Star.
London, England, 1826-08-05 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

•
Friday se'nnight an Inquest was held at the Wotk-
house, Plymouth, by R. J. Squire, Esq. on the body
of Mary Ann Wilcox, a girl about 17 years of age, i
who was found drowned on the rocks, under the Hoe,
on Thursday, the second day of the Regatta. The cir
cumstances which led to this melancholy occurrence are
briefly as follow;:—The mother of the decea.ed is a
milk woman, residing in Old Town-street, and on IVed-
nesday gave permission to her daughter to go to wit-
ness the races, in company with a young man of her
acquaintance, named Bt imblecombe, with a strict charge
to return home at three in the afternoon. This, however,
she did not comply with, but lingered about on the Hoe,
and in the streets of the town, till nearly twelve o'clock
at night, refusing to go to her house, notwithstanding
the entreaties of the young man, alleging, as her rea-
son, that her mother would severely punish her. At
last, however, she was prevailed on to go as far as her
own docr, when she desired the young man to go home,
adding, that she intended to rouse her mother, to gain
admission. He accordingly left her, and saw no more
of her, till he beheld her body in the Workhense. No
evidence was adduce) to shew where this unfortunate
female passed the night ; but at half past six the next
morning, she was observed asleep on the rocks near
Two Cover, under the Hoe, by Mr. J. Percy, who awoke
her, and asked what she did there, to which the deceas-
ed made no reply. Mr. J. Saunders, grocer, S uthsido-
street. passed the spot shortly after, on his way to the
bathing place, and observed the decersed sitting on the
rocks, he asked her if she had been out all night,
to which she replied " No." He then advised her
to go home. She was not seen alive atter this.—
About ten minutes after two o'clock in the after-
noon of the same day. Mr. J. Gill, confectioner,
observed 6f-I'E:thing floating in the water, in the bay,
near Brethren Steps, within a few yards of the
beach, which, on examination, proved to be the de-

- .
ceased, who was immediately taken out of the water,
and conveyed to a booth neat the spot, where the body
• was inspected by Mr. S. Fuge, uho was on the ground,
a❑d who declared that life was most certainly extinct.

This Gentleman al.° deposed, that even if the unfortu-
nate girl had been not quite dead, it would have been
impossible to use the means of resuscitation, on account
of the number of peaple, who, from motives of idle
curiosity, pressed into the booth. The deceased had in
her hand, when picked up, a pocket handkerchief filled
with fanciful pebbles, and shells, which it is supposeJ
she had collected on the shore, as it appears she was
frequently in the habit of doing when on her walks.
There was no evidence to prose that the poor girl in-
tended to commit suicide, and it is extremely probable
that she might have fallen into the water, in a fit,
brought on by fatigue and diitress of mind, in reflect.
ing on the impropriety of her conduct. Verdict—
Found drowned, but by what means it does not appear.

HORSE STEALING.

—.. fillis..--

The Horse Fair at Winchcomb, on Friday se'nnight,
drew together several desperate-gangs of these ruffians,
who pursued their " vocation with success propor-
tioned to the depth of their schemes and the hardihrasJ
of their undertaking. An experienced farmer, who had
fer many years attended fairs, was doomed to be one of
their-victims—nay, the very first; for, on pretence of
making trial of the horse on which he rode, he suffered
an apparently respectable young man to jump into the
saddle, while he took charge of a showy but worthless
animal, which was offered him in exchange, when the
thief, turning cooly round with • " Good bye, farmer !"
gallopped off with his pin; and was speedily out of
sight. Amongst other horses stolen on this occasion
was a valuable cob, the property of •Mr. Croat', of this
town, Solicitor, who had sent his clerk, Mr. done.. to
the fair, for the purpose of selliaig the animal. He was
soon surrounded by a party offellows, who, as the result
proves, were all known to each other. livery statagem
was subsequ,:raly resorted to by some of the villains to
have the horse led awn, to the extremity of a lane to
try his paces, but on find ng Jones too vigilant to be
Oros deluded, a feigned sale was instanter got up be-
tween a 'well-dressed young fellow, who said he "had a
tall mare belonging to his sister to dispose uf," and one'
of his colleagues, to carry on the deception, offered" 33/.
for the mare; and the " young farmer, as he affected
to be bidding with more confidence for the cob ridden
by Jones, which he " wanted for a gig-horse," avec&
that the purchaser of his sister's mare should hand over
that sum to Jones in payment. This proposal was ac-
ceded to by' all parties ; when they prevailed °pun Jones
to accompany them to the George Inn, to conclude the
sale. The gentleman purchaser. having obtained per-
mission to rode the cob up to the inn, requested Jones
to go into the house with his friend; but he refused to
let the horse out of his possession or sight for a mo-
ment ; upon which the supposed purchaser of the mare,
holding out a pocket-book filled with papers resern-
g bank-notes, as the purchase-money he had agreed
t Laud over, induced him to enter the house, on the
specious and plausible pretext that "it WAS not pru•
dent to expose so much money as his pocket-book
contained in a fair, where so many very suspicious-
looking persons were about !" At the same moment
another of the gang offered to take charge of the horse
on which the " purchaser" continued astride at the door.
Having at length entered the inn, the practised villain
who was to pay over the money, almost instantly bud.
died Isis way into a crowd in the stable-yard, and before
J9OOl could make out what course he had taken, or
whittla he was gone, the conviction flashed across his
gpisd that he had become the dupe of most designing
'Meese, notwithstanding all the precautions be had.
used. He ran back to the ion door, and found his worst

fears realised ; the well-dressed and ratlemanly-looking
purchaser" hatiactually ridding of with the horse. He
ran after and hacrsearly oveoltien him, before he had
Pisied thelloWikilltfre on The Stow road but soon find-
ing suchC-snode of gorsoit fetsittewhe returned to the
George I sM,sellere Ott robber had left "Iris sister's mare ;"
and as helirasNout sh set out again; he found himself be-
set by a crowd of the thief's accomplices, offering to pur-
dr/nes and. -gain:all prices for the mare, in order to
delay him, but breaking through them, he pushed on
so rapidly as to come within sight of the stolen horse
and his rider. At the distance of four miles from
Winchcomb, Jones overtook Mr. Smith, surgeon, from
Broadway, who being on his way home when the hue
and cry was first raised, plrsued the thief, and just as
he had seized the bridle and was about to secure the
culprit, an accomplice galloped up from a wood by the
road side, and struck him so violent a blow with a
bludgeon, as to fling him from his horse and split his
hat clmpletely; Nothing dauo:ed by such a dastardly
and brutal outrage, Mr. Smith, as soon as he had re-
covered from the stunning effects of the blow, intrepidly
resumed the pursuit, in which he was spititesPy aided
by Mr. Salter, of Winchcomb, accompanied by Jones
and dvo soon men named Barnard, sons of a worthy
fa' mer in the neighbourhood. The thieves were so
closely followed that their pursuers had them frequently
in view, until they reached Wichwood Forest, in the
dangerous recesses of which none but bandits can with
safety enter. Such, at least, was the opinion of a most
respectable magistrate of that Vicinity, who, in answer
to the application made to him for his advice, assured
the parties, that unless they were determined to risk
their lives, they would not attempt to enter the forest,
in which there is every reason to suppose there ate
caverns for the concealment of stolen property.