The Sun.
London, England, 1827-04-18 00:00:00

PRICE 71).

LENT ASSIZES.

GLOUCESTER, MONDAY, APRIL 16.
CROWN SIDE.

Michael Wadley was indicted for violating, on the
24th of March last, Comfort Holder, at Maisemore,
near Gloucester. The prisoner was acquitted.
William Scrivens was indicted for assaulting Mar-
garet Cole, on the 17th of February, at Blaisdon,
with a felonious intent.
Margaret Cole—l was sent out at six o'clock in
the evening to Mr. Morgan's, a mile off, to get some
oil. As I was returning, Scrivens came up to Me,
and asked me what I had lot in my basket ; I made
him no answer; he stopped me;; I begged him to
let me go forward, and he kept before me until, I
came up to a path leading from the road towards a
wood; he then caught me round the waist, and lifteci
me tip; I struggled and struck him with the bottle
in his face two or three times, mid knocked his hat

off; he said,•" Hold your tongue, I am not going to
hurt you;" he then lifted me off my feet, and carried
meinto the wood; I kept striking him, but he
forced me down, and suddenly he ran away, ; I did
not hear any body; I was very much frightened;
when I- rose, I saw William. and Thonias Reynolds;
they asked me what he had been at ? I told them
he was a nasty, good-for-nothing rascal. I had never
given Scrivens leave to take any liberties with
me ; he wanted to tice me with him about half-a-
year before, bin I would not have any thing to do
with him.
William Reynolds.--I was walking with my son
along the road, and saw a hat in the path, not far
from the wood. I saw Scrivens come out. I had
known him for some years before. We 'went up,
and found the girl about eight or nine feet from the
bank. I said, " What have you been doing with
the girl ?" He answered something, which I did
not snake out. I have known the girl ever since she
was born; she seemed very much-frightened. I
asked her about kini 5 she said she was very glad we
came up. She was all of a tremble ; her voice was
very. low. She said, he (Scrivens) was an impu-
dent dog, and ought to be ashamed of himself.
Thomasßeynolds confirmed his father's statement.
I took her safe home. -
Mrs. Cole.—When my daughter came home, she
was very much frightened, and her arm was bleeding.
The Jury immediately found the defendant Guilty.
Mr. Baron VAUGHAN.—This is a most atrocious
offence. No one that has heard the prosecutrix's
story, and has observed the very proper and modest
manner in which she gave her evidence, can doubt
for a moment. The sentence of the Court is, that
you be imprisoned in the Penitentiary two years,
and kept to hard labour.
John Morgan, a gentlemanly-looking man, was
indicted for feloniously assaulting Thomas Smith,
on the 7th of December, near Stokes Croft, Bristol,
and stealing from his person .50/. in Bank notes.—
He had been bailed, and surrendered' to take his trial.
Mr. HortacE Twiss stated that Smith Was 'a far-
mer, living at Henbury, and was in. the habit of at-
tending the market at Bristol. On the 7th. 'of
December he went to Bristol, put 'up his horse at
the Black Horse, Stokes Croft, and went to tho
market, where he sold some sheep and two beasts,
for 54/. to a Mr. Hunt, who paid him with one 20/.
one 101., and five 51. Bank of England notes, he
giving Mr. Hunt one pound in change. Smith put
the notes in his pocket book, which he carried in an,
inside coat pocket, and afterwards went to tin
Blackball Tavern, Bristol, where he passed the re-
mainder of the day with a friend of the name, of
Webb, until ten o'clock, when he paid the reckon-
ing with one of the .5/. notes, and took four 1/. notes
and some silver in change. Webb and he went out
of the house together, and parted, he setting out
towards the Black Horse Inn, for his horse. In his
way, there, however, he met a young woman, whom
he treated with drink in a liquor-shop, where he
pulled out, but did not open his pocket book, an
from thence he proceeded to the Black Horie Inn;
but thinking it prudent to put the money in his fob,
he retired into a lane, at a small distance from
Stokes Croft, and close to the inn, and there took
fifty pounds of the notes he bad, out of his pocket-
book, when suddenly a person Whom he (Mr.
Horace Twiss) was instructed was the prisoner,
made a snatch, and seized the notes from him. He
caught hold of the person, but by the biting of a
dog, was forced to lose his hold, and fell down. He.
however, immediately got up, and, without losing
sight of the man, ran after and caught him, and
dragged him to the door of the Black Horse Inn, where
they went in together, and he desired a constable to
be fetched ; but the landlord, Mr. Wagg, interposed
many obstacles to the apprehension of the prisoner,
until finding Smith resolved to have him taken in
custody, he did at last direct a constable to be sent
for, but, in the mean time began searching the pri-
soner himself, in such a manner as, by the interpo-
sition of his body, to prevent the prosecutor seeing
what was doing, and he finished his pretended
search by the time that Meredith, the constable,
came in, who re-searched the prisoner, but, as might
be supposed, did not succeed in finding any thing
upon him. The prosect• t:,r was most positive that
the prisoner was the man who snatched the notes,
which he had never seen since.

Thomas Smith, the prosecutor, proved that he
had received the 541. as stated in the opening. 1
left Webb at 10 o'clock to go to the Black Horse
inn, Strokes Croft, out of the city bounds, for my
horse. There was a young woman at the corner of
Nicholas-street, she asked me to treat her with a
glass, and two sailors by said I might as well treat
tr.:thWe Bhelan i
was a little up the lane, I took out my pocket-book,
and from it took fifty pounds out in 'notes to put
cl
the gcoprnase
water. I proceeded directly to Stokes Croft, arte,
with.
hem a
glass'e
wentapi to a liquor-shop
ece,aadh and I
had
daiyself
sometre treated t eg
n andthem
my fob, when they were snatched out o;
Horse.went
There
el
raen lane,,
was thea lampfirst turning r
mlltbem yehwaainisd)t.c°oming towardsrnmaenalpviptahrenintyly
I caught the
ledftehwaandria
lane, and-had a bull terrier dog with him, who got
between my feet biting at my legs. I loosened my
hold and fell upon my hands and knees, and the
man ran as fast as he could to Stokes Croft. I fol-
lowed, and without losing sight, overtook him at
Wagg's' doo,r, which was shut, but was very soon
opened, and we both went in. We neither of us
had our eilats. Wagg opened the door. I said,
" This is the man that has robbed mei" and laid
hold of the prisoner, and would have beat him, but

was prevented.
Cross-examined.--It was nearly two o'clock
at whenten
.I wletnototko
the
ee m Blackballans
o
that I
andb
believe he
it
he
had not time to put the notes is his pocket. The
prisoner did not knock at Wagg's- door; I pushed
him against it. I had seen. Morgan several times in
Bristol. Wagg has kept that house many years; I
had frequented it two or three years. I had refused
to discount a bill for.him. ,

This was the case for the prosecution.
Mr. LUDLOW submitted that even allowing all
the facts to be true, they did not constittite ,highway
robbery, but
Mr. Baron VAUGHAN directed the case to go on.
Mr. LUDLOW called .Joseph Chappell, landlord of
the Blackhall Tavern. Webb and Smith left ut,
at five minutes before ten o'clock. Smith was in-
toxicated—about three parts drunk.
Michael Wagg.—_l am forty. I have kept the
Black Horse;for :15 years. Smith has frequented
mv house four-or five years. His horse was at my
stables on Thursday. I heard a noise first and thei