Star.
London, England, 1826-05-23 00:00:00

BOW-STREET.

Yesterday, William Mier. the old man who stands charged with
stabbing Thomas Westerford, a dyer in Hare-street, Bethnal-green,
was brought up for final examination before Mr. HALLS.
Westerford was able to attend and give evidence, though still
weak from the effects of the wound. Ile stated that the prisoner.
who is a weaver, lodged in the first floor in his house, and they had
been good friends for some years, but latterly, in consequence of a
quarrel between Mrs. Westerford and the prisoner's wife and daugh-
ters, there had been constant bickering., and a great deal of ill•nature
'hewn by the prisoner. On the evening of Saturday week, some
angry words took place, and a neighbour named Barton called to
witness to come away and take a draught of porter with him. He
said he would, and was crossing to Barton's house, when the pri-
soner, who was just within the door of his (witness's) dwelling,
called out '4 Westerford, I want to speak to you." The witness
retutned to the passage, and the prisoner, without uttering a word,
stabbed him with some sharp instrument in the left side. He called
out, "Oh! I am murdered!' and fell down senseless, and he bad no
knowledge of any thing eke that passed until be found himself in
bed attended by a surgeon.
John White corroborated part of this statement, and added, that
when Westerford fell be heard the prisoner say, " I have done for
the —; he will never say no more,-4 have killed bim." The
prisoner ran down the cellar stairs and into a garden, whither be
was followed, but the candle carried by one of the pursuers went
out, and be escaped.
Other witnesses proved that the prisoner surrendered himself the
next day, at this office, making a declaration that he had " mur-
dered a man." lie was then drunk, but was sober when he inflicted
the wound.

The prisoner denied that he had any intention to injure the pro-
sccutsar. lie was eating some food with a knife, and some words
occurring. he struck Westerford, forgetting in the irritation of the
moment that he had a weapon of any kind in his hand.
This was positively denied by Waterford.
Several persons who had known the prisoner taw 20 to 40 years
described him as a man of remarkably mild and inoffensive dis-
position and possessing a very kind heart. These persons were
told, however, that their testimony could only serve hint at the Old
Bailey, where he must be sent to take his trial•
The prisoner was fully committed to Newgate.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

'Mr. newts Berry, who was taken into custody some days ago
upon suspicion of having unlawfully disposed of a horse and gig,
the property of a Lady named Lacbair, in Piccadilly, which she lent
to him for a day's drive, but which he forgot to return, was ad-
mitted to bail on Thursday last, with a view to some arrangement
with the prosecutrix, and yesterday was appointed for a anal hearing
of the case. Mr. Berry yesterday appeared accordingly, but there
was no person attended as a complainant, and be was discharged.
It was understood that Mrs. Lachair had had her horse and gig
restored to her.
George Platford, a Gentleman's groom, appeared to prefer a
complaint against a Gentleman residing in Chenies-street, Bedford
Square, for assaulting him the night before in the street.
The complainant said, that he was walking quietly along awnless
street, about ten o'clock, with both his bands in his breeches pockets,
thinking of nobody but himself, when, by some accsdent or another,
he happened to swerve a little out of a straight line, and just at that
moment the defendant, and a lady walking with bins, came towards
him, and, in passing, he believed his elbow might possibly have
touched the hem of the lady's garment, upon which the defendant,
without further ceremony, turned about and knocked him down.
He then called to the watch, and had the defendant takes to the
watch-house; but the constable of the Right refused to talus the
char
Mger..
, Roe asked the defendant, who attended valuta* at the
Bice, what he had to say to the chair.
The Gentleman said, that the truth was, be and his wife were
on their way home from the house of a friend, and jut within a
few yards of their own door, the centplainant came staggering

towards them, apparently quite intoxicated, but when he tame clos 1
in front of them, he put himself into a moat shameful and indecent
attitude, not as he stated—having his hands in his pockets, but in
another part of his dress, and at the same time he pushed up against
his (defendant's) wife. Indignant at se gross and wanton an insult,
lie did certainly turn round and knock the complainant down,
which perhaps he was wrung in doing, by taking the law into his
own hands.
There were no witnesses to the transaction produced, except the'
watchman, who saw very little of it, but he acknowledged that the
complainant was three parts drunk. As, however, the assault was
positively sworn to, and indeed admitted, Mr. Hoc seemed rather
inclined to hold the defendant to bail, when, in order to clinch the
matter, as he thought, the complainant, in a significant manner
intimated to the Magistrate that he had once lived in the service of
an wick of Mr. Rue's, naming the Gentleman. Mr. Roc, per-
' fectly understanding the object of this intimation, said, "did you,
indeed?" and immediately told the Gentleman that he was dis-
charged ; and informed the complainant that be was at liberty to
indict at the Sessions, if he thought he could get any good by it.—
The complainant, thunderstruck at this decision, in an agony of
despair exclaimed, "'!'hat's pretty justice, indeed !"
Mr. Hoz said, that he had not intended to notice the circumstance
of the complainant being drunk, but he should certainly de so now.
The night constable was then sworn, and said, that when the,
complainant came to the watch house, he was so drunk that he'
could not understand him, and he refused to take his charge.
Mr. Roe now fined the complainant. ss. for being drunk, and
ordered him to be locked up until he paid it; and not having the
money with him, he was locked up accordingly in the strung dark
room, where he had Ome to reflect on the uncertainty of all human
speculations. The fine was, however, paid in the course of the
day, and he was liberated. The Magistrate also told him, that bad
the Lady appeared he would have held him to bail for pushing
against her.