The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-09-02 00:00:00

FRTESDI.Y SOCIETIES.

Roberl Shepherd and John Schofield were in.
dieted for feloniously stealing seven pounds in
cash, the property of Edmund Else, of the Reed
inn, in Rochdale. They were also indicted for
stealing the same, the property of a number of per.
sons calling themselves the Orange Society, for the
benefit of sick members.

It appeared that the money was the contents of
the box belonging to the Society, left in the care of
the Lindlord, which the Prisoners, together with
two others, formed themselves into a gang, for
the purpose of stealing ; also for stealing all the
boxes round the country. The contents of the
box were stolen from the Society's room on the
13th of June.

The Stewards of the Society proved, that they
kft the above sum in the box, and were not able
to or') it with their keys afterwards.
Joseph Turner, an accomplice of the Prisoners,
who o'.lg admitted King's evidence, stated, that
they had agreed to rub the boxes belonging to a
number of benefit societies. On the I2th of June
they went to the Reed inn, Rochdale, and took an
opportunity, when none of the family were in the
way, of slipping up stairs, and went into the room
where the box of the Orange Society was kept ;
the Prisoners and another accomplice attacked the
box, while he remained at the dour to watch if auy
person was coming up stairs ; the Prisoners forced
open the lid of the box, and he heard the money
jingle ; after they had accomplished their objec►,
they walked out of the town, and divided the mu-
'icy ; he recei►ed for his share half-a-guinea,
two seven-shilling pieces, and a quantity of half-
pence...
. _

On his eross.e7tamination by Mr. YATES, he
Hied having offered lire shillings to any body who
could tell him where a sick boi slag kept. He
confessed that he W.IS shucked at what they had
done.

11MI'S rise, the son of the landlord, pro►cd see-
ing the Prisoners and the last witness in the room
where the box was kept, on the day that it was
robbed.

Jones, a *lnstable, who had the Prisoners in
custody, said, he heard Schofield say to Shepherd
he supposed he had told all he knew about the
boozes, supposing that he had turned King's evi-
dence. Schofield said he could tell a bater talc
thin any of them, and that Shepherd had got
enough to be hanged, for he was the same as him-
self, lied mentioned four houses they had broken.
open and robbed. This conversation passed when
they were being conveyed to Lancaster, outside a
coach. He al‘o acknowledged that they had rub-
bed the bus belonging to the Orange Society, or
Orange Boys.
They were both found guilty on this count in
ties indictment charging them with stealing the
looney as the property of the landlord, but were
acquitted on the count charging it with being the
property of the Members of the Society, on ac.
count of the Secretary not producing the book
where their names were entered, but only a copy
from it.

Joseph Ward, a private belonging to the 6th
regiment of Light Dragoons, was indicted fur
stealing a bill of exchange for 261. Is. tho pro.
perty of Ruth and Thomas Holden, shopkeepers
of Bolton. .

On the Yid of September, 1808, the prosecutrix
received the bill from Mrs. Dobson, and put it
into a drawer, where she was in the habit of keep-
ing money. A short time afterwards, while she
was from the shop, she found the bill had been
stolen, and having just before seen the prisoner
near her bxek dour, she sutpected him. The same
day the Prisoner marched from the town. The
Prosecutor, Thomas Holden, followed him to
Charley, and charged him with tho robbery, but
he denied it. James Peddar, Esq. a banker of
Preston, proved his discounting the bill for the
Prisoner on the 28th of September, 1808.
Lieutenant Ferguson, belonging to the 6th re-
giment of I.i4ht Dragoons, said the Prisoner was
burn in the regiment, and gave him an excellent
character.—Guilty.
Jahn Purrs was charged with the crime of bi.
ga.nv, he having married Ellen Livesey, in the
year 1791, and having married another woman in
the year 1801, while his first wife was living.
Richard Livcsey was 'called to prove the first
marriage with his sister. lie also proved that the
Prisoner went for a soldier, and %Olen he came
bad:, his sister ran away from him ; and when she
returned she was so much altered he did not know
her. He thought she might be absent seven years
or more ;hhut, in fact, this matt could not be fixed
to any time ; in consequence of which the learned
Judge was of opinion, this cue came within the
meaning of one of the exceptions in the Act of
Parliament, which states, that if a man and wife
are separated for seven years, so that they have no
intercourse with each other, to know that either
'party is living, they are privileged to marry again.
The Jury found the Prisoner Not Guilty.