The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-01-02 00:00:00

Knowles' an approver, who gave his evidence in the
broadest Lancashire dialect, and with a remarkable dis-
play of easy coarse nonchalance. He detailed the cir-
cumstances under which the robbery was planned the
night before. He said it was proposed to him by Doot-
son ; that he on that evening accompanied Dootson to
purchase a pistol and a flint, and that he afterwards met
the party at an old foundery, called Bests, in the neigh-
bourhood of Bolton. It consisted of himself, the pri-
soners, and two men whom he did not know ; one of
them, a little swarthy man,•and another, whom they had
fetched from the shop of a person of the name of Gullen,
where he had been getting his shoes repaired. They
went over the field to the place where the robbery was to
be committed. The rest of the party knew the way:
They said they had been there before. "We stopped,"
he said, " about 100 yards off it, because they said it was
too moonlight. The moon was very bright. When we
stopped, I drew my stockings over my trousers while
t'others was turning their coats. Dootson didn't need
turn his'n, for he bad a slop that Hunt carried for him.
We then went round that farmyard. An' they asked me
ta look round ta best way to get in. I did so. When I
came back they had all their faces black. The little
swarthy chap had blacked 'em. He said to me, • Thou
mun ha' thy face blacked too ;' and I said Well,' and
he blacked it. I said they could get in best by one of the
back windows, and we went round to it, and I opened it
with a knife I borrowed from Dootson. Hunt struck a
light and lit a candle, and gave it to the swarthy little
chap, who got in first, and the man as had his shoes
mend d got in second, and I got in third. They made
for the front door, and let in Hunt and Dootson. Knowles
said he daren't go in. for they'd know him, for he'd
wrought there afore. He kept watch outside. We went
up stairs. The swarthy chap went first with a candle in
one hand and a pistol in t'other. The man as had his
shoes mended went next with a pistol, and I was third.
I had a knife with a long blade, about 16 inches long, I
had got from Hunt. It had two or three rivets in the
blade. There war a bed close tut head of the stairs, and
a man lying in it. He war all of a tremble this fellow,
and he made some cry out, I could not tell what, but I
heard him ask us to spare his life. They said they
didn't want his life, they wanted his money. He said
they should have it an they would spare his life. He
went into t'other room, and brought out a little box wi'
some money. While he wur giving it, some fella but
t'other chaps soon picked it up. We then put this fellow
and three lads as were int' room into t'other room to
keep 'em from going down stairs. There was a middle-
aged woman in that room, and a wench int' bed. The
woman set up a dismal shrike, and said the money weer
what they had to pay their rent with, and begged them
not to take it all, hut there was none gave back as I saw.
We then had a look through the house, and gave it a bit
of a turn over. We told them not to move from the
room for their lives. They made no answer but siking
and sobbing. Down stairs we got some bread and
cheese, and all had some as had a mind. There was a
chest of drawers int' kitchen we couldn't get open, and
Dootson wrenched it open. I said to him, ' Dootson,
don't break nowt.' So, when there were nothing valu-
able, we ca ee out and locked up the door. The Chap as
locked the door skinned the key a one side, and I think
it ud leet int' garden. When we'd got away a good way,
about a mile, we agreed to wash our faces, and we had
some bread and cheese. Hunt took the horse pistol, for
Dootson said he couldn't rightly take care of 'em both.
They went all one way, and I went my way home.
Before we parted we agreed to divide the money. Hunt
divided the gold, and the swarthy fellow divided the
silver. I got £2, one in gold and one in silver. There
were 2s. over. Hunt said they could divide that another
time among themselves, and he said he had 4d. in copper,
and lie gave it to me, to pay me off like."
The witness was cross-examined, but nothing very
material was elicited to shake his testimony.
Evidence was given corroborating in many minute
points the testimony of the approver.
The prisoners were all found guilty, and sentenced to
be transported for 15 years.

ThU RSDAY.

His Lordship took his seat on the bench at nine o'clock.

James Morrison stood charged with stabbing Thomas
Christopher, at Liverpool, on the 9th of October last.
The prisoner was acquitted on the ground of insanity.
Henry Holland was charged with assaulting George
Buchanan, and robbing him of .f 2 10s, at Upholland, on
the 30th October last. The prisoner was acquitted.

John Thomases, aged 23, and Joseph Shorlier, 22, were
chargea with assaulting William Martland, and robbing
him of his watch, on the 27th November last, at Orms-
kirk. They were both found guilty, but in consideration
of it being their first offence, were only sentenced to six
months' imprisonment.
James Fotshaw, alias James Caunce, alias James Wil-
liamson, was charged with feloniously assaulting Ellen
Berry, on the 17th July last, at Rufford.
Mr. Monk conducted the prosecution, and th prisoner
was defended by Mr. Jones, who called witnesses, with
the view of shoving that no assault had been committed,
but that the prosecut rix was a consenting party to the
transaction. • Mr. Monk replied at some length, after
which his Lordship went over the evidence, very carefuNy
explaining the law as it affected the case of the prisoner,
and the bearing of the various facts brought forward, both
an the part of the prosecution and the defence. The jury,
without hesitation, acquitted the prisoner. The case oc-
cupied nearly the whole of the afternoon.
Mary Ann Darcy, 26, was indicted for uttering a forged
money order for £2. 15s, with intent to defraud Richard
Williams, f Liverpool. The transaction occurred on the
24th of dctober last. The jury acquitted the prisoner.
The court rose at a quarter to seven.