The Statesman.
London, England, 1819-04-12 00:00:00

THE STATESMAN

stosto• after the service was over, bad his siltation
called by hearing some enquiries made at the Chapel
door by Bingham and Hawkins, one of the Chapel-
wardens,whether any person mat near enough to hear
themorent a ndiatted close to the Vestry-room w endow,
and distinctly beard their conversation, which was
of such a nature, that he told it to his brother the
unt morning, who committed it to writing ; sod
which was nothing less than a plan to postpone the
payment of Mr. Hollis for a year and a half, and for
Hawkins to join Bingham in the occepatios end ma-
nagement of a small farm at Speedfield, by which
Bingham intioualed that they were to clear 10001. per
annum beams them. Whilst this preparatien was
making at Gosport. nn the Mendayor Tuesday follow.
ling, the 21st or ?Id, Lewis's clerk called at Messrs.
%Verities, and told Mr. Thomas Warlters, the feeler
partner, that '1 Lewis was 'one to Govan to meet
Mr. Hollis ; and, finally. settle Ilinghem's begets',
' and discharge the man oat of possession ; sad that
Mr. Lewis requested he (Mr. Warlters) would write
a letter, directed to him at Bingham's, authorising
him in discharge Percival (the man who was Steidle;
possession under she bill of sale), as be *spieled be
would eat quit without his (Mr. Warltese) orders."
Mr. T. Workers, confiding in this representation. int.
mrdiately WSW, Lewis a short 001., saying, " When
Mr. Hollis is satisfied I am. and Percival may quit
the possession." On the 20th of October, Bingham
wrote to Mr. Hollis's clerk, Mr. Thresher (for Mr.
Hollis had fearsome time before refused to correspond
with hint), staling that he had authoriser) Lewis to
settle the account with Mr. Hollis, and to pay him
what he had advanced as Under Sheriff, and that he
tumid come to iViuchester, accompanied by Haw.
kilts, as Bingham's friend ; and the accent was
stated, allowed, and signed by Mr. Hollis, and by
Mr. Lewis, on behalf of Bingham, upon which there
ass a balance dee from Bingham of upwards of 11001.
This balance was proposed to be paid in the follow.
ing estraordinary manner ; 3001. by Bingham's bill
1 at three months, drawn on and accepted by John
; Lamson, the turnpike gatekeeper, at Brockhurst,
! near Gosport. who, it was pretended, had honk the
crop at Speedfielsl; 2001. to be secured to Mr. Hollis,
, by on assigoment of the live and dead stock at Speed-
field, but which ice was not to sell till the farm could
, be let (and which were included in the bill of sale
already in possession) ; and the balance of 3001. and
upwards, was to be paid by the rent of the house-
hold goods sod furniture at Speedfield, which, if let,
would hase taken seven years to pay it in. These terms
were of course rejected by Mr. Hollis, end Lewis and
Hawkins went away without informing Mr. Hollis
of the communing ,is between Lewis and Mr. Tbos.
Warlters, or intimating to him any intention of di.-
charging Percival from the possession under the bill
of sale. Tilt. neat day, Saturday 26th, the plan of the
conspiracy w-s completed by all the parties,Binham,
Lewis,' ltd Hawkins, assembling together at Bingham's
house, and calling Percival into the parlour, when
Lewis pretended to read Mr. Warlter's letter to him,
but omitted to rest that part which said, " When
Mr. Hollis is satisfied I am;" and upon Pereival's
taking up the letter to read it, Lewis snatched it
from him, saying, that " there was some private
business in it," sod would not let him reed it :
they, however. artfully induced him to qoit posses.
sion, and would not let him send for Messrs. Min.
chin and Weddell, whom he wished to consult on
the occasion ; anti stated the account with him, '
I for his keeping possession, on which a balance of 451. '
was dee to him, and which they provvised to pa), .
but have never yet claw, but left it to be paid by
Messrs. IYariters. At the same time that I Picini i
q.titied penession, one William Hyde was pet into !
; possession under a fraudulent Lill of sale matte to 1
Hawkins sod two ether creditors of his, and has con- 1
tinned there ever since, who keeps the outer doors !
always locked, so that no one can have access to it
without the permission of some one of the Defeatists,
Bieghare's family, who keeps all the keys ; and tiles
the Sheriff and Mr. Hollis's claims have been defeated. j
The first witness called was Richard Percival. who 1
I proved all that had been stated by the Learned Ser.!
peat, so fu as respected him. 1
Mr. John Gyies, clerk to Mr. Pearson, of Staple. I
Inn, the attesting witness to the bill of sale from the
Sheriff to Mesas. Waiters, was nett called ; bet
oot being able to prove a deputation to Mr. Hollis
from 1• 'robber, who was the person appointed Un-
der Sheriff for that year, though the office was con.
Elected by Mr. Hollis, the Jury, coder the directions
of
the Learned Judge, were obliged to give a verdict
of acquittal, to the great regret of a croeded coon,'
eta whom the statement and the evidence, as far as it
went, bad made a strong impiession of their guilt.
Mr. Bingham. who is at present confined within
the rules of the King's Bench for debt, was brought
down by Habeas Corpus to appear at the Wet.— 1
(thump:hire 7ekgraph.) I

the Pri 4 had set out for Bristol in a stale of *s-
tream papery ; that at she time he left Nor. on bis
rem home obit the deceased, he was equally dis-
tressed; but this immediately after be lauded at
Woolleston, be seemed to have become soddenly rich.
He commenced by choosing two five-pound notes of
the Chepstow Bsnk ; one in payment of a smell
sem ; and the other merely for the sake of the change.
He also began to live in a style of 'mesmeric*,
quite at variance with his former state of poverty.—
It was neat found that the deceased, on the day of
his leaving Pyle, was in possessioa of three 51. Chop.
stow Bask-notes, together with some mailer ones of
the same Bank. Them be was observed, previously
to his embarkation, to pet Into bis left bawl breeches
pocket, which, chest his body was picked up, was
found turned inside oat. To these were added other
facts equally suspicion's. Oa the morning of the sop-
posed murder, a handkerchief was seen in the hand of
the deceased ; it was masked W. S. sod this handker-
chief was traced to the possession of the Prisoner.—
' Upon an alarm being raised, he had lent it to a men
of the norm of Davies, who was called as a witness.
It farther termed out. that the Prisoner, shortly an-
tecedent to the disappearance of Sims, ►od been re.
pratedly applying to Hurd to lend him a few Mil.
lino. His shoes bad accidentally Borst, and he then de• I
dared " that he was unable to refit himself, and
that he must his bard to raise the wind to buy
self a pair of shoes, though he should go to the
Devil for it." Upon being called upon to @cement
for his lumen of wealth, Ito stated that he bed
borrowed from an old ship-mate. of the name of
Jones, while he woo et Bristol, 81. ; but unfortu-
nately for him, and happily for the rock of Justice,
this statement was discovered to he without loon.
lotion, for, independent of the fact that, at the
moment he was leaving Bristol he had env the'
mesas of paying for his breakfast, it would be proved
by the uif of Jones, the man himself being at am. ;
that at the time in question Jones had been very much
distressed for money, and could trot hose made any
such advance—added to which, his intimacy with the
Prisoner was of so casual a nature, as to forbid such
■n act of friendship, even if it had been in his
power. All these diselosorm tended the more
strongly to confirm the guilt of the Prisoner, which
become still more apparent on the morning of the
:Mb of November, when the bully of the unfortunate
Sims was found Boating on tbe.Severn in a state of
putrescency. It was, however, soon Ideatified, and
on being examined by competent porkies, presented I
two two dreadful fractures on the front and
back of the head—either of which word(' have been
sufficient
...to hate occasioned insmot death.

Mr. Jouiee RICHARDSON 11111111114 ap the ~i.
donee noth eleerisras and perspicuity, and the Jury,
after a short consultation, Nand the Psiteset—
Gettig.
. _ _

The Learned Jed4l, Immediately proceeded to pen
the mufti i sentence of death, ■dd he •ae ordered for
'aeration.

The Prisoner underwent the punishment doe to his
Male on Thurwlsy in the presence of •n immense
COIICOIMP of spectators. lie hod previously *alums.
lodged the justice of his b nt tom

At the late A.sisel at Laocastor a easy old man,
an ',Airlift, arms found guilty of so oll'eoco for whirls
be leas a...rereed to 14 years transportation. On
trreiri.l .9otrneo,hebessed profoundly folk, Court,
and thanked hi, Lordship, for, " indeed, (said be)
I du, not think 1 bad so long to lira till yogi' Lord.
tip told se."