Star.
London, England, 1804-08-03 00:00:00

_ASSIZES.

Yost ASSIttS, JULY 19.--Riebrei Ur, ma,
chine.ntaker, late in the fervice of Me rs. Run
botnarn and Swains, of Bradford, was tried at York
Cattle, before Sir Rosser G Knight, on a
charge of wilfully letting fire to two wormed mills
belonging to his Paid employers, on Sunday, the atth
of March UR, whereby the fame were burnt down
and deftroyed.
The following is a luminary of the evidence for
the profecution ;—The pritoner came to the mill
on the morning of the day the fire took place, at
(even o'clock. with k bundle rolled under htc Imock•
frock, and broke open the door of a work-atop ad-
joininp the mill. as was fuppofed. for the purpofe
depofiting his bundle in his tool box. The fire
took place in the garret of the old mill between
twelve and one o'clock at noon, when the wind was
eery both; ous, and, at its commencement, was dif.
tindly nbferved by leveret witnefles to be in both
lends of the garret at the fame time, befote there
was any appearance of fire in the middle ; a cir-
cumßance. which frog the tfireigiew and videnre of the
wind, could not be the iefult of accident. The
P ironer was teen to come out of the garret a very
little time before the fire was difcovered, and, dur-
ing the time he wai there, a noife was heard by
leveret wimelles, proceeding from the gartet, as if
Ihme one was rolling fomt.thing along the garret
floor. When the alarm of fire was Ina given. the
Prifoner laid to another workman, who was with
him in the (hop," D—n them, they are only making
game of us, never mind them." There is a waft..
Louie nearly adjoining the old mill (in which the
proprietor; had a large quantity rignods depofited),
which was connetted wi.h the old mill .by two pieces
of umber, and which was in imminent danger of
being conlimed. Mr. Ranh ti im "raved the
Ptifoner to cut thefe timber, with a (.1w to deftroy
the communication between Hie mil and ware-
' !inure, which he refille to do, and threw the faw
with violeoce at Mr. Rad mlbotham. Atte, this, and
iwhiltk the fire was raging with great violence, the
Panne: went to a public haute and was found there
by the landlord dunking (the landlord is a Volun-
teer, and had g •ne home from the mill to fetch
hi. firelock). when he rated him why he was not at
the mill t flue P.iroster laid, " D—n the mill, nei-
t'rer you nor I Iliad have any thanks for going to it,
I'll not come near it." Another and very firong
rircumflanee was the finding of t.me pitch among
the ruins of the old mill ; a febitance which had
n ver been fern the-t before. The apprentice of
Mr. James Marfhall, ironmonger, in Bradford, laid,
he hod fqld four pounds of pleb nn the Saturday
before the fire, to one or two little girls the daugh-
ters of the prironer ; but, from motives of tender
eels the children were rt,r brought forward to (wear
to this. One of the witneffes, who lives in Mr.
kamfbotham's honk. and who was one of the firll
wh.• difcr.vered the fire, (wore that the fiat finell,
which he received, was that of burning pitch.
Ssveral other circumnancrs relative to the Pri.
loner's conduit during the fire, too numerous to
detail here, came out in evidence.

The Prifnner' in his defence, endeavoured to
prove that the fire hr..ke ont in the engine houfe,
and that it was ret on fire with a candle by loose
boys who had been aorking there. This was clearly
difproved by the boys thecafelves, by leave' other
svitnelfes.and by many corroborating circumnanees.
His Leutilhip ;hen proceeded to rum up the evi-
denee, which he did with great minutenefs and pre-
4iCon, and to obferve upon it to tbe Jury :—This
occupied tttsnre than two hours. He faid, that lie
1. ft the whole of that complicated cafe to their judg-
ment ; that it formed a chain of eirciunflances Iroui
which they acre to draw a conclufion ; that if they
believed the evidence of the Prolecurors, at:d there
aprared to kis mind nothing to contradiet it, they
matt fund the P. ifoner guilty ; and if any redit was
due to the evidence nn behalf of the Prifuner, it
teemed to him to lead to a belie in improbabilities.
For if the fire did break out in the engine•hcsife, as
was attempted to be proved, the Prifiaier rani hare
palled horn the garret thrnoxh ergtne•houfe iu
the In. dlt of the titans. arid two of the boys, who
were there working. mutt have been burned to
dsath. That. indeed, nothing appeared to him to
, come out on the part el the Prifuner to *..akin t!;,.;
evidence on behalf of the k; ofecuivm, ..r t.. .1- rt,ll,

f*,.r and craiin the extacirdinaty r.I
iiiironcr, which fecund to Lila W 134vc
wicked and malicious.

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