The Statesman.
London, England, 1812-04-07 00:00:00

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LONDON SESSIONS, .dran 5. -

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/Vie Sessioos for the City of London commenced
this day, before the Lomo MAiroa, Alderman Sit. J.
W. A SDERsiON, the Recommit, and ether City Of•

Seers.
Robert Towers was indicted for endenvouring, by
every /slams in his power, to seduce, entice, and
corrupt. Samuel Davis, a turnkey, in the employ-
ment of Mr. Newman, keeper of the gaol of New.
gate, to favour the escape from prison of the late
unfottunate Mr. Georg; Skeene.
Mr. Ks ark having opened the cue ess the pest of
the prosecution, evidence was adduced to prove that
Mr. Newman was keeper of the Gaol of Newgate,
&c. &c. * •
Samuel Divjg was then examined, and chore() that
the Defendants, with whom he had hot previously been
aixteejeted, but whom he had seen rusting' Mr.
Skeet* invited him, in the evening, about a.fort.
night after Mr. Skeene's being committed to their
c :stedy, to drink with him. They wait to the New
Liu, Old Bailey, and being seated in the public:
num, the Defendant proposed that they should have
a private room. This the witness said was unneces-
sary. The Defendant then drab his chair close to the
nituess ; first asked him what finnan he had, and
being informed that he had a %ire and three children,
said,-that if he. would do him (the Defendant) a fa-
vour, be would have it in' his rime to 'mike them
all comfortlble. The witness asked, 4 what na-
ture that favour was, and was informed that it re-
garded Mr. Acetic. Supposing that it related to his
accommodation, or indulgence, in' prisoel.the wit-
ness told the Deklidant that he should have every
accovemhtlition consistent with the rules of the
House. The Defendant, however, was not long in
undeceiving the witness, but, on their way from the
public-house to the prison, gave the witness clearly ,
to understand, that he stipulated for nothing short
of Mr. Skeene's escape; informlng.hins, that if he
would oblige him hylavouring it, his reward should
be equal to his most sanguine expectations ;-that it
should be paid, not in/Bank-notes, but in gold, and
should be so ample, as would put him and his family
above the necessity of his continuing &turnkey. This
evidence was confirmed by • Mr. Newman, and by '
Mr. Hardy, Mr. Newman's' confidential clerk, to
wfiom Davis immediately communicated the attempt
made upon his integrity. Mr. Newman also swore,
that whets the Defendant next after the conversation
alluded WI called for Mr. Skaene, he (Mr. New.
man) called.-thepefendant into a private room, and
confronted him with Davis; the Defendant did not
deny the charge,' bet contented himself with stating,
that he hid offered Davis no specific sum.
Mr. Aiesi, Counsel for the Ikfeudaet, contend.
ed that. there were no words on the face of the in-
dictment to support the present charge. There must
be a specific criminal act alleged and set forth, in in-
telligible language, en the face of the indictment.
Here the crime charged, was the endeavouring, " by
every means in the Defendant's power," to' seduce,
&c. Now it might 'so happen that all the means in
the Defendant's power, though exerted by him to the
utmost, might not he suflicieut to constitute a charge
of felony, in which case there would not be on the
face of the indictment such a Champ- as would
support it. Such being the case, and ttitere being
here uo specific words which necessarily inferred
criminality, the indictment, he submitted, most fall
to the ground. The only other argument he could I
sqhmit, either to the Court or Jury, was in mitiga. '
tion of punishment. The crime imputed to the per-ei
son whose liberation the Defendant was undoubtedly
proved to have endeavoured to proeure, was not owe j
of, those 4ffences which were ranked among what are'
termed multi is se—it wet not an offence punishable
by the leer of God. At this moment, among the
nations on the Continent, there were several where
It was not regarded as an offence ranking among the*
higher class of crimes ; and even in this 'country it
was sot till the last reign that it wee made a capital
felony. The Defendant therefore might, howefee
erroneously, have supposed that in promoting the
escape of 'such a man as Mr. Skeene he was not
guilty of an ettence at all to be compared with the
offence of one whe set itsese upon the public a mur-
derer, Ur a midnight robber. The Defendant, toe,
be was informed, iree'a relation of the unfortunate
Gentleman;whoseescape he had attempted to favour
....a Gentleman, except in the unfortunate instance
'which had ocrasioned his commitment, of the meet
unexceptionable character, and remarkable only for
his benevolence and humanity. Such a character
tepid not have failed to be fully appreciated, and his
limits to be viewed with a lenient eye, by the De-
fendant, who had been a sailor, and who possessed so
truly a benevolent heart, that he had twice thrown
himself hit* the ocean, while the ship, In which he
roast: was under weigh, and had, ow each occadon,
been suceessful in saving the Hie tetwifellow creature
with Zebu') he was not connected. •
The Defendant received an excellent cbaracterfrom
espectable witnesses.

The ftECORDEA, in addressing de Jury, expressed
it as his opinion, that there was notMng in the übjec-
ties to the wording of the indictment, which soli-
ciently pointed, out an offence, and-whieh offence had
been dearly proved in evidence. As to the situation
of Mr. Skeen°, his rank and prospects in life, aed
the powerful teiesids he had—they were all aggrava.
tions of his guilt, and of the offence of the present
Defe,edanl, who would have fareurkt Ms escape from
public, justice, What would Istre been said of the
law of Altla Country, the probdest boast of which
was, that it took equal cognizance of the rich and of
the pour, if this powerful and richly-allied matt had
been suffered to escape,'while a-poor man, for the
same offence, incurred certain death. .
Tho Jury found the Defendant—Guilty. -
The Rsconor it declared the sentence of the'Court
to be, after due consideration of the circumstances of
the cue, and to deter others from the commision of,
similar offences, that the Defendant do pay a fine a
501.; be imprisoned iu the gaol of .New for twelve
fills
calendar months, and do, at the ex ' . of that
time, find sureties to keep the peace Otime yea!".
The Defendant addressed the COtirti4bigging
__that'
they would revise their sentence, pod:to banish it
at once to. Botany Bay. It had been truly said, *it
no wee, however pure his principles, could explitt,
on his return from confinement for any length'
time in a.common prison, to be an object of trust

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