Star.
London, England, 1828-03-10 00:00:00

LENT ASSIZES.

WESTERN CIRCUIT.—WINCHESTER, MAacu 7.
ICKOIIIII SlDlG—Before Mr. Justice GASZLZE.
This morning Moses Sheppard, aged '23, was in-,
dieted for having, on the 22d of December last, wil-
fully murdered William Harmsworth the _younger, at
the parish of Fareham, in this county.
Mr. ERSKINE (with whom was Mr. Poourea) having
rresented to the Jury a succinct and connected view of
the case for the prosecutioa, as it will be detailed in the
evidence. called the bilowing witnesses:
John Tatford—l am a labourer working at Fareham,
neat Blackbrook, in this county. an Saturday, the 22d
of December last, I was going from Fareham to my
fad et 's at Blackbroik, at eleven o'clock at night. As
I went along the road from Farieliam towards 'Fitch-
field, I found a dead man lying in the .ditch, with ore
leg upon the road. I continued my way to my father's,
and called him and Robert Aldridge to come to where
the body ley. When they came, Aldridge and I con-
tirared Pith the body, and my father went for Ford the
constable. There wa- a knife lying near the body, and
the head was nearly off. The neckcloth of the deceased
w4s also cut to pieces, and there was a very large wound
its the right cheek.
Henry Harris, a constable, said, old Tatford came
to me on the night in question, and I went with him to
pheie the body lay. On lifting it out of the ditch, I
felt some v armth under the arms ; all the rest of tfie
body was quite cold.
Thomas Blatherwick said, I am a surgeon at Fare.
ham. 1 examined the body on the 24th of December;
Oleic was a wound in the neck, which completely se-
veied the Pinclpipe, and cot away all the princif al
blood vessels. There was another wound upon the right
cheek, which penetrated to the lower jaw, and also a
wound on the back of the head. There was a bit
the light ear cut c.ff. The wound 6 were such as must
have caused instant death, and could not have been its
acted by the deceased himself.
lit nr) Tatfor d:—l lire with my father, at Blackbrook.
At half-past nine o'clock on thend of Lec. I heard my
father's dog bark. I went to the door, and heard three
blows struck very sharp (quickly) after each other. I
heard at the same time a great rustling in the hedge. I
*alight it was some one chopping Christmas boughs.
The noise proceeded from the place where the body was
afterwards laud.
ADO Borges—l live with my uncle at Brockhur sr. The

deceased,'Harmsworth, lodged at my uncle'b house. I
recollect the night of the murder ; it was on a Saturday.
On the Thursday previoui, the prisoner, who also lives
at Brockhurst, came to our house, and saw the de-
ceased. The prisoner asked Harmsworth to come with
him down the road. Harmsworth refused-, saying he did
not wish to be in his company. On the day of the murder
the prisoner came to our house, and on his leaving he
was scAnyanied by Harmsworth, who took with him
a rush basket with his tools in it. The deceased was a
bricklayer. He used to work at Fareham all the week,
and go home on Saturday night to his friends at Black-
brook. I never saw him alive after he left our house on
Saturday. Ou Sunday I met Sheppard and told him
that Harmsworth had been murdered, and asked him if
he had not been to Fareham with the deceased. He said
no : and on my sayin.gthat I had heard from Harris that
he (Sheppard) had been to Fareham, he again denied it.
Cross-examined----The prisoner and the deceased were
in the habit of walkiog out together, and had been very
good friends up to the Thursday before the murder, when
Harmsworth said that he did not wish to iceep more
company with the prisoner. The night of Saturday was
very wet.
Henry Thompson said—l was on the 22d of December
coming oin Portsmouth to Fareham, about six o'clock
in the evening. I went into the Sun at Brockhurst;
while there the prisoner. came in With Harmsworth ; I
heard the prisoner say he was going to Fareham, and
Harmsworth say that he would go and fetch his things
and accompany Sheppard. Harmsworth then went
away,and Sheppard and I left the house together. After
going about 150 yards Sheppard knocked at the door of
a house from which Harmsworth came out, and we
three walked on to yards Fareham together. It came
on to rain heavily ; the other two sometimes were up
with me, but for the most part were behind me together.
I left them at the Bugle. at. the corner of., Key-lane.
Cross-examined by Mr. MISSING, jun.—During the
whole of the way I did not observe the smallest sign of
any unfriendly feeling between the panics. The night
was dark and drizzling.
Aymore, a constable, said—l remember seeing the
deceased and the prisoner at Fareham, on the 28d of
December. I bade good night to the prisoner, and
saw both men leave the town together. On the follow-
ing day, I assisted in amain; him. As I took him
along the road he first denied, but afterwards admitted
that I had bid him good night at Fareham the preced-
ing evening. The distance from the spot where the
body was found at Elson, is three miles by the shortest
way. 1 have walked it in forty minutes, and from the•
Lamb public house to the spot where the body was
found I have walked in ten minutes. I found a great
coat in Sheppard's house when I went to arrest him.
The sleeves were wet. They seemed to have been
washed and wrung out, and there were marks on the
inside of the sleeves as of ironmoulds, or blood washed
out.
Cross-examined—When I arrested him, he seemei
to have been at breakfast. He had a pocket knife in
his hand, which he folded up and put in his pocket,
saying that he supposed he must go.
Thomas Coster deposed that he met the deceased and
the prisoner at the Lamb public house (farther on to-
wards the scene of the murder.) The witness offered
prisoner some meat, which prisoner cut with a kni±e
which he drew from his pocket. The deceased and the
prisoner then went out together. There was then nothing
remarkable in the appearance of the sleeves of the pri-
soner's coat.

Robert Coker, the brother-in•law of the prisoner, said
that on the 22d of December he went to bed at half-past
tight o'clock, and did not see Moses Sheppard on that
night.—(The prisoner had stated to the constable
that he had been at Coker's house, and seen him
oa the night in question). The witness stated, on
his cross-examination, some circumstances from which
it was intended to infer that the prisoner had been at the
witness's house, though he had not been seen by him.
- Ford, a constable, produced a shirt and neckcloth on
which there were some slight marks of blood. The
stains upon the shirt were at the part which, when on
the body, would have covered the back of the left thigh.
This witness deposed further, that when the prisoner
was in custody, at the house where the Inquest was
holden, be sent for the witness, and when the witness
arrived, the prisoner requested that the two men who
had him in custody might be removed, and that the
window might be closed. These requests having been
complied with, the prisoner reclined upon his elbow on
the bed, and seemed to suffer great mental agony. He
trembled, and his face was of a yellow paleness, and
covered with a clammy sweat. Atter some time, when
witness pressed him to make any communication which
be might wish to have forwarded to the Magistrates or
Coroner, the prisoner at last declined to say anything,
after which the witness left him.

The father of the pliscarer and another witness swore
that the spots of blood on the front of the prisoner's
coat had been produced by his handling the head of an
os, wh:ch he was employed in dressing for his family.
The Learned Judge summed up the evidence with
great clearness, patience, and humanity, and the Jury,
after having retired for about a quartet of an hour, re-
turned a verdict of Guilty.
The JUDGE immediately pronounced on the prisoner
the awful sentence of the law, and directed him to be
executed on Monday next.—The trial, which had ex-
cited great interest in the county, last about 12 hours.
- BEDFORD, Woe's 7.
(Before Mr. Baron G**sow.)
Daniel Jsffs was round Guilty of being armed in the
night time, an a wood belonging to his Grace the Duke
of Bedford, at Malden. He was taken in the wood with
a gun in his hand, and four pheasants in his pockets.
Mr. Baron GARROW, in his charge to the Jury, said
it was a most melancholy thing to see so many persons
engaged in this unfortunate occupation. It was an offence
of considerable magnitude, and frequently led to the
commission of crimes of the deepest dye, of which steal-
ing the property of others was, perhaps, the least in
puil,t of enormity.
He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment, after an
assurance from the Learned Judge that if he had resisted
the gamekeeper he would have been sent from this
country for the rest of his life.
NORTHERN CIRCUIT—CARLISLE, Shun 4.
MIAMI OW PROMISE OP MAIWIIIAai.
sporsOm v. TIMPIOIOI4
- -

Mr. Atm'minx opened the pleadings. The declara-
tion stated that the defendant undertook and promised
to marry the plaintiff, but had refused to fulfil his pro•
mise. Plea, general issue.
Mr. BLACKBURN stated the plaintiff's case: The ac-
tion, as they had heard from his Learned Friend, was
brought to recover a compensation in damages for
the injury sustained by the plaintiff in consequence
of the defendant's refusal to complete his promise of
marriage. The station of life in which the parties moved
was not very elevated ; but it was respectable. The
plaintiff resided at Wigton, in the county of Cumber-
land, and the defendant, who lived at no great distance,
was in the habit of attending the market held at that
place, and was a m.n of considerable property. It
would be proved to the Jury, that for the long period

cif n'neteen years the defendant had paid his addresses
to the plaintiff, and had continually amused her with
promises of marriage, which he had, however, always
found some pretext for delaying.
William Carruthers was called to speak to the pro-
perty of the defendant. Defendant was a butcher and
farmer, and before his marriage witness considered him
wcrth about 1201. a year.
It was admitted by the defendant's Connsel, that in
November last he had been married to Mrs. Parish.
Mr. COURTENAY addressed the Jury on behalf of the
defendant. Of love in a cottage he had heard before,
but he had never conjectured that it referred to so old a
couple as the parties now before them. The true
history of the acquaintance between the plaintiff and
the defendant might be collected from an .espression
used bythe witnes, Sarah Scott. Witness had told them.
that when the:plaintiff charged the defendant with his
approaching•marriage, the latterhad said that it would
make no difference to her. Now that expression showed,:
that though an intimacy had existed between the parties,:
it had not been one of that nature which terminated in
marriage, nor had the plaintiff ever dreamt of marriage
until this action had been suggested to her. Upon the
whole, he submitted that the smallest coin in circula-
tion would amply recomiense the plaintiff for any
darwrge which sire had sustained.
Mr. Baron Hiatt's:lt told the Jury, that, as a pro-
mise of marriage had been proved, the plaintiff must
have a verdict, but that moderate damages would satisfy:
the justice of the case.
The Jury retired for a short time, and then returned
into Court with a verdict for the plaintiff—Damages,
verdict WAS received in Court with consi-
der:o)le surprise, as very small damages had been gene-
rall s expected.
Pattorson,John Leatins, and Thomas Armstrong,
were indicted for a misdemeanor in being out at night,
armed, with an intent to kill game, on the 21st January
last, on the grounds of Sir Matthew White Ridley, Hart.
at Blagdon, about seven wiles distant from home.
The Jury found Lewins and Patterson Guilty, and
accpritted Armstrong, and they were sentenced to seven
years' transportation.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MAR I.BOIIOIJOII STREF,T.

Saturday a man named wares Braley was brought before Mr.
Drra, the Sitting Magistrate, charged with the following robbery.
It appeared that a pipe of Sherry wine was on its way home
to the proprietor of the ferny Coffee-house, and while the car upon
which it was conveyed was passing through Great Russell-street,
lilonm4bury, the street-keeper there observed the prisoner close
behind the car, evidently playing some tricks with the bung hole
of the pipe and on nearing Lim, the prisoner attempted to make
his escape, ultimately the street keeper secured him. During
the struggle the prisoner flung away a bag which he carried, .on 4;
thi4 bagyit turned out, contained a large three-gallon bottle, which
in the fall was smashed, and from it a quantity of wine flowed'
about the street. On examining the pipe the hung was found to be
out, and the wine thus lost had, ,so doubt, been drawn from the
vessel. An Excise Officer, who g,uaged this pipe of wine on leaving
the London Docks, said, that it then contained 127 gallons, but that
when he guaged it again on delivery at bin Lofegrove's, it coa•
tained only 124 gallons; so that three gallons of it must have-been
drawn oft:—The prisoner was committed for trial.
LA M BETH-STREET. _ _

Among the paupers brought tip to be passed to their respective
settlements, on Saturday, was a Clergyman of the Established
Church, whose name we forbear to mention, but who has frequently
officiated at the Churches and Chapels at the east end of the town,
whose wretched appearance excited the sympathy of the spectators.
The Magistrate remarked, that he had,by sleepill in the open air,
committed an act of vagrancy, which subjected him to be sent to
the tread-mill for three months. Out of respect to bit profes-
sion, however. he would regret being compelled to adopt such an
alternative; but, at the same time, he must learn that he would not
be permitted to lead this vagabond kind of life. It was arranged,
that if, before Tuesday, his friends did rya do something for him,
he should be passed to his parish in the ordinary manner. Some
persons in the office, who bad witnessed the habits and conduct of
the wretched man, attributed hit present degraded condition to an
unquenchable thirst for ardent spirits.
UNION HALL. _ _

Saturday John Catnikell latnaa,viho has been some time in custody
on a charge of bigamy, was brought up for a final examination.
Mr. Anotenus, who attended for the prosecution, represented
that the prisoner had four or five wives now alive, and that not-
' withstanding the plurality, there was considerable difficulty in ob-
taining the necessary %shirtiest° establish the charge. Since, how-
ever, the last examination, they were more sacceuful, and evidence
would now be adduced, which the Learned Counsel bad no doubt
was sufficiently strong to warrant the committal of the prisoner for
trial.

Mr. Lee, the parish clerk of St. George's, Hanover-square, pro-
duced the register of marriages, m which was entered that of John
Campbell, bachelor, with Miss Charlotte West, dated the Stb of
October, 1820.
A Mr. Stafford proved that he attested the above marriage, and
knows the prisoner to have been the person. The signature to the
certificate, the witness added, was in the prisoner's hand-writing. .
Mr. Charles West, brother of the young lady, stated that his
sister was unfortunately married to the prisoner at the rinse specified
In the register. lie knew the prisoner well; he added that his
sister died on the ith of February, 1822.
Mr. Hurst produced the register of marriages for the parish of
St. George the Martyr, Southwark, in which was entered the so-
lemnisation of marriage between John Campbell Davies and Miss
Sarah Davies, on the 9th of June, 1821. Witness did not recollect
the prisoner.
Mr. Richard Bell proved that he attested the marriage, and that
bis wife was bridesmaid on the occasion. Ile added, that be per-
fectly recollected the prisoner, and knows the signature to the cer-
tificate to be in his hand-writing.
Mr. AnoLvsius said, that was his case,—that he had proved the
prisoner married another woman while his former wife was living;
the, second marriage having taken place in June, 1821.

Hothr asked the prisoner if he was inclined to say any thing
respecting the charge, to which he replied, that he should abstain
from saying any thing at present, until the case was brought before
a higher tribunal.—He was then fully committed.

A mixture of honey with the purest charcoal will
make the teeth as white as snow.—Awaerican Paper.
One hundred and ten convicts have been embarked
from Plymouth Duck-yard, on board the Bengal Mer-
chant, convict ship, bound for N. w South Wales.
Tuesday afternoon, as some workmen were employed
in repairing part of the building of the New Inn, Glou-
cester, in removing a lead spout they discovered a hen's
nest, containing eleven eggs, which must have been de-
posited there about two centuries ago. The shells of the
eggs were perfect, but of a very dark colour, and the
insides quite dried up.
A case of Scots Appeal, " M4NEtr. v. M‘GRECOR,"
of considerable interest as well as importance, was
partly heard on the 29th ult. in the House of Lords,
and further heard on Friday. The Lady, who is Appel-
lant, waqtregulaily married in 1816 to a Mr. JOLLY,
with the cognizance of the respondent, APGREOOII. On
the death of her father, however, the respondent com-
menced an action before the Scotch Consistorial Court,
praying for restoration of conjugal rights, on the ground
that she had been previously married to himself. He
obtained Judgment, which was confirmed by the Court
of Session, and to reduce that Judgment the present
Appeal was made. The point of law on which the deci-
sion seemed at first to hinge was, whether in an action,
which went to affect the civil rights of Mr. JOLLT and
his children, by the appellant, he and they ought not
to have been cited as defenders ? Counsel were heard
on this point on Friday, when it was objected by Lord
ELDON, that the suit in the inferior Court was not a
simple action of declarator, insomuch as it concluded
for restitution of conjugal rights, which, waiving the,
question of the marriage, it might be doubtful whether
on the merits of the case, the respondent was entitled to,
claim. On this objections Counsel are to be heard on
Friday nest.

EDINBURGH, MARCH 6.
-•.--

Monday morning an unfortnnate accident occurred
at St. Vincent's Church. The slaters were about to
commence carrying op slates for the purpose of tooffint
it, and Mr. Thomas Field ascended the ladder which
communicated between the ground and the roof cf tthe
church, but unfortunately the ladder shook or slipped
suddenly, and he fell to the ground on his'back among
a pile of slates placed in a vertical position. The height
from which he fell did not exceed thirty feet•; but hii
back was broken, a number of his ribs dislocated, and
he died this afternoon.
Yesterday upwards of SOO unemployed labourer,
and mechanics, chiefly m-sons, joie els, and slatere,
assembled on the Calton Hill, to consider the peopriet►
of petitioning the Magistrates to endeavourto find untie
employment for them. A Committee of their-number
was appointed to ascertain the whole number •of those
at pret,ent out of employment, ‘t hic la it was supposed
exceeded $OO, and to draw up a petition, which should
be submitted for approval to another meeting. Tim
proceedings were conducted with thezveatast propriety
and order.

We have learned, with some surprise. that `Captain
Robison, the Soperintendent of Police, has jurt been
dismissed from his office, by the Lord Provost and the
Sheriff, and that Lieutenant Kirkwood has been ap.
pointed to the situation ,ad interim. From what o e
an-
derstand, the avowed cause of this step proceeds lino
its being discovered that he was in the habit of Juni..
toting the recovet y of stolen propertrby means of tom.
positions with individuals connected with the thieves.
So far as we know, nothing tile collusion or porticipaa
tion of gain has in any instance (and thew., we believe,
are very few in number), been charged against any nf
the officers connected with the Police; and it is therefore
to be considered, whether the public will gain or lore
by the establishment being prevented from affording
individuals the means of recovering stolen property by
.a trifling sacrifice of money.—Caledonian Mereuq.

By a Return }aid before Parliament of the Royj
Waggon Train, which comists of 123 men and 144 horsesiit
pears that it is commanded by two Field Officers.

MEETINGS OF CREDITORS, BASINCTIALL.STREEt
TO-MORROW. M. M.

W. Gamble, Nonhamrton.square, watchmaker .. 5 It
J. Lote, Manchester-street, Manchester-square, tailor 3 1
J. Brett, Masno-street, Southwark, horse dealer ... 3 I*
J. Hunt, Brighthelmston, trunk manufactstrer ... 3'lo
C. Pine, Garrett-lane, Wandsworth, Surrey, dyer 3 &
T. Humphrey, Water-lane, Boor factor . .. 3 It
E. B. Breton, Gloucester-street, Queen-square, wine merck 3 it
L. Bradstreet, Water-lane, Tower-street, dealer ... 3- It
E. Mayo, Craven-buildings, Drury-lane, woollen draper ... t 2
T. J. Rear, Sloane-street, Chelsea, rhymed ... 2 10
W. Holland, Rotherhithe, linen draper ... 2 II
W. Odell, Catherine-street, boarding housekeeper . 2
D. Terry, Spread Eagle-court. Gracechurch-street, tailor .. 2 1!
R. Coo'er, Little Russell-street, haberdaaher ... 2 10
J. Cook and Co. Chertsey, plumbers .. ... 2 10
J. and W. Handley, Barslem, Staffordshire, china manufact 2 II
_ .... . - ... . .. . .

W. Ellard, Luton, Bedfordshire, plumber I 1
G. Crafts, Wycombe Marsh, Buckinghamshire, paper maker I It
L. Carpenter, len. Greenwich, shoemaker _ 110

L. L. Changeur, Kensington, builder 40* .04 It
W. Tattersall, Upper Thanee-strect, printer ... ... it
J. IV. Coster, Princes-street, Spits!fields, drysalter
A. Corbett, Friday-street, merchant —.— t
A. Wilkie, Duke street, Portland-place, upholsterer —. IL