Star.
London, England, 1818-09-12 00:00:00

OLD BAILEY SASSIONS.

Yesterday morning, at the opening of the Coun,,
the bar and dock were filled with pnsoners to be ar-
raigned for passing Forged Bank Notes, in the whole
38. The first, who was a youth, pleaded Guilty to
the capital charge, and Not Guilty to the indictment,
which only subjected him to transportation, and ap-
peared to be in evident confusion. Mr. Ilartstaa, the
solicitor, seeing the lad's embarrassment, went to
him, and atter a short conversation, informed the
Court that the prisoner had acted under a mistake, and
wished to retract and reverse his plea, if the Court
would allow him the indulgence ; his application was
immediately granted, and different pleas recorded.
While this was proceeding, Mr. Brown, the keeper,
went on the Bench, and intormed the Common Ser-
jeant and the Aldermen, that he received a note from
the Bank Solicitor, at• nine o'clock the precedingl
night, to bring the prisoners into Cotirt that morn-
ing to plead ; and that the greater part of them had
not been acquainted with the fact of the indictments'
being found against them until that morning ; they
were consequently in great agitation and indecision
as to the cour.•e they ought to adopt, and probably
wished to consult with their solicitors or friends, be-
fore they risked their lives, or subjected themselves
to certain transportation for fourteen years. Where-
upon the COMMON SERJEAN r;• with great humanity,
desired the arraignment of etese prisoners might not
proceed, but stand adjourne f.
W,llia,, Price was founl Guilty of stealing one
tame drake, and six tame ducks, the property of Sir
Francis Desanges, one of the present Sheriffs.
John Janes,. aged 32, was then put to the bar,
charged with the wilful marder of Amy Reader, by
striking her several blows with his fist, on the 29th
of June last, in the parish of Islington.
Mr. ARAIIIN stated the case on behalf of the pro-
secution. The Learned Counsel observed, that in
conducting this prosecution, die most painful part of
This duty would be done away ; for although the pri-
soner had been, and that very properly, indicted for
wilful murder, yet if his instructions were correct,
the duty of the Jury would only require them to find
him Guilty of Manslaughter. They would, how-
evei, have the law on the subject laid down to them
by his Lordship, when they should have heard the
evidence.

Thomas Fisher, father-in-law to the deceased,
proved that his daughter-in-law and the prisoner,
who is a razor-grinder, had cohabited together as man
and wife for two years and a hnlf. On Monday, the
29th of June, they were at work in a brickfield, the
witness and his daughter. In the morning the priso-
ner came to them ; he gave the deceased some money
tb get something to drink ; prisoner continued there
through the day, and towards evening they were
much intoxicated, and a quarrel arils: between them :
the prisoner wanted to get away, bat the deceased
would not let him go. She caught hold of him and
tore his shirt down, and still kept him fast. At length
witness saw the woman on the gronnd, but witness
could not tell whether she fell down or was knocked
down by the prisoner, but witness saw the prisoner
strike her whilst on the ground. Sic compl.tined of
pain in her stomach ; there was a heap of stones near
the place, and she might have taken on them and
hurt herself; she did not get up, an I they, supposing
she was in liquor, took her to one of the sand-houses;
here she remained all night, and rust morning she
complained of being unwell, and a doctor was sent
ft r, who bled her. On the following day she died.
Witness could not say whether the deceased had hold
of the prisoner by his shirt and waistcoat at the time
he struck her.

Ann Fisher, wife to the last witness, and mother of
the deceased, corroborated the statement of the for-
mer witness ; they quarrelled because the prisoner
would not let the deceased have more beer ;,---they
were both intoxicated, but he was most so. She told
him to be of with his barrow, and he was going
away accordingly, when deceased went and caught
the barrow and ran it against the bricks ; she then
seized him by the shirt and waistcoat. Witness ad-
vised the deceased to let him go, which she accor•
Jingly did. Witness went away for about five mi-
nutes, and on her return she found the deceased
down by the bricks, and observed the prisoner strike
her several violent blows on the body. They were
both in liquor, they had drank three or four gallons
of porter in the course of the day. The deceased
tore the prisoner's shirt, jacket, and waistcoat. Wit-
ness did not swear before the Coroner that the de-
ceased struck the prisoner first.
James Parkinson, a surgeon, was called in on the
3d of July to examine the body of the deceased ; he
discovered no external marks of -violence ; but on
opening the stomach he discovered that the bladder
had been ruptured, and the bowels were consequently
in a high state of inflammation. He could not swear
positively, but he had every reason to believe, the in-
jury arose from external violence. It might have
been caused by a fall, or a blow ; most likely by a
blow ; but in the state in which the deceased was, a
much less degree of violence than might be imagined
would have occasioned the rupture. The rupture vas
the cause of death. In the state in which size was,

her falling on an unequal surface inight have occa-
sioned the rupture. It was a matter of doubt with
him in this case, whether the rupture was occasioned
by a blow or fall.
Fisher, the father, was called back, and stated, that
he considered the conduct of the deceased as very
improper ; he could not bear to see her behaviour,
and turned his back on her. She was very much
given to drinking.
Mr. Justice BAYLEY summed up to the Jury, com-
menting on the evidence, particularly on that of the
Surgeon, who had declared his doubts as to the cause
of the death of the deceased. If the Jury should have
any doubts, they would give the prisoner the benefit of
them Verdict—Not Guilty.
Hear) Nash, a respectable looking man, 32 years
of age, was next put to the bar, charged with the
wilful murder of his wife, Catherine Nash, on the 9th
of August last.
Elizabeth Nash, an interesting child, apparently
about 12 years of age, daughter of the prisoner, and
step-daughter to the deceased, was the first witness
examined. Her Leber and the deceased rived in the
tenter-ground, near the Shepherd and Shepherdess.
Witness recollected going home with her father about
three o'clock in the afternoon of Sunday. the 9th of
August ; when they went into the house, her mother,
the deceased, was in bed, undressed. She began to
abuse the witness very much; and getting out of bed
came up to her, and struck her two or .three times.
Her father interfered to take her part, and gently
pushed her mother away ; her mother fell down, and
in her fall struck her head against the bed-post.--
Witness offered to help her up, but she said she
would lie where she was. She afterwards got up
without help, and again went to bed. The prisoner
slept with the deceased that night, and the witness
in an adjoining room. Next morning the prisoner
went to work. Witness went to her mother, who
complained of pain in her head. Witness sent for a
neighbour, named Bennett ; and about ten o'clock
she went to desire her father to come home—he came
immediately, and was entering the hOuse to go to
her mother, when lie was stopt and taken into cus-
tody by an officer. Iler mother died next day. Her
mother was in the habit of dfilikiag a good deal.—
Witness did not think she was quite sober on Sunday
afternoon ; when her father attempted to prevent her
mother striking the witness, her mother seized her
father by the shirt and waistcoat, and tore them.
Mr. Hill, a surgeon, stated, that he was called to
the deceased on the Monday, about noontime. She
was then scarcely in her senses. She complained of a
violent pain in her head. Witness examined her head,
and discovered a slight contusion over the left tern •
plc, but he did . not consider it of sufficient conse-
qi:-.,nce to require any surgical application. He vi-
sited the deceased again in the evening, :he still com-
plained of-the head : witness bled her, and applied
leeches. About half-past five on Tuesday morning
he was again called to her—he fund her labouring
under strong symptoms of apoplexy—she continued
so till eVenin,,,,, when she died, labouriug. under those
symptoms. Witness afterwards opened the head of
the deceased, and found a blood-vessel on the brain
ruptured. This, in his opinion, caused her death ; it
was on the opposite side to that on which the bruise
on her temple appeared.
Mr. Justice lltlancucat here stop;:ed the case, ob-
serving, if the Jury believed the evidence of the-Sur-
geon, the push which the prisoner gave the deceased
could not not have been the cause of her death.--The
Jury immediately acquitted the prisoner.
Thomas Coles was indicted fur stealing a 101. note
of the Bank of England, the property of the Rev.
Mr. George Witney. There was another count, charg-
ing the note to be the property of the Mayor and
Corporation of Bristol.
It appeared from the testimony of the different wit-
nesses called, that the only proof against the prisoner
was his having changed the note in question in Lon-
don. This the prisoner did not deny; he confessed
having had the note, but said lie received it at the
Worcester Bank, for local notes paid in there by him.
It was proved that lie paid the local notes described
into the Worcester Bank, though the Bank did not
recollect having had the 10/. note in their possession.
The Jury, withoutliesitation, acquitted the prisoner.

HATTON-GA RDF.S.—YeSterday Edward Rainbow,
a baker, residing at No.B, John-street, Clerkenwell,
appeared to an information, charged with selling
some bread, deficient sixteen ounces and three-quar-
ters cf the legal weight. The charge being admit-
ted by the defendant, he was convicted in the peyalty
of 2s. Gd. per ounce and costs, amounting to .the
sum of 122 9s. 4,ljd.
Usios-HALL.—Yesterday, James Surridge was
charged with violently assaulting T. Cornell, game-
keeper of CATER, Esq. near -Lewisham, in Kent.
T. Cornell stated, that on Monday last he rose about
three o'clock in the morning, and went out on Mr.
Cater's Manor, to beat for Fame; his uncle accom-
panied him. About four o clock, being at a consi-
derable distance from his companion, two men came
suddenly on him ; one of them presented a gun, and
put the muzzle nearly close to his body. It was at
that time so dark he could not perceive his features.
He told the man to take away his gun, and at the
same time moved back. He then demanded who
they were? which they refused to tell, and seemed
inclined to retreat. He said he was determined to
know who they were, and would follow them until
he did. They then ran off, and he pursued them,
hallooing to his uncle, who he hoped would have
joined him. The fugitives passed over a gate; and
when he was mounting it, in order to pass over, the
pt ironer, of whose face he then had a distinct view,
it being lighter than when he first observed them,
struck at him with his gun. The blow knocked him
off the gate, and before he could recover himself,
they both set on him, one with the gun, and the
other with a stick. He maintained a sort of running
fight, hallooing all the while for his companion.—
Finding his strength begin to fail, in consequence of
the wounds and bruises he had received, he at last
succeeded in escaping. He was much hurt about
the head, several of his teeth were knocked out, and
he was positive that the prisoner was the man who
struck him with the gun. The prisoner said, he never
before saw the game-keeper.--Mr. Holmes, a Sar-
veyor, at Lewisham, and Mr. Lance, a builder, re-
presented him as an honest and industrious man ; he
was a sawyer by trade, and they were confident he
;had not had a gun in his hand for many months
they were certain that the complainant had fixed upon