The Sun.
London, England, 1827-07-11 00:00:00

'G SESSIONS,

THE ENSUI
• SUMMARY STATEMENT DESCRI
WITH WHICH THE PRISONERS
CHARGED, NU. :--•
Murder 2
Burglary 7
Cutting and Maiming 1
Highway Robbery lO
Uttering Counterfeit Coin,
having been previously
convicted
Housebreaking 7
Stealing in dwelling-houses B
Horse Stealing 5
Sheep Stealing S
Bigamy 1 .--
Embezzling
Of the above number, 56 are charged with crimes committed
in the City, and 196 in the County, 44 out 01 the whole being
indicted capitally.
STATE OF HIS MAJESTY'S GAOL OF NEWGATE, JULY 9.
Prisoners under sentence of transportation for life 47
14 years
7 years . 54
Imprisoned for felony and misdemeanours for certain periods '7
For trial at the ensuing Sessitins 252
Committed under the Bankrupt Laws 4
Whose judgments are respited 4
Remanded from last Sessions
Committed by the Court of King's Bench I
n......4,,..a for .4,..1 .t the Cl.rkenwell Sessions 1

7INE OF THE VARIOUS OFFENCES
FOR TRIAL SEVERALLY STAND

Stealing and secreting alet-
ter while employed at the

Post-Office - 1
Stealing from the person 39
Receiving Stolen Goods 3
Larcenies 149
Rescuing a Felon from law
ful custody 2
Perjury 2
Fraud 3
Uttering Counterfeit Coin 4

Total 395
Males 297 I Females 9B
There is not at present a prisoner in Newgate under sentence
of death, which is a matter of rare occurrence.

SHEEN, THE. MURDERER.

PRECEDENT THAT HE CAN BE AGAIN PUT ON HIS

TRIAL. SINGULAR ANALOGOUS CASE.

A great deal of controversy and conflicting op
nions have arisen in the case of Sheen, the infant

cide, and several legal gentlemen, who appear to be
mere tyros in the profession, have boldly asserted,
that being found once Not Guilty of the offence
with which he stands charged, he cannot again be
indicted; or that if so, he may plead Autrefois Acquit,
and thus defeat the proceedings. They even go so
far as to say, that there is no precedent for a new
trial ; and that if resorted to, it would be a mon-
strous innovation on the laws, and lead to unforeseen
difficulties. That these would be the result, time
alone can determine ; but that they would conduce
to neither the one nor the other, a lapse of near a
century testifies. If there has been any change in the
Criminal Laws, as affecting the more direct proceed-
ings in cases of murder, since the year 1700, these
remarks may not be altogether well grounded; but
if there has not, then are they most appropriate and
applicable. About the earlier part of the 18th cen-
tury, a case as analogous as possible to that of
Sheen, and furnishing a most illustrative prece-
dent, occurred in London. It is to be found in
the second trial of Lewis Houssart, a foreigner,
for the murder of his wife, Anne. The details are
fully reported in the second volume of the Newgate
Calendar, and are, in their condensed form, as fol-
lows :—" In the latter part of the year 1720, Hous-
sart married a female named Rondeau, at the French
Church, in Spitalfields, but shortly after their coha-
bitation, a disgust arising, he left her, and passed
himself off as a single man. While under that assumed
character, he became acquainted with a Mrs. Hern,
to whom, having paid his addresses, he was married
at St. Autholin's. Not long after this union, she
learned that his first wife was in existence ; and,
irritated with the imposition that he had practised
on her, she reproached him with the deceit. He
assured her that she was misinformed on the sub-
ject, and that he would shortly convince her of it.
From this moment he seemed to have meditated the
murder, which he afterwards accomplished. He
effected his diabolical purpose in this way :—Having
ascertained that his victim was residing at her
mother's in Swan-alley, Shoreditch, he sent a little
boy for the latter, with a message, informing her
" that there was a gentleman waiting for her at the
Turk's Head, Bishopsgate, who wished to see her."
While the boy was gone he slipped out, and con-
cealed himself in the alley, where he watched the
movements of the mother, and when he had per-
ceived that she left home, ie took advantage of her
absence, and going to his wife's room, cut her throat
with a razor. The melancholy event was commu-
nicated to her brother, Rondeau, who, suspecting
from a former attempt made by Houssart with poi-
son, that he was the murderer, had him appre-
hended, and committed.

His trial came on at the ensuing Sessions, but
owing to the want of the evidence of the boy who
conveyed the message, and who, by threat, was kept
out of the way, he was acquitted. He was then
ordered by the Court to be detained for the bigaulY, ,
and he was indicted for the offence at the ensuing
Commission. Several points of law were then
raised by his Counsel, but the Jury, nevertheless, so
distinct was the proof of the two marriages, brought
in a verdict of Guilty, subject to the opinion of the
Twelve Judges. While waiting their decision, the
absent witness was discovered, and on an appeal of
Rondeau, the deceased's brother, Houssart was a
second time tried for the murder, the deficient evi-
dence being obtained. No less than six several
pleas were advanced in abatement of the proceedings,
all of which failed. Three only were worth notice.
The first was, that of misnomer, the prisoner's name
being spelt Lewis, whereas it ought to described been
Louis. The second, that he was not, as,
a labourer, but a barber-surgeon ; and the third was,
that there were no such persons as John Doe or
Richard Roe, the parties pledged to prosecute.
To meet the first, it was shown that the prisoner

had pleaded to two separate indictments for murder
and bigamy, in which his name was spelt Lewis.
To set aside the second, it was in proof that he was
only a servant, or journeyman, and, as such, a la-
bourer; and, to negative the third, evidence was
produced that there were such persons as John
Doe and Richard Roe, in Middlesex, the one a sol-
dier, and the other a weaver. When the pleas
were disposed of, the trial proceeded, and the cul-
prit being found guilty, was executed on the 7th
December, 1724, (103 years ago), opposite Swan
Alley, Shoreditch.
The plea of Autrefois Acquit was not in Hous-
sart's case introduced, but even admitting it to have
all the force attributed to it, it cannot operate in fa-
vour of Sheen. Its meaning evidently is, that a per-
son cannot be tried twice for the same offence ;
now Sheen will not be tried twice for the same
offence, for, on the last occasion, he was tried for
the murder of an infant, who, owing to a misnomer,
could not be proved ever to have been in existence.
The consequence was, that he was acqnitted ; and
it would be an absurdity to say that a man could
deprive that of life which never had any. The error,
or oversight, in which this originated, will be
guarded against now, and he will be indicted for
the murder of the child known by reputation, after
reciting the different aliasses, as Bill, an addition
which was omitted in the last indictment, and
which caused its failure.

The bills were presented on Monday to the
Grand Jury of Middlesex. They contain no less
than eleven several counts, and are of the length
of 72 folios. After a strict examination of the
witnesses, they were found as true.

GEORGE 111. AND AN ETON BOY.

Convulsions are common to every society.
One of a serious nature took place many
Years
back at Eton. Some real grievance either ex-
isted, or, what is by far more likely, the sons of
Etona imagined one, and threw off all subordi-
nation and regard to rule.
It was on a beautiful summer's day that this
young commonwealth, actuated by one of the
above influences, thought proper to dismiss their
administration, and take the reins of government
into their own hands. The late Dr. Heath was
the premier of the day, and by some means or
other had incurred the high displeasure of the
boys : the whole school, entirely broken up, was
scattered here and there in little knots and clus-
ters throughout the town of Eton : these, in
close divan, were sapiently turning over the most
dignified means of manifesting their indignation,
when the late King, on horseback, attended by
his usual cortege, passed along : the boys, of
course, showed every demonstration of respect,
and his Majesty rode on, until he reached
a well-known spot in Eton---Barnpool
Bridge : its sides were studded by many of
the young malcontents, and as the King
passed through their ranks, they reverently doffed
their hats. His Majesty, perhaps, by the ap-
pearances, forboding some danger to his domi-
nions, pulled up for a moment, and in his hur-
ried way inquired—" Boys, boys, boys—what's
matter ? what's matter ? what's matter ?" Pope
(I think it is) somewhere sings,
Oh, 'tie the sweetest of all earthly things,
To talk to princes, and to look on kings."
The young fry thus addressed, not being in the
very frequent receipt of either of these enjoy-
ments, felt themselves most exceedingly embar-
rassed ; there was an awful pause ; no answer.
vvtßoy,hb,soy,l
matter
tye, r ?
w
" repeated
matter
sttMer ?—holidayajesty,po inc-
ing with his whip at one dismayed wight--
holiday ?"—" No, please your Majesty," at
length replied the boy ; " no—it's—it's—it's----
a rebellion I" " Rebellion !" exclaimed the
King, ready to choke with suppressed laughter ; '
" rebellion—rebellion ! rebellion !--very bad---
very bad—very bad indeed !"
The burst of risibility which followed, not
only from his Majesty, but from all his attend-
ants, are in the liveliest recollection of the un-
lucky boy down to the present hour.—New
London Literary Gazette.