Star.
London, England, 1803-04-20 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSION'S. APRIL 19.

This day the Se lions of the Peace for the coon-
ty of Middleles began at Hicks's Hail, before
Wit.s.cast lilAiaw•air:G, Elq. and feveral other
Magittrates.
Francis Geller was indited for an affault, with
!tent to ccmmit a rape on a witman will() was
hc-
tween 66 and 76 years old. The 4,ffence was 'hi-
ed to have taken place oil Chrillmas day. It Ail.
peared (he had dtanl• freely, and was unable to
make out the charge. Her Rory oat fo incon-
tident, as to obtain no credit from the Jury, and the
defendant was acquitted.
Davis was tried sin an indiftment, charg-
ing him with a timilar offence. The prolectiirix
in this cafe was not quite thirteen years old ; her
name was Eleanor James, and the laidl her mother
kept a lodging houfe, and that her father was a
tailor. The defendant lodged in her mother's
houfe in September laft. at which time fhe I:tid he
committed the crime he was charged u ith ; but
the never • led the circtimilance to her mother
until about two months ago, and that it was her
mother, and not (he, who commenced the prole.
cution. She had never intended to b: ing forward
any charge againit him. It was rot thott:iiht necef.
Cary to pat the prifoner on his defence. The Court
confidcied the charge as one which could not be
fubilantiated.—The Prifoner was Acquitted.
Nict2ties ifrundtll, a trailer chimney (weeper, was
indiCted for treating Thomas katcliff, his appren.'
lice, with great cruelty. This profecution was
carried or. by the Overfcers of the parilh of St.
Leonard, Shcrediteh. It appeared by the evidence
rf a conflahle, that when the boy appeared before
the Magiulr.ucs, his legs were both cut and fwell.
rd by irons which the defendant tiled to put upon
them. _ _

The rttle boy }timid( was next brought for-
t.varti, aril his interefling appearance excited a ge-
ne•r 11 tripc, that he th ,old have been &tomes! to
the rn;:.ci.tble r f a ehimn•.y fsveepe►. He
tatd he ss-as Et:.een years of age, that hp 'bad been
three or f•ut: years wi,la the defendant—hut (MI k.
bis titutt.i.-n fr. n1,1:1), that he ran away f,vsral
!inics tram: his walker. He laid hi. maacr tiled to
vat the itihr fetters aprn his fro, which hurt and
•:tit htr.: vcry t—that he never g;.ve hiat
::FIC; • .7 !: • ,t• I a.. 1; ar.d :hat he ofed to be whole
days ‘t ahy vietaals.
fate esh.:e:tct of the boy was corroborated by
:hat of A Ltd %%110 lived as apprentice with the de
rcndatit, aid f..id that he had ',it'll-elf been
tteat:d in a mil tr manner:—and that when he
oftd to aa viduals, after bcl:l3 kept without

any for a eonfulerable time, his wafter ufed tocurfe
and abufe him.
Mr. Attsr, on the part of the defendant, la-
mented extremely that human beings,
.and parti-
cularly thole of a tender age, fhould he lubjvCted
to the (hocking and degrading occupation of 'Weep-
ing chimnies r—lstit that hat d ditty mull be per-
- formed by thole wlsofe trade it was to do it, until
fame better mode could be adopted, than what was
now pradlifed. But whatever objeaions neigh;
made againti the trade kick., the pertrins employed
in it were as much entitled to rhe fervice, of their
apprentices, as thole in any other trade ; and it he
thould prove, that the defendant had done nothing
more than what was ablulutely necelfary to retain
the fervice of his apprentice, and had not treated
him with cruelty, he mutt be entitled to a vet siiCt
of acquittal.
William Ratclift the boy's father, was then
called. He laid his child had gone to the defeti-
dant of his own accord :—and that lie alto wards
ran away feveral times from his fn vice. He treat
to come to the witnefs and alk to learn his trade,
(that of a weaver) and the fslagiArates at one
time wanted the father to take the fon licrtie, bur
he having twochildren living on ;lira already, could
not do it. liedelired the defendant, in order to pre-
vent the boy from running away any more, to put
the fetters on his legs, and to beat him, if pert ihi y.
The boy always appeared fat islied with the f od ha
got : his only objection was to the trade of a Chim-
ney !weeper ; and the witnels had always contider-
ed the defendant as a humane and kind miller.
In order to account for the manner in which the
boy's feet had been hurt, and at the fame time
to give a proof of the defendant's humanity, a
perfon was called, who laid the little boy was one
day fent up a chimney that was on tire, in order
to extinguith it : that he !luck fait in the•niddle,
So as not to be able to get up or down ; and that
in this fituation the matter came in great bane to
his afTillance, and with great humanity broke away
the fide of the chimney, in order to let him out.—
The Jury found the defendant Guilty, and he was
fentenced to pay a fine of 51.
gavys TiPier was U.-di:led for a violent atfatilt
upon Elizabeth Montagne. The prcfeention wax
opened by Mr. Aetry, who laid the defendant
lived at Shepperte,n, where he -was a very great
man, and wanted to be much greater than he had
any pretenfirms to. He was'not only the colleaor
of the taxes, but he made it his Winds to be ac-
quainted with the private affairs of all Lis neigh.
hours: in (bolt, he wanted to be king of the vil. I
lage, and the Jury would fee how he had exer.
cited his affirmed authnii:y. It would alfo ap
pear that his offence was highly aggravated by
his indecent behaviour towards the profccutrix,
and his attempts upon her wit tue previous to the
atrault.

Elizabeth latmtagne fii;d, the was a martied
woman reftding at Shcpperoa, and her living
chiefly by taking in waiting. defendan:
called at her honk one day, and began to difcourfe
with her in a very indecent manner, which the
gave him to undeiftand the did not like; and the
detired him to gn about his bufincfs, and if he did
not that the would throw fome of her fuds•at him
(the happened to be wathing at the time); the de-
fendant on this made life of very gtofs laitgoage,
and called her a w—e feveral times, on which the
threw fume of her fads into his face. He then
took her by the neck, tore her clothes, dragged
her into the Itreet, and knocked her violently
againft the ground, fu that the was in dtnger of
being run over by a caravan that was palling at
the time.

The driver of this caravan, whole name WV.
faid, lie I.IW the defendant at the time in
queftion conic out of the houfe, go in immediately
after, drag the woman out, and throw her down
ou the road ilia before his horfes.
Mr. COMMON S eat EA nr, for the defendant, laid,
he Ihnuid reit the defence of his client on the
quellion of law, according to which he could not
be found guilty ; the woman, by her own could:
lion, having made the fira atratdt, by throwing
lud• in hip face.

Mr. ALL E it, on the other hand, contended, that
the I ,w did not fa apply in the ptelent inflance.
Mr. Nlatewastrro was clearly of opinion, that
the ad ..f the woman was not, in law, an alratill
,hat could judify the defendant in commiaing fo
li. ;cm an outrage upon her. His condud, at 1
tit 11, was highly indecent : it had even for its ob
jell a criminal ail; and it could hardly be crpcded
that a woman, In accolled as the was, could do ;
lefs than throw tome of the water from her wafh-
ing tub, at a man who had behaved fo grofsly
improper.
The Jury found the defendant Guilty, and he'
was fcntcnced to pay a fine of tol.
There were fcveral other trials for afraults,
which we do not confider fufficiently interefting to
give an account of. •
The !all bufinefs that occupied the attention of
the Court this day was, a curious and novel f:cne
of contention between two parties of lfrat lite,. - •
A piling Gentleman, of the Jcwifh perfoalion,
flood inditted for affaulting his wife ; and the fair
bride, who was al') the dcfcendartt of Abraham,
was charged with a fimiiar offence against her
huthand. On each fide flood a Loll of relatiolis
ready to elpoufe the caufe, each of their own party.
As the trial was about to commence, the Chair-
man, after a Ihrtrt confoltation with the Gentle-
men of the bar, called up the p.irtics, and earnelily
recommended it to them to become reconciled to
one another. This they obßinately refuled to do
they appeared to entertain an incurable antmtility
agaiiiit each other ; aid the young Gentleman laid,
in order to get rid eflaiscompanion, that he would
immediately give l'er scot. The Lady, upon
bearing this, came forward, and in a draln of ve-
hement :erpsacity, declared the would agree to no
filch prrpolal, but mull have every farthing of
the 9ccl. fortune the had brought her blithe:ld
hefore the would content toll divorce. The Court.
after being at fame pains to pacify them, defired
hem to go away, alai ref:r their difference, to
their Mall Pried. and Corot other palms' of re•
fpellability amongul them; and if thole differences 1
were not levied by neat selrims, they lined then
come up and be ttic4.l for the Alfaulaa.