Star.
London, England, 1814-01-18 00:00:00


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ropisarr arai groundlesss and that the beiiillelshadiai
uess to have been feigned.
J. Johnson was insiicted for robbing li4ary Mum
of a hat and veil, oil the highway.
On the 13th Decernber.the proseeutrix was

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home, about half past ten o'clock, up Oxforchstreete
when the prisoner asked, her to uttke hi; arm. She
decline his nffer, and walked' briskly. He then
ponied of her hit and veil, and. ran about fifty yards,
wliett ebb came up withtins, and he gave her back the
Inn the veil :was lost. • '
In his defence, he said" he miler in Becifoid-street,
and they had some gin and water arid rum and water
together, till *she became sick, Ind vomited in a Coal:
box in the tap-room of the public-bouse. He denied
having taken either hat or.veil. He understood bis
friends had given her £2:los. to make it tip, unknown
to him: - ;
• The prosecutrix denied the whole of this stittentedti
—Not Guilty. • • ' 1
The following were also acquitted, viz. Sarah Ee4.
state, Mary Atkinson, S. Jones Mary Fortley, Mart
Smith,.W. Perry, J. Finch, Biddy Abraham, J. High
gins, and Mary Bailey.
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BOW-STREET.--MYSTERIOUS, FIRE, Ste.
Mr. SItETCISLEY, the Magistrate, before whom Stitt.-
man and • his wife were examined on Saturday, AS
Bow-street, on suspicion of being concerned its setting
their house on fire, in Half Mooir-sereet, with intent till
defraud/he Globe Insurance Office, declined cote. t:
ting/hens to prison, but sent • them to Covent Gar=
tren and St. Martin's • watch-houses: They were
tkonght from thence yesterday, and' the businessltni
&twat a further investigation before a Bench totida•
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. Atm' . . .
. The:Prisoner's Attorney moved to postpone .the`
exanfmadori till- Mr. Adolphus, who,. had been re-
tained, could attend, . being then prevented by his.
engagements at:the Old Bailey ; but this could,not
be complied with. On his arrival`, however, he was'
*Vowed to read the evidence which had been ad-.
ducid. IY3th the prisoners were* placed at the bar,-
but the Wife was afterwards removed from the office.
Mary Wright, the servant, stated, that at the
lime of the fire, she had been in the prisoner's ser-
vice nine days. On the Tuesday morning her mis-
tress told her that she and her master were going out
s' the day, and that she might go likewise,butcharged
her to-be at home by half-past eight. Her mistress and
the child went about half-past twelve. On their de-.
pare, her master shewed her how to lock the street
door, and directed her to leave:a lamp burning. He
Bent out rat ore. Being asked if she was sure he did
,- she said she saw him depart. She went* at four,
'having secured the shutters, and left a lamp burning
,as directed. She returned nearly an hour sooner,
than ordered, %probably the house would have . ,
destroyed. On opening the door she l'Ouid thelannii:
*as not burning as she left it'; and fiferieiving die
-fire, she -gave an alarm, and Captain 'Ketupster'sl
servant, who =sided next door, with the assistanc-
of
some GPatitaen,szting.uislle4 the flames. During'
her absence, the clothes hors* end. a pair of steps hal
Ise in hioughtiram the kiiiheii, and placed against'
the pkilont`viiinstot With a acute-bt matches on-
them. The door-posts, aiwk-othertarts of the beek:
,patlour, 'were in flames, and .si hay-box, filled with
Woos -and paper,. was placed near.* Runes. Seve-
ial dusters end parts .of the ,child's cldthes had.beeil
dipped in terpentine, and stressed lit different p
Of the parlour, passage; and stairi.- The 'Bre on WI,
stair-case was distinct from that in the haat pitlost4
The front parlour was strewed with bundles of amalA
'wood, with the cordscuti and mixed,with snatcheei
and articles that had been dipped in turpentine, and 4
so laid as to form istrain. On her &torture illevol
was scarcely any firein the stove ; but on her .t*.um'
there was a very large one, with two pokers, to it,
both red hot. - The curtains, of the parlour hid Aso,
been drawn aftex,her quitting the house. Her Masier's
bed-rooni windoVe• shutters on tae ihird floor she.
had.lett open, but on her,return they were put to, And
thi-jvindovr was open, which she left shut. Out of
this robin the hat-box had -- taken, which had been,
. filled with combuidges, A:. ! placed in the parlour.
*Sheallestited **th-at ' Opp:trate Clingy bird, which
watilithe Part* batediecitlttre, WAS nisi there .
her return.
J. Leboine, bookseller, of tOrtinVi4tteei.;ateeed•
the house, in consequence oe'thialarin given by the
last-Witnesshe found sorneboardi, placed againit
the door, which were on fire, and some small wood
under the boards' partially lighted. The floor-of the
room was also on fire, which he extinguished by tread=
ing on, &c. He remained there till a quarter past
eight, when, having an appointment, he departed,
but came back, and was present on the return of the
prisoners. Mr:S. did not appear to be much agitated
till informed that his writing-deck was missing, when
he exclaimed he was ruined ;, threw hiniself on two
chairs, And said he was very ill.
W. Deane, Esq. of Jermyn-street, stated, that in
consequence of the alarm he went into the hotise, and
confirmed the description given _Of it by the former
witness. In about five"tninutes after his-entrance, he
went into the front parlour, where he saw a rather
tall female, is a dark dress and round hat, with her
back. towards him, in the act of taking some value•
bles out of admwer. He soon withdrew, bat on at-
certaiiiing that 'the fire was completely out, he
returned to the parlour, and observed the same female
in a similar attitude. lie assuredher the fite was ex-
tinguished, and adVised her to have her doors shut,
to.prevent the emission of the smoke and smell, and
thus stop the alartn in the neighbourhood. She, how-
ever, neither turned round, nor made any reply, and
he therefore, conceiving himself intruding, Withdrew
at the time Mr. Leboine went the first time. The
servant, when they were about to depart, appeared
, extremely agitated, and requested they would call the
'next day, to cieacribe to her master the state thef
found the house in.. He called in consequence, otk
Thursday, when he saw the female prisoner, and,' as
far as her figure went, he conceived her to be the
same person whom he saw emptying, as he suppos-
ed, the drawee. of the valuables lai-die time of the
fire ; but not seeing her frontiise could not be pa'
sitive. f •
I. Reeve, the landlord, who lived opposite, proved
the state of the house ; and J. Richardson, servant
to ,Captain Kempster, confirmed what had been stat-
ed respecting the assistance he gave in extinguishing
the tire.
• The Magistrate took an impartial view of the cage.
'The insurance of £3OOO, effected with the Globe Of-
:ice, included Atllsooon tkb house, whirl a clause in

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