Star.
London, England, 1827-04-18 00:00:00

♦ 4

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
• GLOUCHSTRIt.
Leonard Awn was indicted for uttering fah. *,J
counterfeit money to Sarah Whitchorch, on the SdOi
February, at Beachley, in Tidersham.
Mr. &ammo—The charge against the prisoner is,
that be uttered four shillings, knowing them to be bad
and counterfeit. There are three points of which yoal
intist be satisfied before yru can convict him—that hi
did utter them, that they were false and counterfeit,
and that he knew them to be so. The difficulty in
these prosecutions generally is, to shew the guilty knew.
ledge of the prisoner. In this case he paid four shil-
flings in discharge of a debt, the whole 4 t which were
afterwards found to be bad. That naturally excited a
-slispicion, whereupon his room was searched, and some
ball manufactured sh lltngs, of the same metal as those
that were passed, were found concealed in a hole in the
wall. He was •consequ-ntly apprehended, but broke
sway from the officer, and was with difficulty retaken.
You are to say whether these facts are sufficient to
bring the guilty knowledge home to him.
Sarah Whitchurch examined by Mr. HORACM TWIB3
live at Beachley. The prisoner owed me 6s. 6d.
and came to pay me on a Saturday evening in last
February. He brought me a half-crown and four
shillings. I put them in a little china coffee-cup in the
cupboard, and locked it up, and left the key in the lock,
I saw my daughter take the key out w hen I went to bed.
Sarah Pitt, daughter of the last witness—l live with
my mother, and had the key of the 'cupboard when my
mother went to bed. I did not open the cupboard
?gain, and when I went to bed 1 left it kicked. The
next morning Thomas Canning called to borrow a
,shilling. I unlocked the cupboard, put my hand into
tte cup, and took out one shilling, and on looking at it
saw it was a bad one. I then took out another shilling,
and that being bad, I poured out all the moneys The
half-crown I thought was good, but the four shillings
I suspected to be bad. I gave them to my husband
to take to Mrs. Williafls, the landlady of the passage-
house.
One of the Jury asked Mrs. Whitchurch how

knew the 6s. 6d. `were kept separate?
Mrs. Whitcharch—l had a good season for keeping
them separate, I had no other money.
Mr. Pitt—l took the four shillings to Mrs. Willianw
who said they were bad. Young Williams and I went!
to the smith's shop, where the prisoner worked, under'
Mrs. Williams. We found four pieces of coin in the'
rough, in a small hole in the wall, where the prisoner,
gut his tools. No person works there but the prisoner.
Witness produced the shillings he receivel from his wife.
Mrs. Whitchurch and Mrs. Pitt identified them.
i Thomas Williams went with Pitt, and they found the
manufactureashillings.
Ann Williams—The prisoner was in my employ-
„ilent. I paid him his wages that Saturday evening all
silver; the amount was 14s. 6d. (the shillings were
trended up to the witness.) I don't believe 1 could have
paid away such money as that. I could not give those
shillings. I have been in the habit of taking so much
silver, I should have known the* to be bad directly.
-A silversmith proved the four shillings were bad, and
•that the half-made shillisigs were of the same metal as
the bad shillings.
The prisoner, in his defence, said he had no money,
excepting the 14, 6.1. he received from Mrs. Williams
for his wages.
Mr. Bsiron VADOHAN, in summing up, observed to
the Jury, that Mrs. Williams, from her occupation of
keeping a publicehouse, and taking money from so
• many people, was forced to have her wits about her,
end was not likely to take such bad money as the four
shillings in question.
,Theinty immediately found the prisoner Gal fg.
Mr. 13410 A VAUGHAN am much afraid that you
are not a purchaser, but a ntalc,r of this base and coun-
terfeit coin. I have no discretion in your punishment.
The law adjudges, that for this your first offence, you
be imprisoned in the Penitential, and kept to hard
labour, for six months, and find sureties for your good
behaviour for the further term of six months.
ISLES AGAIVIT ROUSE AtiD °TRIM

Mr. GOD3ON—This is an action of assault and fuse
imprisonment. The defendant has pleaded the general

155U'.
Mr. PHILLIPS—The plaintiff is and has been for
many years a butcher at Thornbury, where he has al-
ways lived in good repute and estimation. The elder
defendant is a farmer, the two other defendants are his
sons. They had dealings together, and in last Sep-
tember the plaintiff purchased rime sheep of the elder
defendant. Silently after this purchase the defendant
thought 6t, most wantonly, to accuse the plaintiff of
stealing one of his sheep, and in the most public man•
ner he with his two sons surrounded the plaintiff in the
inn at Thornbury, and without any reasonable ground,
or any warrant for the purpose, seized him and took
him into custody upon that accusation. They soon re-
iinquithed their charge, but the plaintiff has been in a
desponding state of mind ever since. He hadalways
borne a most excellent character, and was 'known to
half the Magistrates of the county, and for the preser-
vation of his character, which has been thus wantonly
attacked, he now comes before you. If the charge had
been true, his lire would have been forfeited. Tne de-
fendants to• k care to make that charge in so public a
manner as to blast his character as far at least as an in-
nocent man's character can be affected. There was so
foundation (or the charge, the defendants had no war-
rant for his apprehension; he is now at large; no bill
against him has been presented to the Grand Jury, nor
have the defendants ventured in this action to plead a
jestification. If they had acted upon a well founded sus-
picioa, it would have been a matter of mitigation, but
was no ground whatever for the charge, nor any
reason to have made it in so public a manner. You will
consider what damages will be a proper compensation
f •r so grievous an injury to a man in trade who lives by
his character, which he has maintained unimpeached
until tl e outrage of which he now complains.
William Willsliire examined by Mr. Gornow—The
plaintiff has been a.butcher at Grovesend in Thornbury
for the last 20 years. On Thursday, the 28th of Sept.
I was at New Inn, Thornbury ; the plaintiff and several
others were in the kitchen there. Farmer House and
Ms two sons came in, and all the three collared and
seized the plaintiff. House said, " The butcher has
rigoleo my sleep; he has been a sheep stealer all his
WV In about ten minutes' time they let him loose.'
The plaintiff tried to get up before then, but could note
they held him fast. The defendants produced no warrant.
Cross-examined by Mr. Luntow.—l never went be.
f re Mr.-Townshend the Magistrate. • Isles never told
me he was takes before Mr. Townshend. I stayed at
the public house till they erect away. It was glens)