The Statesman.
London, England, 1819-08-06 00:00:00

could be mote reasonable than the sepposilino, that
as she Ind had she ceslody or them, ond

STAR. V. SC %MMES.
Me. Sorjeant stat•rl this to be an action
browoht to mower damages for a most base and en.
justifiable :Riot. The Plaintiff. Sophia Sisk, was •
yming woman only 22 or II years of ago. of theorist
itapicachable character; sod thoogb raderod by
neressity to the situation of a domestic in the family
of ihe Defendant, " ones had friends, and fortune
smiled detoitfel on her birth." She. was, indeed,
descended tr'b a most respectable family, and her'
cooresions wore still of a grade in life much seperior
In that which she bad been compelled to 11. The
Defendant was a professional imam residing at Ply-
mouth. Up to the middle of last May, her service
•iiparonity bad boon as tutorial to her mister, as it
bad limn creditable to herself. it was painful to be
obliged to detail family miss-midget ; but it woo his
duty to allode to serif cirmienstatices, where the ease
otisnlntely demanded his doing so. About that lime,
auspiriuns which had masted of an improper
tmimacy 100 aeon the Defendant and a female of the
name of Wright, who tended in his house. hail
ripon..l such a certainty, as seemed, to the virtu-
ous mind .'f flop Plaint ff, imperative no her
itwme-
di.iely In p,• .1 he. She loft it accoldiogly ;
and is a• this ocr.siort that oh.. [Mention, pub-
halloo Itir for shirh he now ntititessed Inmotlf to
the Jury for an arliqoato reparation, coatd that, in.
deed, four he made for the loss of o.ureeter which
the charge of theft is sore to occasion, shore. as in
the present can., innocence is betrayed by poverty to
the merciless IffPOle of malice. Willing, the
slight..' reason, the D.fondant lied dared to publish
of the i'laiiiiiff the follosing false and scandalous
band.hill. wt ich he circulated most esi•eisively :
.. Mammoth. May 10.-51. Reward.
Whom' %opine Soak. my a mast. Woos 'ea from my
house yo.terelay earning. and is auppmed to hare &Womanise
of sty plait.; whoeser halt apnrea ad Me said Sophia Stak
stall.opon her 11,0111011•11. traft%! Me moil. sun of N.—
She is about .5 years of ay% ,loan and Inc-it roloomil s whoever
harbastr. her shall be prommed acrotdista to taw."
And what was the ausipiciou whisk hid cached This
most gross onstage on her unsullied character? The
Derondstit charged her south ete.lsog two silver
spoon-, when, with the ciinfidonte of immune., she
sifferril heisoff berme she May or of PI, mi.oth, and
demanded to knot. to* arm& of such base and false
aspersions, the Defendant did not dire to ammo to
pidowicuto his visa... The 'pitons it would he
prve-11, were •r.Of .141,4 found in the Defendant's
own boas*. Th• bine. however, hail been stuck :
no innorrorts Rt.s.lti slats her: sl:e rent to eller lief.
self in ~,tire—she wens rejected with disdain—abe
was Peon d.ivesi from the house where the had re.
tired on testier I hat of Ficamool, .tth rare) mate'
of psi: to' deeiortatii n. Above all. sl.O osperimicsol
that most oppugn's* of milo'irs—the b•iiit pointed
at by •,14.7 F.• fur, as the pircloimod proscribed
thief—the oiliest at ~roue of most abhorrence and of
kcal everyone,. The le armed Coons., concladrd,
after $ few more otts•ltslinns, a most animated ad.
dries to the Jo,y by r-ll'iie his witnesses
The first was an Officer in the Mil or's Court,
Pis mouth. lie romesn'oro I the Plaintiff and U.
01,41• tot befog bolls p.**lllo h*llner Ih* M.,nr on
the V 9 it of May last. The former had boon charged
by tbr latter with stealing his spoons The hand-
bill in question was shown to she D f udart, on that
tocca•ion, by his attorney : Defendant said it was
printed at his regime,. It had been stork about the
town of Plywood,. Plaintiff gave herself up: she
was not in the. t @nod, of . cohatatiie. Sraminel ,
said he had Inca two spoons. Ploisitiff denied haring
takrn their. Witness smirched her lodgings, but
could not find them. lie accused her of •hsconding
from his novice: -to !Wool, 1,41 he had had inter-
course wiik smother omorn in the absence of his wife,
and that .he left his smite solely on that account.—
On hi• ross-esamination, he said, th.t he most have
known if any one bad taken her in comedy ; that
be did net recollect the Dofetidant's charting her
with toting away hor trunk Omagh a window, or
of his reminding her that he bad forbidden her to go
that evening.
A young lootly, of a very importable apparent*,
temomberod Plaintiff's applying to be taken into her
service on the ni May last She gad declined her
offer, on account of her being accused of theft.
Another "'lilies', Smohorlands, said that the Pais- I
tiff slept at his boast a hen ate ossified Stammel's sot,
vice, hot that Le bad .ordered her to leave It for scvis„
sal reason One was. that he was liable to a pro.
emotion for keeping I.er ; soother was, that lie did
olit choose to harbour a thief, and that he had reason
to fast he should iiffsiori &maw.
(*.weber Fryer redidod in the Defendant's house at
the time Pliiinti9 was there. In point of fart, know
the Cher g ing, but does not think that her
intention woo known to the Defendant. T. • latter
twirled her not to go; he told her that, as she bad
esideaviiered to rein him sod Mrs. Wright, he
mould give her a character. The whims said,sha
wen• sway at the soma time, Intl did not return.—
The Plaintiff often complained to her of the Defend.
ant's county io attempting to tate away her charac-
ter, by raying she had stolen plate. Witness left
bar place on &tenant of a circumstance which bed
happened on the Sunday, the same which was the
nese of the Plaintiff's going away.
The hand-hill was here put in and mid, and Mr.
ADAM made a 'cry ingenious defence. Admitting
the Defendant to be the author and publisher of the
libel, ag it was called, be besought the Jury to con-
fider, whether he was ant folly joatifivel in calling
the politic attention to the apprehension of a servant,
reasonably ohnosious to the sy•picion of basing pil-
fered his property. A second charge was made
against the Defendaut, as a soppier, to the cause,
should the first fail—that without any reasonable or
pietist'', rouse, he maliciously accused the Plaintiff, I
before the Mayer, of having molen his property. Tim!
Jury would I* timed. bowever, that tibia west be
proved to bare been dose without say reasonable or
probable ruse: that it wooden, maliciously, would
out be sufficient for the popes,. Much had beta
*aid Pf her situation in life ; but it meat he colloid's-
led, before complaisit is so fetidly made of her charac-
ter being injared, whether the has herself done any
thing to impeach, to compromise that character.—
The spoons, it was stated, bed been found Wise-
geesily. The appernticts.itirl was called: why was
she not minified to ibis? The Plaintiff had quitted
her Maio id a clauJcstine smart : she was forbid.

ed in 'tech • clendestitv wanner, •he had t+ken theon
.ith her? It Iraq by no means to be inferred from the
charge h.ing di•mi.•rd when before the Magistrate.
that sorts ptos•abfe MVP did not exist. In the mo•
went of ' ' a.ion at bring accused of an imttropet

intimacy with Mrs. IViight, was it so unnatuial for
him to wir anmNUinß of the sort ..f violent isnpig..
when speaking of the Plaintiff? This, willinat re-
mits, to moray motives, *Datil account for and

palliate vibes had been said by Defendant.
The apprentice girt was called, who proved that the
Plaintirs boa was give° ►er net of a *iodate ; the'
her snorer told witness he missed Iwo small spoons

and some salt.spoons imwedistely afterwards. She'
said, she bad not seen them for a long time before ;
that he was not in the habit of sodou them; Oat Ar
told her 111411. Pf VIM nut of the fire spoons in use
were in the ruphosrd, and that she had trashed the
other two in the moritiog for the use of the family.—
She was present when Plaintiff perked up her bolt :
there wss then nu shadow of suspicion that she had

stolen any think.
Mr. Seritant YELL., in a most animator! t•ply, , de.
onmina.rd this as one of thr moo striking in.lantes
he remembered of complicated eto•It) and Wu/10nd
ilr enirestrd the .Ivry, as far as danoge, could raw
the purpose, to vindicate the l'lsinvitr+character, to
mark their abhorrence of the Defrodant'srondoti,

and to afford another instance of the noble purposes
a Jury , when they apply their understainlings
in favour of justice and of right. " I have, perhaps,
imprudently described her as well connected: hoe
sinks all honour to he derived from family into insig-
',Wrestler, in comparators of that exaltation of chew-
ter to whirls • young person entitles herself, by such
a strong mural feeling as was shown by the Plaintiff
here. It was objected to her, that she *Post out of
the house clandestinely ; it was the part of every vir•
thous seinen, ender such ciocetristances. if the door
ei reshot on her,thgo out of the window. The Learned
Gontlensaii here commented on the evidence very forci-
bly. She hid herself at Sisistherlands three sights;
but she was obliged to quit her asylum there. She
was without a Isiend in the world but the Judge and
Jury, who acre that day to restore her to friends—
character—to life itself, taken from her as it had
twee, .ten malice denied her the *leans whereby In
live. What probable cause was there for the De-
fendant's conduct I will tell your, Gentlemen; it
is peen you by himself. What does he say to her
at her devotion.? " As you have attempted to rain
me and Mrs. Wright, I will give you a chai acter."—
This. and ibis only, afforded a clue to unravel the
infamous traistisclion. Guardians of the public me.
rats, it sell became a Jury to visit with the •stremett
vengeaoce of the law a crime like this. Whatever
were the damages, boweter, the injury eaceeded
',station, in the same manner as imputation ()olives
tindirstion; end in spite of the aci;eittal of a Jury,
inventive •candal will still be found ready to adopt
the recollection of the unfounded charge, and to point
the shaft barbed with this mortal venom against her
pet, ahil unsullied character.
Mr. Baron GRAMM* ably summed up the evidence
to the Jury. lie observed, that absconding seemed
to insinuate a lying from justice—an attempt to
escape from Its reach. Was this the case here, where
the Plaintiff was seen to bate voluntarily surrendered
? The Isarned Judge very strongly alluded
to the presence of the Defendant, *ben the Plaintiff
was present before the Mayor, end his suffering her
to be di.i barged without (allotting up his accusation
with • prosecution. There was not a tittle cf
deuce to prove any thing lost even. The whole ape
peered to him an inescusuble attempt to thin • young
person's character, end thereby to cover the infamy
of one clime by the commission of another. The
Jury returned their verdict immediately—Damages,

It appeared in evident., that the parties ars both!,
watermen„ the Iliintiff of London, and the Defend- I
ant of Greenwich. In the automat of lest year, Fir I i
Thongs Wilson, who is celebrated for aquatic •
amusements, and °reaps in* the estate of Charlton.
on the banks of the Thuile., proposed to give a
wiz...wherry to the best busman of 'is on the Rtver,
in throe heats, to be rowed from Black ft i•rs to
Vaushall-bridge.The Plaintiff and the Defentlant,•ith
four other watermen, became candidates for the prim..
On the Ist of October, the race took place; bet
here appearing to be some foal play between the
Wiles. Sir T. Wilson refused to make any sward of
the prise. Ina few days &fiery/lards another race took
place, bet the same combed having marked the de-
n, of the competitors, no adjudication well
made. At the suggestion of the parties, Sir Thomas I
consented to another race on the 2d of November,
and on that occasion the Plaintiff was declared
to be thew inner, and the boat was delivered over to
him by judges. The Defendant afterwards contrived
to art the boat into bis possession, and the conver-
sion was admitted.
Mr. Justice Nitu was of opinion, in point of law,
that the action ws, well brought.
Verdict tor the Plaistiff—Daseges 231. 2s. the
vales of the boat.

.d7'7'EN Pi ED ASSASSINATION.

Yesterdsy evening, about rig o'clock, the neigh-
bourhood of Sonw•Iill, was thrown into the greatest
consternation, from the eircssostsnce of a mars having
matte a most atrocities attempt to assassinate his wife
in the parlour of the Saracen's Heed Inn. The par.
ticelars of this dreadful', me are as follow :—About
sis months sin, the mite of Mr. Henry Stem, boot
and shoemaker, at Pimlico, absconded from her
home with another man, leasing a family of mall
children on her husband's hands; she was traced with
her paramour to Liverpool, where they took their
p.ssage for America, end nothing was heard of them
far some time. Mr. Stunt's °sightseers observed,
that the cireentstence seemed to prey heavily on his
miod; but still he paid the greatest attention to the,
children. His faithless wife embarked with bee
seducer on board the Wittiest, shout the month oil
M itch ; but before they bad been many days at
sea, the vessel met with an accidest, and after
vainly end ring to steer for America, they
were driven to the necessity of tusking the best of
their ese to Liverpool, which they gelded• with
sorb diffi oily and in great distress, after being toss-
ed shout a long time upon the ocean. At Liverpool
a quarrel arose between Mrs. Steot and her para.
mow, end he quitted her. She was theo left desti-
tute, a prey to the keenest remorse ; but after many
streeeles with conicience, she determined oo seeking
her wronged bestow& throwing herself on her knees
before hint, and ;mplurine his mercy. For this pur-
pose she ohteined a conveyance, and arrived io Lan-
don yesterday mousing at the Saracen's Heed, Snow.
Rill. About one o'clock she wrote a note to her
basband, repressive great contrition for her errors,
and imploring him to call on her at the ion at air
o'clock. Accordingly, shout that hoer, Mr. Strut
came ; the 11/0/liellit he entered the room be drew oat
a large shoemaket's kalif', end, springing on his wife
with the greatest fury, plunged it several times in her
left side, and stabbed her in the neck. Several men
who were in the porker, and beheld the dreadful act,
seized the assassin, and sith difficulty wrested theme'.
dermas weapon from his hand, whilst the onfottonate
niject of his vengeance fell senseless on the Boor.—
The consternation that followed is isdestribsble;
bander& of persons flocked its on the first gloom, and
it would have been easy for the cried's! to have
escaped. if he chose, but he seemed eyelets and fear.
less of consequences. At length the officers from
Goi.per.street I.:simmer were sent for, who hand-
cuffed Stent, end took possession of the knife ; it bed
been seemingly sharpened for the purpose, and the
point seems to have come in violent contact with the
byres. bone, for it is bent. The woman WAS co.
vered with a table.cloth, and carried on a s!stter to
St. Bartholomew's Hospital, where she was imam-
diairly attended by the Jingle Surgeon, who Munched
the wounds and pet her to bed , but gave so hopes of
her recovery. :Clem is in close confinement.

e'en; they ell come to the DPtenda••••• twat ; she
Isom, to %if him for prolvelion. hot I. totem'

efford Ayr an) Path their latish.; rhe beat snit
*.anal tiros undot water. qn tSat AP wort pasted
its, and she nig reesplostly wet ',slough all her
rlnthets, which had given her seek s violent cold end
linesman. art 'he cools! rsteely !peek. She *II
so rime/My slasoustl ham she !oat being eider
sitei .vorral times, and the ill end indecent tr•ssuelit
sheet/H.4,nm] frt•at the Urfentieni and the five see

sdeniite(l4nin his bast from snnthrs broil, thst she

fainted. When they were near Wesiminster-hriiige,
she entreated him In put them ashore. and she •...1d

pay him his fare, but be refilled to comply with her
regent. Whew they Int to W.terin..b,idr., he was
Roint thfaullth it, when she screrotert, csti•d for as.
sistsoce, sod insisted on beinj put nn sh.••e• it: es

ht., with much reluctanc►r
_revved his boat to thd

steps of t►e bridge on t►e Strom! side %ben sire
got not of the boat it was four n'r der It, eh. ►acing
been kept lo his briar an by • and 40 mines's. She
then told the IMes.darst to faille OH) ►er to the toff
lathe steps, and she onuld pay him. lie ~iced
her by the arm, and held up hie Sri to her, ottelopt;
ing to strike her. She having paid him, abd We:
cited herself from him, called for the watch, lobed
one from the I.,ceows and or•e !rem the verand came
to her assist .nee; ho•ever, on their approaching himi
be got into his boar end rowed off. This ‘,. •enent •atl
confirmed by her coorrninn, Elizsbesti Weren't, libel
also charged Sim. Abel, whom oho oborreed an the
Office, with Wog cope of the Gee men who came into

their best howl the ether, and with assaulting t.er.

The Magistrates not only jest!, reprobated thw
wateramm's ootragenes and internals% conduct iu the
particular case, but said that their conduct in gene.
ral was so estreasely bad se to he a pahlic scandal..
The Magistialos confewd that they would sooner
put op with any iIICI uvraienco then go into s bast.---
It was impossible to satisfy them with money, for
their demands had nn !mends, sad iheii general in.
science and miebehaTiout was not t• be endated, and
which was not confined in the man employed, brit he
Wag joined by bodies of them spending their time is
idleness at the lap of the Stairs, booting and Washita(

13•61 M.
Day was convicted in the penally with costs, end
Abel ordered to find hail.

M Anatol,- -Four young Ives, aimed Ewe.
rib Green. Broughton, ami llodgsett, were charted
with having otiositied money under false pretences
from Mts. Gould, of I.ondoo.wall, by sneers of a
sham letter. The Prisnoers, it appeared, from the
confession of one of them, were pert of a gang bit
sabsisted by plundering shopkeepers and others, by
pretends g heivy pircels, which they said strived
from the country, bet which were found to consist of
bricks, end other weighty things of on greet 'aloe,
Incept to the firm that bird by them They Were
furnished with printed tickets, and berate sospicios
ass entertained, were oil of reach sub the esorbi•
tint profits of their ape. elation. They *Of. O..neral
Post.men too, and were soccr,dol to a grew moose
in obtaining postage for blank and n.tnselisical letters.
Their business Ives error god upon a complete ay Vern.
Otie wrote the letters, another made op the parre:a,
a third looked sot for directions, mad a North deli.
voted the paper sod received she nth. TM Moly
was repeeleoled as very considerable.
The Prisoners were remsoded, at the levied of tit*
Officers, who taped • great awake of charges et s
similar otter, against them.
THE ROBBERY AT FLINTS.
'Thursday, James Mitchel.. the shopmas at Fliers, ea Fig-
street-hilt, wee folly creasined for trial erg the charge of
bay ias robbig his wisaser's shop.
Mr. Eliot said be had takes as fovea ory Si the property
illausid @Teethe Primmer's premises,in Parivastaisthmreer.
market, sad idessdied most of It. It had bee. wawa Nth*
Comptalmat, hy sae of his yawns wee. that several peewee
held bow in the habit of tallies at the shop (*cruces, winch
dry received from de Primate, and took ad, "Worst paying
dews any mosey.
When Mr. Flint's sisspielemi were raised. and he had applied
le Turopraay, the hirer, it weed...leeward that they should
beth hal is Mitchell, the former having, wining, eine, tried
tedisco.er the nodes/roes. Mr. "list neeseeingls disguid
limself, sad +sawed the ware as well a- appearancesg• Jew.
sag frespeotly did he mime is eosins-I nob Mitchel, te the
ems, of their windirs travels. Tempests, was Oleo %Wile
=
era of losiai his hula. bat the activity of the pistsone
ea at length. Mitchell, epee arriving
.at his New.
leaked about hiss castioway for ai lean the 5C4h one, bed thea
taw the hall door bell. and slipped ism the shop. where he
Vittlll lowa hi. ,111 y inns shock ise the render. Taniperey.
who was dew at his elbow, web op She beadle. and ;parsed
Me with hating nia goods in his poressioa. birdied was
amoisi•bed. hod said itch*/ the ankles from Flues's. Thoestrony•
pee • o Wade, and in came Mr. Flew in his tii-sunts. This
is may a brother dicer Wrier." said be. Pray did you pay
for the snook?" Certaialy," said Miichell i• I paid Mr.
I lieu." Mr. Fliat. as this moment shrew his disguise, and
Mitchell. bet for his wile. who supported Me, would have
tallest to 'brimmed.
Tie lossesimiaised by Mr. Flied, are. we andergard, esti-
mated at 101A1. "rise ammo* isf his repeny fined upon the
Prisoiser's premises is between 1001. and IJOI. There semi%
is area, and 'roily 51. is silver. found upon the person of the
Promotes wife, to whom a SOlifilOf requested the mane,
should be given; M. were sent in her, nod the La, Matra
said, shot it site could prose so his satigaction, she the ewes
wen ow received for Mr. tiint's properly. •he.hwldhaveiiaL
1 Isere was some property as the premises shish had heir
fair., poortneed.
If 11. 111. should he withheld from Mitchell's wife, ea/ be
should be chancing. the Sherif will get hold of it.

Logs HT THE Bo VI CONTAIIIING THE '7.IITE LOST.
—A boat Coming from Nate'? to Woodford. was
aryl ow Friday sennight, doting s trissll. There
were ads persons on board. all of whom sere lost :
among these was the fool post, who bed gorse on
board, probably to smut Memel( the trouble of or a;ka
lag the distance. 'Fhe mail.hags are totally lost.—
Flee of the bodies were thrown ashore; the rialb is
still missing.—( Edinburgh Paper.)
PEDE‘TRI vtit*E. —bluish', the Derbyshire Feder.
Irian, started no Monday at En6•ld, to gn 100 miles
in ti hours. Ile did the first 50 toile% in 10 boors
lend took half en hoot's rest ; bat he knocked op after
doing 60 miles. Ile had fluty hoots left to do the
rosnoisling 20 mile.: hot he was too lame to procoed.
The match was for lOU guineas; and be was backed
sts sad 6 to 4.

On the StA W.?. nt i. Ihnnwer gran'. 710010
Ten Man Feline I limit Drake. Fei. elf Mansell .art. and
Wickland Mennehntatn. in the r ,ustir 4 I/►ven. nephew 4
illie bite Lard Ilentlelleld. to Wenner. milt; alatighter cf Japan
WWII. Loa. of Pterndully, and of La Awn, in Middleses.

DI liU,
Ou she fob laat, at Krati•h•tawa, in ermrqueso r of as hu
juru 'Agonised Au she ireeraern a a *Misr roura. Job* Mlle
Nil', V.I. 4,4 63, lames Sea diadem a &plus c bir tow.

LONDON: Pri,!led ard l'abliked byS. i'rtaT. at

. _
Mit L. Nu. rtiut I k krt.:Wet.