Star.
London, England, 1824-06-09 00:00:00

PAISLEY, JUNE 3.

Friday last, Bernonl Shirkey, late cotton-spinner ai
Bit idie of \Voir, pi esznt prisoner In the To'booth of Pain
ley, and John .Vorrismr, cotton-spinner, present prisoner
in the Bridewell Pal,ley, vele brought to trial before
the Sheriff of Reitlien-shire and a Jury, at Paisley, at
the instance of Jonx arid Jam Wyt.:E, Joint Procu-
riltOts-Fiscal of shit e, lor an :v.sault, with intent
to commit murder, upon William Kerr, cotton-spinner,
at Bridge of Weir.
The libel accused the prisoners of waylaying Kerr on
the evening of the 25th November when returning
from his work to his own house at B: idge of Weir, and
discharging a pistol, loaded with powder and shot at his
person, when going up the stair leading to his own
house, by which he was severely wounded in the inside
of his right thigh and arm, his life endangered, and he
in consequence long confined to bed (tom the severity
of the wounds then inflicted upon him. And it appeared
in the course of the proceedings, that this attempt to
Murder Kerr was because he had accepted employment
as a cotton-spinner, to work upon the wheels of another
man, whom his masters thought fit to discharge, but
whom situation an illegal and dangerous combination
of workmen had tesulved should not be supplied.
William Kerr, the person wounded, and a number of
other witnesses, were examined, whose evidence clearly
established the crime as above libelled. Morrison ap-
peared to be a hired assassin, brought there, as he
avowed, for the express purpose Of shooting Kerr. The
day before the ‘'.:ed was c•;mmitted, lie asked an accom-
plice (who afterwards turned King's evidence) to point
out Ken's house, and having examined well the pre-
mises, he fined upon a spot, and said—" This i, the best
place to stand AI." lle then loaded his pi,t,Jl with slugs.
Kerr declared that he must have been shot through the
body had he not providentially made a false step on the
stair.—The evidence having then gone through,
Mr. Wvl.l.lE addre,;sed the Jut y fir- the prosecution,
and Mr. Ronyncr CecuttA N I,l'l iter, for the irisoners.
Mr. Sheriff DUNLOP summed up the es idence in a
clear and impartial manner, and ti:e Jut y having re-
tired for half an hour, iett:ri.ed their xeidict, unani-
moutly finding the f,tis.ner Nlcarison Guilty, and by a
great maimity finding the in isoner Shi, key Guilty, art
and part, of the et e
The Sheriff (Mr. )L'sLor) then addressed the pri-
soners, and sentenced them to he confined in the Di ide-
well of Paisley, at hard labour, Morrison for eighteen,
and Shit key for twelve calendar monti,s, and at these
respective periods to be banished from Ilenliewshile for
life; and farther, that the prisoner 1‘1,91 ison should be
scourged through the siteets of Paisley, oil TiorrsJay,
the Ist of July next, being a market day, and there re-
ceive six dozen stiircs on his naked body by the hands
of the common hangman.
The prisoners, who had behaved with propriety during
the whole trial, seemed sensibly aff:eted when they re-
ceived sentence, and were taken frum the bar.

PREROGATIVE COURT, JUNE 8.
SITTINGS ON lIOLYDAYS.
To-day was one of the several sittings of this Court
after Term, for the dispatch of business. A testamen-
tary cause olno public interest occupied the greater part
of the day. As soon as the Judge had taken his seat,
Dr. Lae row.—lletore the cause which was to be
heard was called, he begged leave to say, that he was
not aware on the occasion of the Court's last siting,
that it intended to sit al'o to-day ; or he should then,
perhaps, have made the observa:ions which, under per-
he now 1:c;c.:: to had always un-
dei stood that it had been an ancient aci ice in this pto-
fession kr the Court nct to 61d.nlog ¶l4c \Vhitsun holy-
days. The reason tn• this practice he tack to be, that
alter the fatigues of the Lastcr Term, sonie relaxation
was Lecessary to the Counsel, especially how
soon Trinity 'l'et m followed. l; it he cnEceived that
this usage had mete e.pecially applied to the early part
of Whitwn week, upon which two or rlove days it was
naturally to be preitin:ed that many Gentlemen of that
bat might feel disposed to indulge in ri iv ate and reli-
gious meditation. Under these cis cti instancei, he begged
leave humbly to enter his protest a.zainlA. w hat he consi-
deied an innovation upon an old and salutary cust
• Sir Jon): N14.110L1..—D0 ;lay, either of the C'ounsel or the Proc. I
in this particular case, entertain any conscientious objections
.of. this hind
Dr. DonsoN, for himself, acknowledged that he did
not feel any tcruples of this nature.
Dr. LLE merged to remind the Court, that the cus-!
tom which had been violated was of some antiquity ;
and be the rather made this protest, because it scented
to be.inOinged, to the great inconvenience of Colonel,
and for the
Mete accommodation of private individuals.
Sir Joni' Nunoti..—You are not obliged, Sir, to Attend today,
U it be inc.invenitnt to you to do so.
De. I.cr.—l ant pert-ctly :,ware of that, Sir; but as One of the
bar. I bet to repeat iny protest agninst these sittings during
124 sun holyd:, is.