The Sun.
London, England, 1820-04-12 00:00:00

CHESHIRE ASSIZES.

MONDAY, APRIL 10.
SHOOTING AT BIRCH, THE CONSTABLE.

!ANTI:a/CB OF WINN'S AND BRUCE.

At nine ►'clock the Judges arrived. and Ail'M-
inis or Ginnis, and Bruce, were brought to the
Bar to have jnilgtnen► passed upon them. Bruce
had the following petition banded to the Judges by
Mr. Bettyo.,

" Loans—The very unexpected light which Almpihty.
God bas Grit pleased. of his infinite mercy, to skew the cir-
cumstances of my case, through the instrumentality of"the
prisoner M'innis, has induced me thus to trespass on the at-
teution of your Lordships. I beg, with all ho utility, to state,
that from my infancy I have had so far a knowledge of the're-
ligiein of my country as always to bear in mind that divine
niaxim of our blessed'and most merciful Redeemer, of "
ing unto all men as I would they should do unto me." lam
al.lo Well acquainted with the principles of- humanity, and
look upon the detestable crime of assassination as equally re-
pugnant to tot h ; and my Lords, if ever I had, irtlitr by my
words, my thoughts. or even ntv actions, been accessary to
the attack on the life of Mr. Birch, far from declining your
kmdgment, I could not even pray for the mercy of Gu'd. It
does nut appear, my Lords, that either Mr. Birch or Pearson
could say that I knew any thing of 74'11)114's intention. As
to my running away, I have no recollection of that eircum-
itatmee; I may have done so, as did many others. I know
not what I did at the moment, I was to struck with horror
at the transaction, not did I know at the time but that sonic
person had fired at myself. It will appear. my Louis, that so
conscious was I of my innocence, the I never atteutpted to
leare my lodgings where I was first arrested, and when
brought i)efore the ;Magistrates, I candidly told all I knew of
the itufiouniate circumstance, in order, if possible, to for-
Ward 'the ends of justice, as well as to clear my own charac-
ter. I meter denied having bet n speaking with Mr. Birch ;
but certain it is, my Lords, that I had no evil intention in ,o
doing; and as to the "sideling" alluded to by Pearson, there
is a debtor in the Castle (Mr. Jump), whose servant Pear-
son was for time last four months, who cast give information
tending to explain that point, and which will be corroborated
by- the tCstimony of Pearson himself. There is one eir-
cmustant.e more, my Lords, I wish to matte your Lord-
ships acquainted with, and I appeal to Mr. Lloyd as to the
truth of it.

When same evil-ruitided persons were endeavouring to
wake it appear that it wat Mr. Lloyd's sun who had fired the
stint, 1, limb a sense of humanity, in Order to forward the
ends of justice, and come at the truth, deseribod the person,
of a man whose name I did not know, and who came op to me
where I sea', and told me he knew Who had fired the shot,
For the exact Words which passed on the occasion, I Woy to
refer your Lordships to Mr. Lloyd, who took them down in
writing at the time. I hare had but very few acquaintances in.
Stockport, having been only little better than three months
in it, precious to the night in question.
" I declare most solemnly to your Lordships that I have
had no acquaintance with the prisoner M‘Ginnis, nor did I
to my knowledge ever see his person until the time of his ex-
amination in the Castle of Chester. And as to my connexion
with Harrison, it was by means of his employing me as as-
sistant in his school, in which situation I remained only six
weeks ; I then got up a school of toy own, at the Lancashire
side of Stockport. I never taught from any other books but
the Old and New Testament, anti Enfield's Speaker. Pear-
son himself can testify as to the truth of this, lie being at that
time under my tuition. I therefore most heartily implore your
Lordships to take my case into consideration ; far although
(as an innocent man) I am not afraid to die, and meet my
Cod with perfect composure to answer for the conduct of
my short iife; yet the senten7.e of the law would coosign my
memory to obloquy; for though a man dies, his memory lives.
I toad not power to state so mach in Court to Our Lordships,
owing to my out having been acquainted with a Court, nor
able to state, my defence extempore.
" Pardon me, my Lords, when I take leave to remain, the
unfortunate, the innocent
- " JAMES GEORGE BRUCE."

on being placed there, said=—My Lords,
this•man (Bittce) is innocent. 1 never spoke in
the man in fore 1 shot at Birch. And though 1
did shoot at him, and I had many reasons for do-
ing s(), every man who swore against ale swore
falsely. Niel) swore falsely, Pearson swore false-
ly. No man living knew'a word about it but
myself. I shot to hint ; this man is innocent.
Bruce—An innocent man has nothing to fear.
I am not afraid to face my God ; I can do so with
clear conscience ; 1 ant reedy and Willing to

die, but • I die innocently, and can answer to my
God witi► composure; 1 am not afraid to die; I
know according to law I must submit ; my send-
mews are now the same as they have been, and
they will be found unshaken if I must die.
Mi. Justice WARREN proceeded to pass sentence

cr, the prisoners, and first addressed 11' Innis
" You, .lacob M'lnnis, have been convicted of a
horrible Clime, and on as clear evidence as ever was
given in a Court of Justice, and though you say
those.who.appeared against you swore falsely, after
your conviction you yourself declared your guilt.
IF ►here .were soy perjury, you voluntarily heard
it from those•whom you yourself brought forwayl,
and yoo suffered them to pet jure themselves in the
face of God and their country, An innocent man
who had not given you offence, a diligent officer
exercising his duty, and who had given you no
provocation, was the man you acknowledge to
have shot at. That acknowledgment was not.
made from any feeling of
,remorse, or olyepent-
allCe for your crime, hot with a boldness of
avowal, as if you telt satisfied with so making it.
Pearson swore you sold you were the Man who
shot at Birch, anti that he should have its con-
tents, though he came from America to do it. A
more aggravated case than yours .i.cp never occur-
red, and the Judges feel your enormity to be made
more so by perjury, to be more so by the threats
yon offerediagainst whotver would give infolma.
riot aga!inst you, anti, if possible, to be height-
ened by the manner in which you have avowed
your crime. Attempts at assassination are cir-
cumstances little known within this realm ; they
are circumstances against which all British feel-
ings revolt, and it is therefore the fit mu determi-
pation of ibis Court to mark their sense of the
oggravaied enormity of your crime, by ordering
you for, execution at an earlier day than they
would otherwise have done. You are to be exe-

voted on Saturday next.
‘‘llles George Bruce, you have also been
convicted of aiding the prisoner rdqunis, in a
crime at which our feelings revolt. You have
stated in your petition, as you have done in your
address to the Court, that you are an innocent
mall, but the eviitence against you has been such
as to satisfy a Jury of your guilt. You have said
von are an instructor of youth, and if we are to
,judge of you by what has transpired upon this
trial, assassination is taught by you as a doctrine
to be toilowed: and yoUr scholars arc trained up
in those ways that %till lead to their punishment.
both here and hereafter. • •
" 'Von havb neither of you long to live, and 1
would elofeat of you to pass the few remaining
da"ys of your existence in 'humble address to the
Great Disposer of all human events, ois Whom
alone von; can now call for mercy. In this world all
hopes hie are closed upon you, and it now
out). rem,itts for we to disc Large my duty, by or-