The Sun.
London, England, 1817-08-11 00:00:00

[PRTe SEVENPENCE;

first forcibly violated. her, and then threw her ap-
parently lifeless bddy into the pit. It will be
attempted to show you, that be returned htime,
and that some other person must have met her,
and brought her to-the dismal end she met with:
but, Gentlemen, as tootsteps were traced through
the harrowed-field to a stile leading to hint tather't
by the very course he took, and he attinits in inti-
macy with her, that is. 3 cirettmstance of the
it-
most impot tatter, ; and ion ,-ill in mind that:
he did, not adthit this till the proofs were adduced-
a;!ainst him.- (Here Mr. Reader expostulated
with Mr. Clarke for making such observations):
Gentlemen, the evidence will be laid before you.
•Frour it. yon will form your judgment, and I de:
sire you to lay out of view every tni;);.; that I may
have said:, buless 'it. shall- he-confittned by
.the
Learned Judge who presides at this trial.
The statement of the Counsel was supported,
by the testimony of Hannah Cox (7 frien:f of thei
deceased), Hompidge, Thcnnai Asnbory;
John Chesterton, Joseph D , rhomas,
13roadhurst, George Jackson, Jo!,“ I3itd, 34rnei
..,‘:3sitnirions, Joseph Wei )1 ter. Mrs. bavet.sal Mary,
Smith.--These witnesses. except the women,.
scribed the time whiCh they saw the de(Tased,
previous to the theadful event, and the bloody,
state of the glaoiii i, as well as the tooestepi
persons who had been running one fro:o as,
other, and the traf..es of a man's-shoes, which cx-.
aetly.. correponded ;yid) those.of the prisoner.—
The prisoner had confessed that he had been (.6"
•mioally connected With the deceased, but by her.
()%vt) etinsent. The confess on was proved by se-
venal wit nesses.—We shall conclude the evidence_
for the prosecution with Ca'. testimony of the last.
witness, and the opinion of the Surgeon, and. state
that in favour of the prisoner, that our Reaneri
r11;i1r see what proofs of' innocence could justify the.
I;Verdict of ACQUITTAL..

• Daniel Clarke, on beari)ag of Mary Ashford's death, went
,immediately to Castle Bromwich. lle net the pi isoner on
,pony, at the chapel. He said, " What has/become of the'
young woman that went away with you over night she is:
,murdered and thrown into a pit. The prisoner exclaimed iu
;some confusion, " Murdered'. I was, along with her till.
;four o'clock this morning." 'Witness asked Jinn to come ahing
`with him and clear himself; he replied he could• soon clear:
himself. He went with the artivess. to 'l') burn, put his, pony
into the stable, went into the room and eat and drank. There.
teas not. a word said of the murder. prisoner seemed not'
'disposed to speak ,of it, and the witness 'did nut press it.
They spoke of the crop and the weather. He never proposed
to go to Sutton, where the hody, was f ,und.
Mr. George Frere,' a surgeon, in Birmingham; gave a very.
particular account of the state of the body, Which of course
cannot be published. ,He gave it as his decided opinion, that.
.sliehad been a v,rgin till the last fatal intercourse. The la-
cerations and the quantity of blood evidently betokened vio-
lence, She had died of drowning. Another surgeon, whu
ha,d been present, the Counsel for the prosecution said it was
quite anntecessury

Here the case for the prosecution closed. .
William Jennings. a milkman in Birmingham, his wife,
John Holden the younger, and JalIC Eaton, swore that the
prisoner passed. by Ilolden's in the morning of the 27th, and.
waled slowly. They had seen him pass, and lu s or.
'a quarter afterwards Mrs. Jennings asked Miss Laton the
clock, and she said 17 minutes to 5. Hulden's,cl(tek was ~ext.
'clay ascertained to be %sob Birmingham time. John i-kydoit'
sass the prisdner at Twainley's stables 5 minutes bclore 5
This he knew by recollecting the sin he left his own 10-uue-,
and by taking a wilco and walkiog over the SMltegrotind that
he had walked that corning. John Woodcock, miller to
•ZacChitria Twandes, at Bromwich, and James White, scrvaut
at.Castle-Bromwich, saw the prisoner there at 21'J minutes
past 5: by conipai ison of watches and clocks, it was shoat
that Mrs. Butler's flock was too fast by 41 'minutes: the dis-
tance front Mrs. Butler's to t.uA pit is one Mile, 2"furhin::
as yards; and (coin the pit. to !olden's, 3 miles, 4 furloo.:s,
3S yards: the argament was therefore thus—Mary Ashtord
lett Mrs. Butler's :it IQ minutes past 4 : the prisoner was a:
Holden's at half-prst 4, a distaucii of mM e t Mu. three
• from the pit; therefore, the deed charged coald not have.
been done by the prisoner, since he conid not hare ilm,e it,
and wAlked more than three miles, in less than lu minutes.
Wm. Coleman was called to say, that his gia,t4-slaucte7
had not slept in his house on the nigift in question.
The 14:.arned- JUDGE' summed t,p tl,e evidence•
in an achntis of two hones. He dwelt upon the.

impossibility. of the prisoucr bavi»g coininitted
the act chargetl, it his mitnesses sp,,ke truth.
confession was fair as tar as it ‘veist, though no

account had been given of the foot marks. The
Jury would banish all impressions received out of
doors, and recollect that the question wKa, not
whether the prisoner had acted im,properly, but
whether he had committed the act 'charged. If,
they-were Convinced of his guilt, they would con-
vict him in consequence as a matter of justice to
the public ; if they entertained any reasonable-
doubt, justice to the prisoner demanded an ac-.
quittal.
The Jury in five thinntes returned a verdict of—.
Not Guiity.
fie was then, pro
_forma, arraigned for the
rape, and acquitted.
It came out incidentally during the trial, that
-thebnlilan- form was not capable of being moulded
into finer symmetry than distinguished the peroo.-
of Mary Ashford. ner age was:2o: she was 5
feet 4 inches high, and she was remarkably.
sprightly: all her friends are in indigent circum-
stances.
he Court, though flie Ladies were necessarily
excluded, was cloWded to excess throughout the
day. The trial lasted from Bin the morning till
half past 8 at night.—Thus. the Midland Circuit
cloSed..

A sboa time since the Members of the Western.
Circuit presented Mr. Sergeant LENS with a very
superb silver inkstand, with his arms engrave! ion
one side, and the following expressive lines on ilkei
other :—'` To-JOHN LENS, Esq. one of his l‘Lif
jesty's Sergeants at Law, from the Members of the
Western Ciicnit, in testimony of their respect and,
regard for him, and their regret at the loss of,
example and society : 1517."-
A reward of 401. is offered in Saturday's Gazelle
for the discovery of the person or persons who,
in the night of the ;id inst. stabbed three horses
in a field occupied by Mr. L. WiLmoßa, in En-
derby, near Leicester; and a free pardon is pro.
wised to any accomplice making such .discovery.

.I=7li;

06' K[