Star.
London, England, 1824-04-02 00:00:00

WESTAIINSTE.R SESSIONS, APRIL 1.

Thomas Williams was indicted for 'assaulting William
Alexander, on the 27th of February.
The complainant said, on the evening of the 2Gtb Fe-
bruary, a boy rang at his bell and said he was wanted
in the street, but he paid no attention to it. About nine
o'clock the following evening the same lad camel() him
with a similar request; and, on going into the street, he
saw the defendant's wife, who said her life was in dais.
ger, from reports that were circulated of her intimacy
with him ; that she was constantly receiving letters, and
was ,watched wherever she went. He had scarcely time
to speak, when the defendant came up and struck him
several times with a bludgeon ; a man named Gibbons
held hint while the defendant struck him. He pursued
him to hii own door and knocked him down. lie was
attended by Mr. Russell, a surgeon, and was not able
to attend- to his business for eleven days.

Cross-examined by Mr. Anomtus.--He lived from
July 1818 to July 1821, in the defendant's house. He
had occasionally read some parts of the Scripture in
prisons, and given the prisoners good advice. He had
also preached to ari assembled congregation ; btit he had
left off- preaching. He. had not seeta the defendant's
wife for three months before this transaction. He had
never, to his knowledge, had her in his lodging. He
married on the 18th of January.
Mr; ADOLPHUS, for the defendant, said that he had
a mass of evidence to prove the foundation of this affair;
and the Court would' perceive the injury which the de-
fendant bad received from this preacher of the Gospel.
He would decline producing any evidence, because he
could not do better than rest his case in the hands of
the Cotirt.-Tl:e Jury recurnei a verdict of Guilty.
The CHAIRMAN said, that although the circumstances
were such as tended to inflame the defendant's mind,
yet he had not taken the right course by inflicting punish-
ment himself; therefore the Court were bound to take
cognizance of it. The judgment of the Court was, that
the defendant be ordered to pay to the King a fine of 51.
Elizabeth Brewster was indicted for deserting her in-
fant child.

Mr. A L LEY stated the case for the prosecution, which
was instituted by St. James's parish. The prisoner had
an illegitimate child, and when it was about sir months
old, she became desirouV of getting rid of it;• for the
purpose of getting into a situation, as she stated her cir-
cumstances to be very indifferent. She therefore dressed
it in inferior clothing, and deposited it on the night of
'the 14th of December last in Marlborough-passage, a
dark narrow place, where, in an hour and a half after-
wards, it was found by a labourer, who took it to the
beadle, and by him it was conveyed to the workhouse,
where it died on the 25th of the same month. The pri-
soner, prompted by remorse, or a natural desire to see
her infant, went to make incoiries if a child had been
brought into the workhouse on a certain day; and on
learning it was dead, became so agitated that she was
suspected of being the unnatural parent, and oo being
detained, confessed all the facts of the case. She was
found Guilty, and sentenced to six months'imprisonment.
John Beverley was indicted for stealing 600 pam-
phlets, the property of Mr. Thomas Richardson. '
The prosecutor is .a bookseller, and the prisoner was
in his employ, but he had discharged him on the 6th of
March. On the 9th he went to one of Mr. Richard-
son's workwomen, and obtained, kr that Gentleman's
name, during that night and the following morning,
600 copies of a work which she had to sew and f Id.
These he immediately sold as waste paper, at 4d. per
pou'nd, to a Mrs. Ellsworth, a cheesenionger in Drury-
lane, where they had lain but a short tilne, when a person
called in from Mr. Nathan, a bookseller, also in Drury-
lane, and seeing the pamphlets, bargained for them at
6d. rer pound. Mr. Nathan Was taken before the Ma-
gistrate; but discharged on account of the transaction
being, in the opinion of the Magistrate, a fair oae.
The CHAIRMAN expressed his. surprise at the dis-
missal of Mr. Nathan. •The prisoner was found Guilty,
and sentenced to six months' hard labour in the House
of Correction.