Star.
London, England, 1828-01-16 00:00:00

frrsl,P'!':7T"

01FOno SESSIONC I _ *MIAOW 14.

THR ROO V. JOIEWWILLIAMs, FOR THE MURDER OF ANEW
CRaTCHLVIf. ' - -
The mysteliotes nature of this dreadful crime, by
which the life of an unfortunate and abandoned female
was taken away in the very beast of this city, and under
circumstances as revolting to human nature as to hu-
manity, cantiuues to occupy the public mind here, to site
exclusion almost of every other topic. Suspicion, su nog
and dark, still attached to the man Williams, who was
found so near the scene of the murder; and as the day
approached which was to establish his innocence, or
dissipate conjecture with respect to him, curiosity and
anxiety became mote active. At the last examination
of this man he was admitted to bail, upon an under-
standing that he would be put upon his trial for the
murder at the. neat Sessions,' the Jurisdiction of that
Court being, like those of Bristol, Eseter, and some other
places, competent to the adjudication of capital lefonies,
This Morning, at an early heur, W. E. TAUNTON,
Esq.lit too Refit, the,MAToll,JonetHicKbiliN, ,q. and
the, other MagilteiteS, took their places upon the Bench,
and the Court of Quarter Seisions was regularly opened.
.The hall in which the city holiness is transacted is of
small dimensions,
tend was crowded to excess.
The.oriincl,Jary:h.tving been sworn,
The.LearnedlecOenen proceeded to deliver to them
a,charge to,the fi.llowing effect;—" Gentlemen—lt is
' with very great regret that, on looking over the paper
ofi brirs:, which is always furnished to me, I have to
state to yinithat a much greeter proportion 'of business,
and i;grpifer number of bills, not only of misdemeanor,
but:of felony', than usual, will beaubmitted to your con-
sideration; and. it is; with gill greater regret dint I have
to state to you, that a .;:ese Of very great magnitude,
and of unusual occurrence 'in this plate-.—l mean the
CASE of the person of the name 4 John Williams, who has
been held to hail to appear here, and answer any bill that
may be preferred against him for murder—will come be-
fore you.• ; Gentlemen, there is not any thing in the
common cases to which it is necessary for me;o draw
your atrentioe ; but with respect to the one I rnentiened,
it is necessary I siciiild say a few wards, but they shall
be as brief as possible. I have looked over the deposi-
tions in that case, and it is nut necessary for me to state
to feu the impression they hive Made upon my mind ;
it is mu* better that you should form. your own con-
elution. from. them. Your duty, GendeMen, will be
veil differeist from, that which the Magistrates bad to
peslorxiiin this case ; it was, theirs to make. every pes-
siblii,snquiry and sift the matte: to the bottoM, and con-
sequently.to tabe•ciort Est} rersatiops and other matters,
wh4 had inktseat ing on the case, but which might have
elfritVd-thens in the ieqtrjry..„ l'lse coterie you have tb
purr
`e, is; grit, to ascertain 1114 the deceased did nut die
a AaPrai death, .het iiiioleilt ow,- 414 that*, Murder
,had been,actottjly,cotenkinell_i Rat, to inquire raw the
40.tuffilf W es, la 'Oettiitle4,to haven taiiii pleie;not only
;o.l?ierating againstthe prisoner, but thole that night
Mate, lathes favour.
~_ In so doing, Gintlerneii, .you ate
init.'o take notice 4 app conversation Whin the prisoner
Tr as WA keetrent; for that would not be legal evidenCek
and Rio man it to, be effected. by anything eibieli ires
'Plicil II xis sbse,lltsiAotti. Attention must be particularly '
41,ietrktO Oussearastters of fact applicable to the circuai-
stoncel,ottbre 'se, end. to these alder;_ but I asp bound to
tell zOotbitt the case will require a more than orslitiary
degree of !m
attention on your part. If, in investigating.
it"you ebouldille of opinion that, there is nothing more
tips, 4igit suspicion as against the person charged, my
opinion is. eltit,you will best do your duty by not finding
die bilk; for supposing the 'prisoner should not be the
teel.airendei, tbe.cowequence will be; that if you find
the bill, and the evidenct should not be sufficient to
cionvict him, thectaw. of, England will not suffer the
life of a ipso robe put in jeopardy..hy . a second' trial
for tbe same offence. If, on the emitrarye.Ykoll do not;
find the bill now, and that hereafter there -evidence'
might bediacoviord,'the ends of indite will not be then
put, iobanard of -being defeated; and the prisoner may
agniobe pot on his total. Arlo, Gentlemen, should the
OM tersk oat to only surmise, and that the.prisoneti
is acquitted, an unfair peejudice may be created in to-
weer of any Oilier, pessoa. be p eafter charged .with this
offence; for it might be mid, and with "wine foreerllint
an ample inquiry into the citcontstaities. hadatready
taken place, and an aequittal had been had. In icon-
clusion,Gentlemen, I have only to say to you) that if-
you think there are lair and ,seirresusble grounds for,
putting the prisoner upon ,his trial, you . will fiad the
bill, uninfluenced by any Other consulerition titan the,
sincere desire which '1 know. you feel to do your duty.'
The Grand Jurftben.setieed-,to their room, and after
finding some bills of. no importance, proceeded to
examine the following witnesses, as they were.pr esented
by Mr. Walsh, the very active agent for the Proseontion.
The evidence of all these witnesses has, we believe, been
published before. and it was understood that, with all
the diligence used by those intrusted with the prosecu-
tion, no new light of any importance has been thrown
upon this dreadful affair :
. Mr. Joseph Mimeo, James Paxton, Harriet Mitchell, John
-Cog, Joseph fledges. James Clump, Richard Field, Richard.
Llewellyn. Iliad& Burley,, Esther Sampson, Anthony Cromwell,
Mary Ann Cos. Henry Jacob. Henry Bell, Mary Bell, Robert
Steagg, James Flarrey, Anne Barton, and Dr. James Kidd."
The following is a copy of the indictment presented
to the Grand Jury:
a City of Oxford, in the county of Oxford, is wit:—The Jorors
for our Lord the King, upon their oath, present that John Wil-
liams, late of the parish of AU Saints, in the city of Oxford, in the
jiarisdiction of this Court, carver
county of Oxford, and within the
and gilder, not. having the fear of Gon before his eyes, but being
moved and seduced by the instigation of the Devil, an the 6th day
of December, in the year of our Loan 18x7, with force and arms,
at the parish aforesaid, in the city aforesaid, in the county afore-
said, sad within the jurisdiction aforesaid, in and upon one Anise
.Crotchley, in the peace of Goo and our said Lord the King, tined.
sad there being, felonioudy, wilfully, and at his malice afore:
thought, did make an assault; and that he, the said JohnWilliains„
with a certain half., of the value of sixpence, which be, the said
JohoWililaats, in his right band, then and there bad and held, the
said Anne. Crotchley, in, upon, and within, &c. leading to, &c. of
her the said Anne Crotchley. then and there feloniously, wilfully,
and of his malice aforethought, did strike and thrust, giving to the
slid Anne Crotchley then and there, with the said knife, in, apse,
andwithin the said, itc. leading to, Wm Oilier the said Anne Croteb•
ley. two mortal wounds of the breadth of threcitichesi attic length
of three inches. and of the depth of two inches each ; of which
said mortal wounds the said Anne Crotchley, front the said
Vch day of December, in the year aforesaid, until the Bth day
of the same month of December, in the year aforesaid, at the
parish aforesaid, in the city aforesaid, in the county aforesaid,
and within the jurisdiction aforesaid, did languish, and languishing
did die; on which said ads day of Dessember, in the 'ear aforesaid.
the said Anne Crotchley, at thrparish aforesaid, in the city afore-
said, in the county aforesaid, and within the jurisdiction anaemia,
of the said mortal wound died. And so the jurors aforesaid, ups*
their oaths aforesaid, sin say that the said John Williams the said
Anne Crotchley. in manner and form aforesaid, in the city aforesaid,
in the county afeemehl, and within the jurisdiction aforesaid;
feloniously,.wilfully, gal tid his matte aforethought, did kill and
mtseder, against the pease of oir said Lord the King, his crows
and dignity." - •
.

Tbeee were ,two other counts, word for word, the
aaasP. as the first, varying only is the name of the
sjecitased. In the second she was described as 41 Anne
k'ieece ;" in the third as " Anne Pt lest.''
eelocits lual—Th• Grand. 4isvy have examined
all the wunesser v►pon the bill, and just returned the
indictment into Court as" No true bill."