The Statesman.
London, England, 1810-10-31 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS, Ocr. 30.

CONSPIRACY.
' neniensin Entre, Elizabeth Anne Elliot, hie
wife, and Sarah Bodkin, were trial on an
stem, charging them with a conspiracy, the ohjoet
of which was illegally to deprive Mary Dain tree of
her liberty,. •
Mt. ALLEY, with his anal eloquence, entered.,
into a detail of this case, which ho observed charged
the Defendants, the first two only of whom appear.
ed, with a crime of the most aggravated, waisrn.
It wu no. less than centpiriug together fur the par.
pose of accusing the Prosetotrix of being 'nature,
and in *consequence at hitch conspiracy actually
. consigning her to a mad-house fur 15 week," from
which she escaped' by mere accident. The Prose-
cutrix, he stated, was left sole executrix of her
husband!' will, who died in IROG ; and only guar.
' slim to her ion, Men a buy about 12 er
.13. years
of age. •Iler duty as executrix and guardian she
duly performed, of hentelf, untiflho period of her
incarceration, regularly receiving her rents, and
performing every 'other necessary lenetion' with the'
• greatest regularity add minuteness. For the first -12
months after her husband's deith she lived in her
awn house, but at the expiration of that time the.
Dcfetidants Elliot and his *nife, entered into throdia.
helical plot, which gavel rise to rho present proms.
cation. They commenced their atrocious machina.
tions, by inviting the unfortunate -Plaintiff to 'We in
thiir house, tooter a pretence, ghat, bylerkliag by
&emelt, her sorrows preyed .upon her mind,und, in
fact, that for, want of society:6M amusement, her
:daytvrere.passed in melanchuly remembrance and
useless regret; and representing, if she came to live
with them, they would solace and comfort her to
'the *utmost of their power, and leave no means uts.
tErkd '
to render her situation•disirnble. In puss's.
'ancc of their solicitations and• kind promises, the
infortunate woman lefeher own, house, and weld
to reside in the house. of Elliot, who was her.
' nephew, and who is ',carver and gilder in St. John.
wed. But she had not long remained there before
the. wickedness of these persons was fully unfolded.
Ftir in the month of Nov. 1807, one night, while-
en joying the plcasurct of her own fire-side, per-
fectly in her senses,- and in sound health, the Pri.
loner, Elliot, in pursuance of a previous concert
kith his wife, and Sarah Bodkin, the sister of the
Prosecutrix, entered her room, accompanied by
two keepers from a mad-house, threw her down
witligreat violence, put her on a straight waistcoat,
and conveyed her to Butrough's tuad.Louse, at
/foxton, where she remained for fifteen weeks..-
The atrocity of such conduct was too evident.to re.
quire cornment ; and the object of the Prisoners,
that of posiessiug themselves of.tho property of the
Complainant, was too Oar to require %titter arge."
'emit ; he should,, therefore, proceed to call his wit.
DVSSCS in support of the case.

- • A- woman; named Bailey,. was the first person
"cratainet .liotte'stati!d. , 'thatwOhe was passing thy
:end of Itarough's maoLlionse, in the month of 4c.
. . .
"tynaryi 1 )111, .she Wks. salted Iby name, from the,
garret- wintlOW,• by some person, who she recog. i
Sated td•beMrs. bsintree. sreral persons having
be alarmed at seeing her coarerse with ° a sup.
al lunatic, assembled and asked what was the
taint ; but as she did not wish to excite-any die.
turtance, .she'vvent away, and returned on the'next
day, when she was admitted to Mrs. Daintier,
whom the had known for many years, and alarm
'coneeiftt her to be perfectly regular in her senses i
end derneeneur. Mrs. D. told Ira that she had been
placed•there by hit:curled nephew. and niece, who
wished to enjoy her property. It was finally agreed
rim:tweets dune, that witness should exert herself to'
priscure her discharge, which she was at length era.
bled to accomplialr through the interference of her
friends. .
Mrs. Wood, another friend of Mrs. ()Aintree,
who was instrumental to the delivery, stated, that
When she went to the houie of Elliott,, ape up.
braided him with his inhumanity, and desired bias •
lo write to the brother or the Complainants, whose
'lame is Surridge, and who. lived at Epping ; he
`said
he had no objection to write to her brothers
.'but that she should Itererleeve the mad-house with
•lsis consent, on account of terfornser Dziekedness.
'lithe always thought Mrs. painires 'perfectly seasi.
"file and rational.
- Mr. Wood, the husbanil of the last witniss, de.
'posed, that be wrote to Mr.,Serrldge, as the Pri..
snail., Elliot, seemed tardy in his *Wiens, and de.
'scribed 'to Min the siteatitin nf 'his ilsti-r. In coo.
!mune° of which letter, Ilfr. Svirriklge die. to:
town, and after stilling diet-lie hid been hulked to
re his consent to the onabetnent of his sister
from
oM the representations of her he Elliot and
ale wift, be obtained her liberty.
Mrs. Daintree, the Prosecutrix, was then called ;
she stated that she knew Elliot and his wife long
before her husband's death, and that Saralt Bodkin
Was Mr Own sister. About twelve months after her
isediiitill'a death, in compliance With the solicitation
-rielliselwo first.eveneloned Defendants, she took di
*geoid floor la. their house, but she bad not:10V
taken possession of her WOO, when they evinced
the &rcatest unkindness' its their treatment of :bee;
throw log etery int pidlaten t in the way Of her jieacer '
and using curry stratagem to render her life 'in:
comfortable. She then corrOberited thk atalimltitt
made by her Counsel., as to the'modit'ef her being
conveyed to the med.houSe, and the niannefor her
delivery. Daring her examination she erinbed 'the'
greatest propriety in her dernensdur.
Mr. ALLAY here observed, that he could bring a
numerous host of witnesses to speak to her sanity;
but he deemed it unnecessary, as he was conrineed
the Court and Jury must already see the justice of
the prosecution.
Mr. GrAstst, Counsel for the Defendants, asst
addressed the Collet, with great feeling and inge..:
nuity. He 'detailed various instances in which the
Insanity of the Prosecutrix was evident to all whiiii
had an opportunity of her acquaintatice. lie
stated, that she was frequently in the habit of fa)U.
eying that persons were traducing her characters
and event went so far as to accuse herself of being'
the author of her husband's death, and to be in
continual alarm lest the officers of justitsc should
apprehend her fur that offenoe. Sometimes ilia
would assert that she heard a whispering in the air,,
hat people spike to her down the chimney, aid