Star.
London, England, 1822-08-09 00:00:00

quarter of a mile from the place I left. The foot-
path runs about twenty yards from the stack. When
I reached this place the stars shone bright. I saw a
man dressed in dark-coloured clothes about twenty
yards from me. He was then standing still by th
side of the stack next to Mr. Haycock's field. He
had a lantern in his ham', and in the lantern was a
lighted cand!e. I did not then know who the per or
waE. H.! next put the candle reversed either into the
socket or to the ground, and put it out. A gate was
at that time between ns. He then stepped over the
hedge from Mr. Craig's field into Mr. Haycnck's, by
an oak tree, from eight to ten yards from the stack;
walked quickly over Mr. Haycock's field, to a rail,
which he went through.; then to a hedge and another
rail, by an old pigsty; then got over the hedge upon
the pigsty. I saw him get over the rail ; he did not
jump, but seemed to scramble over it. When on the
pigsty he jumped from it, and mu--t have ha:l either
keys or halfpence in'his pocket, as I heard them chink.
Meanwhile I was corning along the footpathf and
walking faster than •be. When he leaped I: om the
pigsty he came, in a manner, to my face. His face
was turned to me as i walked on the footpath, which
is a causeway on the turnpike-road. At this time
there was only a rail or thorn breast high, so that
there was no fence between my eyes and his face.—
He turned up to his mother's house, which lies near
the pigsty and cow-house. When he reached the
house he opened the door, went in, and shut it. As
soon as I saw him in the manner I have last described
I knew who he was; he was then only two or three
feet from me. He was Edward Jones, the prisoner.
I have known him three or four years, and knew him
well before the night in question. tam confident the
prisoner was the man whom I saw.
On his cross-examination the witness said, I have
been working for Mr. Jobson, of the Talbot, and am
engaged to be lieery-servant to a Gentleman whose
name Ido not remember. Before I worked for Mr.
Jobson I was employed in lowering land for Mr. Craig.
—I lived with Mr. Williams for two or three months
only, and went away, having had a misfortune with
the housekeeper, whom I married as soon afterwards
as I could be asked in. Church. Mr. Williams had
told rne ,4 my character was that of a great liar, and
he would send me away directly if he found me out."
—lle said this when we were engaging for the next
year. I had been before in Mr. Barton's service, and
previously in Captain Anderson's on trial, but was
not engaged, because I could not wait well enough.
I was eight months with the Rev. Mr.. Oswald, who
gave me the character which I gave to Capt. Ander-
son. Ile may have charged me with lying. I will
say he has done so—l cannot remember. how often,
or it more than once. 1 had heard of the previous
fire, and knew that a reward of £lOO was offered for
discovering the offender. I heard of the scum.' fire
on the morning after it happened, as I was coming
to Shrewsbury, about five o'clock. I passed the ruin
of the rick and the house of tile prisoner's father. • I
talked to one of the crowd, and rode through Shrews-
bury to a place five miles from it, and returned borne
in the evening. In two or three days I came to
Shrewsbury, and spent two or three hours there. On
Thursday night I heard of the reward of 50 guineas
for the discovery of the second fire, and on Saturday
saw the placards on the walls of Shrewsbury. It was
exactly a fortnight after the fire before I gave infor-
mation to the Magistrate.
On re-examination, and in reply to questions from
the Bench, Oakley said that his reason for not
giving information was, because he did not wish his
name to be brought in question. He gave his evi-
dence under apprehension that his life would be taken
away by the prisoner's mother. Though he saw the
reward offered for the first fire he gave no informa-
tion, because he knew nothing of it. He mentioned
having seen the prisoner to no one till the day on
which he went to the Magistrate. He had words
some time before with the prisoner, in consequence
of having been.told that he had said something re-
specting the witness's wife, and offered to fight him;
but the prisoner denied it. A person in the field
might see any one on the footpath along which the
witness came. Ile stood and laced the prisoner, but
did not speak to him. The pigsty might be three or
four feet from the road, joining it at a corner.
Samuel Farlow stated that he observed the mark
of a toot on the pigsty, and fresh dirt on the rail on
the morning of the fire.
Samuel Hayward, a constable, deposed that the
prisoner was in the cottage of his mother at four
o'clock on the morning of the fire. -
Here the caa: fOr the prosecution closed.
The prisoner declined saying anything in his de-
fence. His Counsel called Mr. Oswald, Mr. Ilairiion,
and Mr. Peters, all Clergymen, and the two latter
-Magistrates, and Nit. Williams, who respectively swore
that they would not believe Oakley on his oath. His
masters, Mr. Oswald and Mr. Williams, had detected
him in repeated falsehoods.
The per;on with whom the prisoner served his ap-
prenticeship, and his present ma,ters, respectable shi:e-
makers in Shrewsbury, gave him a good character.
Mr. Justice Ilnyury read over the evidence to the
Jury, coninienting on it
.as he proceeded. Ile ob-
served, that the only teAtimony materially affecting
the prisoner was that of Oakley, who had suffered a
fortnight to elapse before he disclosed his tale, who
admitted that he had been the hearer of a forged cEa-
ricter, and who had been detected in frequent lyirT.
It was true that a mass who would speak falsely wisca
not on Isis oath, might speak truly when under i:s
sanction ; but the Jut y would say whether they could
rely on the evidence of such a man in a case so se-
rious as that now berme them.

V.

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