Star.
London, England, 1822-07-30 00:00:00

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SUMMER ASSIZES.
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•' ' 'BMW ST. EDMUND", JULY et
nacre Bennett, aged WM. •Rolte. COO,y, ag94
20, were put to thebar, charged with having on tht
21st of April la*, wilfully set 'fire' to the-premises nr
Robert Downing, of-Whs.
Mr. Comma statetribe case, sad called the follow-,
ing witnesses:
Robert Downing, the prosecutor, said he occupied
a farm at Mellis, in the count* of Suffolk; on the
21st of April last he went to bed about 20 minutes j
before nine o'clock ;en going into-his bed-room he
heard his dog bark, which induced him to go into
his children's room, and look out of the window ;
the night was very dark, and he could not see any
person; the dog continued barking, and went in the
direction- of Chapel•field; there was a footpath be-
tween witness's house and Chapel-field ; the dog re-
turned under the window, and witness went to bed.
Shortly afterwards he was alarmed by fire ; be ran
to the window and perceived the straw shed all in
flames, at the east end of the barn. He ran down
stairs and opened the stable door, in order to pre-
serve his horses; heasaw the lean-to of the calf's crib
also in flames. The barn, dwelling-house, the out-
houses and all were destroyed, except a small shed.
Witness was at the fire about twenty minutes before
any person came. Bennett, the prisoner, came about
an hour afterwards; when the barn roof fell in, and'
during the time witness was lamenting the misfor-
tune, and saying he should be ruined, he perceived
Bennett turn round and laugh. The last Ipswich
Easter Sessions witness summoned Bennett there for
an assault; they had been on bad terms a year and a
half, and witness had been obliged to carry a pocket-
pistol with him for self-defence.
Jane Downing, the wife of the prosecutor, on the;
night of the fire, went up stairs twenty. minutes be-
fore nine o'clock'; as soon as her husband came up
the dog began to bark, and, from the sound, he ap-
peared to be running towards 'Chapel-field. About
two minutes after her husband came into bed, witness
perceived a great light ; she exclaimed, „Loth have
mercy upon us! the barn and all the sheds are on
fire!" Her husband ran to the window, and from
thence down stairs. Witness went to the window,
and heard a voice cry, "Burn ! burn !" the sound
came from the Chapel-field, and the voice was that
of the prisoner Gayfor, whom she had known for
years, and who had a peculiarly harsh voice.
William Bunnigham said he was a wheelwright,
living at Mellis, and had known the prisoners since
they were boys ; the two prisoners were on very in-
timate terms. Witness went to Chapel-field the morn-
ing after the fire to look for footsteps, and after'
getting some distance, he perceived some that mea-
sured twelve inches long ; there were other footsteps
in the field, but none so long as those described.—
About eighteen years ago, when witness was a pub-
lican, he measured the prisoner Bennett's shoe, in
consequence of a wager, which measured exactly
twelve inches ; he also measured Bennett's shoe when
before the Magistrates, and it measured 12 inches.
Richard Rules, a labourer, living at Mellis, said,
on Sunday evening, the 21st of April last, he was
coming from a neighbour's house. named Brown,
about five minutes before nine, as near as witness
could tell ; he heard the steps of a person splashing
in a slough, when distant about seven rods. The
night being very dark, witness stopped, and in a
moment up came Robert Bennett, the prisoner ; they
bade each other good night. Bennett was not run-
ning, nor walking in his usual way; he was going
directly from the fire, and from his own house. A
person named Meadows parted at Brown's gate
with witness. When he first saw the fireit was just
as the roof of the barn fell in, about twenty minutes
after they reached borne.
Mat y Ford, after being questioned respecting the
nature of an oath, said she was between eleven and
twelve years of age, and lived at Mellis; her father's
house was very little distance from Bennett's. Wit-
ness heard Gayfor shriek out " fire !" and saw him
run to Rodney's house, and heard him say, a D—n
your eyes, Rodney, here is a fire." He then went to
Bennett s house, and called there several times very
loud, but no one answered.

firent witnesses.
The Jury retired for half an hour, and returned a
verdict of Guilty against the prisoner Bennett, and
Not Guilty against Gayfor.
immediately •
Bennett said he was innocent.
The Learned Juno' told the Jury they had re-
turned, in his opinion, a proper verdict.
Mr. COOPER said, there was not the slightest reason
to believe that the burning was at all to be traced to,
the system which had been exhibited in tliiczoonty.
THE KING V. BAXTER.
This was. an information filed by the 4ttorney-
General against the defendant, for endeavouring to
bribe an• Officer of 'his Majesty's Prevene,vi Service,
on the coast-bf-Strffolk.
Thomas Jackson said he %vas a Lieutenant in the
Navy, in the' Preventive Service, at the-station of
Sizewell-gap, near Southwold; he knew the defen-
dant, who occupied a farm in that neighbourhood;
on the 22d of August, ISt; scitness saw him come out
of his house, which was atout iioo yards from- the
coast, with a spy-glass in his hand; there were two
vessels at sea, .about which they conversed. The de-
fendant then said he wanted to speak with him, and
'bad wanted to do so some time; to which witaest
answered, that, he was always at home, and he might
have seen him. The defendant then said he hoped
witness would not be angry at what he was about to
say ; the answer to which was, that witness INAS net
easily made angry. The defendant then said hi sup-
posed iC was known that he was a smuggler. The
witnesrtold him report had so said. Defendant then
acknowledged he got his living by it, and had a large
family to maintain, and if witness would allow hint
to run three cargoes of goods on sh')re, he would
give him 300 guineas. Witness told him he would
not allow it, but would take them if he could ; to
which the defendant said that it was very candid,
and then he went away. Witness reported the con-
versation to his superior Officer, Lieutenant Muller,
the next day.
Cross-examined by Mr. STORKS.—Had not the
book in which the entry of this conversation was
made ; it was sent to London ; the entry was not made
until the 2d of November; witness might have said:
that he would sooner have given 501. than this con-
versation should have arisen.

Henry Muller stated that the preceding witness
had reported to him the circumstance related on the
2Sd of August, 1821. It was not imperative to enter
into the book occurrences of the nature described.
Mr. STORKS, in rising to address the Jury on be..
half of the defendant, said he was cleitexertain that
their attention would be drawn with equal fairness in
favour of a subject as well as in favour of a King's
Officer. He had to represent a person whose inte-
rests were deeply involved. He stood thereto defend
an-individual who had nothing less than ruin de-
pending. When the Crown raised its power against
a subject, if there were the slightest doubt in the case,
the spirit of the British laws gave the benefit of the
doubt to the subject, for nothing short of clear and
satisfactory facts could weigh against the individual.
He then went through the evidence of the witness for
the prosecution, commenting very ingeniously upon
the improbability of such an offer, and said he should-
be able to prove that it was impossible to be true, for
the defendant wai distant from the spot the day in
question, as several witnesses would prove, which being
done, his client would be entitled to the verdict.
Charles Baxter, the son of the defendant, said he
lived at Ipswich, and was a linen-draper there. The
defendant came to Ipswich op Sunday, the 19th Au-
gust, and remained there until Tuesday evening,
when they both went by the night coach to. London,
where they remained until the ZIA, when they both
returned to Ipswich. When in London, they were
staying at a friend's house, named Frome, Na 9,
Staining-lane. Witness had an invoice of goods which
he purchased in town, on- the 23d, the day in ques-
tion, which he produced.
Timothy Mickelfield said he was a cheesefactor,
living at- Ipswich. He knew the defendant and his
son ; the former was at witness's house on the 20th
and 21st August; recollected the days from the cir-
cumstance of its being about the lamb fair. He
had lived in Ipswich forty-five years.
William Frome said he lived in Staining-lane,
London, and knew the defendant. On the 22d of
August, he and his son were at witness's house:
they were there two days previous, and slept there.
Remembers the time in consequence of a conversa-
tion between the defendant and himself respecting a
watch-house. Witness was a constable, and knew
from the books the time, but had not brought them.
William NOrborough said he was guard to the
Ipswich night coach. Took the defendant and his
son, on the 21st of Auost, to London ; they re-
turned with witness to Ipswich on the 24th.
In his cross-examination-he admitted he had been
convicted of smuggling when he kept a public-house;
he-recollected lt was about the lamb-fair ;" the date
he knew from the tvay-bill.—No witness was there to
prove by whom it was written, so it could not be re-
ceived as evidence.

Robert Downing was again called and said, that
after the examination before the Magistrates, the pri-
soner Bennett addressed himself to witness as follows:
" Downing, this is the man (pointing to the prisoner
Gayfor) who set your premises on .fire. Between
eight and nine o'clock we met and agreed to set them
on fire. We went to my house and took a coal of 1
fire, and put it into a box-iron, but we were afraid it
would not hold lighted long enough, because it was
a sallow-wood coal." He then pointed to Gayfor, and
said he took the tinder-box from the fire-place, and
set the man's premises on fire at the lean-to of the
calf's crib ; to which Gayfor replied, " That is a lie,
Bob." Bennett then said, " Yes, you did ; and you
were not satisfied with that, but you went back again
and set the straw-shed on fire, at the end of the barn ;"
to which Gayfor again replied, " That is a lie."
In his cross-examination, he said, although Mr.
Ward, the Magistrate was in the room, he did not
communicate the conversation to him, as it did not
strike witness that this was a confession by Bennett.
It was expected there would be another examination,
1 at which he should have mentioned it.

William Sparks was at the examination, and heard I
Bennett say to Gayfor, you ate the man who set
fire to the premises, why do you not confess it?"
,which Gayfor denied.
The prisoner Gayfor, in his defence, said that he
was not guilty.
Bennett said he was innocent, and should say so if
he suffered ; he added, there had been false swearing
against hint to take away his life.
• The prisoner Bennett's witnesses were then called.
J. Eastey said, he lived next dcmr to Bennett, who
was at vritness's house about half-past eight ; he
stopped there about ten minutes. Bennett asked him
to go to the Falcon public-house, but witness de.
dined, because it was late. The Falcon is nearly a
mile from his house.:
In his cross-examination, he said that he was dis-
charged from Ipswich Jail last week. '
James Whitey was at the Falcon on the night of
the fire ; Bennett came there about twenty minutes
before nine, and remained about half an hour.' Wit-
ness accompanied him on his way home as-cfat as
Bugles' house, which is. near Bennett's, whtare they
parted, each to golome. "The-Falcon is alscgAree-
quarleri of a plik .4.0 m Downing's hOsiev.Seing

The AIME remarked the invoice might have been
made good evidence if the person had been called
who made it out, provided he could have proved
that the younger Baxter had purchased the goods on
the day it bore date.
Mr. Serjeant PHARE replied.
The. Learned Juoue summed up the evidence,
and pointed out the conflicting parts with great
clearness, shewing what might have been proveJ by
the defendant, if his case really was what the son
represented it to be. It was quite impossible, with-
out imputinsi wilful-perjury to the witness Jackson,
not to believe that such conversation had taken place,
but it WAS very easy for the time to be mistaken,
since there had not been an entry made in the book
at the period spoken of. The Jury would weigh all
the evidence, and if they had any doubt
,the defendant
would be entitled to it.—Verdict for.the defendant.
• The Foreman said they hid kiven the benefit of the
doubt to the defendant ; but tliey wished it to be un-
derstood there must have been some Misuke respect-
ing the time. The Lieutenant who had given his

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!sviaaadi_ _ they believed way not is tha'Al;ghteit de.
bilimeabk; •
4#44istitntY.
At Salisbury Assizes,a/nores Woottnao, a %vivid
.1 kohl
et' boy, was put to the liar, chavd with rob,
I bing acob Testi% Great
Si
Sismesrd. on the 6th
! of May,. by breaking into bis.d.welling-house in tht•
day time. Thera was noeridnoce to connect the pri,
toner with the robbery bOt the interfereace of a lad
of the name of Tanner, to Naboin he confessed the fact,
and who "thought he woald just az an if he did take
it or no."
,fooos—..What are yna: ate yook eanstalbk?—.No.
Juson—What risht bad.you.to ask bins any suck ?decrial"?
—Be halted if I bnow.
Janos—ls di* boy of a weak risdarstantling?--Be 'wed if
I know.
• •Janon—ls betltonsht to be sof—He be a sort of cleverish
unlucky chap I
• lersoa—What right had you,. Sir, to besy yoQt,ell about the
robbery 7—l don't know.
—The Judge summed up with great feelingand ten-
derness. The Jury returned a verdict of Guilty, and
sentence of death was passed upon biro; but his lord-
ship said it should not be carried into ezecution.
Three prisoners were' sentenced to death at Oxfotst
Assizes, viz. Thomas M‘fieszl, for robbing the house
of Thos. Preineji, of Comewell ; 'Autism: Willis, for
robbing the house of W.,Wheeler,sit koke; and Jac,
Matthews alias Jones, for robbing-Joseph Thomason
the highway, at Nettlebed. Jane Barton was coo-
victed of receiving stolen goods.

The Liverpool Sessions commenced cn Mondav
se'nnight: among other bills presented by the Grand
Jury, was one against T. 13. Johnson, for a libel on
Mrs. MgGmaoN. The libel charged that Lady a7-3i
several other performers at the Theatre with having 1 •
entered into a conspiracy to compel Mr. VANDEN.
HOFF to quit the Stage by unfair and harassing beha-
viour
towards him. 1-.:
Sunday, during
.the absence of the family, the house ' • ,
of Mr. Wesrwooo, jeweller, of Princes-street, Soho,
was entered by false keys, and property of his owa
carried off to the amount of 1.36,000, be,iJes watc'nes,
&c. left with him to be repaired. This robbery was
effected in defiance of a patent lock affixed to t'..:
street door, and the greate, part of the property beinq
locked up in an iron chest in the bed-room of tr.
The accounts received of the ships from :lie Elbe
and Weser, employed in the seal and whale fishery,
continue.to be very favourable. The Frederick VI.
Captain Nagel, of Altona, has above 150 ha, lets of
seal blubber, Another ship has arrived at liitick-
stadt, and one in the Weser, both with furl cargoes.
In general, since the renewal of the navigation in the •
Elbe and Weser, the fishery has not been so pro:luc- .
tive as it promises to be this year.

NEWGATEsso LRADEISTITALL MARKETS, Jams 29.
(Ry the Carcase.)
Beef ... ..... ...2s Od to 2s 8d I Veal
Mutton.. ...... 2s Od to 2s 8d Park 2s 44 to 3s t
Lamb Es Od to ss Od.

PRICES or HAY AND STRAW YFSTERDAY.
ST. JAWS S. WHITSCIIA FEL.
Hay 21 10s0d to 31 14s Od Hay... 31 54 to 41 44 ca
Straw 11 4s Od to 21 2s Od Straw 11 lOs to 21 ito Oa
Clover 31 3s Od to 41 4s Od Clover 31 6s to 41 ills

. ,
crossittantiied, ha said. then was a footpath from
DOrrokifs home to shaNson-lan;,distikot know
whiCk was the nearer: wit, whither the, toed or the
1 Napes ; would not snit* that the &sue* from the
• Fah* to Downing's hours. was not a mile and a half.
' The Lord ChiefJustici DALLAS comarnented on
the evidence; the whole of which he submitted to the
consideration of the Jury, asserting 'that they alone
were the judgcs.of the facts as detailed by the dif-