Star.
London, England, 1822-12-21 00:00:00

WINTER ROME cramp.

MAIDSTONE, Dtckmilidt 19.
ATTEMPT TO COMMIT A RAPS •UPON A CHILD.
fi,•o7»tin Hopkins was indicted upon a charge of
having, on the 17th of Ahgust, assaulted and ill-
treated Mary Burling, with intent to commit it rape.
Mary Burling, a delicate girl, eleven years of age,
being placed in the witness-box, was questioned, by
the !.earned Judge as to her knowledge of. the conse-
quences of perjury, when she stated that she could
neither read nor write—thaushe said her prayers,
and sometimes went to Church—that she was nine
years of age.—(Here the gill's mother said she was
eleven, and his Lordship ordeied her and all the wo.
men and children to leave the Court.)—Wituess did
n.A know in what month her birth-day was: Knew
if she told a lie she. should go to lieu; but was
La rant of the punishment.
The child was then sworn, and detas led-the minutiz
.f the transaction against the prisoner, but the nature
ef the evidence was such as to preClude its insertien•
in the columns of a Public Journal: it did not 14-
pear, however, that the child sustained any injury ;
she did not raise any alarm, nor did she mention the
circumstance to any one for several weeks ; she did
net object to the prisoner's conduct at the time, nor
did she now complain of his treatment.
When the case had proceeded thus far, the Learned
Judge said to the Jury—" Need I. aecalemen, 'pur-
sue this transaction any farther ? There does not
appear to have been any opposition on the pact of
the child, and some parts of her statement are so
contradictory and vary so much with her deposition
b:fore the committing -Magistrate, that I really can-
r.,t allow it to bear as penal evidence against the
tn. Gentlemen, lam at all times unwilling to
I.p a case in its outset, and more especially sue!' a
as the present, where a person of the, poorest
c; .-..mplaios of ill-usage; lam ever unwilling to
b anything that would seem to justify a feeling of
s!ight or of preference against she lower orders of
soeety, who have an equal right to the protection of
the laws with the wealthy or the titled ; hitt I really
c.tnnot see how this child's evidence can be received
by you, and I therefore put it to you collectiiely,
whether you would wish the ease to proceed r
The Jury were of the same opinion as his Lordship,
and immediately returned a verdict of—s/Voi
The prisoner was then arraigned upon a second in-
dictment for the same transaction, but as a misde-
meanour only, and the Jury also returned a verdict
of—Not r::rilly.
The Learned JUDOS then ordered the girl's mother
to be called into Court, when his Lordship addressed
her with earnestness upon the probable consequences
of the evident neglect so'obiious in the child's ins
swers in the witness-box. His Lordship then informed
her that the case could not be proceeded in on ac-
count of the prevarication and ignorance diiplayed in
giving her testimony, and concluded by appealing
seriously to the feelings of the mother as to the share
of blame she might justly take to hetself, in the even:
of the child'i dereliction from honesty and virtue at
a future period of her life, in consequenee of having
been neglected in her youth.
Charles Lewis and John Oliver were indicted for a
burglary in the dwelling-house of John Kent, at
Charlton, in the night of the 21st of Oacrher, and
stealing six silver tea-spoons, a silver table-spoon, a
pair of silver buckles, and Other property, to the value
of five pounds.
It appeared that between five and six o'clock in
the evening of the 21st of October, the wife of the
prosecutor went out for a temporary purpose, leaving
the door and windows fast. Shortly afterwards her
son came to the house, and, finding the door on the
latch, lie opened it, entered, and found his mother's
drawers turned out, and their contents strewed about
the floor. He heard some persons moving about up
stairs, and pipsently saw a light. He cried " Holloa!
who's there?" when in an instant the light was blown
out, and two or three men- rushed down stairs. He
seized the first man by the collar, and a fierce strug-
gle between them ensued, when another of the men
struck him, and knocked both down she steps of The
door. The lobber then got up and ran a few yards,
but was overtaken and laid hold of by the prosecu- '
tors lon, when another struggle ensued. Another of
the gang knocked him down again, and he and the
man he had hold of fell together again. The latter
got up and ran about half a mile, but was over-
taken and secured by his courageous pursuer. He
turned out to be a man named William Burridge. In
the several scuffles the coat of the latter was torn
from his back, in one of the pockets of which was
found a bundle of picklock keys. During his pas-
sage to the cage, Bur ridge threw from him another
-bundle of picklock keys, which was afterwards picked
up. The other man got clear off. None of the stolen
property was found.
William Burridge was examined as an approver.
He described himself as having been a Gentleman's
servant, and said he had travelled on the Continent
for about five years. In October last, he, the two
prisoners, a man named King, now in Newgate, and
another man named Munion, all London thieves,
hired a hackney-coach to go down to Woolwich upon
the speculation of being able "to do a robbery." It
was observed, that on that day Mr. Angerstein, of
Blackheath, proposed giving a feast to the lower
classes of his neighbours, and it was suggested that
probably this circumstance would induce many per-
sons to leave their houses unprotected. In their way
to Woolwich they observed the prosecutor's wife
leave her house at Charlton, and lock it on the out-
side ; and it was determined to turn this circumstance
to advantage. They went on to Woolwich, partook
of some refreshment with the coachman, and then it
was resolved that Burridge, King, Lewis, and Oliver,
should return to Charlton to do the robbery, whilst
the coachman waited their ars ival to carry them
back to town. Accordingly, those four persons went
to the prosecutor's house between sis and seven
o'clock. It was agreed that Burridge and King should
effect the robbery whilst the others remained outside
to kee;) watch, The lock of iii outer door was im-
mediately picked, and Burridge and King entered,
broke open a chest of drawers, and took the articles
tnentione.i in the indictment. Whilst they were up
staiis b.eaking open a large chest, they were dis-
turbed by the prosecutor's son, in the manner already
described, and which the accomplice detailed with
the same particularity. The accomplice described