the straw,. The average pro-
duce is• ten to fifteen loadS per acre, ,

A Gentleman, who undertook, for a NX,ager -of
-100 guineas, to run twenty miles without inter-
ruption, start'd on Tuesday morning.at five o'clock,
on the Clapham road, from- the half-mile stone to
the four and back, and completed the same in three
hours and nine minutes.' The odds were three.. to
•two against the performance.
The.monvy for the payment of the dividends on
the 4-per Cents. 3 per Cent 4. Reduced; Long Ari-
-1 nuities, and other Stocks, will be sent from the EN-
T chequer to the Bank in a few days; and the pay-
Ments to the public are expelled to commence next
1 Tuesday.