The Sun.
London, England, 1810-09-18 00:00:00

ESCAPE OF DR. JAMES &MERTON.

From the nature of the case with which Dr. Ro-
berto!, stood charged, and the privacy observed at his
examinations, the public are aliogtither in the dark
respecting him ; but, as he ha-s fled. to Holland, a
CorrespOndent has favoured us with an outline of the
charge against hitn,'arid intctesting particulars
relative to his escape. The charge exhibited against.
him was, that he had ,pretnainiely deliyered Eliza
Ann Lasion, with IN hen, he had cohabited, of two
children after tour and five months pregnancy, and
by which deliveries he hal cauSed the,deatti-of the in-
fants. It appeared that Dr, Roberto!, was a Surgeon
in'the army. when he. became aegnainted with his
accuser,-who was in servitude at Ipswich, Suffolk.
It was some time after their acquaintance-lilac; been
discontinued, When the young woman, by ter fran-
tic conduct in the street, attracted the notice of two
Gentlemen, who followed. her. She was insane,
and the cause could 'not be ascertained until she
reached the door of Dr. R. in 'Tharlington-street,
which she threw her arms againSt in wild despair,
and it was then ascertained that she had co-.
. babited with the Doetor,' and the taEts Which led to
the prosecution were got from her with consider-
able reluctance. This temporary derangement, it
afterwards turned Out, was occasioned by the pro-
secutrix having taken laudanum with ,intent to
deitroy herself. Her. evidence was ,unsupported, ,
and she confessed, that she thought -De. Robef-
ton was acting for the best in prematurely deliver-
ing her, and she never meant to corriplain of ill-
treatment, as she did not at the time suspeet it.
The first delivery was proved by the mother of
the prosecutrix, who did not appear to thank wrong-
.of the Doolcir:s conduct at the tittle. Under
these circumstances,.and the extreme high character
some Gentlemen of-weight and consequence gave
the Doctor for humane conduCi, the MaXstrate ad.
mittedliiin to bail, himself in 2,0001. and font sure- •
ties in !med. each, to answer a capital indictment
at the next ~Old Bailey Sessions, for cutting and
maiming a child. From , the frank and .open
manner in which Dotlor Roberto!) proclaime(d his
innocence at the last, examination, four (;‘ntle-
men immediately became bail. for his appear-.
- slice to take , his trial,• one of whom is a Colonel
in the ,Army, another a Physician of the first
practice, and the other .two Gentlemen of fortune.
• The prisoner was an ,Uceoucheur in very extensive
practice, and, by his conversation and manner, he
appeared to be. anxious for trial, that an acquittal
might wipe away any imputation on his character. His
escape was not known for four days to any of his
bail. He was traced- to have embarked on board the
Pacific fishing-boat, :it Gravesend, on Saturday night, •
the sth inst. by the name of James Bishop. He was
sought after with much avidity, and by the statement
of Capt. Barnett, of the Pacific, when he met the
Dutch fishing-boats, his passenger was desirous of

getting to 'the Dutch coast, and he 'assigned as a rea-

son-that he lad estar.es in Holland, which had just
been disposed of, and if he did not arrive at a" cer-
taiu.part of Holland at a certain time, his property
would all be lost. None*of the Dutchmen would
, take him on board fin a less sum than a hundred
guineas, and consequently not having such a sum
in his possession, he remained on board the Pacific
until early on ,Tuesday. morning; when, in conse-
quence of his pressing entreaties, he was conveyed
on shore on the coast of, Holland by a small boat,
rowed by some.of the crew of the Pacific, for which
he paid 71. such being all he possessed excepting 51.
atter paying his passage out to sea.