Star.
London, England, 1819-08-07 00:00:00

ATTEMPTED ASSASSLVATIO.V:

The Justice Room, in Guildhall, *as yesterday
crowded to excess, through the anxiety of the public
to witness the examination of Henry Scent, a butcher,.
residing at No. 4, Arabella-row, Pimlico, who was
taken into custody the evening before at the Sara-
cen's Head-inn, Snowilill, for an attempt to murder
his wife. The woman had eloped from him in the
month of March, 1818, with a fellow of the name of
Seaton, a broker, in that neighbourhood, who had
been the intimate friend of the husband, and nearly
supported by him and his family. Tee guilty pan.
left the country for America, and shortly after the;r
arrival at Philadelphia. Seaton deserted her, leaving
her in great distress in a -threign land: with much
difficulty she procured a passage to England, and
after'eacountering great perils at sea, arrived at Li
verpn'al, from whence she proceeded to London, and
wrote to her husband from the Saracen's Ilead ; the
circumstances that followed are fully detailed by the
witnesses produced afr3inst the prisoner.
Previous to the arnval of the Magixtratc (Alder-
man HcyciATE), a messenger was dispatched from
the efftce to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, to learn the
state of the wife, and whether she was able to make
her deposition; to this inquiry thefonowing note was
returned :

" This is to certify, that Mrs. Stent has pass.ll a good night,
and is better this morning, but cannot be considered out of (Jae-
ger at present. As rest is a principal object in the treatment of
her casa, it would be better to defer her examination. There is
no immediate danger to be apprehended.

" 11. BEN WELL, House Surgeon.
1" Bartholomew's Hosrital, Ail. 6, One o'Clock."
The prisoner was then placed at the bar; he is a
young man about 98 years old, was respectably
dressed in Week, with a white waistcoat, and ap-
peared perfectly cool and collected, but without any
appearance of impudence or bravado.
The first witness called was Thomas Pithowe,
waiter at the Saracen's Head, who stated that the
woman came to the inn by the Liverpool coach,
be-
tween ten and eleven O'clock on Thursday morning,
had breakfast, and desired to be furnished with paper,
8:c. to write a letter : she wrote one, which was sent
by a porter to Pimlico : she rt:emained within doors
the remainder of the day ; and about half-past six in
the afternoon, after she had had her tea, the prisoner
arrived, and on inquiring for Mrs. Stent was shewn
into the room to her ; there were no other persons iu
the room but themselves. Shortly after, he (tire wit-
ness) being in the passage leading to the back yard,
heard a violent shriek, and immediately a second ;
and before he and his follow servant could get to the
room door, a third ; they both rushed into the room ;
his fellow-servant was first, who 'immediately cried
out, " Thomas, the man has got a knife ;" the woman
at the sante time cried out, " Oh, he will kill me!"
Ili; companion then made a snatch to get the knife,
but missed his hold ; the man then altered the direc-
tion of the knife, and grasping it full in his hand,
stabbed the woman with great violence in the throat.
Ile then said, " I have accomplished my purpose; I
wish for nothing but to sear ; I know I shall suffer."
The wife replied, " Yes, you have, Henry, and I
freely forgive you; come and kiss me." The priso-
ner then knelt down and kissed her twice, which she.,
returned, saying, " I hope the law will not take hold
of you ; you are the best of husbands, and I am the
very worst of wives, and I hope my fate will be all
warning to all bad wives." She was then taken on a '
shutter to the hospital, and in her way thither she wes
continually calling on her dear Henry, wishing hitt to
kiss her, and begging him to give her his hand ; one.
of the persons attending took hold of her extended
hand, which she then closed most affectionately,
saying, " GOD bless you, I shall now die happy,"—
mistaking the stranger's hand for that of her husband.
At this part of the evidence, which was given with
much feeling on the part of the witness, the priso-
ner's fortitude seemed to be quitting him, his lip
quivered, the big tear stood in his eye, and his whole
countenance evinced he was greatly agitated and af-
fected; but alive a short interval he recovered his
composure.
Thomas Turner, the porter, said he was the first
person in the room ; he saw the wife on her back on
the floor, and the man kneeling on her stomach ; on
his coming in, the man rose up, and perceiving he
had a knife, he (the witness) drew hack, and before
Ire could get to the prisoner to seize him, he stabbed
the woman in the neck, as described by Pithonse
he then said, " Don't be alarmed, I will not hurt any
of you ; 1 have accomplished my purpose:" he then
let the knife drop from his hand. On the witness ob-
serving to him, what a rash man he was to commit
such a deed, and that he had signed his own death-
warrant, the prisoner replied, he was perfectly satis-
fied; she had been a base woman; oil which his wife
said, " Indeed I have, I freely forgive you, and hope
no harm will come to you." This witness also cor-
roborated Pithouse's account of the affecting scene
that subsequently took place between the husband
and wife, and the expressions of penitence and affec-
tion used by the latter while being conveyed to the
hospital.
Hodson, an assistant at Giltspur-street Cnmpter,
was,seat for to take the prisoner. On his entering
'the room, Stent immediately said, " I am the man,'
and'surrendered himself without making the smallest
resistance. On searching him there were found only
' a few shillings, part of a razor-case, which he Lad
:'USed. as a sheath for the knife while'in his pocket,
and the letter he had received from his wife in the
morning, which was nearly in these words :

" August 5, 1819.

”.I.lcsatv—You, no doubt, will be offended at my v. ritin; to
you, one that I have u.:ed so MR; but, believe me, I have con-'
sidered i.f my crime, and will repent if possible. Oh, Henry !
, I have suffered more than I cast tell you in ctoS3ing the seas ;
there was nothing but storms and trouble, and the ship was lost.
But you, perbaps, already know that I have put my trust in
GOD for aafety in crossing them again, and have got t.afe to
England one more to throw myself at your feet, and implore
yotir pity, if you cannot pardon me ; but, oh ! for one moment
consider before my doom i; used. hutted, I am penitent and
sorry for my sins, and hope you will hear my prayer for merry,
as well as that Goa whom I have offended. Bat if my story
was told by any other than me, you would see what a villain he
was. If you find you cannot forgive—hut oh ! that thought
makes me tremble--do not let my dear fatties and mother know
you have heard of me, for that would bring their trouble afresh
to their 'Mal:, (that is, if their lives are spared), and I hope I
have not got that to answer tor. All I wish is, to pass the re-
mainder of my days in obscurity, or in the workhouse, if you
think proper, or in any other place ; du not desert me, for Gon's
sake, do not. I have come from America, landed on Tuesday
morning, and at night left Liverpool; and this morning got to
the Saracen's lkad, where I shall await your answer with the
greatest distrust. If you please to let me have some of the
clothes I left, as I have not u gown to wear. Oh, Henry !

.

....

. . •
lank well lazfoee you tat. what AA] be my let only art frt.
wn heart. Do not tell any body that you knbw tat My bons
'• Englan 7 in t tidbit what a journey for alone wOrnan to take.
I do not lc,!ow n you Will get this, but,tif yon can, hit mo
know to- Iglu What is to be my ldt. Indeed, I will he coffer%
on bread and W.W.I.' if I earl but obtain ytitir forgiveness. Oh,
Henry! be not deaf to my prayers; I know it is a crime•l
have often heard you say, you neit,r word forgive. Only write
to say you Will pardon me, and do whit yon like after; but t'tl
not let any of my friends know that I have wrote to you—grabt
me diu request, if you cannot grant any more. Let me know,
for I had only 55. to bring nu, to London.
" One o'cbeli. " MARIA STP.NT."

Hodson alLo prodticed*the lzr.n with which ; the
bloody deed was committed ; it was one of the corn•
men sticking knives for killing calves, and was
covered wi h blood up to the hilt ; the point and the
edge appeared turned, :t5 it it -Lad strnck against
hone ; the woman lia7:ng bcon stabbed %n the ride and
stomach before tlie witnesses got inte the room. -
On the p,isoner's being taken to the Comptcr, be
asked for pen ar,cl paper, alsd wrote a note to his sister;
this was taken to her by flocion, but lid thought it
rigllt to brin:; the note bads after site had read it.—
The note was then produced, and read as follows ;

" Alt been to the Saracen's Heed. Rnd seen
Maria, and from what h;-.s passed between Its I ..m nosy
Giltspur-street Compter. I mast leave it to yo:: to break eat:
mater in the best way ;-ou can to °or dear father and mother.
" lIENIt7 STENT."
On the'other side was written—

6' I have stabbed her, but would not put that on the other
side for fear or shockirg you ton suddenly. It is of no use to
corm: to-night, as ycu c n.t be admitted, but shall be glad to
sec son.e of you in the m to ng."
. .

This hciag the whole of the evidence at present to
be produced, the prisoner was asked if he wished to
say any tiring for himre!fo on which he bowed respect.
fully to the'Alderman, Add simply replied, " NO, Sir."
He seas then remanded till Monday next, and was
conve)ed back to the Compter in a coach, accom.
panied by his brother and his cousin.

Two burglaries were committed in the neighbour.
hood of Baker-st- est, r n Wednesday night; one at
the house of Mr. NLARDENT, in Alpha-row, when the
robbers got in at the back part of the premises, by
scaling a 20-1l!ct wall, and robbed the parlours of
plate and portable articles to a considerable amount.
The other was at an uninhabited furnished house be-
longing to Mr. PROTKEROE, in the New-road, win TIC:
several beds and other articles were carried away.
We are requested to correct a statement respec
a soldier's being committed to Newgate charged with
felony. Matthot, Morton belonzs to the Ist or Gre-
nadier Guards, and not the Ist to,aigoon .Guaris.
Tuesday, as Lady M. F. PALMER was driving her
little carriage near BediOrd, the pony took fright and
ran away, when her. Ladyship was thrown out and
dragged a considerable di,t ince, but no serious con-
sequences ate apprehended.
Saturday se'ni.ight, George Haggarty, a young lad
about 18 years of age, a weaver in Glasgow, went to
bath in the Clyde, about a quarter of a mile above
Blantyre Works, and having gone beyond his depth
was drowned,

CORONER'S INQUEST.—Yesterday an Inquest was
held at the Sawyers, in the Bishop s-Walk,,Lambeth,
on the body of John Hill, a youth 17 years of age, son
of Mr. Hill, carpenter, of Strutton-ground, Westmin•
ster, who was drowned while bathing in the Thames,
near the Baerge-houses, in the Bishop's-walk. S:ephen
Gammon, of 41, Stratton-ground, stated, that on
Tuesday evening last, about -half pait six, he accom-
panied- the deceased to.the back of the Barge-hooses,
for the purpose of .bathing ; the deceased went into
the water first, which" was there about two or three
feet deep, but in proceeding a few steps further- he
suddenly disappeared. The witness knew the de-
-1 ceased could not swim, and therefore, immediately
gave an alarm ; he observed the body use threw
times, when it sunk, and appeared no more ; the
body, he stated, had been about half an hour under
water when found.—James Collins, fisherman, cf
Fnre-street, Lambeth, said, :h:tt hearing of the acci-
dent, he immediately launched his boat, and with his
son went to the spot, where, after using hitchers for
about ten minutes, they faund the body in what is
called the hole' at the bask of the Barge-houses, close
to the spot which Gammon had pointed out ; the
body was taken to the S twyers, where the means re-
commended by the Humane Society on such occa-
sions were practised for nearly three hours, but with-
out succeis. It appeared from the evidence cf the
last witness and Mr. Searle, of Stangate, in answer
to some questions put by the Jury, that several lives
i7ad been lost in tl•e same place within these two
years. The Jury exptessedaheir strong disapproba-
tion of suffering such dangerous places to remain near
the margin of the River unfilled up. It was stated
that the excavations had been made by raising bal-
last, and under the authority of the Corporation of
the City of London, who, the Coroner observed,
were, " Preservers of the River, and every thing
connected with it." In answer to which remark a
Juryman exclaimed " Preseteers ! They scarcely
merit the title, when they thus place traps in the King's
highway for the destruction of his Majesty's subjects!"
Coroner--" You can do nothing at all in it, I tell you
—nothing at all. These things are entirely under the
jurisdiction of the City, as very fit they should be ;
and if people will run into danger and get drowned,
how can we help it ?"—The Juryman " But our
opinion it, Sir, that no man can conscientiously say,
this is the Act of GOD, or even of mere accident, and
when such dreadful domestic calamities are conti-
nually happening under out eyes in consequence of
• these pitfalls, which you allege to be made by pro-
per authority, we cannot but think some further
notice should be taken of it."—The Coroner : " 1 tell
you, you can do nothing in. it—unless you have a
mind to indict the City of laAilon."—Another Jury-
man : " And why not indict them, Mr. Coroacr ? or
any other.body of men who air accessary to the de•
struction of their fellow-creatuies ?"—The Coroner:
" People should keep out of harm's way, and then
ithey would not be drowned !"—Another Juryman :
" If the shine had been left as nature formed it, this
'boy would not have lost his life."—The Jury at length
returned a verdict—Accidentallg draumod in one of
Mt-se holes made by improperly excavating the bed if
flea, kre-ze wa ater-rk.
theiNilloi iLI
d v night, an inquest was held atalie Noah's
Ark, Oxford-street, beiore Mr. HIGGS, Coroner, on
the body of Thomas Waddrington, butler to Sir S.
CLARKE, Hanover-square, who dropped off his chair
while in the act of talking to his wife at nis mastet's
house on Wednesday, and, notwithstanding medical
aid had been resorted to, he never spoke after. Vt:;-
dict—" Died by the Visitation of UOD."

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