Star.
London, England, 1820-01-19 00:00:00

- OLD BAILEY aIIISEQNS. out himself two nights, the 29th and 90th of May‘
and could not, thereore, speak as to those two nights.
.--...—.
Yesterday, Mai Robertson was indicted for steal- . The prisoner had always worn a wig with powder.—
He always bore the best character. His, wig was
ing, on the 4th of June last, a horse, the property 6f
brown, and powdered. The prisoner had once told
James Richards.
' James Richards, theTr osecutor, said, he lived at him he had never been on horseback, excepting once
265, Oxford-street, noCias a stable-keeper. On the in Jamaica. He was a man who knew as little about
a horse as any one he ever knew. He never wore top-
4th of June he lost a cfiesnut mare from his stables:
boots with spurs, or without them.
Between twelve and two o'clock on that day, some
to his st‘dsle, and hired, of his ostler, Elizabeth Connor, lodged with her mother at Mrs.
person came
a mare, and was to give twelve shillings for the day. Bodinier's house, in December, 1818. She knew the
The mare had not since returned. The person said Prisoner from living in the house, and used to see
he was going to Stanmore. The next day witness him constantly, almost every day. He could not have
went to &anmore, but Could not see the person or gone eighty miles without her knowing it. He al-
the horsa In July-last he saw the prisoner at Read-
ways wore powder.
ing, said his name was Henley, and it was not he Benjamin Mitchell was the proprietor of the cot-
Who hired the mart. Witness still persisted that he cage in which the prisoner lived. lie came in person
was the person who hired the mare. The than said to take it. There were some repairs done at Mr. Ro-
he was a traveller for a house in London, and gave bertson's expense. He entered on the 7th of August,
his address, very ignorantly written and spelt, " Mr. and was there almost every day.
Henley, at Miss Potes, Borough." Witness went to Sebastian Gahagan, a sculptor, lived opposite the
the house mentioned, but he was not known there. prisoner, and his dressing-room overlooked the wit-
Witness saw the prisoner in Quebec-street, Mary- ness's house. Witness saw him every morning, and
la-bonne, on the 4th orJanuary, and had him appre- 'scarcely ever Missed seeing Lim.
headed. Witness said to him, " You are indebted Mr. Augustus Manning, a solicitor, had lately
to me, and have giyen me a false address at Reading ;" seen a.man resembling the prisoner, and, supposing
to which the prisoner replied, "I am not the person the prisoner wore black hair and large whiskers, he
you mean ; my name is John Robertson, and I live believed there never was so great a resemblance.
at Bloomfield Cottage, Regent's-canal." Witness had fleet,
Thsman had been sent out in the last China
not the least doubt that the prisoner was the person
by his relations. Witness bad been engaged in some
whom he had seen at Reading. Witness walked
professional busipess respecting it.
from his own house, with the prisoner, to Bloomfield
The COMMON SOUZA 14 refused to hear testimony
Cottage, and was satisfied that want_ be now said was respecting this man being sent out in the China fleet,
true. Still suspecting the prisoner, he took him to
a house in King-street, Edgware-road, and gave him because the relations ought to be present to state the I
fact, the witness not being acquainted with it of his
in charge to a constable. own knowledge.
Cross-examined.—He had never, in his walks Aboui
town, seen any one resembling the prisoner. The Mr.ALLEy represented the hardship of the case.'
It was impossible to expect the father to swear against
prisoner gave his proper residence. He once did see
his own son.
a man, in Oxford-street, who was something like the
prisoner. The person with whom the prisoner lodged, 'Examination continued.—He had not seen the per-
son so much resembling the prisoner since July last.
said she knew him personally. The person who hired
the mare, gave the name of Vincent, and the resi- He went to see the prisoner in prison, hearing he was
dente of Portman-square. When he saw the person a man of colour.
at Reading, he was not quite certain that he was James Crook had known the prisoner seven or
the man, but, from circumstances which bad since eight years, and he had always borne the best cha-
transpired, he knew him to be such. The man did Tatter.
not then wear powaler (the prisoner now had pow- ' Mr. Rutherford, of Leadenhall-street, and ' Mr.
der, and wore a wig). The dress of the person at Curtis, son of Sir Win. Curtis,. gave the prisoner an
Reading was similar to that he had on when he excellent character. The latter had a balance of,
hired the horse. Money in his hands, which had never been called for.,
George Hartley was a servant of Mr. Richards's, Mr. Webb, a surgeon, had know n the prisoner for
attending the stables on the 4th of June. A man seven years : he was a man of the strictest honour
applied for a chesnut mare, and witness called Alex- and integrity. He knew the prisoner's hand-writing
ander Patrick, the ostler. He did not hear what well, and the direction given by the man who hired
passed between him and the ogler. He was quite the horse, was not the voritiag of the prisoner. 1
positive of the person of the man. 'He saw him Many other witnesses were called, and proved the,
again when apprehended, and was quite sure of him respectability of the prisoner : he was often trusted
then. He was not desired particularly to lotrk-at him, with thousands, and no doubt could be entertained
and formed his own opinion, without being asked of his honour or integrity. The prisoner was a man
whether he was the man or not. That person was of education, and could not have been capable of
tbe prisoner. He could swear it. writing so illiterate a hand as the direction given to
Cross-examined.—This happened so long ago as the prosecutor, at Reading, seemed to be. -
the 4th of June last, and be had only a momentary Mr. ALLEY, on tile part of the prisoner, said, he
view of. the man. He did ngt hear that the ostler had many other witnesses, ss no might be called, if
spoke doubtingly about him. He could not tell how the Court thought it necessary.
the man was dressed, excepting that he had a pair The Jury; however, expressed thcrsselves perfectly
of shabby top-boots on, with spurs. satisfied, and found a verdict of—Not Guilty.
' Alexander Patrick. the head ostler of Mr. Rich- There were three other indictments against the
ards, was, on the 4th of Jane, called to give the mare prisoner, two of which were immediately proceeded
in question. He could not speak with certainty as in : the first was for stealing a horse, under similar
to the person of the isomer. circumstances, from the livery-stables of Lydia
' ' William Thorp, ostler at the Angel, Reading, knew Thompson ; and the second, for stealing a gelding
thiprisoner well, he had seen him twice at Reading. both these prosecutions swore positively to in
lug, and saw the prisoner there on the same day, in soner being the man. In the second prosecution, it
the Angel yard. He walked into the yard, and asked was proved, that on the 24th of September. the man
how his master and mistress did ? Ile remained who hired the horse, and who was the real thief, had
there
gel about five minutes. The prisoner was at the received two black eyes, from the horse throwing up
his head. To prove that this was not 'the prisoner,
Ason on 14th o March ecedin, and wld a horsethe for him. f pr
It was a blackg mare, anditness he Mr. Patten, a Gentleman resident in Hatton-Garden,
got £lO for it. ~ proved, that on the 25th September, the day follow-
Cross-examineds-slle believed he had seen the pri- mg, he transacted business with Mr. Robertson, and
sone: about twelve months before the 14th of March. that at that time lie bad no black eyes.— Upon both
He sold the horse to I publican, named Shelley ; he these prosecutions the Jury, without requiring a
kept her six weeks, and then sold it for £25. The repetition of the evidence for the defence, Acquitted
the - - ter.

black mare was claimed by one Jenkins, and there
was an inquiry before the Mayor of Reading about
it. He believed he had sold a horse for the same
person two years before. In March the prisoner had
a brown coat on, light breeches, and wore his own
black hair.
The prisoner was then called upon for his de-
fence, and a long written paper was handed in. It
was read by the Clerk of the Arraigns. Until the
present moment he had enjoyed a character untainted
by crime, and he now, for the first time, was to be
branded with infamy for an offence be had never
committed. The defence entered into a long recital
of the prisoner's prior life. He was a native of the
West Indies, and had never been on a horse -since he
left his native country : he had, for many years, been
accustomed to wear a • powdered wig ; his own hair
being little else than wool. He had a wife and child;
and had always lived in happiness with them until
the present moment. The defence concluded with a
denial of the accusation.
' following witnesses were then called :
Margaret Ann Rainier lives at No. 37, Kb
street, Bryanstone-square. The prisoner and his wife
lodged with her on the 2d of November, 1818, ind
continued until the 7th of August, Mt. He never
slept a night out of her house all that rime ; he could
not have been absent long enough to have gone to
Reading and back without her knowledge • he was a
man of extremely regulas habits, and lived very mo-
derately : she never heard him have anything to do
with horses, or talk of any 4 she could swear the pri-
soner never could have been at Reading, Oilier on the
14th of March, or the 24th of July last : she recol-
lected the prisoner, on the 4th of Junelast, going
about a bill to be presented in Clipstone-street, Fits •
roy-square. The prisoner always wore a powdered
wig ; he had his bead shaved, she believe, from a
dizziness in his head ; he had always acted as an ho-
nest man.
Cross-examined.—Her husband was a Government
courier ; he was not in Court ; she had a daudgbter
who was ill for seven months, and the prisoner vs
continually asking after her health.
John Stephenson lodged in the last wittier/amigo
with the prisoner, from the tcrofNoieeilber 111/6,
the 7th of August, 1819. He k tie* the:viimoor• 114
timately, and Ire could swear that he was nivr*:
of his house tweho lows, together. Wittioei ihts

prisoner.
A third indictment was then read against the pri•
soner for stealing a horse, by the same artifice, from
a Mr. Anderson ; but the prosecutor expressed his
wish to abandon the prosecution, and it was accord-
ingly acceded to.
The Common SERJEANT directed that the prisoner
should be immediately discharged.
The friends of the prisoner in Court immediately
expressed their joy by shouts and by clapping their
hands, at which the Common SzRJEANT expressed
his disapprobation in severe language.
William Petky, aged 26, was indicted for wilful
and corrupt perjury, on the trial of Elizabeth Dillon,
in the last October Sessions.
r 'At that time. a woman, named Elizabeth Dillon,
,was sentenced to transportation for life, for robbing
IMr. Henry Browninl;, of Cambridge, of a canvass
bag, containg £203. On the trial, and after the Judge
had summed up the evidence, the prisoner, Petley,,
whose real name is Francis Rowbottom, swore that
woman Dillon had been in his company the
whole of the night of the robbery ; and further, that
he was an independent gentleman, living on his for-
tune. The whole of this statement was contradicted
by the prosecutor, and bt other witnesses, on whose
testimony it was proved, that the woman Dillon had
not been in the prisoner's company at any time during
the night of the robbery. The Jury returned a ver-
dict of—Guilty.
The Common SERJEANT then sentenced the pri-
soner to be imprisoned for one year in Newgate, and,
during that time, to stand in the pillory, in the Old
Bailey ; and, at the expiration of the imprisonmer
to be transported for seven years.

Secituxon.—Last week, the Church at Harewood
was entered by villains, who got into the Vestry, and
regaled themselves upon some wine, which was de.*
posited there for the purpose of aisninistering- the
Sacrament. There were six bottles, four of which
they took away, and having emptied the other two
Of their contents, threw them into the aisle,- together
with the table-cloth and -sefplice. They also took
away the fire-irons and books from the Earl of Hart..-
.11,004's rry 04 :lathe keys belooging to the church
thcy:Ouiat g the objeet.of•these deem-
deters the &grime:gal 'plate,. they were d;-
potatei, as ttot es not kept in the church.

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