The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-07-25 00:00:00

-:i.~.

. ,
. YORKSHIRE SUMMER ASSIZES..
• A
On Saturday se'nnight, the Anises At this
county were opened at the Castle, bellbte the lion.
Sir A%tM CIIANSRe., Knt. one of Justices
of the Beech, and the Hon. Sir Geor-Ge Woon,
Knt. one of the Barons of the Court of Exche-
quer.
Friday last the business on the Crown side was
fini,hed.
David Pardon, jun. of Beverly, butcher, was
charged witlethe wilful murder of Robert Garden-
er, of the same place, on the 10th of April last,
by stabbing him in the side with a knife.
This was a trial which excited much interest ;
the Prisoner was much respected, and the parti-
cular circumstances under, which the deceased
Cattle by his death, powerfully interested the
feelings of the Court in the Prisoner's favour.—
It appeared that the deceased was suspected by
the Prisoner, and, as appeared from the evidence,
not without sufficient reason, ul a criminal inter-
course with his wife. A few minutes before this
unfortunate event took place, he found his wife,
at a very unseasonable hour, in company with the
deceased, in the street, which so irritated him,
that he declared be would stab him, if ever he
came into his house or premisett. The deceased
unfortunately persisted in aroOmpan)ing the we-
man into the house, and the Prisoner immediately
said to the deceased, " D—n you, Gardener, I
will stab you ; you have huddled my wife in the
street," and immediately made a tbrust at him
with a knife he had snatched from the table, and
wounded him mortally. The w.fortuoate man
languished until tho 16th of April, alai then ex.
pirei;. Previous to his death he admitted that the
suspicious of the Prisoner were well-fuunded, and
which was, indeed, sufficiently apparent limn
other circumstances laid before the Court.
The Ju DOE, in explaining the law to the Jury,
said, that if a man should kill another in the act
of a criminal intercourse with his wife, it would
not be murder, but manslaughter; but if a per-
son who had received such injury should delibrra te-
ly contrive the death of the person who had s!,
injured him, it would doubtless be runnier; his
Lordship, however, thought, that any circum-
stances which fell short of the actual crime, and
yet should clearly indicate such an inteOpoi
might come within the meintiog of the law. .„
The Jury, without a tnoment'6 delibcrattan4
acquitted the Prisoner of the murder, ntsil found
him guilty of manslaughter only, to the satis-
faction of a very crowded Court.•
John-IVilkinson nas charged with basin', on
Tuesday, the 23d of May last, violated the per.
son of Eliz. Sykes, a female child, about eleven
years of age, in Farnley Wood, in thu parish of
Leeds.

The first witness examined was Elix. Sykes.—
She stated, thst on tho 23d of May last, as she was
returning from her work In the evening, she was
accosted by a man, who asked her to show him
the way to Gildersonse, through tie wood ; the
witness pointed it out to him ; but he said he could
not find it, unless she went 111th him, and he
would give, her half-a-crowa. The witness ac-
cordingly accompanied him ; they had only gone a
little Way when they mt•t a person of the name of
John Bromley, who asked her why she was go,
ing-back ? She said she was only going •a little
way, and would return immediately. Witness
said, they went on the foot-path through the wood,
mad she frequently wished to return, but he al..
ways wished her to go a little further, whick, she
did. Whey they had gut into the middle of the
wood, he threw her upon the ground ; she cried ;
and he taking a knife front his pocket, said, if
she made a tottie he would cut her throat this
frightened her .) mitch that she made no further
nuise. The man then completed his nbutninable
design, and left her, giving sei twopence. The
witness, on her return home, met with her faller,
n!. kid her what she had been doing? Shaer_
plied, she thirst not tell him, and begged him Dot
to beat her. Her mother soon discovered the
cause of her distress, and next day she came to
Leeds, and saw a man at the Chief Constable's
and the notation o.lice, whom she knew to be
the man that had used her ill. She knew him both
lir his dress anti his look. Witness was asked if
she should know him at present. She replied, she
could net Ul. On being desired to look ruund
on the persists in Court, and see if she could point
him out, eve could not fix upon the person of the
Prisoner; and though the Judge ordered her to
be brought up again, at the couclusion of the case
I on the part of tire Prosecution, and had her atten-
tion filed upon the Prisoner, she could not iden-
tify him as the person who had committed the out-
rage.

-William Sykes, the father of the last-witness,
stated her age to be rather under 11 years ;
members ping to seek his daughter un the night
of the '23d of May ; when he ma her ke was much
struck with• her appearance. The "Ott day he
went in search of the Prisoner, and efonati him in
Leeds. Ou being asked if he was et Gildersunic
the preceding night ? he said, "I dO lint know
such a place as Gildersome."

Sarah Sykes, the mother of Ilse child, cerrobn.
rated the testimony of the child, ate the violence
exercised on her person.
John Bromley corroborated the evidence of the
child, u far es respected his meeting her, and the
man in the wood, and swore positively, that Wil.
kinson Wlll the man.

Benjamin Sawyer was called, to prone that the
Prisoner, having lived at Wortley eight or ten
.years, must have known FarnleyWood, a distance
of about ■nd the wit lage of (.; ildersoine.
He stated the Prisoner to hare borne a good cha.
racter.

The Junne said, the question on which there
could be any difficulty was, as to the identity of
the prisoner, whether he was the person who com-
mittal this rape ; for that a rape had been com-
mitted he thought was clearly made oat ; and the
Jury, in determining this point, would take all
the circumstances of the case into their consider-
ation.
The Jury retired for a considerable time, and
on returning into Court, found the Prisoner--Not
Gulley.

.7";

- _ Tait StAtItSMANrIT: t'

FORGERY.

mEn,

• •

The follawipg extraordinary and melancholy
trial took place a few day s ago at Nottingham:—
James Wilkinson was arraigned foe laving uttered
two forged. motet, 'purporting to besgentiine notes
of the Leicester brisk. A hold family, beside
others, were invoiriet in the charge--a Laser,
mother, and their two children, a son and daugh-
ter. James Wilkinson was the sun, and h • p!,alul.al
guilty. The Learned Judge very humanely
placed before the Prisoner the futility of any hope
he might derive from this conduct. The sentence
of the law must pass upon him in the same meaner
as if the offeric,.• were proved by the clearest evi-
dence. The unfurtunete man persisted in plead-
ing guilty, although repeatedly admonielied by
the Judge to consider the awful consequences.
The Prisoner seemed occupied only by the most
sincere contrition of mind. tie said he was guilty
of uttering the notes, although not of the for.
gery ; and he could ;tot, in conscience, direthett:
wiles than plead guilty. * lie was, after -a consi-
derable time (hes elapsed, withdrawn from the
bar, and John, 11 ilkinson (the father) teas ar.
reigned. Ile pleaded not guilty ; Mr. fierjeent
Veucti ter. stated the case ot the prosecutiati to •
the Jury. Th. Pr isuner was charged tcith.
an accessary before the fact to the utteritte,• ,or
these notes, knowing them to lee forged, and b.:-
: iug concerned and coretected with the persons
did utter them, and being interested in the pretits
arising from the said littering. Tbq Learned
Serjeaut proceeded to state the facts of the utter-
ing of the uotes by Wilkitisou, the son ; ori cis
20th of Ally last, tro had giveu two of them to
Alr. Bar:well, a watclimeker of this town, in
payment fur a watch ; and on being asked fur his
address, wrote—James Wilkinson, Leueftero.
rough. The young man, however, lived in Lan.
cußhire, and the !ether in Citenrhire,.. The Pri.
soner then at the bar, it seems, sent some lime
back for his son, and gave him 250 °fosse posed
forged notes of the above deseriptiret to eirentatit.
lettes Wilkieson first tattere.l some of 101`(11 sit
Derby, and t'ven passed abont Met* of them in
rho L err. Th.., forgery beini discovered,' the
parties were traced and apprehended; sttoetof the
property obtained fur the forged littesivAs found
on the'premisrs of the Prisoner at the bar (the
father) ' • and 90 dee forged notes were• (and
'iu a road, near 16e: epos' cc's hem-, and thrgugh
which by insist pass to his house; and on
ing examiaed, he denied having been at Biraniug.
awn, and it would be proved that he bed bees
there a little previous to this transaction. The
Prisoner hedected with peculiar caution, through-
out the whale elfiir, to escape (tower hiasvetf.
but it would he found that lie was the contriver
and promoter of this scheme of plunder in it hich
he had involved his whole family. This being
the case agaitist the Prisoner at thrinir, sir
mom Le BLANC Feld, lie had listened with atten.
tion, to discover if the indictment could be sup-
ported, but there was nothing in this ease to bring
.the charges home to cre present Prisoner. The
only points were the ending the property at his
house, and his haviettlenied bring at ginning.
ham : these would induce steipicion, but could
nut be received as proof of the facts they were its.
tended to seppurt. Ile must, therefore, instruct
the Jury to acquit the Prisoner. This was ac:
curdingly done.—The mother and daughter were
rput to the bar. Both wept bitterly, and
poor old woman frequently pressed the haunt
of her daughter, with au expreesion of indescriba.
bits anguish. The former pleaded guilty, but
was prevailed on by the humette interference of
the .1 UDC to take the chance of a treat. At this
instant, Mr. Serjetnt VA L/CIUAX said—he was ie.
strutted by the Prosecutors (two of the partners
of the Leicester Bank were on the Bench) to
state, that this was no vindictive prosecution on
their part; they only wished to establish one ease,
and that was in justice to themselves and the pith.
tic. This being June, they had relieved him
(the Learned Serjeatit) from the painful necessity
of pursuing this melancholy trausactiou any fur.
ther, and 11.1 isilneas would be produced ageirist
the Prieotier at the bar, nor any further bills pre-
ferred against the other parties. James 11 111,111..
son was now brought up to receive judgment.
Never, perhaps, was a Court agitated by more
awful sensations. The penitence of the young
man, his condition. and the knowledge of tire
nature of the connection which brought him there,
naturally excited those sensations. The Learned
JUDGE passed sentence with a solemnity corres-
pondent with this general feeliitg. Having re.
marked upon the nature of the offence, and cer.
dainty that it must prorc the path of ruin In
the eqfenifcr ! his Lordship adverted in a very pi.
thetie matinee to the origin of the Prisoner's plat;
sent calamity. If', he said, there was prosent .(0
Court a person whose sacred duty it was to te!u.
eat, the Prisoner principles teat alight have
saved him from this crime, that ought to have
preserved his footsteps from error, but who %l as
himself the tempter, and lied led hint tutu this
path uf destruction--if, in a word, riere were
present a ;went who had himself brought Iris sun
to receive the extreme sentence of the taw, his si-
tuation was more deplurahlr• than that of the Pri_
:wooer, and his feelittes must be snore acute. The
Prisoner must prepare iiiin.elf to sutler the i•x-
treme senteuee of the law. which it seas his duty
to pronounce. The Learned du Doty then vassal
scntenre of dead; on the Prisoner, bra tone of
voice that justly expressed the painful nature of
his ditty ou this occasion. The prisoner's tears
flowed mildly. There was, notwithstanding, an
pressiuu of patience and resignation in hie Coen-
tenaece that rendered his fete still more to be la-
mented. Tire deportutent and conduct ef tire Ei-
ther, present all the time, was a strums contrast
to all this.—What a scene! It will be long ere
its effect be lust inn that place. A petition was
handed up to his Lordship, who said he would
peruse it with attention.

BIRTH.
The Lady of Mr. Lackington, of Finsbury-place, of a
daughter.

At Little Ealing, on Wedn;tin; last, is her 7:lth N ear, Lad,
Wright, widow of the late Sit Surlpicto Wright, kal,