Star.
London, England, 1824-08-23 00:00:00

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.

GUILDFORD, AUGUST 21.
Andrea Leslie was indicted for maliciously setting fire
to the house of Alexander Walker, at Bermondsey.—
The Jury having heard the evidence, after a few minutes
consideration, returned a verdict of Not Guilty; the
Foreman adding, that the Jury did not consider the
man to have been in his right mind at the time.
John Fisch was indicted for stealing a pocket-book,
and two sovereigns, from the person of John Henry
Frederick de Dampierre, on the 30th June.
The prosecutor stated, that on the day mentianed in
the indictment, he and a party of a dozen, after dining
at Cumberland Gardens, proceeded to Vauxhall Gar.
dens, where he lost his pocket-book. He did not exactly
k row the time when he lost it, but his pocket had been
cut and the book gone. He immediately spoke to Hall,
the officer. The pocket-book contained two sovereigns,
and a blank cheque, with other memorandums.
.Robert Hall is an officer ; he heard of several rob-
belles having. been committed in the gardens, and was
on the look out ; Mr. Dompierre came to him at the time
that the prisoner was in custody ; the witness desired the
prisoner to walk into a little room called the Treasury,
which he did, Mr.Dompierte accompanying them. He
then searched him, and found upon him three or four
sovereigns and a guinea and silver ;and Cave, a fellow
officer, produced a blank cheque from his coat pocket ;
upon which Mr. Dompierre said, "That is my cheque;
don't shew it me, for I can tell you the number," and
the number that he stated (866) he believed was the
number of the cheque. The prosecutor then exclaimed,
that he had taken a valuable purse, which he would
give five guineas for. The prisoner said that he knew
uothing aLont it, and that with respect to the cheque
he would explain it some other time.
The prisoner was then called upon for his defences
He addressed the Court neatly as follows:—" My Lord,
and Gentlemen of the Jury, this is a charge of which
I am as innocent as the child unborn. I had been going
to another part of the gardens when I found the cheque,
which I picked up, as any person might have done." He
had very little to say as to -Mr. Dompierre's evidence,
except as to the mistake that that Gentleman had made
with respect to the number of the cheque.-lle had been
reared, 'as he might say, in the lap of afilaence, and
after serving for twenty years in an honourable profes-
sion, was it to be sppposed that he could be 60 mean, so
despicable, so low as to descend to pick pockets, more
especially in so public a place, where every eye was
upon him, and where it was impossible to escape? It
made his blood run cold. Again he would ask, if he
had been guilty would he have kept the cheque, apiece
Of paper quite valueless.? Would he not rather have
instantly thrown it away, if, as had been represented,.
he was a hardened offender? To their verdict he
looked ; it would either enable him once more to hold
up his head before all the world, nr blast him for ever.
Mr. Justice kluaaaucur summed up at some length ;
and the Jury, after consulting together for a quarter of
an hour, returned a verdict or Guilty; but they never-
theless expressed some doubts on the subject, and
therefore recommended him to mercy.
His Lordship, in passing sentence upon the prisoner,
said be had no doubt as to the propriety of the verdict.
He perfectly knew wAo he was, and he thought he could
not do better, in order to remove him from his present
companions, than transport him for fourteen ye rts.
AUGUST

Ceorge eregory, the boy who was committed for the
murder of his tattier, was admitted to bail in two sure-
ties of 30/. each, to appear at the next Assizes, iu con-
sequence of the absence of a material witness, who was
detained by a dangerous foyer.
John Macdonald, aged 44, was found Guilty of sacri-
legiously stealing from the church of St. Cambei-
well, carpeting, a plated crown and mitre, &c. ou the
Y3d of June--i)eada.
DURHAM, AUGUST to.

Thome tftclusqn, a pitman, aged 22, was placed at
the bar, charged with the wilful murder of Henry Curry.
on the 12th April. The prisoner pleaded 4, Not Guilty."
Mr. WIGHTMAN read the indictment, and Mr. HOLT
conducted the case for the prosecution.—Thc ptisoner
and deceased had been chinking together at a public.
house, and aiterwaids quarrelled, and made an attack
upon the landlord of the house with sticks and pokers,
in which affray deceased received a blow which killed him.
The Jury, without retiring, found the prisoner Guiky
of Manslaughter•—The Learned Judge, in passing sen-
tence, told the ptisoner that the ungovernable passion
which the evidence proved to be the constant inmate of
his breast, rendered it necessary that for his own pre-
servation, and also for the preservation of the lives of the
more peaceable members of the community, that he
should be sent from this country. He sh.u►ld there-
in, e sensence him to be transported beyond the sea for
the space of fourteen years.
EXETER, AUGUST ,20. •

TVillutnt Marshall was indicted for the wilful murder
of Ann Taylor, by striking her on the head with a shovel.
The prisoner's child haedied, and the deceased volun-
tarily assisted during its illness, and passed some reflec-
tions upon the prisoner, as to his want of expedition in
procuriug some leeches, which the prisoner heating, he
rushed to an out-house, seized a shovel, pursued, and
struck the deceased, and killed her on the spot.
Drs. Miller, Collins, and Daniel, three Physicians who were in
Court, gave it as their opinions, after hearing theevidence, that the
primmer was decidedly insane when be committed the act.
Mr. Baron GA KUM. in his summing up, seemed to entertain a
strong opinion as to the sufficiency of the evidence to make out the
inanity of the prisoner when he committed the act.
The Jury, without hesitation, returned a verdict—Not Giulia, on
the ground of insanity.
The prisoner was removed in custody, to be detained in prison
during his :Majesty's pleasure,
HEREFORD, AUGUST is.
Thomas Williams, a farmer residing at Welsh New-
ton, was indicted for feloniously killing and slaying his
servant boy, William Dickens, by throwing a stone at
him, which inflicted a mortal wound on his head.
Ann Dickens, widow, the aged mother of the de-
ceased, stated, the he was sixteen years of age, and in
the employ of the prisoner ; on the evening of the La.
of April last, the deceased came home, and cried very
much ; he had A deep wound on his head, and the
collar and bosom of his shirt were covered with blood.;
the deceased told her that he and the prisoner were at
plough its a. field, and at the end, of the furrow the
horse got his foot over the trace, and that tha prisoner
took up a stone and flung it at him (the boy), which
struck him on the head, and he was so stunned that he
could not tell if he fell or not; witness kept the boy at
home that night;, and next day took him before a Ma-
gistrate. and obtained a summons against the prisoner,
who on the following day, appeared before a Bench of

Magistrates. The prisoner admitted that befittag the'
stone, but. said. that he iotended to have thrown it at. the
horse, and.t,be nagistrates gecommended .tbe deceased
to go back to his miser. He did.so,..and .on:Stinday.
the 45th of April, he came horse again, and complained
of a violent pain in his head. Witness examined the
injury, and discovered a wound as large as an egg.
She found his head in a dteadiul state.—(The witness
was here unable to articulate, her distress was so exces-
sive).—She sent twice for medical assistance, but could
not obtain it. On the Friday following, witness took
the deceased to the Monmouth Dispensary, but was told
by Mr. Holbrook, the surgeon, that she must get a re-
commendation from a subscriber before he could exa-
mine the boy. She after wards got a recommendation,
and she obtained medicines and ointment on the fol-
lowing Saturday, but the head of the deceased was not
examined by any medical man. On Tuesday, the 4th
of May, the boy expired.
Other witnesses were examined to the above facts.—
On cross-examination, one of them said he was present
before the Magistrate when the prisoner was examined.
The prisoner said in his defence that he took up a clod
of soil to throw at the horse, because it would not turn
round at the end of the fui row, and there was a stone
inside the clod, which he was not aware of at the time,
which strnsk the boy. On that occasion, the Magi.'
grates aska the boy if the prisoner threw the stone at
him or at the horse? The boy replied, 44 He threw the
stone at the horse."
Messrs. LUDLOW and CURWOOD both rose, and asked
his Lordship if he thought the case ought to be allowed
to go on, after the admission of the deceased that the
stone struck him accidentally ?
Mr. Justice LITTLEDALE was of opinion the prose-
cution ought not to be pressed further. Verdict,
Not Guilty.

There was only one pi ironer for trial at the Carnar-.
vonshire Assizes.

An Act was passed by the Common Council at St.
John's (New Brunswick), on the 23,1 of June last,
making it lawful for the pilots of that port to demand,
from the Master of any foreign ship or vessel that they!
may pilot into or out of the harbour of St. John's, the
sum of ten shillings, Halifax currency, for each and'
every f6ot of water the said ship or vessel shall draw.
Among the happy symptoms of the decay of strong
patty feelings in Ireland is, the fact that Col. BLACKER,
the Deputy Vice-Treasurer, has sent to the Grand Orange
.Lodge his resignation, as Deputy Grand Master of that
Association. It is understood that Colonel BLACKER
had determined upon this step some time since, and was
induced to hold his Orange dignity only in the hope of
moderating the temper and spirit of that illegal faction.
Finding, we believe, that the countenance and appro-
bation he was supposed to give to their proceedings by
his continuing to wear the insignia of office amongst
them, far overbalanced any benefit he could effect by
his temperate suggestions to his associates, he at length
resolved publicly to withdraw. from them. We con-
gratulate the people of Ireland on this event, because
it is another proof of the disposition of his Majesty's
Government not to suffer the spirit of party to sway
their councils, or pervade their fuuctintraries. Colonel
BLACKEIL does himself honour by his wise and manly
secession from a body, with which, we dare say, he now
regrets he ever bad the misfortune to mix himself up.
Wednesday a storm of thunder and lightning visited
the town of Leighton Buzzard and its neighbourhood.
Mi. Henry Samuel, of the Cross Keys Inn, was em-
ployed with his son William, another son, and a lad, in
preparing a field for its next crop, about a quarter of a
mile from the town•on the south side, when William
and the lad were struck to the ground by a flash of
lightning. Mr. Samuel saw the lad rising from the
ground, and his son extended thereon with his face
downwards, and his stockings on fire; having extin-
guished the flames, he raised the body and found it to
be a corpse. It is supposed that the deceased had his
hoe (with which he had been at work) across his tight
shoulder when struck, which attracted the electric fluid,
as the hair from the right side of his head was singed,
and it had descended on his breast to his feet, tearing
in its progress his flesh and clothes.
The Hunterian Museum of Glasgow has lately been
enriched by the present of a living rattlesnake. The
reptile is inclosed in a large box, fronted with glass,
defended by a grating of wire. It is perfectly lively,
although since its arrival it has taken nothing but a
portion of the yolk of two eggs. Living mice and young
birds have been introduced, but without its taking the
smallest notice of them. Frogs also, but they were
found entwined in its folds, or even perched on its head,
without suffering the smallest injury, or as much as at-
tracting its notice. A rabbit, however, did rant fare so
well: the little animal had been scarcely put into the
box when the snake darted at it and bit it, retiring as it
were at the same moment, and coiling itself up in its
folds. The deadly nature of the bile was soon conspi-
cuous. In about a minute the rabbit was seized with
convulsions, and after three minutes more expired, in
apparently dreadful agony. The snake did not subse-
quently take the s.-4rallest notice of its victim, but moved
about as though its prison contained nothing but itself.
At liermanstadt, the capital of Ttansylvanai, in the
belfry of one of the Lutheran churches, of which there
are four, there is a clock with a very musical set of
chimes. When these cease the hour strikes, and imme-
diately after, a small figure, placed io a window, beats
a drum, and repeats the hours by giving an equal num-
ber of strokes, after having flourished for a few seconds.
This figure is said to be that of a man, who, at a remote
period, discovered a conspiracy formed by some of the
inhabitants to massacre the garrison.
CHARLES YORKE used to relate the following fact :
—" His father, Lord Hardwicke, was in the Court of
Chancery when Lord Cowper was hearing a cause, in
which Richard Cromwell had some concern. The
Counsel made very free and unhandsome use of his
name, which offended the good feeli`ng of the Chancel-
lor, who knew that Crom,well must be in Court. and at
that time a very old man, he looked round and said,
'ls Mr. Cromwell in Court?' On his being pointed
out to him in the crowd, he very benignly said,' Mr.
Cromwell, 1 fear you are very incommodiously placed
where you are, pray come and take a seat on the bench
by me.' Of course no more hard speeches were uttered
against him. Bullstrode Whitelocke, then at the bar,
said to Mr. Yorke, This day so many years ago, 1
saw my father carry the Great Seal before that man
through Westminster Hall."
During Serjeailt PEAKR'S illness, whilst addressing
the Jury, at Shrewsbury, in the cause of Thomas v.
Biddulph, a Cambrian Lady was asked by. Mr. Justice,
if-she had a smelling bottle to help in Mr. Serjeant's
recovery she replied No, but she had a paper-full of
.1 time blend and cheese, which was at his service.