Star.
London, England, 1821-10-25 00:00:00

OLD BAILEY SESSIONS.

Yesterday morning these Sessions commenced, be-
fore the LORD CHIEF JUSTICE of the king's Bench,
. and Mr. Justice PARE. The calendar is compara-
tively light, and the offences generally of a petty na-
ture. There is one prisoner for killing and slaying,
two for forgery, and only two fur uttering forged
notes. There is twelve for highway robbery, and 93
larcenies. The whole number of prisoners in the ca-
lendar is 179.
Grady, aged 17, was indicted for assault-
ing Josiah Walden on the King's highway, and taking
frem his person a gold watch, value £l2, a seal, flee.
The prosecutor was, on the 6th of October, about
nine o'clock in the evening, proceeding along James-
street, Oxford-street, when the prisoner met him un-
ties a lamp. He received a blow from the prisoner
in the stomach, and at the same moment found he
had lost his watch. The prosecutor cried out, " Oh,
good Goo!" and as soon as he recovered himself ran
after the prisoner, calling out," Stop thief!" In three
or four minutes the prisoner was stopped, abd taken.
to the watch-house.' , • ,
A witness of the name of Huntley, stated, that he
heard a cry of " Stop thief 1" and followed the pri-
soner and stopped him. A great crowd collected.
round him, and a gang endeavoured-to rescue him.
Witness in the Attempt to secure hinf got much hurt,
but with assistance he succeeded in the endetwour.
When the prisoner was taken to the watch-house,
he was searched, and nothing was found upon him
but a knife. The watch of the prosecutor was found
by a woman near the place where the prisoner was
apprehended. In his defence the prisoner declared his
perfect innocence of the crime laid to his charge.
The Jury found a verdict—Guilty. The prosecu-
tor begged to recommend the prisoner to mercy.
The CHIEF Jusrice.—On what ground 00 you
make that recommendation?
The prosecutor.—On account of his youth.
The CHIEF Jusrice..—Unless you know something
in his favour relative to his former character, I am
afraid the recommendation will not serve much. As
to the youth of the prisoner, the Court can judge as
well as you.
Aga Norris and Mary Palmer were indicted for
assaulting James Thompson, and stealing. from his
person 10s. in silver.
The prosecutor said, that between two and three
o'clock in the afternoon of the 9th of October, he
was passing along Wentworth-sweet, Whitechapel,
when the prisoner, Mary Palmer, came running up
to him, and begged for Gov's sake that he would
come to render assistance to some one in distress.
Witness, thinking he might be of service to some
one, suffered himself to be conducted into a one pair
of stairs room. Palmer then put her back against
the door, and said, " Nuw I must have some money
for the room." Witness declared that he would not
give any, and after waiting about five minutes, du-
ring which time Palmer was persisting that she would
have money, he said, " Well, how much. do you
want?" The prisoner said that she must have a shil-
ling; and witness, in order to get away, and being
afraid of receiving some injury, gave her a shilling.
The prisoner then said," I must have another." This
he also gave, and the prisoner declared she would
have four more. Then witness made a rush past her,
and ran through the door-way down stairs. Palmer
then cried out to Norris, who was below, " Lock the
door." This she immediately did, and thus pre-
vented his escape. Witness was then attacked by the
two prisoners and five or sic more women, and
knocked down; his breeches were torn nearly to
pieces, and the money taken out of his pockets. He
cried out " murder" for several minutes, and was
dragged into another room. Here he was gagged.
Norris cried out " Kill the b—r." He attempted
to get out at the window, but some men in the street
shut the shutters, and made the room dark. After
having been thus beaten for some time, he succeeded
in getung.away, and ran into the street. He imme-
diately went to Lambeth-street Police-office, and
complained of having been robbed. Three officers
accompanied him to the house where he had been
robbed, and the two prisoners were taken into cus-
tody.. Witness swore that he was not intoxicated at
the time this transaction took place; in fact, for 32
years he never had been drunk. He swore that he
never went into the house of the prisoner with any
other intention than to relieve some one in distress.
He could positively swear to the persons of both
the prisoners.
A Police-officer belonging to Lambeth-street stated,
that the prosecutor came to the Office, which was
about a quarter of a mile from the place where he
was robbed. The prosecutor was bleeding at the
mouth, and appeared to have been roughly handled.
He said he had been robbed, and wished for assist-
ance to apprehend the prisoners. Witness and two
other officers then accompanied him to a narrow
court leading out of George-court, leading to Went-
worth-street. In a-house which the prosecutor pointed
out, there were several women, and some men were
standing outside. Among the women the prosecutor'
pointed out the two prisoners, and they were taken
into custody. When at the Office, the prosecutor said
that. if he (witness) looked at the finger of one of the
prisoners, he would find it bitten. This the prosecutor
stated he had done in the struggle with them. Wit-
ness did accordingly look at the prisoners' hands, and
found the bite on one of Palmer's fingers. The pro-
secutor, when he came to the Office, made the same
statement of the affair as he had now done.
The prisoners were called upon for their defence,
and declared their perfect innocence. They never
saw the nun in their lives. They were unfortunate
girls, and hoped they would be mercifully dealt with.
Mr. Justice PARK, in summing up the case to the
Jury, observed upon the enormity of the crime which
bad been committed. if the Jury believed the state-
ment of the prosecutor, and he saw no reason what-
ever to doubt it, a case had been made out against
the prisoners which merited the severest punishment.
The prosecutor, who appeared to be a very respect-
able man, had been thus wantonly attacked in the
.mid-day, and not only robbed, but put in great fear
of his life: although he might be a man of strong
nerve, yet it was an attack so unexpected, so wanton,
and so brutal, that it would have put any man in fear
of his life. It was, indeed, a melancholy reflection
that such a transaction as this should have occurred
in the mid-day, within a quarter of a mile too of the
Police °dice. The Magistrates should be extremely

careful to prevent a repetition of inch a disgraceful
scene.--. The Jury, after.a short consideration, found
both the prisoners Guilty.' •
Mr. Justice Peru.—Gentlemen, your verdict is an
extremely proper one: It is highly necessary that the
metropolis should be rid of such characters.
Amey Steel and Mary. Davies were indicted for as-
saulting John Disbury in a room near the King's
highway, and stealing from his person a purse con-
taining £3 10s. in silver. The prisoners were girls
of the town, and had enticed the prosecutor, who
was a labouring countryman, into a house of ill-fame,
where lie was held by five or six girls and robbed of
his property. The case was clearly proved against
die prisoners. The evidence of the officer who ap-
prehended the prisoners in. some measure confirmed
the testimony of the prosecutor. The Jury found
them both Guilty.
Catherine Jones was indicted for stealinf from the
dwelling-house of Owen Humphreys, a LIO note, a
1:.5 note, and a great quantity of silver. The pri-
soner was a servant to the prosecutor, and it was
proved that she had- from time to time pilfered
various sums from her master. .The prosecutor is an
old man, and had many tunes left sums of money
carelessly about the house.
Mr. Justice PARK directed an acquittal on the
capital charge, as it was not proved that at any one
time a sum above the value of 40s. had been taken.
The Jury found a verdict—" Guilty of stealing to
the value of 395."
The prisoner was again indicted for stealing monies
and other property belonging to George Smith. The
prisoner had been in thd service of Mr. Smith also,
and in the same manner A described in the last in-
dictment had contrived to steal the property.
The Jury found the prisoner Guilty of stealing to
the value of 395. only..
There was another indictment against the girl for
robbing another master, in the same mannor, to a
considerable amount, but it was not tried.
Mr. Justice PARK observed, that if the law had
not interfered in favour of the prisoner, she would
probably have suffered death. She was a very worth-
less woman, and wool i receive the most severe punish-
ment the law would allow.
Samuel Hayward, a young man, elegantly dressed
in black, and of a prepossessing person, was indicted
for burglariously breaking and entering the dwelling-
house of Ann Stebbing, and stealing plate, jewellery,
and linen, to a large amount; and
Henry Judd was indicted for feloniously receiving
the same, knowing them to have been stolen.
Ann Stebbing stated, that she lived at No. 12,
Charles-street, Clarendon-square, St. Pancras. She
had a Gentleman lodger in the house. On the night
of the 15th of September, the family went to bed, and
all the doors and windows were shut. Witness kept
no servant, and her daughter and herself slept toge-
ther. At about half-past two she heard the stairs
creaking, but was not alarmed, supposing it to be
the lodger. When she rose in the morning, she found
that the house had been broken open. The back win-
dow was thrown up, the •burctu was open, and all
the drawers pulled out. She missed table-cloths,
silver table and tea spoons, sugar-tongs, two watches,
boots, wearing apparel, &c. There were also lost two
black bombazine dresses, one coloured dress, and
others. She missed also a History of England, Jo-
sephus, and a large family Bible. At seven o'clock
the same morning she had a message from the watch-
house, and she went there and found part of her pro-,
perty. She saw and spoke to the prisoner on the
Thursday preceding the robbery at her own door.—
The robbery was on the Saturday. It was about-seven
o'clock in the evening when she spoke to the prisoner.
William Hooper was a watchman in Euston-street.
Euston-square, about a quarter of a mile from the
house of the prosecutrix. At three o'clock on the Sun-
day morning he was on his beat, and saw some per-
sons. He followed them across a brick-field, about
a quarter of a mile : four or five had bundles, and he
suspected them. Another watchman, named Knott,
assisted him in the pursuit. The persons crossed the
New-road, and went down Carmarthen-street. There
witness secured the prisoner, Hayward. He had a
bundle under his arm, wrapped up in a grey cloak.
He struggled to get away, and his hat fell off. At
the watch-house Hayward was searched, and various
articles of wearing-apparel were found on his person
and in his hat, which had been picked up. There
were silver spoons, two glass salts, and two latch-
keys, also found upon him.
William Knott, the other watchman, corroborated
the statement of his fellow-guardian of the night. He
produced the bundle dropped from Hayward, and
the property was identified by the prosecutrix.
Henry Elkins was a sculptor. He had been ac-
quainted with Hayward a fortnight before this rob-
bery took place. He had been at Hayward's house.
In the course of their acquaintance Hayward said to
him " You may do me a kindness by assisting to
take away some goods." On the evening before the
robbery he went to the house of Mr. Conolly, who
keeps a pub,ic-house, to meet others, but they were
not there. The next evening he went again, and met
four other men besides Hayward. They met at half-
past nine, remained half an hour, and then went to
Charlton-street, Somers-town. Hay Ward left him
there for a few minutes outside a public-house. The
prisoner and his companions presently returned, and
they went across some brick-fields to a public-house
in Euston-street, and stayed till past twelve o'clock,
when they went to the field at the back of Mrs. Steb-
bing's house. Two of the men then took a bundle
they had with them towards the house. A man who
answered to the name of " Bill" broke open the win-
dow of Mrs. Stebbing's house. Hayward remained
outside with witness. A man in a glazed hat went
in at the back door. The two men remained about
an hour and a half in the house. There was a third
man placed near the door and kept continually bring-
ing out things. These goods were disposed of in the'
best manner they could about their persons. After'
the men had left the house, Hayward said that'
something of consequence was left behind. They all
went back, and Hayward went into the house and
brought out a bundle. Two of the parties then went
to wttness's lodgings in the New-road, and some of
the property was deposited in his cellar. Hayward
and the others were waiting a little way off. It was'
a large bundle of linen mat was taken to witness's
lodgings, and an umbrella. They then all went by
the New-road into Carmarthen-street. The party
was dispersed by the watchmen, and Hayward was
taken. Witness went to his lodgings, and he there

found a Bill" and a man who looked like a coach-
man. Witneis wanted to have the bundle taken away,
and they said they would go to Charles-stre4.l and
get a cross rattler (a hackney coach). They all went!
to Charles-street, Covent-garden, and Bill went to
speak to a coachman on the stand. The coachman
seemed to know him, and called him " Bill." The
',coach proceeded to witness's lodgings in the New-
road, and the bundle was there put into the coach.
Judd, the coachman, was on his box while this was
doing. They all got into the coach, and went, on
purpose to lose time, a roundabout way to Gray's
Inn-lane. They waited at the- corner of Fox-court.
There was a conversatirn among them about avoid-
ing the watchman, which Judd heard. When any
strangers came up, one of the persons spoke with the
coachman about the hardship of remaining there.—
The coach then went away, and Judd proposed to
wait on the stand till seven o'clock, when he might
dispose of the property in Oxford-road. Judd ac-
cordingly went upon the stand, and witness and the
others waited at a public-house near at hand. In
the interim witness's companions wanted to get away
from him. Bill afterwards said, "We had better
go to the place at once," and the coach was driven
to Chancery-lane. They all got into the coach, and
witness walked. They agreed to meet witness at the
Piazzas, at Covent-garden, at seven o'clock, but they
never came. Witness was apprehended on Sunday
(the next day), at about three o'clock in the after-
noon, and he disclosed the whole matter when lie
was in the watch-house.
Cross-examined.—This was the first transaction lie
had ever been ergaged in. He hid worked at his
trade three seeks previously. He was not aware
that it was to he a robbery in which lie was to be en-
gaged till afterwards, when it was too late to retract.
On the Saturday night he kept company with these men
for the sakeof their company. From the gentlemanly
conversation of Mr. Hayward he suspected nothing.
The case for the prowrittion being concluded, the
prisoners left their case in the hands of their Counsel.
One witness was called to the chalacter of Hayward,
bnt lie seemed to know very little about I:im.
A witness appealed to the character ef Judd, but
his Counsel (Mr. I.Aw) thought it. unnecessary to
examine him.—The Jury found the ptisoner Hay-
wald Guilty, and acquitted Judd.