Star.
London, England, 1802-09-21 00:00:00

oLto

—,..
Yefterdai twenty prifoners were tried, nine of
Whom were capitally convieted, vit.
Wilk= Herbert, John Reynold:, Samuel Beach, •
Francis Ryley, Charles Smith, John Roberts, Edouard
Griffith:, Elizabeth Lane, and Elizabeth Ely, were in-
dieted for a burglary, in breaking and ettering the
dwelling houfe of George Skillicorn, in the night
'of the loth of July laft, and foaling therein two
wooden boxes called tills, containing penny.
pieces, halfpence, and fatibings of the value of
forty fhillings and upward; a nutmug grater, and
a medal refetnbling a farthing, the property of the
Paid George Skillicorn.
The profecutor (wore that he keeps a public.
houfe in Little Queen-ftreet, near Holborn, and on
the night of the Toth of July, he fattened up his
houfe, cellar, bar, &c. about eleven o'clock, and
was alarmed, before three, by a report of his bottle.
having been broken open ; which he found to be
fo, the flap of the cellai door having been forced, •
and the ii:th of the bar door thrown up. blade tht
flap he found a, pair of 'hoes which were all wet
and dirty. He did not mifs any thing out of the
cellar, but when he went to his bar he perceived
that two drawers, which were his tills, were
taken away ; they contained pence, halfpence,
and farthings ; it was not quite light when he
was called up. When he came to the door of
his houfe, a watchman came up to him, and in
confequence of what that watchman Paid to him,
he went with the watchman down Parker's-lane,
through Crofs-lane, to Newtener's,lane. At &it
only two watchmen went with him, but others
came afterwards to aflitt .them, and they entered
a dwelling houfe where-the watchman fufpeeted
the prifoners to be. They rushed into the parlour.
and faw all the prifoners except Elizabeth Lane.
Elizabeth Ely was in bed and undreft—there was
but one bed in the room. Qne of the men was
upon the bed, but he was dreffed. The prifoner
Griffiths was leaning againft the window—Rey-
nolds was at the table counting. money ; the pen-
ny pieces lay before him all in rows. He had
no limes on him at the time. Smith attempted
to make his efca'pe up the chimney, and as
he went up, halfpence tumbled down along with
the foot. Ai to Elizabeth Lane, the came iti the
morning to the watch houfe, and defired that her
charadter might be cleared of fufpicion in this bufi-
nefs, and that was the way (he came to be committed.

Bryan Dowling, a watchman, Paid, he was the
perfon who (poke to the profecutor. Before the
profecutor, (poke to hith, he had made fome obfer-
vatioris, about twelve at night, on teeing the pri-
loner Ryley going towards the corner where the
public houfe was. After twelve...o'clock he heard
the' voice of a woman, who he believed to be Eli.
zabeth Lane, whom he had known many years,
fay, " d—n your eyes, Jack, this is the time to
make your ground, for the watchman is out of the
way ;" at the fame time he law; Reynolds crofs
over the way, towards the profecutor's houfe, up-
on which the witnefs fprung his rattle. Saw him
going into the paffage in Goldfmith's Alley, in
Newtner's-lane, but he did not fee The woman.—
!le went to look for Reynolds, and Reynolds came
back to him, and he took him, and brought him
to the watch houfe. He had fhoes on, but he wore
them as flippers. He could not get hem on, for
they did not at him. The witnefs having told the
conftable his reafon for apprehending this man—
the conflable having fearched him, and found no
money on him, he let him go. As they were com-
ing away from the watch houfe, Reynolds laid to
the witnefs, I believe you are an honeft watchman,
and I will give you a fbilling to-morrow. The
witnefs Paid, he wanted no treatment. He after-
wards met the Bow flreet officers, who brought
the drawers tolthe watch houfe, and then came
back again, when they :net the profecutor :—the
Bow-ftreet officer laid to the profecutor, " If you
' know of any body who has been robbed, the
drawers are at the watch houfe :" On which the
profecutor told bim be had been robbed. Then
the witnefs and the other watchman went to take
the prifoners. They went to a houfe in Newtner's-
, lane : when they came up to the door, Ryley
(poke to the others and raid, " here is Dowling."
He was then in the paffage • he ran back direaly,
and hid himfelf: he was afterwards found cover-
ed with ftraw under the ftairs. The witnefs ran
immediately to the door, and there he found the
prifoner, Samuel Beach. As loon as the door had
been broken open, Beach jumped on the bed, and
threw the money, where the remainder of it was.
The prifoner, Charles Smith, went up the chimney,
and was afterwardi got down. The prifoner Grif-
fiths was (landing between the window and the
table—Reynolds was (landing oppofite to the fire-
place, and the witnefs raid to him, 86 Reynolds, if
you attempt to (lir, I will lofe my life but I will
take you, for I know you to be a thief." Ro-
berts was alto (landing there ; and the woman
undreffed was in bed : She was Elizabeth Ely.—
The prifoner Herbert was lying down between
the window and the table. Herbert Paid, " Be-
fore you take me away, there is a !billing of mine
between the bed-cloaths, for it doses not belong -to
the property." The witnefs went to look for the
fhilling, and it was found. Smith having got up
the chimney, and the halfpence tumbling down,
the witnefs told fome of the watchmen to go to
the top of the houfe and thrim the chimney down
upon him and fmother him if he did not come
down—but he continued going up, and the half-
pence were tumbling down ; but on being told
that a fire would be kindled in the chimney if he
would not come down I he came down, and tak-
ing out of his pocket nine pennyworth of half-
pence, laid, " that is all I have got—you cannot
hang or tranfOort me for that." The prifoners
were then all taken away. Reynolds pulled off
his top coat and threw it on the chair, and laid,
" Dowling, you have found no money on me."—
In this coat there was about five fhillings worth
of halfpence, that he would (wear to ; but he
would dare to fay there was nine (billings worth.
The nuttnug grater Reynolds drops out of his
hand: the witnefs law him drop k. The witnefs
took all the copper that he found, and carried it to

• Several titlier.vitakiffet were exaininedl, who
corroborated the tormtievidence, and added, that.
force halfpence were found in the poffeffiCia efße-
herts. It appeared, that the boxes in quetlittn %wet
''taken up in Stone..cutterillreety. by one of the Of-
cers 0f.801.v-flreet, who happened accidentally to
go through this plaice about three ink, morning.,
4.14c1y of thc,narrie of Margaret Wank" .gave-
an account of .her being awaked-by a rieire.lat •
Stone-.cutter- fire t, fhe thought Ixei own houfe 472.1•
attacked—afterwards an handkerchief was pickett
up with halfpence in it, but who the handkerchief
belonged .to was, never fottitri out.
• The two drawers taken-up by the Enw-ftreet.
Officer being 'preducedi and the nutmeg-grater,
the profecntor fwnre thein,to be his preperty ;and- •
he swore pofitively.that there was more than &Tu.- •
Ihillings in -them in halfpence, and he, beliiinted:
near fifty thillings worth. . •
The Learned Judge fummed up the whole', .
the evidence, and obterved to the Jury; that ttaiss- •
was a capital, offence, that of burglary, .and to
• conftitute that crime it was neceffury. that. the .
breaking and entering fhotild.be in the night time; w.
and in order to be fo, it mill be done at a tins:.
when there was not fufficient light to diftinguifh the'
features or the conetenance of a.man. Astu-ther
two women, the .I.tarned judge laid, he thimght
fwearing to.the -voice of one of them,. without, '
Peeing her, and that when the made ..ufe of. an ea,
preflion that had no definite meaning,. coupled
with her readinefs to.furrender herfelf; -analof the .
other being in bed, without appearing to 14ve had
any 'hare an the tranfa&ion, it would be too Much
to convifL either of them. With regard,to-.ths4lif..
ference that might be fuppofed to bean theireafes
he obferved to the jury, that Reynolds and Ryler
appeared upon the evidence to have been mutt
adive in the robbery. Now, if they
.tbonght the
other prifoners were not prefent at the. breaking
and entering the houfe, nor aiding and atfifting its
that at that was to fay, on the watch, ready'aud
near enough to give notice to thofe who did it,
they could not be found guilty upon this indid-
ment,althotagh they might (hare of the booty after
the at was done, Sec.. _ _ _

The .Jury retired, and remained out of Court
about half an hour, and laid, they acquitted them
all of the burglary, but that they'were guilty of
ftealing in the dwelling-houfe. •
Mr. Juice La BLANC afked the Jury of what -
value they found the Bolen property to be?
They deliberated again,fora.few minutes, and
then found the value to the amount- (tated in• the
indictment,, and found, all the prifoners,- except
the two women, Guilty—Death.
The prifoner Herbert is 26, Reynolds r 5, Beach
28, Ryley t 5, Smith 13, aryl Griffiths years
of age.
James Norton and Miles Girler, for felotionfly af-
faulting, on the King'shighsvay, Thomas Warner,
putting him in fear,- and pitting forcibly from his
perfon a leather purfe containing two feven-fhil.
' lin4„pieces and three (killings in fliver,his property.
The profecutor irappeared *as returning home
to Eaft Alton, between ten and eleven'o'clock ore
the night of the 7th of Anguft. , On Shepherd's •
Bulk Common he was met by .the two prifoners, •
who (he fad) came down upon him angle ways,
from out a gate : they both came up, collared him,
and brandilbed their flicks over his head. Norton
laid "D—n your eyes have you got any filver ?"
The other interrogated him terrifically, nearly. in-
a fimilar ways He Paid, he had, but he hoped
they would not take it ! This hint produced an im-
mediate fearch of all his pockets, &c. ; at length
they obtained polled-ion of the purfe which con-
tained the money laid in the indietment : the pro-
fecutor then bEgged that the purfe might be re-
turned him, as he had a particular value for
The reply was—" D—n your eyes, no delay, be
off." He then proceeded to the White Horfe,
Shepherd's Bufh, where he met fome of the Bow-,
ftreet Patrole, and related his (tory. Two of'them
immediately accompanied the profecutor in quelt•
of the robbers, and on their way met a gentleman,
a Mr. Angier, in a one-horfe chaife, who very
laudably took up the patrole and joined in the
purfuit : they foon overtook the prifoners on their
route to town. They furrendered without
tance. The purfe was found in the poffeffion of
Griller, and fome other articles not belonging to
the profecutor, and a few fhillings, but no feven
!haling pieces. The purfe was immediately re-
cognized by the profecutor, who fwore to its
identity in Court, as well as pofitively to the per-
fons of the prifoners.
Nothing fatisfatory appearing in their defence,
and the Jury deeming the charge to be fully made
out, found a general Verdict of Guilty—Death.
Eight were convicted of felony, viz. G. Vaughan,
for ftealing a pockeChandkerchief, the property
of R. Cecil ; J. Sander:, for ftealing eight live
fowls, the property of J. Davis ; Ann Brett and
Elizabeth Roberts, for ftealing a •filver watch, the
property of E. Paxton Ann Locker, for (leafing
two flirts and other articles, the property of J.
Carty ; T. Dadley, for (leafing two pair of ear-
rings, the property of T. Baffett ; and
.7. Milo,
for (leafing a pocket-book, containing Bank notes
to the amount of ssol. and upwards, the property
of J. Murdock. .
Marjball was charged with the capital
offence of highway robbery, in felonionfly affault-
ing, on the 19th of Auguß, Jofeph Holloway,
and forcibly taking from his perfon two (beets, a
bolfter, and an apron, value i Bs. the property of
John Gill.
The circumflances of this cafe are reducible to
a very narrow compafs. Jofeph Holloway, a fer-
vant of Mr. Gill's, of Kentifh Town, was bring-
ing home the articles Rated in the indiftment, on
the night of the 19th of Auguft; he bid got to the
door, and rang the bell—while he waited until it
was opened, the prifoner, who was coming along
the road, matched the bundle out of his hand, and
ran off with it.
The man immediately cried out " ftop thief,"
and ran after the prifoner, as did two perthos who
werepaffing by. He was loon overtaken, but pre-
vioukly had dropped the bundle; he made tome re-
Mance, and drew out a knife, and before he could.

. .
better tint of liclinway's tight from the time he I
bad taken the bundle, until he was fecured. •
Tfie il'oner's defence congaed in an °brava-
tion, that he had not put Holloway in the leatt
perfnnal tear. No witneifts Appeared in his behalf.
Mr. Juitice CHAN, Alt E (Nerved, that the offence
as it appeared in evidence, did not conftitute That
of highway robbery. There was no putting in
fear, nor was it apparent that the neceffary degree
of force was ufed. The Jury immediately found
the prifoner cfria, e Paling only.