The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-08-06 00:00:00

ASSIZB INTRIZIGENCIL

WESTERN CIRCUIT. EXLTU, Atm. 2.

CLOWN 111011.--)11.11D1ft.

John-Chapman. "one who love not wisely, bat too
well," stood charged with the murder of Sarah Limp-
min his wife, at Week, St. Pancras. on the 20th of May
lest. It was a case of as deep iut ttttt as was ever hear.'
in any Chart ofJustice, and one in which an nnuanal
degree of pity and counnisserstion was manifested for
the unhappy being about to be tried. We lament that
the limits of out paper prevent as from gain/ into a
lengthened detail of the evidence, and therefore we can
only give the heads of this and the other cases of the
day. It appeared that this unhappy man had been mar-
tied to the deceased only " nine menthe," when he had
bat too much reason to doubt her idelity to him. The
sequel proved his suspicion to be well founded, as her
partiality for other men became indisputable, particu-
larly to a person named William Robinson, with whom
she had gone so far as to have theceremony of a "sham
marriage performed over a broomstick aaJ a prayer-
book at a public.house." oaths very morning of the day
on which she lost her life. The prisoner was told by a per-
sop, that his wife was seen walking in a field not far off
wills this man, and intending only (as be said in a
written defence put the Court) to frighten Robin-
son. he went for' a gun which he did not know to be
loaded, and which it was sworn to have been done by a
person to whom it below/ex', to kill crows in March
last. On his overtaking them be desired the wife I. go
bark, and on her refusing to do so be lost all recollec-
tion of himself, and in a state of mind bordering on
madness fired the piece, which was loaded with small
.hots, she instantly fell dead. Several witnesses swore to
ate subsequent ;agony of his mind. Be had been a most
kind and affectionate hushan.l, and treated his ..ife in the
teadereat manner • at the hearing of which scarcely a dry.
eye was seen. The Learned Judge charged the Jury on
the law of the caw. There wore Vera questions. Pala
his Lordship, for the consideration of the Jury. Was
he (the prisoner) at the time he coinoiltied the act, in
soda a State of mind as to know what lee did ? for. if
he were. the. was he goiltrof smelter ; for the cos-
diet of his wife. however had it might leave been.
.uld net jastif, tho.act ; nor amid passion. put in
tit scale, weigh is his . The law presumes a

~,v,

PRICZ SEVU PENCE

. - •
mad men to be a person a* capable of jades% what
he said or did, aid is suck eases it did set aware* to
murder; bat if the prisoner was at the time is his
right reason, and knew the gan is lei leaded, then it
amounted to that crime; on the contrary, if he did
ills* it would osly *Mos* twaittasliagister. It was,
therefore, for the Jury to coasider this is their minds,
dad if any doubt *Wed. the prisoner would be un-
titled to that deibt, aid he eariiihed_oe misnoderstand•
ing of the law to go to dot pi:Mc—the ease was left
to them' and the life if the prisoner depended en
their wevelier. which he had so doubt would be founded
%Pi 604 t view of the err. • The Jury eoasultrd for
lieheei ttmr, end bruited titti siiappy man is Guilty
Afittislorgliter, to the higl satislaatiou of every
Assess la Coart.. The Judge, 1..41* ;so* %sling
itetteber. sentenced Mai le see year!, •Impeiaoseaens
;sod hard labour id she Howes et Co„.*Hetio.
Miry Glbeest:sigeill yams, ileintiful ea, need
.charged with the capital ofienri of isalielpssly setting
rive *SiSio'bunses, the prbperty of Willis* Matthews
and Astullearle, in Statutes, es 411 iget Of March
last. The first count of the indietiseete4ailed leas-
e ech as it sot-state she knee* semitsAlso occupied
'the cottage—on the scone; it weittdeftgary, by the
Learned Judge's directions, to say.. Whither they *aid
believe a girl, like the Prisoner, souldlitgeilty, from
*e evidence they bad baked, ofirilfuty setting fire to
;the beaks statul,do the indletaiest, wad •if they did
*et, of coarse the must be acquitted. All that had
'bees said was, that she had thrown a lighted eick
'cite the yar4ty, by which two cottages were burnt
dew*—aed that, when queetioned 'eV to her hosier
;sitilieesittad the Let, she said, bersting;lfitgVars, ``
aim sorry fiat it!" and again—" 0 if tbq had seat case .
bat to Lneeloi. this 'mild *tree hare happened!"--
words. said Os sompassionate lead (*hog Judge, I
skink, too vague tooosvist the pilos* of ibis dread-
.l6l charge.
.Titeldiflishastily *lilted ter.
. . •
..MURDER. •-`
Mai Marld and Ann ,Heald stood charged with
violent suspicion of baying, es of April last.
it the parish Of Egg HachisaiL wilfully murdered a .•
newborn female bastard child. It appeared that the
'unfortunate woman had delivered herself with the aid-
ef grandmother (Ass hloold,) and put tie child
sway in a heap of salmi sear the cottage she lived in,;
sad the talk about Mary Mould's being with child.
*ad *thee eiresonstasoes *Whig it excite suspicion,
dos wiss 'ceased of it, and committed by the Magi.- •
Irate on suspicion of the .order. .On the surgnoei '
being examined, he stated this there appeared to its
;had Hie incisions as If cat with.seme • sharp instra7.,
-these, tot this aught hays hemilorge a spade, or ether
~,tidy seed is the seerctiag the obild is tie place where -
'it was fused. -- He bad up di** bat- that the child as.
was bora alive; hot is asnwiti to a qaestioa put by the- '
Judge as to whether its death might sot be occasioned
by the igsorance tba medlar iteeplog it too merle
under her clothes is lied,• sod srliether it alright sot
I ceder see* eiressestatices liens stiforetionf—hr
acid it might. After the whole"liad been gone Orin' a.
and the Judge bad recapitulated the *Wen*, the
Jury acquitted both the prisosers of the warder. bat
fused theta both guilty of coot-celiac the birth
Judgment, one year's iusprisoninest in the House of
ikerestion.

At the Sbrevrsbury Assizes on Saturday last, the trial
of Joseph Downing for the warder of his brodier:in-law.
eases on and excited aocominon interest. The indict-
ment charged the prisoner with having, on the 3.1 of .
April last, given Samuel Whitehouse a mortal Wow on
the hack part ol the bead with a gun-barrel of which he
languished till the sth of April, when be died.
The prisoner in a firm tone pleaded Not (hilly.
After evidence was hoard at great length,
Mr. Justice Ilavtav addreised the Jury. Ile had not
stopped the case because when life was lost it was right
that all the circumstances @build be investigated with
the greatest care. But now. he thought that every ,
probability was in favour of the prisoners innocence.—
The Jury immediately said that they were s.tislieJ, and
found a verdict of Not Guilty.
Mr. Justice BavLsv then said—" I think it right in
the presence of the prisoner and of all who have heard 0
the trial, to express Day opinion that if the uufortunate
deceased did COOlO to his death by beman bands, which
is by no means clear, it appears trout all the evidence
that it was from otherhands than those of the prisoner."

Ahuut five o'clock •. se. on Friday 'pennies% an •
explosion took place in Crefhpit, near this town, be. .
lunging to the Earl of Lossdale, in eonsecrence of
tine of the workmen, Henry Fitzsimonr, having un-
screwed the top of Ms Davy's Safety Lamp, in order
to seek for his beer bottle in an old working. Five
persons were' scorebed—three in a trifling degree,
one not expected to recover, and Fitzsimons, the an-
ther of the mischief is dead.--(1F/titeisdin Gazette )
Charlie Lee, condemned at the late Assizes for ,
Hertfordshire, was bang on Wednesday last, opposite
the goal at I error . for burg try. Be ore he was
%amid off he acknowledged bevies woken epee seven-
teen houses, besides many other daring robberies.
At the Guildhall, Exeter, on Friday, a charge was
made before the Mayor, against Mrs. Street, the tut.ther
of Miss Drusilla Street, of an attempt to poison her
husband, previous to the elopement, ot which Gm public '
bare lately heard so much. John Bennett, 'hum .ker,
in St. Sidwelip, deposed that he called on the defendant '
to borrow 7s. She said she could pet him in a way to '
get EU; he asked how? and she replied, '• By poison-
ing my rogue of a husband." She shows I him some
white stuff, mixed up in a tea-cep, Which she said 'was '
arsenic she bail gut to poison rats with; but she did net
think it was strong enough, and gave hies money to go
to Mr. Reeve's to bay. souse more. lie went and asked
for some arsenic I. poison rats; Mr. IL told Wm aux -
004RiCII was better, and gave bin. some. While this de-
position
was making the defendant cried bitterly, Ma
exclaimed " Lord have mercy upon me !"- -A conversation "
then took place bet Ween the Counsel and Attorney; on
'the amount of bail necessary. Mr. Street said he (eared . I
be should be obliged to leave Exeter to be safe from his
,wife. •Mis. Street (in great agons), " I won't injure
bid —I Won't Injure h;la a nin's pilot." It was,ulti- •
maail
ely, agreed to take the 4411 et two persons. in AWL
e , for beroppearenso. at -the Sessions to &Rawer the
charge.—(Ykerborac Me. coy )