Star.
London, England, 1818-10-20 00:00:00

POLICE.

Bornasettere.--Yesterday, a rout feriloee, more
than six feet high, calling himself John Press, was
charged with assaulting and robbing D. Litchfield,
a poor labourer, upwards of sixty years of age. The
prosecutor swore, that on Saturday afternoon, as he
was crossing Enfield Chace on .his way from Steve-
nage to ,London, he was joined by the prisoner, who
observed, that as they were going the same road,
they might as well walk together. To this he made
no objection, and they proceeded on till they had
passed through Whetstone ; when the prosecutor said,
as it was getung late, he should stop at the nearest
public-house for the night. The prisoner then ob-
served, that he knew a good house, a little way out
of the high road, and persuaded the prosecutor to
accompany him down a lane. After wandering for
some time, without finding the house, they agreed to
go on to Highgate ; when, getting over a knee, the
prosecutor stumbled and fell. The prisoner instantly
jumped upon his stomach, seized him by the throat,
and threatening to murder him if he resisted or call-
ed out, rifled his pockets of a canvas bag, containing
about SOs. in silver. He then left him ; and the pro-
secutor, who was almost choaked, lay on the ground
for a considerable time. At length he managed to
crawl into the high road, where in a few minutes he
met three of the horse patrole, to whom he related
what had happened, and they set off after the robber.
In a short time they overtook him, and conducted
him to the Wellington public-house, near the High-
gate Archway, where he was searched, and the bag,
with the sum stolen from the prosecutor, was found
in his pocket. The walking suck belonging to the
latter was also found in his hand. In his hurry after
committing the robbery, he had, it appeared, taken
this stick instead of his'own. The prisoner was fully
committed.
MARLDOROUOR•STREET.—A case of a most diabo-
lical nature was heard at this Office on Saturday
night. A man named Jones, who had been commit-
ted for seven days for begging, charged Jordan, a
constable of St. Giles's, with robbing him of a bundle
and E 2, which Jones said he had left in his care. His
story was innocently told, and had so much the ap-
pearance of fact, that Messrs. BARER and BURROWES
were much inclined to credit it, notwithstanding the
positive assertion of innocence on the part of- the
Constable. The case was ordered to stand over until
Saturday, and Jordan's word was taken to appear ;
but in the mean time he consented to have his apart-
ments searched without a warrant, and Plank, a very
diligent officer, undertook to make full inquiries into
the mysterious case. The whole turned out to be a
most diabolical fabrication in every respect.---Plank,
being sworn, stated, that he had made every inquiry,
and that Jones, who had enlisted into the 46th Regi-
ment of Foot, and afterwards discharged, had neither
a E 2 note or a bundle, as the recruiting party who
brought him to London were at hand to prove; and
he had also traced Jones to where he slept every
night, and he was proved to have been pennyless
and without a bundle, and consequently Plank
brought him back to the oilice.—Jones here confest-
ed his -monstrous villainy to Plank, and stated, that
a man named hichards had advised him to ask cha-
rity in the presence of Jordan, who would take him
into custody, and that after his release he should
-charge him with the alleged robbery. Jones con-
fessed this upon his knees belare the Magistrates on
Saturday evening. He was committed as a rogue
and vagabond.
HaTroN-cannix.--Jalin Roberts and Thomas Dy-
sart, two poor men, half naked and half starved,
were brought up by the Clerkenwell Constables, who
stated, that by the orders of the Overseers of the
Poor, they brought up the two paupers, having found
them sleeping on the top of the brick kilns in Cold
Bath-fields, and where they were remarked to have
slept every night for about a fortnight ; it being only
three weeks since one poor man was suffocated by
sleeping in the same place, where about twelve others
perished within these eighteen months past. They
were committed for seven days, in order to be passed
to their parishes.
Ustow HALL.—Williem Edmunds was yesterday
brought up, by E. Pedder, Beadle of Putney, charged
with attempting to murder Mary Edmunds his wife,
Mary his daughter, (a child seven years of age), and
Sarah Dyer. On Monday, the 12th instant, as Mrs.
Massey, of Putney, was passing the prisoner's house,
about eight in the morning, she heard a cry of " Mur-
der." She was afraid to go in, and went past the
house. A woman, named Dalton, then came run-'
ning out, in a state of agitation, and informed her
that Edmunds was murdering his wife and child.--
She was going for assistance, when the prisoner's
daughter ran out, pursued by the father, who over-
took and struck her a blow on the neck with some-
thing he had in his hand, but the distance prevented
her from seeing what weapon it was. He pursued
the child for several yards, and then fell down--
Mrs. Massey carried the child to the nearest house :
she bad a dreadful wound on the back of the neck,
ftom whence the blood flowed in torrents. Mrs.
Massey then went for some person to secure the pri-
soner. She met Mr. Stevens, of Putney, who went
immediately to Edmunds's residence, where he saw
the prisoner on the ground, fast held by Mrs. Ed-
munds, and a young woman named Dyer. He held
a clasp knife, opened, in his right hand ; and after
much difficulty they disarmed him. Mrs. Edmunds
was then bleeding very mush, from a wound on the
neck, and was carried into the housa exhausted.--
Besides wounding his wife and daughter, the prisoner
had inflicted two dangerous wounds on an elderly
female, named Dyer, one in the neck, and the other
on the back part of her head. The prisoner's con-
duct was indiscribably outrageous, and Pedder put
him into a strait-waiscoat. The Parish Oflicers were
informed of the transaction, and considering that his
conduct had been occasioned by a fit of insanity, they
sent him to a mad house at Chelsea. Subsequently,
receiving information from the Keeper that his con-
duct had been steady and rational, and his mind ap-
parently composed, they ordered the Beadle to con-
duct him before the Magistrates. Pedder stated,
that the wounded parties were still in a dangerous
state, and unable to attend. Mrs. Dyer had inform.
ed him of the particulars of the transaction. On
Monday morning, about half-past seven, Mrs. Dal-
ton went to the house of the prisoner, who is a cow-
keeper, to purchase milk. He was reading. He
started up, and seized her violently by one of the
arms, which occasioned her considerable pain, and