Star.
London, England, 1813-08-21 00:00:00

MUADIIIt Of MIL 41ND MO. BONA..

•...
afterwards Mr. initlee Haiflt entered the tA.0...
The doors fbc the admission of mown were then
11111 AL 1311' thrown open. mid scarce a Moment elapsed 'ere the
•• ..: Court was literally crammed with people, many.of
Meledrees the perpetrator of those foul and-afro- • whom Were efterwards tornesd out, .in order to make
cious murders, was., as we have already stated, collo room for the Counsel: A 'east. number of Ladieie
*eyed from the Cold Bath Fields Prison to Maid- had arrived in the town, in •the hope of being pre:
stone, on Wednesday lad. He quitted his cell, sent during the trial, but akw only were able to ob-,
doubly ironed, with;flreat cheetfulness, and seemed tarn places, and those paid dearly by the incorave-
to regard his approaching trial es a source of peat- nienoe which they suffered, for the gratifization of
liar satisfaction. He was dressed in a complete suit their curiosity. .. •
of black, and took his seat in a posescheise tend pair Silence having been obtained, the Court was'
with perfect compostire. Two of the jailors got into -.opened with the usualforms, after which Nicholson,
the chaise with him ; they sat back, and le 'sat st who had been brought down from the prison on foot. ,
little toterard, so that all his motions could' be closely along with some other prisoners, escorted by a num-
watched. Mr. Boner, whose attention to the Prisoner her of police officers, was called. He advanced from
has been almost incessant since )xis commitment, was the lower end of the court-house, with a step as film.
upon the spot, and regarded with great minuteness as his heavy irons would permit. Around his body
every motion and action of the man who had so un. was an iron hoop, from the sides of which sprang two
accountably and so cruelly` deprived him -of those handcuffs ; and-in these were his hands confined, so
parents for whom he entertained so warm an afFec- that he could not by possibility lift them above his
tion. An immense concourse of spectators were also breast. He was dressed in a plain suit of black ; and
assembled, and as the murderer passedthent they while he seemealbperfectly sensible of the awful situa-
could not withhold a natural expression of their' .ab- Lion in which he stood, he did not evince any marks
horrence of such a monster. Mr. Bomar, accom- of fear or horror; on the contrary, he apparently felt
partied by two friends, proceeded in his own travel- all the blackness of his crime, and seemed happy that
ling chariot after the chaise in which the prisoner-sat, he bad now an opportunity, by. the sacrifice of his
and accompanied. him all the way to Maidstone.— life, of making some atonement. to the outraged feel-
The intelligence of the intended removal of Nichol- introf his country, for his atrocious offence.
son had spread along. the road, and in eh the towns n stature he is short, being about five feet six, bis-,
through which he passed a number of•individuals , complexion rather approaches• to dark, his eyes are
were amen-deed to take a transient view ~of a Man. full and expressive, his countenance round, his hair
whose .crimes had excited such extraordinary, sea, dark broad, and, upon the whole, his physiognomy'
sations. As he moved along, he seemed to be air- does not possess any of those 'characteristic traits
sorbed in deep thought,. and paid little attention to which would denote the midnight assassin ; so fart
outward object& . He was, pale, the natural cone- from this, his appearance in general was interesting
quence Of his indisposition, and close confinement, and engaging, and would certainly be the list maul
but did not shew any symptoms of apprehension or we should consider likely to perpetrate acts so foulas
uneasiness et his approaching ordeal.
.Whe hearses,' those imputed to him.,
both of the post-chaise, and MrJ Bonar's chariot, Having taken his station at the Bar, attended by a
were changed at Famingharn, where .sonte wine was considerable number ofofficers,the Court proceededto
given to the Prisoner. He took it with pleasure, end THE TRIAL.
pledged his companionso . Mr. KNAPP, the Clerk of the Court, read the in-
,
While the unfortunate wretch was thus approach- dictrnent, which charged the prisoner with felony and
ing that bourne from which he was not destined to petty treason. It stated t at, on the 91st of May
return,- the strongest sensations of curiosity were ob- lest, he being servant to Mr. Thompson Boner, of
servable in the neighbourhood of Maidstone.—The the parish of Chislehorse did, whilst he was so a ser-
, towns-people, and the inhabitants of the surrounding vent, moved. by the instigation of the devil, and of
country tor miles distant, anxious to get A glimpse his malice aforethought, with a certain poker, value
of his person, assembled in prodigious crowds on the one shilling, held in both his hands, inflict. divers
road within tab miles of the town, which was lined mortal wounds on the head and body of the said
for that -distance nearly- three deep, and every chaise Thompson Boiler, of which the said Thompson Boner
which approsibt4 was pronounced to be that in did die.
which the object of general solicitude was seated.— The prisonei was then asked.• whether he was
Unfortunately, hOwever, , disappointment attended Guilty or Not Guilty of the crimes* imputed to him?
their hopes, for Mr. Bomar and his friends foreseeing To which he replied as followsvin a tone of voice evi.
unpleasant consequences from' a public entry into dently affected by the wound which he had inflicted
Maidstone by the natal route, prudently turned off on his throat, as his words were very inarticulate :
the main road at Aylmford, and taking the Roches? I am most anxious to confirm the confession
ter road* thus took a circuitous course, and avoided which I have already made, but as it, is the general
the throat( who awaited their arrival in the other di- wish of the friends of Mr. Bonask.l. will plead Not
rectiou. May entered the town, at a place in which Guilty.'
they Were atit expected, and were thus enabled to The following Jurymen were then sworn :
mach the jail without interruption. James White Richard Moat
Nicholson. on stopping at the portal of the ja7, John Addield William Baker
S","=:eCaruir Wilhun Wanstall
seemed to sbucidei; but immediately recovering him- .
Junes Barnes ' William Barker
self, resumed his wonted &rimless, and stepped out &mutt Squire W4ham Weeks
of the chaise with appareuefirmness. He was taken John Brandford James Smites
by each arm by his companions, end was forthwith The Jury were next charged, and
conducted to .a room Which bad been reamed
,for . Mr. Roseate. opened the case on the part of the
his reception, and to whiCh he was followed by Mr: prosecution. •
Sonar and his friends. He was asked how he telt, Mr. Serjeant SInthIERD then addressed the Court
after his journey, and briefly replied, " Very well." and Jury. He observed, that the indictment against
As.the usual 'hour for locking up the prisoners had the prisoner charged him with petty ireasoss, which
then arrived, strangers were requested to quit the consisted in his having murdere3 his master, with
prison, and he was left, after being supplied with whom, at the time of the murder, he lived as, servant.
a slight repast. to the care of those persons who had The law in its wisdom had made that crime subject
been deputed_ to remain up with him the whole of the to heavier punishrhent, and he apprehended the o-
t:tight. licy of that law was to secure the safety and comfort
The exemplary and amiable characters of Mr. and of man in domestic life ; for by vigilance and caution
Mrs. Boner were so universally known and esteemed ; a man might guard against external violence, yet no
throughout the county of Kent, and' their loss was ' degree of human prudence could guard against do.
so sincerely deplored, that it was not wonderful many mestic treachery. The law, therefore, bad declared
should feel desirous of being preserit at the trial of all such violations of duty on the part of a 'servant
the man, who. without any apparent cause, or ac.' petty treason, thereby saying it was a crime of such
tuating motive, had deprfved them of an existence magnitude that it was inferior only to crimes against
which was a blessing to all those within the reach of -the State. And most necessary was it that such a
their benevolence; and hence our Readers will not pro'rision should be made; if it were not so, human
be surplice-4 to hear that, the town of Maidstone -was life would never be safe, and existence would scarce
literally crowded, to 4an overflow," with persons possels any value. For if those who were entrusted
drawn thither for that purpose. Beds, in many in- in our houses, made our coifldents, and those who
stances-could not be' procured at any price, and those should be the first to protect us, turned upon us,
who were fortunate enough to obtain such accom- , and slew Us, what safety had we, or what pledge
niodtticm, had to pay a most exorbitant price.' The could we have, for the eneiyment:of those blessings
Bell, Star, and other inns were filled with parties destined by Puovioexce for our happiness ? The
who sat up the whole of the fright,' from their inabi. facts which were imputed to the Pi isoner would be
lay to obtain lodgings; and -rhany temporaryoaws. proved by evidence of the - most unimpeachable de-
ings were erected for the horses, who,-like their mas- scription, and of such a nature as would not leave
Lers, were doomed to pass a night of restlessness 2nd a doubt of his guilt. The transaction took place
•• on the morning of the 31st of May last. The Pri-
kr. scar and his friends took up their residence soner lived servant with the gentlemen. whose name
at the house or a Gentleniite thaLtQWEI ; and, in had been' mentioned, and who was the unfertueate
fact, there was not a private house whiCh.".`23 not object of his wretched crime. He had lived with
filled with visitors. --; eee.- eeeeesed only three weeks or a month before
Yesterday morning, as early as six o'clock, the the murder was committed. He was the only man-
multitude began to assertible opposite the Gaol and servant who slept in Mr. Boner's house, the other
Court-house;, some-in the hope of gaining admission:. male servants sleeping in rooms over the stables.
to the Court, ;and *then, who despaired of that ad-. The Learned Serjeant then detailed all the facts,
vantage, with the view of obtaining a glimpse of the' which afterwards appeared in evidence. He that
murderer. The streets knit the Gaol to the Court- adverted to the circumstance of the anxiety of the
house were lined, anti the windows and Ceps of the Prisoner to go to London after the murder bad been
houses were filled with spectators. • I committed, to fetch, Mr. Astley Cooper—to the un.
About half-past seven, Mr. Bomar, accompanied natural perturbation which he then displayed—to his
by Mr. Dodlow, the Under Sheriff, proceeded to the inability, from that perturbation, to saddle his own
Court, and tooklats toot on one of the benches beside horse—to the circumstance of he windows of his
the Judges' chain Suva afterwards several of the room being open at an unusual hour in the morning,
eradistrates of the county took their places near and to a variety of other facts, whiCh all went cir.
a ns.
.• 1 cumstantially to prove the guilt of the Prisoner.—
'iThe Pimnelbseie Inederstellik passed a tranquil And if, after all these had been considered by the
ight; be slept saludly, and on-rising 'at six o'clock - Jury, and they were deemed unsatisfactory, he said,
.poke with comperotive cheerfulness to his attend- he had that in his•possession which would remove all
cats. Mr. Hanson, who was liberally engaged by doubt, and at once 'clearly and inevitably confirm
'hr.
Bona: to conduct the defence of the prisoner, the guilt of the unfortunate man. That to which he
4"TOY afterwards visited him, but he had nothing alluded was his voluntary confession, which he made
new to communicate. He had exprested a wish to at a moment when he supposed himself to be dying,
. Plead guilty, and thus relieve the Court of the trouble j having made an attempt on his life, by cutting his
and pain of listening to the detail ef the circum- • throat. The wound which he thusl inflicted was'
stances attending the dreadful scene in which he was , sewed up ; but having broken out afresh, apprehend-
engaged. From thi4-Sowever, he was dissuaded,' ing a speedy dissolution, he desired that Mr. Boner,
aid submitted to take his trial in the usual way. . I the son of the deceased, should be sent for ; and to
As the hour approached for opening the Court, him, in the presence of a Magistrate, and divers
the crowd in its vicinity became excessive, and it re- other persons, uninfluenced by any threat or promise,
!lulled the utmost efforts of Mr. Dudlow, and the he made a confession of his enormous guilt, and thus
Javelin-men, to prevent them from forcing their way made the only retribution which he could while in,
At eight o'clock the sound of the trumpet an-, this world, for his unparalleled wickedness. This
i'l4aaced 'the appeoach of the. Judges, and shortly confession was read over•to him twice, and he sub-