Star.
London, England, 1826-04-13 00:00:00

APPLICATION TO If ADMITTED TO BAIL.

Mr. TINDAL applied to the Court that Wm. Wake-
field, who had been committed to Lancaster Castle,
charged with aiding and assisting in the recent abduc-
tion of Miss Turner, might be admitted to bail. The
prisoner now appeared in Court, having been brought
,up by writ of habeas corpus, in the custody of Mr. Hig-
gins, the gaoler of Lancaster Castle.
The depositions of Miss Turner, as well as those of
her father, and of Miss Dolby, of Lim pool, were read,
reciting the facts which have been already before the
public. The young Lady awed, that having been in-
veigled from the protection of Miss Dolby, Mr. Edward
Gibbon Wakefield, with the assistance of his brother
William Wakefield, and Thevenot, the servant, suc-
ceeded in enticing her along with them, by constant
promises of her meeting her father at each new stage
which they reached. At Kendal, Mr. Wakefield.un-
deceived her with regard to tie supposed illness of her
mother, and he then assured her, and frequently after-
wards repeated, that such was the desperate state of her
father's affairs, that he could not hope to retrieve his
fortune, or to appease the hostility of his (Wakefield's)
uncle, whom he represented as Mr. Tartlet's principal
creditor, by any other means than by a union between
his daughter and him (Edward Wakefield). Miss Tur-
ner's deposition concluded with a positive declaration
that she would never have acquiesced in the ceremony
which was performed at Gretna, had she not been per-
suaded that such was her father's desire, and that it was
the only means of preserving her family from ruin.
The Learned Counsel, on behalf of Mr. Wakefield,
submitted, that as no force had been used, the offence
did not come within the statute; the only two statutes
under which the case was comprehen.sed were the 3d
Henry VII. c. 2, against forcible abduction and after-
wards marrying, and the 4th and sth Philip and Mary,
c. 8, against fraudulently taking away and marrying.
In Fullwood's case, Croke Charles, 485, force was found
in one county, and a voluntary consent in the next, and
it was therefore held not to be a continuing force; and
in the case of the Gordon' taking away a Lady of the
name of Lee, the moment a consent was found to have
taken place, the prosecution was stopped.
Mr. Justice Barimr—But in the case of the King v. Brown,
where the woman consented, the prisoner was convicted and
executed. She had quitted home, not knowing what was in-
tended, and afterwards married him.
Mr. Tumaa.—l believe, my Lord, there was a force in takiqe
her away. A confederate of the prisoner inveigled Lucy Ramsay
into a coach in the Park ; the prisoner then got in, detained her,
and took her to his lodgings in the Strand, and persuaded her the
next morning to marry him; immediately after which he was ap-
prehended. And in the case of the King e-Swainson, State Trials,
1702, tried at the bar of this Court, the evidence of Miss Rawlins,
the Lady who had been carried away by force, was, that she was
at the time acting under the impulse of terror.
The ATTORNEY GENERAL, for the prosecution, con•
tended, that Miss Turner, having been carried away by
means of fraud, it was quite sufficient to bring the case
within the statute. In cases of burglary, where proof
of forcible entry was required, if the entry was obtained
by fraud, it was considered a constructive force; and
so, by analogy, in the present case. How could her
conduct be arts ibuted to anything else,when, by creating
in her mind an erroneous impression, she was induced
to do that which, under any other circumstances, she
would.not have done?
The Loan Caner Josstce•-.Supposing this to be a felony, Mr.
Attorney General,is h a capital offence?
The Arroimay •Gansaat.—No, my Lord ; by the Ist Geo. IV.
e. 115, the capital part, as far as relates to this kingdom, is repealed,
and the punishment altered to transportation for life or seven years,
at the discretion of the Court.
Mr. Justice BAT Lay—Have ypu any case where the marriage
has taken place subsequently out of the kingdom ?
The Arronwer Ginataat.—No, my Lord; taking away for mar-
riage is the offence. He writes a letter in England stating her to
be his wife ; but the marriage takes place over the border ; and I
submit that a question of such great moment should not be dia-
pered of in a summary way.
The Loan Cum Jusricx —As this is a case of considerable im-
portance, the Court will take time to consider of it. Let the pri-
soner continue in the same custody, and probably to-morrow
morning the Court will be prepared to decide on this application.
This morning Mr. Wakefield was again brought up
before the Judges of the Court of King's Bench, and was admitted
to bail by giving two sureties of 10001. each.

Friday morning a fire took place in Hope-street,
Bowling.lane, Bradford, in a house occupied by Samuel
Crabtree, a shoemaker. The family had retried to rest,
when, about half-past twelve o'clock, Mrs. Crabtree was
awoke by a smell of burning, and found herself nearly
suffocated. She immediately alarmed her husband, and
said she thought there was a tire in the neighbourhood.'
Thus roused, he rushed down stairs, and forced open the
dlor. The house was literally one volume of smoke,
though no flame as yet appeared. With the greatest
difficulty lie rescued his children; the hair of their heads
was singed in bed, but one of his daughters, about 19,
remained to put on her clothes. S!le twice attempted
to descend the staircase, but found it impossible, and in
the distraction of tire moment, nearly suffocred, she
threw herself from the window. The injury sire has
sustained is considerable. All the furniture, with the
exception of two beds in a small room adjoining, the
door of which was shut, is completely destroyed ; and
the poor man from being in coinfor table eircurnstsnces
is thus at once plunged iota ruin. Tne firewireines
rived in about a quarter of an hoer after the alarm was
)3,1,cn, and that flames were completely extinguished.
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