The Sun.
London, England, 1828-08-11 00:00:00

Lt ICESTER, AwcusT 8.

indictedrcv aa
aged
25Jm,aaneds
1111;nDryoni‘alrodr,
tiat,geadge2d36J olyinzerPee
breaking .and entering the house of Charles Bramley,
in the parish of Kegworth, and stealing therein a
1001. promissory note, divers articles of linen and
clothes, and eighteen silver teaspoons, the property
of Thomas Turner.
A house called the " Navigation Inn," which
stands about a mile from Kegworth, formerly be-
longed to Thomas Turner, who, becoming embar-
rassed, was obliged to go from home to avoid his
creditors, and afterwards wrote to his wife to dis-
pose of the house. She accordingly sold,it to Charles
Bramley, who took possession of it, and slept there
on the 'l6th of May last, a quantity of Turner's pro-
perty, however, still remaining in it locked up in a
wardrobe. On Saturday morning, the 17th, Bram-
ley went to a town at some distance, to proettre the
money to pay for his purchase ; and the keys '
were left with a niece of Mrs. Turner's, who lived in
a house near the Navigation Inn. Between
eight and nine o'clock in the evening she took
a man named Jonathan Cooke with her to Bramley's
house, to fasten the window•shutters, and whilst
he went for the purpose to the front, which faced
the road, she went to the rear. Upon approaching,
the kitchen door she heard a noise within, as if of
two men endeavouring to rush out together, and
giving the alarm to Cooke, she ran up to the brick
hills close by, from which she perceived two men
run out of the house, and along the Loughborough-
road, whilst two others who were watching outside,
ran in the opposite direction towards Kegworth.
Cooke having called out tohis brother, they both pur-
sued the two men, and one of the Cookes attempt-
ing to seize the hindmost man, who turned out to be
the prisoner M'Donald, the latter swore he would
split him, and aimed a .blow at his head with an
iron crow bar, which Cooke avoided by drawing
back. The two men then continued to run on till

they came to a .gate, which they jumped over, into
the fields, when one of the Cookes, the same who
had been struck at, got over also, and leaping en
M'Donald's back, pinioned his arms till his brother
wrested the crow-bar from his grasp: While they
were struggling together, MI/mm.ld called out to his
companion, " Jack, bring your knife, and rip them
open." His companion, however, did not obey the
call, and M'Donald was secured.. On searching the
house, it was found that the kitchen door and the
drawers of the wardrobe had been forced open by a
crow-bar, and the contents of the drawers placed in
a blanket which had been spread out on the floor,
just ready to be carried away, had the robbers not
been interrupted in the work of plunder. A pocket-
book, containing the 1001. note was taken away, as
well as some other articles. In the field where
M'Donald was apprehended were found a skeleton
key, a purse, and a brooch, not, however, belonging
to the prosecutor. To connect the other two pri-
soners with the robbery, it was proved that they all
and another man not in custody, were together at a
public-house just before the robbery, when North
held something tied up in a handkerchief, which ap-
peared to be a crow-bar, in his hand, and rested it
across his knees when he sat down; they were ob-
served to go together toards the Navigation Inn at
about eight o'clock : and lastly, besides M'Donald's
addressing his companion by the name of Jack
(Percival's name being John), the prisoner North
confessed before the Magistrates that himself,
M'Donald, Percival, and the other man, were the
four persons concerned in the robbery., .
The Jury found them all " Guilty.,
The learned JUDGE, after drawing a distinction
between the cases of Percival and North, and that of
M•Dobald, inasmuch as Percival had not attempted
to use any violence, although invited to do so by
M'Donald; and North, who received a good charac-
ter, had evinced all the contrition in his poWer for
his offence, by. confesaing his guilt, ordered sentence
of elaath recorded. against those two.
M'Donald being then called up for judgment, and
his Lordship having placed the black cap upon. his
head, addressed him in a most , impressive manner.
He reminded him that they 'had met before. After
imploring him to make the best use he could of the
short period which remained. of his existence, his
Lordship pronounced the dreifdful sentence of? the
law upon him, which he told .hilifi,at the scale time
was irrevocable.
The prisoner is a tall, well-made, povitarful young
man, with a determined, but not ferocious;'4lspres-
sion of countenance. He seemed to have mildedui).
his mind beforehand to the. fate which awaited hhol
and received the sentence with a degree. of respict
ful fortitude well calculated to excite regret tde
hr
such a mind had not been well directed. -I{b
no obserVations during the trial, until the leageen.
Judge had concluded his charge to the
iij cen't: thathe simply remarked, in strong Scotehtwecn
" it had been proven when he was, was therefore
that
had two knives in his possession;
%I to use his knife
clear that he did not want Pets cie,
h could hie done so
against the witness Cooke,
When asked if he
himself if he were so inelined•
by sentence of death. should
not be
had any thi
pronounced upon to say w
him, he replied, "Nothing,
whol he • 1 h. fi
neer pal-
my Lord." Upon the
• but tnee, other twoost prisonersi'
ness. for a moment ,
were strongly
particularly North, affected, as were
many of the auditory.
.Richard Harrison was indicted for stealing a mare
the property of Messrs. Jackson, drapers, of this

„ t
town. Ile was foitffr.,” and semence or
death recorded against4lim.
En the Borough ,Court was indicted
f4:O forgery. The alleged ‘, forgery consisted in the
alteration of I is. 8d:. Into' I/. lls. Bd., and of 2t.
in .41. .ss. in two voucher,, which purported to be
receipts for' money paid by ,prisoner's father on ac-
count of Mr. Ruding, to whom he was land-agent at
the time; and which vouchers were given in evi-
dence on behalf of the father in an arbitration cause
in which the father was plaintiff and Mr. Ruding
defendant.
• The prisoner, who surrendered,.voluntarily this
morning to take his trial, received a good character,
and was acquitted.

BODMIN, AUGUST 6.
Eliza Commons, aged 22, was indicted for the
wilful murder of her male illegitimate child, on the
23d of July. it appeared from the evidence for the
prosecution, that the prisoner was a servant with' a
farmer, who wag also overseer of the parish. 11111-
ing had the misfortune to become pregnant of.att
il-
legitimate.child, her master and mistress both eh-
served her condition, but she constantly denied
there was any ground for their suspicions. On the
mdraing of the 23d of July she arose from the bed ,
where slinhad slept with another of the female ser-
vants of the boon, and went into a cow-house, where
she was ' shortly afterwards delivered of a child.
When found in• this condition in the cow-house, she
contintied to deny that she had been pregnant, until
upon examini; tg:tbe place, a newly-born male child
was found in a crib in a corner of the house The
child when found was quite dead, and exhibited ap-
pearances of violence upon. the head, but the wo-
roan alleged 'that they' had been caused by the in-
f(tith
ihc
ha v
%n,
ags f
oa. nutp,o)n the floor of the cow-house
The surgeons deposed, that the child appeared to
flise"to'
have beets berry alive, and to have subsequently re-
ceived a blow on the back of the head, which had
produced some internal injuries (which they de-
scribed), and caused the death. The blow would
have produced all the internal injuries which they
observed, but the mere fact of the infant having, iu
being born without assistance, fallen upon the floor,
would scarcely produce an injury so great.
This was the case for the prosecution.
The prisoner in her defence called her master and
mistress, who said that she was so gentle anti kind,
that they did not think she could have done injury
to any living creature. Her master added, that he
did not think her senses were as sound as those of
the generality of people. Ile did not mean to say
that she was unable to distinguish right from wrong.
The Jury, after having retired for three quarters
of an hour, foind her Guilty, but strongly recom-
mended herlO mercy.
Mr, Justice PARK, however, said, that he could
not receive such a recommendation in a case of
murder. His Lordship then sentenced her to death,
and gave no hope of any diminution of the punishment.
The. Grand Jury having ignored two or three bills
relating to the most important charges in the calen-
dar, there remained no other Crown business, and
the grand and petty juries were therefore discharged.