The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-12-28 00:00:00

SUSSIAX WIWI.= ASSIZES, Laws; ()cc. 26.

Before Mr. Justice Bayley.
Robert Weston and John Eastward, were indicted for
having, in the night of the 111th of November, in the
parish of &rewash, Pet fire toe Barn, the property of
John Fleecy:
The Proeemster resides upon a Farm, sear the town
of Ramesh. Os this tarot there was lately standing
a Barn, enntaising nearly all the bay and corn widen
had been grows by Mr. Fleecy :in the present year.
A little beforitolidwiglit. en Sunday, the feats day of
Bleemeillissvitecerie-filieseettOes ho so ihre, the ismeeit
*al* I$M she two and &litigious vide of Aides.
prosecutor, his tremor, and a neither of persons frost
the %twills/ere *non assembled no the spot, and every
possible eternal, was made to extinguish the flames and
WOO the property. Their endeavours were, however;
inf4t:4nel, oleos* as to a load of wheat *bravest, and a'
fee inaplomentsof farming in some of the out-houses,
The remainder of Ike property and premises we're coal.
pithily destroyed.. Among the persons assembled on
that oecasioo, wets the two prisoners, whe assisted is
petting out the fire, and saving the property.
The prim/cuter is one of the overseers of the pariah
of Berwash, and in the habit of attending the-select
vestries held there. The primoners are pauper. in the
i•arisli and receive relief. The Magistrates having
strongly recasuimendell that the evrrsears of parishes
should not grant parochial relief to peeper', who bail
Craws daeghters at home, dressed in a mener supe-
rior to their condition in life ; and the prisoners being
situated in that manner, the vestry frequently refused
to relieve them, until their daughters went into the poor
bees'. Os Saturday, the 2d of November, Weston
applied for relief to the select vestry. and it was refused
to him os the above grounds. The prisoner suspect.
ing the prosecutor, Mr. Fleury. to he the cause of the
refusal, became rreatly enraged against him, and in
a conversation which he had with Mr. Westover, the
assistant overseer, is the ensuing week, he used the.
most ebonite language towards the character of Mr.
Fleury. On Thursday, the 7th of November, be was
heard to say, " I wish I knew my friend (meaning, as
it is sepposed, the prosecutor) d—n seise my blood, if
1 would. not do &job for him, and give him the length
of my scepter On Saturday, the 9.h of November,
Weston was at the house of Mr. Gilbert, one of the select
restrymes. and then said to a younz woman, named
Lucy Word, a servant of Mr. Gilbert, that " Mr. Fleury
was mote against him than any body else, that he
should sot, at and that be abound go about
in the day to see, what be could hook at night:"
and on Lucy Wood's asking him why he did not do it
in the day time ? Weston answered, " because I shall
he seen." Is the evening of the same day be said to
Westover, " I think Mc. Fleury ie the nom who has
prevented my being relieved." and afterwards, "if
there is any one in these great starving the
peor, I think they will have a great deal to answer
for ;" and as be was leaving the house, he said, " Me.
Fl eery is my enemy ; d—n his heart." In the after-
noon of the 19th ofNovemlier (the day the barn was
burned) Weston was again at Mr.Westover's house, and
when fur the same purpose he was rrfu'ed relief, he said
lie a very malicious mender," 1 will be d—d to hell, if I
be not' a watch fur him (meaning the prosecutor) before
to-morrow night." It also appeared that on the night
in question lie had gone to Eastwood's house after nine
o'clock. A person named Clifton now proved that on
the sth of November Eastwood had said to him,
"thst if be could get a couple of stoat fellows, he
would set fire to the barns of Mr, Fleury and Mr.
Button."
Thomas ll.imploreys stated that he was at Eastwood's
loose on the Mtn of November, when Weston came in
and said," he was come according to his wont.to know if
E. 000.0011 had been to Mr. 14% ell port, the Magistrate;"
E ustivowl *dui he had, but 170111.1 Let 101:1:1114 t uw hint.
Weston replied that he 1V0111.: hate a 1;1•11IL! by fair
means or foul, an.l ttia: he haul just giron oh! Jack
Ketch (in mning Westover) a good blot. in;; op, and that
he should like to send (dui Fleury, and all the re.t of
them to het!. Eastwood said if be had a _an he would
sto and shuot twenty of them. It was 0:1 these grounds
the'prisoners were bath aturtA,,,,,,.d.
En. prisoners made no defence, except declaring their
innoeetao,.
The learned Judge, having slimmed uit the evidence,
remarked to the Jury, that is a ease of this ul uscription,
before they could convict the prisoners of the crimes
alleged to have been committed byut—tilitem„saitmlum net per-
formed must
eraer.
he some positive evidence of their g
formed by them from %%ditch a decisive conclusion could
be drawn. This was a case in which, if the pr;soners