Star.
London, England, 1817-11-24 00:00:00

the said parish of SnttonColdEeld, in the eornti of
Warwick, eforesaid, which said Langley .
wai-tbest the
place of residence of her, the said Mary-
4shford.—
—And the said William Ashford further satin Mot
before and on the said 27th day of May, in the 57th
year aforesaid, there was a certain public footway
leading out GI Bell-lane aforesaid, and that one of
the said closes a short time before the said 27th day
of May aforesaid, in the 57th year •aforesaid, turd
been harrowed, and then was newly harrowed, and
which said last-mentioned close was and is neat ad-
joining to the close in which was and is situate the
said pit wherein the buJy of the said Mary Ashford
was so found as afores'aid, to wit, at the parish of
Sutton Coldfield aforesaid, in the county of War-
wick aforesaid ; and . the said William Ashford furH
Cher saith, that on the said 28th day of May, in the
57th year aforesaid, in the morning of that day, to
wit, at the parish of Sutton Coldfield aforesaid, in ,
the caunty of Warwick aforesaid, there appeared and
stele m mites: in Vie said harrowed field, in and upon
the :scale harrowed ground there, the recent marks'
and impressions of the footsteps of the said Abraham
Thornton, and of the footsteps of the said Mary
Asidard, the same having been then and there care-,
fully examined and compared by divers credible wit- ,
nesses with the shoes worn by the said Abraham
Thornton and the sail Mary Ashford respectively,
and or. the morning of the same 27th ay of may,
' and that it then and there appeared, and was mini-
test Irons the said I:1AI ks and impressions of the said
footsteps to the said credible witnesses woo then and
Ellett- examined and compared the same s aforesaid,
that she, the said Mary Ashford, had run and ea-
,:eavoured to escape horn him, the said Abrahani
Thornton, and the: he, the said Abraham Thom-
ism, had sun after and pursued her the said Mary
Ashford, and had overtaken her in the said har-
rowed field; and it also then and there appeared and
was manifest to the same credible witnesses from the
said marks and impressions of the said footsteps,
that bons that part of the said hart owed field where
he, the said Abriham Thornton, had so overtaken
the said Mary Ashford as aforesaid, they, .the Said
Abraham Thornton and Mary Ashford had walked
together in a direction leading to-wards the said pit
where the body of the said Mary Ashford was SO
found as aforesaid, and also towards the spot where
the said mark and impressions of a human li?ure ap-
peared on the grass as ateresaid, until the sant marks
and impressions of the said footsteps approached and
came within the distance of about 40 yards horn the
said pit, at which said distance from the said pit the
said marks and impressions of the said footsteps were
lost, and could no longer be traced, by reason of die
hardness of the ground there. And the said William
Ashford further says, that there also then and there
appeared and were manifest on the said harrowed
fielal, in and upon the said harrowed ground there,
the recent masks and impressions of :he footsteps of
the said Abraham Thornton ; from which said fas--
, mentioned marks and impressions, it then and there
appeared and was manifest to the same let-mentioned
credible witne:s, who then aid theca carefully exa-
mined alai compared the said last-mentioned foot-
steps widi the wipes so worn by the said Abraham
Thornton as aforesaid : that he the said Abraham
Thornton had then recently run by himself along the
said hAnowed field in a direction leading from the
said pit, to wit, at the parish of :Litton Coldlield, in
the county of Warwick aforesaid. And the said
Ashford further says, that no other marks
or impressions of any footsteps of her the said Mary
lAshtord were then and there found or visible, except
as aforesaid. And the said Witham Ashford farther
says, that on the morning of the 27th day of May,
in the 57th year aforesaid, to wit, at the parish of
Sutton Coldfield aforesaid, in the county of War-
wick aforesaid, there was visible and manifest, on
certain grass then and there growing very near to the
edge of the bank of the said pit, and near to that
part of the said pit in which the body of the sad
Mary Ashford was found drowned as aforesaid, the
mark and impression of the shoe of a man's left foot.
And the said William Ashford faith, that on rte
same morning the said Abraham 'Manton had on
and wore shoes made and fitted for his right and left
feet respectively, to wit, at the parish of Sutton
Coldfield aforesaid, in the county of Warwick afore-
said. And the said William Ashford farther saith,
that on the morning of the said 27th day of May, in
the 57th year aforesaid, at the parish of Sutton
Coldfield aforesaid, in the laid county of Warwick,
the said Abraham Thornton was searched and strip-
ped in the print nce of divers credible witnesses, and
that the clothes of the said Abraham Thornton were
stained, and that on the same being discovered to be
so stsined, the said Abraham Thornton then and
there declared, that oft the then preceding night he
had knowledge of the said Mary Ashford by her
own consent; and this he the said William Ashford
is ready to verify, when, where, and id such manner
as the Court here shall direct and award. Wherefore]
he prays judgment, that the said Abraham Thornton
may rut be admitted to wage battle in this appeal
against him the said William Ashford."'
The affidavit of the Appellant was then read :
tri Tar Kixo's —Wiilku Ashford, Wee Erdint.
too, bat now of MI, fa the Parish at Sutton. Coldfiehl, In the
county of Warwick, tabourer. maketh ermis and with, that the
counter-plea hereto annexed, Is true in substance and matter of
fact, as le verily believta. " Vitt train ASHCOID,
his ?4 mark."
The affidavit was read by desire .of Lord atm
sonomm. who afterwards called upon
Mr.' READER, who said, " I am quite sure that
the. Court will not expect of me, on the pan of the
defendant, to give -any immediati -answer to the
counter-plea it his just heard : my humble apt)lize-
lion therefore, is for such time as the Court may
think proper to.allow for the consideration of the an-
swer it must receive from us."

• Lord ELLEtiannouott••••4, What time do you wish r,
Mr. REA I
think there seems no prospect
whatever that this cattle cAn be brought to an issue
between the patties during .the present Term ; and
'as it is a proceeding of rare occurrence and of Much
importaoce—,of infitilie importance to the individual,
and of great- importance also to the public—we are
to have as umeii time as can be allowed us under the
citoutnatabcia:' Therefore my humble application is,
that it mar stand over until the second day cf next
Ternsoir(Aftikcnnsulting with Mr. lteynolds)...—l
ought perhaps to Add, that it may be necessary for
us to be tbrnishee.with a copy of the record of the
,accrittal of the defendant up:, the indictmcnt.'
great part of went you: Lot dsi.ip fat. I.tasd i 4; tLe