The Sun.
London, England, 1820-01-17 00:00:00

I‘IYSTERIOUS CASE.

Matti Rottornn-SrtletiT.—On Siittirday an in-
whichoexcited the greatest interest, and
lasted iill a very late holm, came on at this office
before J. E. COIsIANT, E. the. Sittiog Mdgis-
trate.

Elizabeth Barnes, a girl 16 years of age, was
brought op in the custody of Plank, the 'officer,
charged .hy Mr. John Wright, linen-draper, of
Foley:7place, M4ry-le-hone, on suspicion of having
at several times set fire to his !loose am.; tocui-
She was also charged with having bysorne
exit:sonatina: y means set fire to 'the Wearilw ap-
parel of Mrs. Wright at carious times, by which
her clothes were burned off her hack, and in-
joted her so dreadfully that her life is despaired
of. The office was crowded to excess.
Mr. Wright stated, that the prisoner had'been
servant in the house for some time past* but
they never susa..cted tier of any titbit; wrong until
ti,ey were induced harm the folio xiog most ex-
traordinary circumstances, to entertain an idea
that she had intentions of destroying the house
and family :—Weelnesday mot ohig, ,Tatin the
51b, ahout halt past eight o'clack, his mother
was sitting in the parlour by het self, and the pri7
soner was in the shop alone ; his mother was
seriously alarmed by a fire cs hich broke Out in the
shop. which did considerable injury, >tad it com-
menced by some means in one of the drawers
the cannier. Friday, the 7th cif Jahtni't y, abort( 11
o'cl-ck in the !opining, his nuillter was si:t!gig by
the fire io the kitchen, the Frisson! being the only
person with her, and On, rising she bad not gone
as tar as the door before all It.:r clothes were on
lite; and had it not been for speedy usistaneein
putling:mit the flames, she would have been burn-
ed to -death ; site was horned dreadfully, Th'e
next
,day (Saturday), about .12 o'clock ,in the
morning, nit witness's room home, he had tort
heels long in the house before_he was alalane,dbj
the d,eadful screaraa of his mother, N% ho I.YAS in
the kitchen ; he proceeded there, and_again found
her enveloped in flames ; he succeeded in put r inn
them out ; there was
.scaacely any, fire,in the grate
at the time ; the prisoner was the only verso!)
with her ; anti when her elothe caught fire his
mother was more than 8 feet from the grate., N 0
suspicion was at this time tonne l ahxtitsst fife pai7
sorer, and „he was Olderfd to protect his Mother.
—on the Sunday he
,ties itethe,pylonr, a~i4l his
mother and the prisoner sver.e in, the kitchen to,
get her, but being, alarmed by her set earns,. he ran
(Jowl) stairs, and torrid her again.covered 'vaitjt
flames—be pot. a rug_over her, and /Mt thvin
by which he saved her life. Part of her clothes
tvere burned to a cinder, and her flesh was mane-,
daily injured. The prisoner bad .tint Jett Mite,
kitchen at the,tinte,this hirinrierted,,and when his
'!docker was, crossing the kiielten slle found
again in flames ; her clothes were burned off her
back ; -be diet not know means she caught
fire,hot it as fully cnntitetit Ghat no steal k flewoo her;
she thonght snlnetlii9gc,salpitroptoral attended her.
She descrihed when tb.e flat:nes touched her ,96n,
that she felt it like knives croasirgAser. The pi i-
sutler when this hpppent;cl burst taint latighing at
his mother,. although her wan' in peal; the.
suspicion on his ankod was, that the prisoner it at!
thro,en something on her to came the burnitqi, O,
the Sunday his mother was placed under the pro-,
teetion of Irks sister, Eno happening t,ir go into the,
kitchen where the plispiter was, her clothes by;
some unknown =anti again caopt tire ; tier vie,-.
lent screams alaimed Miss Wiigitt, who went,
down's'tairs and found her clothei all in flames
she tore Off her clothes as well as ttle could, fiat
she, was injured so dreadfully by,the foe that she
was put to used ; they left her appateotly asleep,
hot its a short time after they were again alarmed
by leer' screams, and on going no stairs they
tumid her in the bet!
,surrounded by ate, the bed
;tied the curtains bring all in a blaze, and site a
tetopt hid to extinguish them ; the house and pro-
pel ty were much injured. The prisoner was at-
ter warda sent up stairs, and site came down again,
saying the room was all on fire ; they went op
stairs and found one of the rooms all inflames ;
they were 'slat. Much difficulty put our, 'l'
text alarm was on Tuesday evening at halt past
eight o'clock ; when he return! d home his shier
Inet' kiln, and said the place hail been in the to-
most 'Confusion, 'art& again on fire ; the conn-
ter (a fixture) -was-literally destroyed, and the
;dace • was filled wit h unlike and . fire ; there
were two drawers belonging to the conotet,
the one marked A. and the other marked B a
the fire commenced in the drawer A., Ayhjell Ls ins
injured; and that marked B. without the least,
symptoms of fire in it, was given to the, pri+oner
tO take into the coal-vault ; she tOnk it down,
but shortly returned, saying the vault was all. on
fire on proceeding thither be found the coals all
on fire; engines arrived, and it was put vac ; the
drawer wasiying there; the family were now in
a'serions state or alarm, and Mr, lidoll, a neigh,
bottr, proposed sitting up all night with Miss
Wright to watch the house. The prisoner was
ordered to go to bed at 11 o'clock, at which time
she went, but she shortly returned, begging them
to go. up stairs, that Mr. Bonnistet's room (one
of the lodgers) was on fire ; they went up stars
to Mr. Bannister's room, and found him going to
bed, and calling out lire. Witness the!) opened
his sister's bed-risom door, when, he was pearly
knocked down by the flames and 'smoke rushing
oPon hint ; the room %vas filled with a dense
smolte,-and the room all ill a blaze, lie Y,'t.1,1
to a mahogany chest of drawers, the day after,
all' of Which were locked except one, on opeo7
ing which, the flames rushed out on blip, ;said
he drawers partly wet e burned to a citider.
At four k in the afternoon of the same
day, another fire broke out in the same room,
although firemen were employed to stay io the
house, and had stopped tip the preceding night.
'the folio %slog morning, about eleven o'clock,
another tire broke oat in an apartment up Stalls,
and did considerable injory. The prisoner
on the discovery of the fire, was seeo dose
by the door, (older very suspicions eiremustauct Si
and he olderell her,instantly to quit the house
He, spoke 10 Mr. Lockie, of the Fire-office. The
officers, of this eatablishmeat were employed
make eVery enqui4-, and since the pcitvo.r, hatl
quitted the place they hail not undergone the least
alai to. Ilis. naother was confined to ht‘ bed, and

[tire

tvai untie** the rare of a surgeon, .without the
least hopes of recovery. •-
Mks Wright aitentted in a very weak coucji,
lion, and corroborated every thing her brother
had 'stated.

Plank, the officer, here stated, that he had made.
every enguiryinto the chatactrts of the lodgers,
which were very good. •
Mr. Bannister, one of the lodgers, said he was'
porter in the employ of Mr. It win, hatter, ofi
Oxford-street. 0,11 the night of th.r fire he heard
so!ne person walking in the apartment over his,
and afterwards head them come •do'wn and enter
Miss Wriglit's chtstnber. Ile thought it was thtt
priioner. ShorOy after, he was alatmed by hear?
ing the chanthcr vvas on fire: it vva.3 adjoining lkis
apatt mem.

- Mrs. Bannister corroborated the above.
The prisoner,. io her defence, denied the charge;
And soil her mistress's clothes caught fire acciden-
tally. She knew noihipg of the other accident.-
Mr. CONANT said, of ,all the cases he had ever
t,earcl,of, he never knew of one to equal the abovi
irr atrocity, cud he had no doubt, but the prisoner
was guilty of something which he Was afrail could
not be brought against her, without the ;Men-
thine.of Mrs. Vi'right ; the evidence was defective
unless it
,came from her own mouth. She being
unAble to attend, .rtud (eking the prisoner's youti
into conidcrafind, he Would ordcr her to find bail
to keep the peace towards her, until Mrs. Wright
was ):bie to attend. herself.. Mr. Wright assure()
the Xl.igicrate that he would use every entreal
to mike her come forwlrd, but her situation at
Present %A as most dangerous.