Star.
London, England, 1818-04-01 00:00:00

CARRICKFERGUS, MARCH Sl._

ABDUCTION.—SamueI Dick was indicted for felo-
niously assaulting and forcibly carrying away, on the
sth of November, Elizabeth Crockatt, with intent to
defile ; and also for an assault, with intent to commit
a rape ; and for a rape on the said Elizabeth Croc-
katt, upon 6th November.
Counsellor CORNY opened the case. The prisoner,
Samuel Dick, stands indicted for the forcible abduc-
tion and subsequent defilement of Eliz. Crockatt, the
prosecutrix in this case. She is a young woman of a
respectable family in the county of Derry ; and upon
the death of her father, she became entitled to, and
possessed of, a considerable property, about 26001. iu
her own right : this property, her youth, being
scarcely 17 years of age, and her personal attrac-
tions, such as they were, had been the cause of two
different atrocious outrages for the purpose of obtain-
ing possession of them. In the month of August last
upon the Sabbath-day, while returning from meet-
ing, she was forcibly carried off, and taken to Ma-
gherafelt ; from Magherafelt to Castledawson ; from
that to Portglenone ; thence to Ahoghill ; and finally
to Ballymena, where she was rescued by her brother
and uncle with a military guard. In that case, how-
ever,
no violence was offered her person, and even
her mother was allowed to accompany her, thinking
to procure her consent to the marriage by gentle
methods ; which, however, she steadily refused. On
their return home, her mother, naturally alarmed for
' her safety, sent her for some time to reside with a
relation, within a few miles of Stewartstown, in the
county of Tyrone, a Mr. Mathew Fairservice, and
she remained there for a month or five weeks pre-
vious to the 3d of November. On the night of the!
3d November, Mr. Fairservice's family were invited
to spend the evening at Mr. Henry's, where the pro
secutrix met Miss Jane Dick, sister to the prisoner,
and who is related to the prosecutrix, her mother and
prisoner's mother having been cousins german. The
prosecutrix, with Mr. Robert Fairservice, his sister
(Miss Fairservice), and Miss Dick, then went from
Mr. Henry's upon the car to a ball at a Mr. Park's,
where she danced the greater part of the night. While
at Mr. Park's 'Miss Dick invited prosecutrix to Stew-
Artstown, which she declined Miss Dick said, as a
farther inducement, she had her brother's house to
herself, as he was from home, and by all means to
come, as they would have some good diversion ; the
prosecutrix still refused. When they had got on the
car, witness did not wish to go to Stewartstown, but
Robert Fairservice drove the car rapidly towards
Stewartstown, without paying any attention to the
remonstrances of the prosecutrix ; when in Stewarts-
town they drove to the prisoner's house, where she
saw the prisoner; breakfasted there, and after break-
fast Miss Dick asked Miss Fairservice and the prose-
cutrix to go to Dungannon with her, as she wished to
make some purchases; the prosecutrix refused, and
said she should be too late going home, but Miss Dick
laughed at her, and said she would be back in good
time. She was prevailed upon, and did go into Dun-
gannon ; remained shopping there until the evening ;
returned to Stewartstown, dined in the prisoner s
house; and about nine or ten o'clock, the pio •
secutrix was asked by Miss Dick would she go out
to the next door to assist her iu purchasing some
thread ? and the distance being so trifling, she did
not think even of putting on her bonnet. When out
of the hall dJor, she was forcibly seized by some
person, whom she did not know, and put into a chaise
in which was the prisoner, who caught her by the
arm, and pulled her, while the other pushed her in ;
when in the carriage she found her cloak and bonnet
had been previously placed there, which was sufficiot.t
proof of the preconcerted plan. The Prosecuttix,
the prisoner, with Miss Dick, and the other person,
wheat you will find by the evidence to have been
a bricldayer, of Stewartstown, hired for the purpose
of assisting in this nefarious transaction—these four
persons were driven from Stewartstown to lairgan
without stopping, a distance of twenty miles, when
they stopped for some telreshment, before day-light
in the morning, the prisoner Dick guarding the pro-
stecutrix with a pistol! After some time she was
again put into the chaise, and driven through Moira,
to the house of a person named Swayne, where, after
having wept and fasted the whole day, she was pre-
vailed upon to go to bed with Miss Dick. From the
fatigue she had suffered the two preceding nights,
joined to the anxiety of mind she had undergone, yon
will naturally judge, Gentlemen, that she would fall
asleep ; and you will also imagine, with what horror
she found, on awaking in the morning, that in place of
Miss Dick being her bed-fellow, the prisoner at the bar
was.—l will not pollute your ears, Gentlemen, with the
disgusting recital of what passed on the occasion; it
will be sufficient to hear it from the witness herself; nor
do I conceive it necessary to arouse your indignation I
against the abominable pander to her brother's lust-
ful and avaricious propensities. The next morning,'
the prisoner attempted to soothe the prosecutrix by
promises of marriage, and went to Dr. Cupples, ofi
Lisburn, to procure a license, leaving his sister and
the bricklayer as :her guardian, or rather to watch over
her, till his return : in spite of them, she contrived to
make her escape to the house of a Mr. English, where
she was protected until delivered into the hands of
her uncle. I will not trespass on your attention by
further details of the circumstances; the evidence will

be before yott, and you will dispose of it according
to its merits.
Elizabeth Crockatt was called and gave a detail of
the whole circumstances, and of the way in which
she was treated, confirming in every particular the
statement of the Learned Counsel.
Thomas Swayne was examined for the prisoner.—,
Eliza Crockatt did not tell witness that she hat been
carried away against her will. Went to Lisburn fur
a license; took Eliza Crockatt into the room, and
asked her if she knew any reason why she and Sam
Dick should not be married? she said she did n t.
and desired him to go for the license, and he went
by her directions; when witness came home, she had
run away.

The Learned Judge summed up the evidence,
shewing what degree of credit was due to the several
witnesses, particularly to the uncorroborated te:i-
mony of Swayne, Ic.sving it to the Jury to say what
degree of guilt attached ro the prisoner.
Guilty on all the three counts.
At the Tipperary Assizes, an interesting case was
tried before Baron Gramme, wherein Mr. BARRY,
Coroner, was plaintiff. It was an action instituted to
recover 1001. reward, being a sum offered by THO.
11AS MOORE, Esq. cf Ardmayle, for the apprehension
of a robber who broke into his house. A verdict was
returned for defendant, it being laid down that the
person entitled to such a reward should not only ap-
prehend the robber, but also prosecute to conviction.

We learn with regret, that the typhus fever is in-
creasing in several parts of Ireland. The prevalence
of this distemper in Kilrush, in the county of Cla,e,
has made It necessary to postpone the Sessions from
the 6th of April to the 11th of May. -
A letter has been received at Whitehaven, dated
at Toula, Jan. 13 (0. S.), respecting the progress
made by the Miners who were lauly sent OA from
the former to the latter place, at the particular re-
quest of the Emperor of RUSSIA, CO search for coal.
Before the EMPEROR left Moscow, on his journey
through the Provinces, Mr. LoxominE, the principal
engineer, presented his IMPERIAL NIAJESTY with spe-
cimens of coal from five different places in the pro-
vince of Toula.

The Sicilian city of Catania, which has just suf-
fered so severely by an earthquake, lies at the foot of
Mount A:tna, as is implied by its ancient name, kat-
inna. It was destroyed in 1699, by an irruption of
the mountain, during which the lava ran over Cie
walls of the city.
The following phenomena were observed at Ilull
on Wednesday the 4th ult.—At high water, about SO
minutes past four o'clock in the afternoon, the wind
then blowing from the south-west, with moderate
weather, the tide flowed at the Old Dock Gates 18
feet 6 inches. After the tide had fallen from one to
two inches, the Dock Gates closed as usual with the
ebbing of the tide, which then began again to flow to
the height, as near as can be calculated, of four or
five inches, thereby opening the gates again ; and con-
tinued flowing a :-,ufficieut time to allow one ship and
several small vessels to pass into the dock, before it
again began tofall. The tempestuous night of-Wednes-
day ensued; it blew a heavy gale still from the S. W.
and at high water, at five o'c.ock on Thursday morn-
ing, the tide flowed 11. feet one inch ; being four feet
five inches less than on the preceding evening; al-
though from the spring tides having put in, the water
ought, according to the usual state of thing., to have
flowed higher than on the Wednesday evening. No
particular remark was made at the time at the Hum-
ber Dock Gates ; but from the Tide-table kept there,
it appears that the difference in the flowing of the
water, between the evening and morning tiles, was
much the same us at the Old Dock Gates. As there
circumstances can scarcely be accounted for by the
tempestuous state of the weather, it is probable a
great convulsion of nature has taken place, in some
distant place, of which we have not yet received
any account.
Wednesday afternoon the daughter of Mrs. 5.17
SANNA JILKS, of Vinegar. yard, Drury-lane, took out
an infant si..ter, four months old, and walked as far
as the end of PaEker's. street, where she met a man
and woman, who pretended to know her parents.—
The woman took the child in her arms, and gave the
girl a penny .to buy cakes for her: she ran and pur-
chased the cakes, but or, her return, both the man
and woman, with the child, were gone ; and though
the girl gave an *mediate alarm, no trace has yet
been discovered of the offenders.
Its.—TWO PERSONS BURNT.—Monchy morning,
between eleven and twelve o'clock, a fire broke out
. _

at the house of Mr. JONES, Blacking-manufacturer,
Somerset-place, FLlCkney•road, which in a few hours
destroyed the whole interior of the premises. By the
prompt arrival of the enginn front various parts of
the metropolis, and the exertions of the firemen, the
adjoining premises were saved and t!e Haines were
subdued. We are sorry to say that the unfortunate
circumstance did not end here : two persons -ere
burned in a shocking manner. They novi languish in
the most indescribable agony.
CORN EXCHANGE, NIA4M-LANE, APRIL
had but few arrivals since Monday, fine Wheat met
ready sale this morning at Monday's prices ; and
Barley was in brisk demand at an advance of Is. per
quarter, for such as was fit for malting. Peas, Beans,
and Oats, sold on the same terms as on Monday.
AGRICULTURAL REPORT FOR 3IARCII.—The con-
tinuance of wet and variable weather has had unfa-
vourable effects on cold and wet soils, where the ope-
rations of husbandry are in consequence backward,
and the spring sowing will be late. Bean -owing was
for sonic time suspended. it bring iml to o;k
k
the land, and water standing on those already pat in.
A genial April may yet recover the thin-planted and
sickly wheats, and improve them, PS has often hap-
pened, into the heaviest cropc. Opposite reports,
fortunately, are received from the most forward and
best cultivated corn districts, where tie wheats have a
promising appea"ance—the spring culture is toward,
beans, pease, oat;, and barley, are well above ground.
Never a more plentiful turnip and potatoe season ;
the fine quality of the latter has helped much to
economise the stock of bread corn. The' alarming
progress of the rot in sheep has at least hal one iTcod
effect—that of inducing persons unaccustomed to
such excellent practice to draw their tot Mrs from
the water-toiden soil, and so feed their sheep upon a
dry layer. It may be relied on, that the periodical
rot in sheep under which the nation surfers might he,
with great propriety and little exception, termed pe-
riodical teant +.l care. Lambing has become general,
with various success, from the state of the weather.