Star.
London, England, 1806-04-21 00:00:00

DEFENCE.

The prifoner, George Richard Walker, having read
Tome words written to him by his Connie',
Mr. Gamow Paid, that a► he had not been able to
hear one word—(all the evidence flitted hint to be
deaf)—it was impolEble for him to make any anfwer
to any thing that might have been Paid.
Dodds and Rochetter left their defence to their
Counfel.
Dick Walker Paid that he thought every thing done
by Mr.Dodds as a proteffional man, was regular, and
that he had followed his direftion, and thought every
1 thing was tight.
(Here the Learned Judges on the Bench, Lord
ELLemaottouom, Mr. Baron THOMSON, and Mr.
Juilice Rooce, confulted for a conliderable time.)
Lieutenant Hawkins, who had been examined early
in the profecution, was then examined again by Mr.
GURPillf as to the property of his uncle Major Haw.
alas, whole will this purported to be. He laid that
the property which his uncle lett was sic:el. in the
3 per cent. confols flock, and that be left no other
property whatever.
(Here the Judges confultc d again for a while, after
which the Prtfonere Counfel proceeded to call wit.
nc:Tes.)
Mr. Saint Croix was called, but did not anfwer ;
he was Rated to be a witnefs who would contraditt
tome material flatements made by Eddington Ida.
tine to his expretlions of refentment againft Mr. Geo.
Richard Walker and others.
Mr. Crawford, examined by Mr. CAttOW.O I
am in the coal trade. lam furry fe fay that lam
acquainted with Mr. Eddington, who has been CLI.
=bud as a witnefs here to-slap I have been ac.
' [Tara over.

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painted wito him att years. I had the misfortune
be concerned in bufinef with him.
Q, He has reprefented, that he embarked his ea.
pitat in bufinefs 'with you, that he failed in that hu
; that you continued to be a man of prorerty,
aid that he was ruined by it, and but for that lie
not be here to-day ; is that ti ue ?—A. To
Cie hell of my knowledge he never advanced a fix
pence in the concern; I am very forty to fay that
what he Rated in that refpcit is not true. I have loft
a great deal of money on account of his condult.
Q I will put this quellion to you :—From your
acquaintance with him, and his charafter and con-
d tai, do you believe him to be a man fafely to be
trulled on hi. oath, in a cafe which concerns the
life of a fellow creature ?—A. Ido not. I made
myfelf a bankrupt to get rid of him. I (wear, that
I would neither take his word nor his oath, on the
won trivial occafinn.
Mr. William Richardfon, examined by Mr.Kwa et
—I am a merchhnt living at Newcnffie. I have been
acquainted with Eddington zs years ; never connec-
t/4 in !salmis with him. I have been acquainted
with his charaaer and conduti during that time. He
is not a man to be lately wined on his oath. His
condat for the lag ten years I have had frequent op-
portunity of watching and feting, and the cnnclufion
upon my oath is, that he is not a man fit to be truft-
ed oh his oath.
John Ruflick, examined by Mr. Ata.ay.—l am a
Civil Engiacer. I have known the witnefs Edding.
ton fince the year t79S. I have had a full opportu-
nity of obferving hit condo.% and I would not be-
. sieve him upon his oath on any «cation.
Mr. J. theue.—l live now at Southampton. I
kiew Eddington, who was examined here to-day,
while he was at Guernfay ; he was a few. months in
the employment of Mr. George Richard Walker. I
Dave heard him make ufe of ex/oral:Gans refpeiffing
Mr. Walker in the year 1799, in the month of Sep.
Mabee, or the beginning of Oftober. I heard him
by that be would bang Walker, if he could, and of
the Gentlemen of the Barrack Office, he Paid, they
were all a let of rafcals. A few days afterwards he
repeated the fame wards to mt. I cannot pofitively
recollea the very word., though many times he
,malt tilt of very bad language, both concerning the
Bmrack Officers and Mr. George Richard Walkers
dawning them and eating them as a let of vil-
Jail* awl °racists, including Mr. Walker. I know
a• mote, than that during the three of four months
be ireees the Bland, be caufed a great deal of dif-
tarlaince swag the people in the Barrack Office, fat
*Web, if &make rr&ly, he was obliged to aft
Plitdoe•
Crate examined by Mr. GINWIT.—}Ie Paid he was
I,OIP &mineral water maker,had DO concern with Mr.
Walker now, but was formerly his clerk. Mr. Walker
of Gumtrees mother's name was Hiude : the was
. an Englifk woman ; I believe the came from the
Weft of England, bat from what part I do not know
—her Chriffian name was Elizabeth.
Emrained again by Mr. Gastrow.—He Paid that
Mr. Walker bore the charafter of a refpeftable mer-
chant and honourable man.
To * cocaina front Lord ELzsasoaorrott, the
Wirnsa *id, I know of no other Elizabeth lilnde
than the mother of the prifoner, George Richard
Walker.
Mr..Stanbeck, a gentleman from one of the public
rams of accounts, faid he knew Eddington to be a
miry dangerous man.
The Rev. Dr. Scott, of Sechlington. near Durham,
examined by Mr. Azt.sr.—l am a Clergyman of the
Motels of England I know Eddington he was my
fervent in the year 1793, AS my Reward to colic& my
rents and tythes ; he was but a very few months in
my employment. From the opportunity I have had
of knowing what. his condo& has been to me, I do
- not think that the kill credit is tc be given to what
he either laid or (wore.

Colonel *Kenzie had known Eildington fence the
year 18os ; had means ofjudging, from many tranf.
&glints:, of hisamoral condnU, and thought he was
not fafely to be trolled on his oath.
Mr.Ceorge Dunn lived at Newcaßle, an Infurance
Broker, had known Eddington 3o years ; thought be
could not be Safely trufted on his oath ; his chattel:ler
was fo bad in the place be came from, that be would
not think of trolling him
Several witnefes were then called to the charaEler
of the prifuner George Richard Walker, who gave
bias w very good one, as a merchant at Curacy,
and ferpgiiAble man.
Three witneffes gave a good charater to the pd.
(over. Rocheller. The other two prifoners called no
witneffes.
Lord ELLIIIDOROUGN told the Jury, that if they
sifted to retire for any purpore, this was the feafon
to do In, (ince it would necefTarily be Some time be-
fore the Cumming up could be over.
The Jury retired for a few minutes accordingly, it
brine, near feven o'clock.
kgs Lordflsip then addreffed the Jury—'t After
baying beßowcd upon this very impottant queflion
which is now the fubjea of your confideration, a de.
gra of patient attention which I have oblervcd you
have done as your duty required of you—We have
now approached to that halt Rage of the proceeding
in which you are to be troubled with fuch ohfervations
As occur to me on the interelling fubjea before us,
and by your own reflation, affifted by thole obfer.
vations, to attive at that conclufion which the cafe
require.. Gentlemen, this is a charge againtL the
four prifoners at the bar, for the forgery and the
publication, knowing it to be forged, of the will of
Richard Hawkins. That is, that the ptifoner G. R.
Walker forged that will, and that the other prifoners
attsaed and nteliiiiiied it, knowing it to be forged.—
This
(Renee is Rated to be committed in the county I
of Middlefez ; a fat, and a m'e'et isl one, to which
nor attention mutt he particalatly drawn, and to
which we mull esclufivelv confute our eontidetation,
ether with regard to the forgery, or the ptiblicatien
of the iollrument, knowing it to be forged ;—I lay
that, on this account, we mull leave out of the cafe
the whole of the evidence which relates to what the
party did at Dretor's Commons, by way of publica-
tion of this will, fhppofing the inllrument to have I
been forged;and fuppofing too that all the prifoners
knew full well it was forged, at the time they d:d In 1
radials it at Dodo►'s Common!, btcauk :bele were I
all ..etc done our of the county of Islideac;ti, l) ant's •
Cornmons being.in the City of London, and
diChnent listing the offences of forginvuld pubufhing

the infirunittnt, knowing it to be forged, to have been I
committed in the county of Middtelex We mud, •
thetefore, confine our conlideration entirely to what ,
the pall ies are proved to have done In the county of i
Middlefes. The ha charged agaion tlsefe prifimers
is, that they made and logged a Mill for the hoe
Richard Hawkins, Efq. who was a perfon of the
rank of Major Ivy brevet, but at the real rank of
Captain in the Royal Cups of Engineers, at jertey.
However, he is defcribed iii this inttrument, which is
a very important fan for your confederation, inac
curately ; and it is important, alto, to attend to the
proof that he was an exttemely accurate man, and
that his true deferipti n was Captain of the Royal
Corps of Engineers.not Major of his Majelty's Royal
Corps of Engineers, and this is relied on, by thole
who fupport this profecution. to prove that this in•
flrument is fabricated, and cannot be the will of a
man who bad always been oblerved to be a man who
gave a degree of painful attention to every thing he
wrote ; that he wrote every thing hirnfelf which
he had occaGon to fend to others, and about which
there was invariably a remarkable precilion 3—and
that it is highly improbable that his will fhoutd be'
the angle indance of carelefincli of taprelEon in
the writings of this Gentleman. This,ubfervation
certainly furnifbes (hang internal evidence that the
initrument is not genuine. You have likewife mi.
dente from Gentlemen extremely converfant with
' Captain Hawkin., and who fay, that in Isis
concerns he never employed a Clerk ;,—tbat he
never fet his armature to any paper the :whole
of which was not of his own band writing ;—•
and that this is not his hand writing. There is
not man a fu Rion on the part of the Ptifoners,
that it it of his hand writing—nor any reafon at-
tempted to be aligned why, if the inftrument was
genuine, it Should not be-wholly of this gentleman's
own hand writing—but there are other circ °masa-
ces which form Internal evidence that the inftrument
is not genuine And here it is neeetrary to cbferve
tkas all the evidence is on one fide, for yen have
perfons of test fit It charaOer who were uc,uainted
with-Major Hawking (ow cf whom Wit *an his
name figned a thoufand tknes, and others who have
leen quires of paper of his writing, all &Aim, poi*
felling the bell means of knowing the charafter of his
writing, psfitively fwear they do not believe this fig.
nature is his writing. There is no evidence on the
other fide. Here is a nsafs of the molt abfolutely
ennvinciog evidence on the one fide, encountered by
nothing on the other. Here, in the whole cootie of
a long life, Major Hawkins's employment is known
to a great number of perfons, one of whom has known
him for forty-three years, others for thirty, and
others for various periods, connantly correfponclirsg
with him, who all fay the fignature is not his. On
the other fide there is nothing—abfolute filence.—
Add to this, that this inftrument carries with it ano-
ther fpecies of internal evidence again& its own ge.
nuinenefs, becaufe its provifions are an *Laud viola
tion of all the habits of his antecedent life, as well as
repugnant to all the principles of affettion which he
carried about him. He had a brother, whole chil-
dren, his nephews and his nieces, had always been
the objets of his regard and tendernefs ; fame of
whom, at the very moment this inftrurnent bears
date, were the objedis of his foftering care and affee-
j donate attention, for he had put them to fchool, and
exptefl'ed anxiety for their proper education. All 1
thefe habits are violated by this will, by laying afide
, all care or concern about theft relatives; and with.
out any vifible or affignable melon, the whole of his
fortune is left to a &ranger, to Elizabeth Hinde, ao
abfolute &ranger ; after giving zoool. to an illegiti-
mate daughter of his, and 301. a year to her tnother,
the whole property, which is about pool. Reding, 1
is to go to in abfolute &ranger, of whom we have
no actual proof that there really is fuels a being in
reran nature:, for we have nothing but formile about
this perfon, or that the is the mother of the prifoner,
George Richard Walker, who is the Eamon,' of this
will, and who, if there be no Such perfon as Eliza-
beth Hinde, takes the whole himfelf, who, if the be
in exiflence, and is his Mother, may never diflurb
him in the poffeflion of the property, fuppofing the
will to be efiabldhed—and this will too, left with
Mrs. Browning, an abfolute &ranger to Major Haw-
kins, who it appears lived at No. 28, Dartmouth-
itrect, Weflminiler, and who, upon the evidence,
appears no other, and can be no other than the perfon
living with the prifoner. George Richard Walker,
if not his wife, for they are prosei to have lived in
that houfe, and no other there of that name, as well
as at another, No. 22, Brook•ltrect, Fitzroy-fguare.
To encounter all this evidence, internal and eater. I
nal, again& the genuinenefs of the inarument, there
is abfolutely nothing. Forged then we mull take the
inflrument to be—the queltion then will be, by whom
was it forged ? And here, although no ails done at
Maltese, Commons ate evidence, it is material to
advert to the language did there, in all the depofi-
lions in fupport of the will.
[Here his I.unithip went through the whole of the allegations
and depofitiom made by the Prifonera in fupport of the Will,
making fultahle comments upon them, as well u upon the whuk
of the eeldence a. he hummed up.]
st This (faid his Lordfhip) is the whole of the evi-
dence to ell ablifh the charge again& the prifoners at
the Bar, and the evidence by way of contradittion,
if contradittion it can be called to that evidence, or
rather in depreciation of the charaCter of Eddington,
and alto to the charaeters of G. R. Walker and T.
Rocheller. the other prifoners having called no mi.
deuce. The &ft thing you have to confider—was the
will forged? Here, (aid his Lordihip, it was impof-
fible to doubt that fad, as there was abirslutely con.
cluftve evidence for the affirmative of that propofi-
tint), both from the inflrument itlelf, and the tefli-
mony of the molt refpdlable perfons who knew the
hand-writing of the Major, as well as from its being
I contrary to all the habits of his life, and the bent of
I his affeetion.. Then being fulled that the inftru-
I nient was Fogad. the queltion would next ccme, by
I whom forged? On that it was remarkable that the
Ferfon who had the cultody of the will was one whom
the Major was not proved ever to have Peen, who
WAS, upon the face of all the letters which had been
read, a &anger to him; the only account that had
been given of that perfon, Mrs. Browning, was, that
llhe was a woman who lived with the prifoner Geo.
1 Richard Walker, if the was not stßually his wife,
for they were the only Mr. and Mrs. Browning that
ever lived at N. 28. Dartmouth-tireet, and who
were named under that delcrlption in the depofitions
in lapport of the will : againit all which there was
nothing but tilcoce on the what fide. The conchtliou 1

•
•
therefore, he apprehended, eras, that George Rich-
ard Walker and this woman were the Mr. and Mr..
Browning In much talked r f in there proceedings ;
and that he was the perf,n to whom the forgery was '
to he artyiblited—that he was the forger of the Li-
niment. The neat critenkst was; whether any of
the others were concerned in the publication of this
inftrumenr after it was forged. knowing it to be In;
for with that the other pi i:',rners are charged in the
fecund count. Now ax to the prifoner Rochefter
(raid hi. Lordfhip) who is not charged with publifh•
ing it knowing it to be forged, but with abetting the
others in doing it; it does not appear to me, on the
evidence, and I do not know that it occurs to either
of- my Learned Brothers, that any proof of abet-
ment applies to Rochefter in the county of Middle-
fez—that Is, in exclufion of Duftors Commons,
whieh.is in the City of London. (Here the Learned
Judges, who had taken notes through the whole
trial, armed to the obfervation.) And, therefore,
upon this indiftment, it appears to me as if Rochef-
ter was entitled to his acqnittel on the charge as
now framed. Therefore, the remaining cafe is that
of- Cheiftopher Dodd. and Dick Walker, as Ise is
called, in contradillinflion from the other Walker.
Now it is proved that the bode of the Solicitor, to
whom the will is feat, is in Middlefex, and that was
a publication of it, as well as the hook where the
lignateres were put to the will by the phoneys' wit.
rides, and upon this Eitlington is abundantly' con.
firmed in his evidence by the prifoners' own alts;
but it doer appear, that as to Dodds, he publifhed
the will knowing it to be forged, at the very time he
prefented it to the prifoner Dick Walker for his
fignatuve, who cannot by his fignatnie, (on the
evidence as it applies to his knowledge at that
time,) be laid to have publifred it by that aft ;
it was rather in confidence of their preceding ant,
end u adoption or them ; and however certain
his cnnviftion might be of publifhing thii forged
inftrument at Doetor's Commons, yet that was
in the City of London, awl cannot apply to this
India:bent which is frir an act committed in Middle-
fee, and cannot have relation to the (tate of his know-
ledge at the time he figned the will as a witnef9 : it
is polftble he did not then know it to be a forgery,
and therefore, I think the later way will be to 3C-
quit.him alto, own, this indictment." His Lordfhip
having recapitulated the quellions--t ft, Whether the
Bill was forged ? adly, By whom ? 3dly, Whether
pabliftted knowing it to be forged ? and 4thly, Who
were gaihrof that publication ?—he left the Jury to
find their verdlet as to the truth of the cafe upon all
the eircustillances sihich appeared to them.
The Jury withdrew, remained out of Court half
an hour, and brought in a Verdi&
George Richard Walker—Gui'ty.
Chtiftopher Dodds—Guilty.
Thomas Roche au and Richard Walker—Not Guilty.

• George Richard Walker is 40, and Dodds 5f years
of age.—The trial commenced at nine in the morn-
ing, and was not over until after ten at night.

itell Tit LONDON CI

1-21-TT., algc 19.

Average Primo( Core In England and Wale', from the returns
ending the nth of April, and.
Wheat. I Rye. I Barley. I Oats. I. Beam. 1 Fears
s. d. a. d. a. d. a. d. a. d. a. d.
75 4 44 5 34 8 15 to 40 • 39 1
The average Prim of Sugar, computed from the Returns niade
in the meek aiding April i 6, is 48s. bed. per hundred weight
BEA•COAL METER'S OFFICE, LONDON, APRIL isi.
CAROOLS SOLD, and PIICIO.
April t 4. April t 6 April tr.
NEWCASTLE COAL. Monday. Wednefd. Friday.
Adair's Main - a 46 6 a 45 0
Baker's Main • a 41 0
Biggs Main - a sa o a st o t 4B 6
Croft's Main • 1 45 9
Fighton Moer • I 45 0
Hillon Main
Heaton Main
Hepburn Main

a
S

Kenton Main
Weft Kenton •
'Percy Main 3
to
Tanileid Moor
Walbottle Moor
Walker
Walla End
Tansies Wall's End -
WilHilton - I
Sects Wood

➢ryan's Main

Blyth
Cowper Male
SUNDERLAND COAL.
Bourn Moot

Eden Main
Urpeth
Raasies Mai

so f.
ss I
sr'

Taal. Alp 74

So 6

514
SI
476 I
46.6
53 •
5/.•
is 6

4, 0

43 9
41 9

PIP

lid 6
41°
it o
10 0.

43 *
M!

44'9

446