Star.
London, England, 1829-01-20 00:00:00

OLD BAILEY SESSIONS, JAI►. 19.

OLD COURT.—Brats Mr. Justice Nag.
Thomas Page was convicted of berglariously enter.
lag the house of Sarah Ann Barnet, of Fritts Barnet.
Robert Barton was indicted for uttering a forged
check on Masterman and Co. with intent to defraud
them ; and the prisoner was also charged on other
counts with intending to defraud Thomas Paul.
Mr. CARRINGTON stated the case to the Jury, and
Mr. CLARKSON defended the prisoner.
Thomas Paul was at the Office if the King's Col-
lege, in Parliament-street. on the 30th of October last;
the. prisoner came into the Office, and asked for a pro-
spectus for a Mr Robert Grant, of St. John's Wood,
and sent away, but shortly afterwards returned, and
said that he VW directed by Mr. Robert Grant to pay'
in a donation for the King's College of fire punch, at
the same time tendering a check for ten pounds on
Messrs. Masterman; witness gave him five pounds in
change, and on presenting the check, discovered that
no such person as a Mr. Kohut Grant ice, t cash there.l
By Mr. CLARKSON, for the prisoner-4-11 was in a
back room that the office is kept, and the weather was
rather hasy at the time he received the check from the
prisoner; the check is dated 80. h October, 1828.
The prisoner then produced a very copious written,
defence, which he was preparing to read, when
Mr. CLARKSON, his Counsel, requested leave of the
Court to be allowed to look over it before the prisoner
read it.

Mr. Justice PARK recommended k most strongly ;1
but the prisoner declined allowing his Counsel to see it,
and commenced reading. He did not appear to think
that it was at all necessary to exculpate himself from
the present charge, ►ut entered into a long tirade against
the false notions at present entertained respecting the
crime of obtaining money on instruments nut beating
the name of any living person.
Mr. Justice PARK informed him that he appeared to
be labouring under a great fallacy; that it had been,
decided seventy years ego that the crime of uttering
a check, bearing the name of a person who did not
exist, was just as much a forgery as if his (Mr. Justice
Park's) name had been used.
The prisoner then compared the crime of forgery
with that of murder, seduction, housebreaking, and
highway robbery, and attempted to prove by the most
phre stied sophistry, that it was productive but of little
injury to society, either as a moral or mercantile crime.
He accused the clerk of great negligence in bring so
Coolish as to take a draft from a stranger.
Mr. Justice PARK explained to the Jury that the
magnitude of the crime, or the propriety of the present
laws on the subject, were not u icier their consideration.
The fact they had to try was, whether the prisoner had
uttered this check with intent to defraud?

The Jury returned a verdict of Guilty.
The prisoner then wished to retract the plea of Not
Guilty to two oiler indictments for similar offences,
and to plead Guilty.
Mr. Justice PAlta cautioned him that with thrze such
convictions he could not expect much mercy.
The prisoner persisted, and the verdicts were recorded.
Before Mr. Baron VAUCILIII4
ALLZGRD MURDER.

Jane. Steward, aged about 23, was indicted for the
%idol murder of James &pint, at Kensington, on the
24th December last, by willully chiving a cart against
the right side his head.
Frost► the evidence it appeared that the prisoner was
driving a horse and cart through Kensington, when the
horse tarok fright; and he having no command over the
animal, the deceased was knocked down, and killed on
the spot.
Mr. Baron VAIN:MAW here intimated to the Jury that
it would not be safe, in the administration of justice,
even to convict the prisoner of manslaughter, under the
evidence that the horse was actually ftightencd.
The Jury returned a verdict of acquittal, and the
Learned Judge cautioned the prisoner as to his driving
in future.

William Julnutoxe, an old whitnhairel man, was in-
dicted for traitorously colouring a half-crown and a•
shilling, made to resemble the current coin of the realm.
It appeared horn the evidence that the police officers,
in cons. quence of information they had received, pro.
ceedd to No. 10, Eail-strrr, Sven Dials, and burst
into the garret, where they found the prisoner, with all
the materiils of colouring about him, and in the act of
robbing a half crown. The prisoner, on seeing the
officers, exclaimed, 05 GOD! I have been trepanned r
A counter!eit shilling was found in his pocket.
Linibrick, the officer. was cuiss-examined by Mr.
C,LA MESON, the prisoner's Counsel, from which it ap-
peared that the person who gave information to the
police was employed by the Mint for that purpose.—
Limhrick gave him a shilling for his information.
When he went to apprehend the prisoner, he found the,
street door open.
The Foreman of the Jury observed, that there was a
distic.ction between the case of a person who en-,
tered upon crime of his own accord, and that of one
who was trepanned into its commission.
Justice Scr J. PAOICII said, that was undoubtedly
true; but the question was, whether the prisoner was
tiepanned?
Mr. Powell, the Assistant Solietnr to the Mint, said
the person who gave the information in this case came
to him of his own accord. He was not employed by
the Mint to hunt after .persons, or &montage them in
the cvorinission of ciiine.
Cross examined—He saw the informant about half a
di n times before the prisoner was apprehended. It
was in consequence of an arrangrmetit between the
officers of the Mint and the informant that the particular
retiod or the prisoner's apprehension was selected.
Mr. C L A lISIFoN asked whether yummy had been paid
to the informant, besider the 'baring which Limbri..k
'had given him, in respect to this transaction ?
Mr. Powell appealed to the Court as. to whether he,
should answer the question.
The Forearms of the Jerry said he thought it a proper
Sir J. PATIKI said. that,. was f9c. him to decide.. He.
hien consulted with Mr. Baron Nantes, and. said the
question might be pet.
'Mr. Powell thenshid,stbat he bad paid the. informant
alone, since the prisoner's apprehension. He paid the
informant 51. He thought this was not any great thing,
as the man had lost a great deal of time. The superiot
officers of the Mint knew that Money o as paid for in-
formation.; he kaki a•gerrecal 'author ityfor that purpne ;
tbe officers of the.Mtnt did, not rill entirely one the in•l
formation given ilk-ten. but ioquired as to its probable
troth. He knew di circumstaacrnwhich induced arena
to suppose ih,tt the priomerWart tioteotrapped.
The.Foresuan f J!itcya4o whet/Ar IVIr. Powell
botany reason to suppose .that the EL. he hod,.pard, to.
the informant Would be disalkmed .by the superior
Afters nt the Mint?
Mr.VOwk.ll ieplietkcetfaialy not. ,
The pr news. in, his defense,. said. that the petagn
who bad itiforarrion to she Mint brought
rife materiali for enabling end ate false tole. WI

his room, and diked. bin. lie then snl4
he would get MM. More silver cotrinrlng.anJ went out,
taking the peisoner's key vii.l) him. About tee minutes
after he had gone, the officers burst open the door. De
concluded, in beggingthitt-his life issight. he spited. and
said that be would chtterfetly submit an any other
punishment.
Sr;feral respectab'e witnesses pureed that they had
employed the prisoner as a smi h for.sever al years peg,
up to within a short time bef we hi. apprehensiou. All
there nitnesses gave the prisoner the best character for
honesty, industry, and sobriety.
The prisoner's landlord said that the piastres. paid
his rent regularly until about a week or two before his
appitbension.
In answer to a question from the Court, he said that
his street door was always kept shut.
Justice Sir JAMES PARKS briefly addressed the Jury.
That there wasgood ground for ;aerating the oharge
against the prisoner could not, he 20, he doubted,
since he bad been taken, as lawyers would say, in to e
.manner of the offence. If, however, they believed the
prisoner's defence, and it had received corruboratitm
from some circumstances be was berr • yed into the
commission of the °lichee by the wicked and diaboli-
cal act of *pother. The. fact of the pt.lice officers hay
ing found the street door open, which the lan.ll.,rd
said was usually kept shut, looked very much like con-
trivance. It was impossible that, any person in the
prisoner's humble station of life could re, ire a higher
character than had been given to him, and that is a
circumitame %hid) ought, if the Jail entertained any
doubts as to the evidence, to benefit him.

The Jury immediately returned a verdict of Not

NNW COURT.
Before die COlllllOOl SIKOZAKT.

Hannah Goodman sas indicted for bittamy—(The
particulars of this use sere given 'untie P.rbce Report
of last week under the beast ul Bow-sneer). She wast
found Godly.
John Langford was in:heted tinder a late Act of Par-
mint (which made it felony to sled trees, provided the
trees stolen were worth name than one pound), f r steal-
ing four lien, the property of a nurseryman at Fulham.
In consequence of the manner in which the Act was
worded it was impossible to rave to the satisfaction rrt
the Jury that the property stolen was worth a certain
sum of money; and also it was necessary that all the
property :tumid be taken at one time. The prisonea
was accordingly found NW (444.