The Statesman.
London, England, 1820-09-14 00:00:00

OLD MAO.

•
esterday, tilt &Woos arm •pened in the n•ual
, at the Justice lialL before Mr. Baron Brabant,
. Justice Rest, Mr. Justice Richardson. thn Lord

yorAteeorder, ke.

"ishe first ttial called on was tbat of George( Orford
d Peter ?'glrr under a charge of burning the bowie
t l'bilip Hambrick..
_

The Prisoners Immediately pleaded (►silty.
Mr.. Baron thAnni exhorted them to withdraw
plea, humanely reminding them of the conse-
winces of persisting in it. His Lordship's advice,
VWCVer had no effect. The plea was recorded.
Aasott.—John beteg, a respectable looking man, I
Wag put to the bar, charged, under the 43d (leo. 3.
(Lord Ellenborough's Act), with feloniously setting
fire •u the Old King's Head publie-house, in Shadwell,
on the fith of Jun.. last (which belonged to the prisoner),
with an intent to defraud the Sun Fire Office. There
were other counts, chargingthe injury• dune the land-
lord. Ike.; but they were given np.
N.ichard Langley, of Lute-Line, Ratcliffe, said he
1• new the prisoner in question. On the sth of June
I:v.t he heard the watchman spring hi.: rattle, and
t►e•srd a cry of " Fire." It was after ten o'clock at
uipht; witness was She first to enter the house ; he
riit in through a back window by means of a ladder;
the door was bolted on the inside ; the house was full
of smoke. I■ the bar there was fire under a cask,
u hit+ witness put out. Many others cau►e in after
Fins. In the teller there was a Are iu the middle of
the door, bat no blue. Witness thinks the water
it Melt they threw down from the bar load put out the
ti:e. There was no Ire-place in the cellar. Witness
found embers in a closet on the gerood floor. He also
f •un I snore pa per., partly bllrtleti, 111.1 the
of which hail been e

I -res-examined.—There were wittier coal., or wood
in the cellar : there. Iva., however, a lar2ze
,try staves there, which were piled the

- Thomas Jameson, of Sha !well, entered the house
ni!l: the last c itnems, and contirnit ;I the teNtitoony 1:1.
lal given. Witness looked over the whole honse :
the beds were of a wrehrhed deseription ; renhl not %AV
%%hillier they had recently been slept in ; the beds had
VAnket., hnt no sheets upon them.
icltard Wilan, an officer at Shadwell, agreed with
I! e perelling witn . as to the eonditi .l the
hou.r when he entered it. Witne.s npripril the clip-
board d.or in the bat k parlour; dikes not recollect
rhether it was hasped or not ; believes it opene.l it ill-
ue• There was a civil ileal of paper its the
tupbosrd, it was burning when n orench the
dit.rr ; there was alto two hutolles of candles in the
cet,board ; they were melted by the he.it : its the bark
par'otur nitness found a tinder•lsts• sone. niAelo-.. and
a while half burnt out ; sense tire was in the ;:r ite.
Witness stated the bras to have hail no sho et. on them,
there was no property in the drawers : there was very
litt!e property in the lion.e.
_ _ _

. .
Cr.,ss-elattoinet—Witne.: de.eribed the tinder-box.
iv. They appeared to he in such a oat.• ai to hr
fur souse one •eturning 1

Mr. Rawlins. hrcu..ut of the Phenix Fire-office, was
tl.. reff:sl 1010 I.at the fire out in therellar. Some
s,.,res heaped near the partition. Intl been set tire to.
Witness u eot immediately in scarch of the prisoner,
and found him at the house of Mr. Jones, of Stepney-
ciluseway, al.out twelve o'clork at night. On asking
if Rates was there, somelm It said " Is there a lire."
Witness was then tire-. ed in the office lit try. Ile re-
pled " Yes :•' and the prisoner awn proposed going
uith the witness to the house. Thew want according-
ly. A person of the 1/31111e of Wells, who was with
tLem, asked Rates if he bat' been that erening to his
17uuce, and he said he locked the door after him, and
that he was the last person who had been there. In
a• a ref to a question respecting the keys of the house,
vrisoner said he supposed Mrs. Hates had the keys.
erass-examined.—The closet where the litortet paper
aati candles were found was three doors (non the Cellar.
TLere was no fire in the room in which the closet was.
The interreeing Boors were not burnt.
John Martin, a constable, eorroho.ated the forever
u•tness.s.• He accompanied them to the 1e.).1,e on the
night in question.
slums+ Matthews, a watchman, saw the (lours of
C.e house broken open by Langley. Ile went in. and
described the appearance of things as pretioe,ly
s;inken to.
Cross-examined.—The doors it ere chained mid bolt-
ed, Itnt he conk, nut say whether they were I,.e!!etl.
Joseph Greenaway, a liretnan of the Sun lie. -olfier,
came to the spot'irlien he heard of the hie. lie hest
asked the prisoner what office he had insured in : pri-
soner replied in the Suit. Witness then desired to 5,e
the policy, and the prisoner, taki ne it unto) his pocket,
4:uwell it to him. Witness took down the toot:her of
the policy.
Robert Atkins, of the salone odic', said he was snb-
seriLing ttitness to the pulley-.
The policy was then put in and read. It .l to
slow that ti:e prisoner had insured his house, lurid-
t"re, stock in trade, &e. for upwards of 1,1001. It
was signed by three directors, in whose name the pro-
Secte.ioll 55'35 carried on.

41 witness proved some plyment% of the premium by
tte • prisoner.
James Toplis, appraiser to the Sen fire-office comp.
vy, went to the premises to value the property which
th.• prisoner had insured. Witness was of opinion the
ter- in the cei;ehoard could nut be ere casionell by tfte
fate in the cellar. Witness's valuation did not Make
ti e whole property in the house worth snore than
about 115!., though he hail insured for iipwards'of
I,loof. Witness saw the prisoner the saner day. lie
asked him if he had suffered any loss. Bates said lee
last a portmanteau' which was under his bed, aml in
ichirli was a silver teapot, a gold neck-lace, nine silver
spoons, two sliver snuff-boxes, and some heeler, and
forks:- This, with some plates in the kitchen, was
the only loss he 11,4 snstaineil, over and above what he
Lad insured fur. Witness said, the circumstances of
t!ee fire were so suspicions, that lie was almost sure the
office would not refund him. The prisoner only said
that was a hard ease.
In answer to a's.question from the Court, lie said, the
heels in the howic ei'd not rijumir as if they were made
lip :4,r le ii)le to deep that welt in them. There was
only two doors tv the house, front and a back door.