The Statesman.
London, England, 1809-07-04 00:00:00

V

iyastings afterwards went into the room where
Mrs. L. Znd the Defendant were; when Mrs. L.
said, they (meaning the servants) had ruined her.
The Defendant said, Int made a great fuss about
nothing; he harraenly come to expostulate with
Mrs. . and to prevent any further communica-
tion between them by letter. Hastings then re:
'abided him of the promise made to him ; and told
him. if he had acted honourably, and kept his
word, he should ham kept the secret from all the
world. The Defendgs never admitted that he
bad had any improper intercourse with the Plain-
tiff's wife.
The Lady's maid was also called, who spoke
as to her mistress usually haring her to sleep in
the same bed, in the absence of Mr. L.; but that
being at the Defendant's father's, on a visit, and
the Plaintiff not there, her mistress changed her
usual custom, and she slept in an adjoining room.
In the middle of the night she heard a noise, as if
the bolt of the door was raised, and somebody
entered. The bed was tumbled unusually, and
the nest night Mrs. L. desired that the door might
not be bolted. On the morning after the 10th of
March last, she examined the bed and observed
it was very much tumbled, and Mrs. Loveden's
shift was as much disordered as if it was wrung
out like wet linen. But she observed no other
marks from which she could determine that the
Defendant had slept with Mrs. Loveden.
One of the servants also stated, that is last sum.
mcr, on a Sunday, the family went to Church,
Mrs. Loveden staid at home, and the Defendant
met her in the summer house, and was with her
for some time. That he then took his horse and
went away before Mr. Loveden returned. Mrs.
Loveden had not eloped with the Defendant. but
was now living with her mother. She had no
children by the Plaintiff. Very slight evidence
was given as to the manner in which they lived
together, but there was no attempt by the De.
fendant to show any misconduct by the Plaintiff.
Mr. Serjeant BEST commented upon the ea.
deuce, and denied the charge altogether.
Lord Eacessonomen, C. J. summed up the
case, and 'said it was merely a gyration, whether
the last act of dishonottr bad been committed ; for
as to the familiarity of the Defendant, and the as.
tare of his designs, there could be no doubt.
The Jury retired for an hour, and returned a
verdict for the Defendant.

OLD BAILEY.

FRIDAY, JUNE SI

B:fore Sir SIMON La BLANC.
MURDER.
Samuel Davy laps
.put to the bar, and ar.
raigned on two separate indictments, for the mur.
der of Sarah his wife, and Henry, his infant child,
of five or six months of age. The Prisoner (who
appeared to he perfectly stupified, and never raised
his eyes from the ground during the whole of the
trial) upon being called on to plead to the indict.
meat, guilty or not guilty, answered, in a tow
voice, " Guilty, I suppose." Upon the Learned
Junax desiring him to be told to plead net guilty,
he did so accordingly. He was then given in charge
to the Jury.
Elisabeth Blackman, the mother of the de-
ceased, was then called, and, under considerable
agitation, detailed the . circumstances attending
this most malsochoky„ catastrophe.—She lived in
the house with het *Abler and son.in.law.
They lived at No. 8, Skinner-street, Soarer's.
town. On the 4th of June, the Prisoner desired
her to bring the bed, in which she slept with
two of her grandchildren, up stairs to the room
in which he and his wifo slept, with their in-
fant child of about five months old. She did
so, the next day, Monday the sth; they all
slept that night together in the same bed-
room, and retired to their respective beds. She
awoke about half-past four, and finding the Pei.
soner (who had not got any rest for a week before)
and his wife asleep, she would not awake him;
he used to lie all night awake, talking to himself
and moaning. She went to sleep again, and
awoke about half.past six ; she saw the Prisoner
standing by his bed-side; and her daughter bloody
—alarmed at the sight, she hurried the two boys,
who were in bed with her, one about ten, the
other about six years of age, out of the room,
to call fur help. lie bad a hatchet in his hand;
she attempted to snatch it from him, and the
handle came off in the stteggle. He pulled
his wife out of the bed, and said to the wit.
ness, " Do let me pat this poor creature out of
her misery." She had seen him give her a blow
with the hatchet before she got it from him. She
then ran out of the room, to call for help; and
her daughter was dead before she returned. The
unfortuthate Prisoner at the bar had not been right
in his head since last May fire years ; he had bees
twice during that period confined in St. Lake's
Hospital. He had been very low-spirited about the
period of this misfortune, and she had reason to
believe his insanity was then returning on him.—
His wife bad made the observation to her, and had
said he was always worse in the month oiJunc.—
He had been always a kind and affectionate bus.
band and father. She rather thought the derange-
ment was a family disorder ; a sister of his was in
the same state at the present time, and obliged to
be kept under restraint. He had been four months
confined, the first time in St. Luke's; ho was
never right in his senses since that period.—
There never had been any disagreement between
him and his wife.
James Davis, It butcher, living in the neighbour.
hood, ran up stairs upon the alarm being given by
the children. He put his head in at the door which
stood close to the top of the stairs. He saw the
wife sitting up in the bed, her head all over blood,
and the Prisoner standing by the side of the bed
with his lap-stone in his hand. (He was a shoe}
seeker by trade.) lie cried out to him, et For'
God's sake what are you doing ?" To which he
replied, " Go down stairs, or I will murder you."
thereupon_ pulled his head back, sod imme-
diately the Prisoner hit the deceased over the head
"With the stone, and down she fell ; he then hit her
three or four times on the head. The Prisoner then
build round and took a razor off a Chair by

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