Star.
London, England, 1823-07-17 00:00:00

SALISBURY, JULY 15.

Jonathan Cook was capitally indicted for having,
on the 14th of May last, forcibly violated the person
of Lydia Lawrence, at Caine, in the county of Wilts.
There was another indictment against the prisoner,
for an assault on Mary Lawrence (aged 10 years), the
sister of Lydia Lawrence, with intent to commit the
same offence. The prisoner, when placed at the bar,
appeared very little affected by the situation in which
he stood. He is a short stout man, about 28 years
of age, and carries the appearance of a respectable
yeoman. The principal witness against him was Ly-
dia Lawrence, a pretty looking child of 12 years old,
but of such diminutive stature and altogether of an
appearance so infantine, that k was difficult to ima-
gine her to be more than nine years of age. It ap-
peared that the prisoner; who lived at Caine, and
practised among the country people as a quack doc-
tor, had called on the day mentioned in the indict-
ment at the house of Lawrence, a short distance from
Caine, to inquire after the health of a little boy who
had been under his care. The father (a' labouting
man) was from home, but the mother, after answer-
ing his inquiries respecting her son, shewed him a
swelling which had appeared under the chin of her
daughter Lydia: the prisoner said he could cure it;
but that it was necessary to have-some herbs fresh
gathered for the purpose. The mother readily con-
sented that the two little girls should go with him
for the purpose of collecting the herbs. This was
about one o'clock ; and the mother was alarmed by
their re-appearance two hours afterwards, unaccom-
panied by the prisoner, looking very ill, and in great
apparent distress. The poor child immediately com-
municated to her mother the villainy which had been_
practised on her by the prisoner, who, it seems, had
taken them to a lonely field at above a mile distance
from their home, where he had perpetrated his dia-
bolical purpose on the eldest sister, having previously
made a similar abortive attempt on the younger.
The next day the prisoner had the effrontery to go
again to the house of Lawrence, and was immedi-
ately charged by the mother with his villainy : he
denied it, but took an opportunity of the mother
going out to steal away. He instantly absconded
from Caine, and it was not until a month afterwards
that he was apprehended and committed for trial.
After the case for the prosecution had closed, the
prisoner, who had ne Counsel, addressed the Jury in
his defence, and urged that the child had been con-
senting to the attempt. He had even the hardihood
to examine the unhappy victim on that point, ilut she
firmly persisted in the account she had before given.
He called as a witness a female with whom he had
cohabited for the last eighteen months, to speak to
the state of his health, but her testimony was incon-
clusive on that point. (It appeared from the evidence
of the surgeon, that the child's health had been in-
jured, and that she still laboured under the complaint.)

The Learned Judge (Mr. Justice Buttnom ii) hav-
ing summed up the evidence, the Jury, after a brief
consultation, returned a verdict of—Guilty.
The Learned Judge, in passing sentence of death,
exhorted the prisoner to lose no time in endeavouring
to make his peace with his CRZATOR, as he must not
entertain a hope of mercy in this world.
The prisoner heard the awful sentence pronounced
with an unaltered countenance, and bowed to the
Court on being taken from the bar.