The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-07-21 00:00:00

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John Strop otherwise John Barrogre, lahemrer, was
charged witChaving, on Sunday, the 15th jags last, at
the townshipsof Fewster; in the West Riding of the coun-
ty otYork, committed a revs on the person of one Eliza-
beth Pullen, the &welter of John Palle*, Esq. of Blub-
berbouses, in the same Riding.
51r. Jones addressed the Jury in support of tkeprose-
entioo. It was his practice, in cases as serials as the
present, to open a case generally and as briefly as pos-
sible. The lady wbo was the sohject of the present in-
jury was the third daughter of Mr. Pollen, a gnatleman
of property, and agent to Sir Thomas *auklin r' she
h'4d !wee. on the evening mentioned is the iudictisiont,
returning from•the chapel of ease at West end, and bad
talked} ford short time to a Mr. Horseman, an acquaint-
ance of her's, whom she met on the way ;, they parted,
each going a different way, and she was surprissid short-.
ly after at seeing a man lying down in a deMiarrho ac
costed her as she passed him, asked her for a kiesorild
proceeded to take liberties with her, overpowering her
violent resistance, and at length accomplishing his ont•
regrow purpose. The prisoner was a Cambridgeshire
man, employed in working open the new lies of road 'WI
the neighbourhood, and who was afterwards hard in a
place of concealment.
Miss Pallen.a fine-looking young lady, aged la yeah,
was examined to prove the fact alleged in the Indietmeat
She related the history of her walk en the evening abe
was assaulted by the prisoner; first, from the Woke*
rhapol, which was two miles from her father's hanser-o
The service at chapel was over about five o'clock on the
15th June (Sunday), and afterwards she took tea at Mr,
Johu Kay's house, at.Westoind ; her way hosteler by a
Tooth-path, on the whole tine of which, for two miles,
there was only one house. . She met Stephen Horseman
by the way. to the side of the river Washford, who was
a friend of her family, and talked wi'h him perhaps for
ten minutes; he was going towards Wesanowd, and
they parted, their direction lying In different roads.. The
prisoner and another man passed as she was eimwersiag
with Mr. Horseman, going towards Blobberieelleshihw.
When she afterwards advanced twentror thirty yards as
her way, her attention.wu struck by soddenly coming
upon a man lying on the grass, close to -the footpath ;
she walked quietly on that path. She was positive the
prisoner was that man (she kkatiiied him• with great
egitation the prisoner, while she did so, surveying her
with a severe glance;) as she passed the man. he called
ont, there goes a (mole; she pushed on, and he rose up
after her. Horseman was then out of sight; being
frightened at the man, she looked back but could not
tee Mr. Horseman; the time of evening was seven o'clock;
a house wat about a quarter of a milefrom her, and
in eight; she ran forward, as the prisoner was behind;
and, following her, be owertoolt and stopt her, express.
ing his wonder how she could stop and talk with that
Juan (meaning Horseman). She told him, she thought
that roan Was moreeespectable than he was; and that if
lie did not desist from stopping and holding bee on the
read, she would make an alarm to the house yonder, and
then in sight. He said he would have no alarm made,
and likat once threw her down oa the grass, by the'side
of a milldam, the water of which was near at hand : he,
told her he would have a kiss; and she declared he
should not. 'Flu prisoner's former companion was then
vowing by, and must have been previously lying on the
grass. She called to this man for assistance; but he
wonlidnot come. and walked away on the road. She
then described the further particulars of the outrage of
which she bad been the victim.
The prosecutrix underwent a forg crow...gamin itirm by
Dlr. epltman, in which she did not vary her original
statement of the manner in which her injury was receiv-
ed ; but the adniitted, that when the prisoner was dis-
turbed, after accomplishing his purpose, by two persons
who accidentally passed, and afterwards sawher home to
ter father's house he followed them close homewards,
ri-Al•lept at his lodgings, which was close to her father's
14:4,1. The rea.on of her not desiring the men to appre-
it mot him was fear and confusion. She was so distressed
no the same evening, that she did not tell ber mother all
that had happened; but she did on the following morn-
ing.
James Browne Was nett examined.—His evidence was,
that he was a linen weaver at Alenwith. On Sunday,
the 15th Jon., he was passing along the path road near
Ili iliherhousee, and towards that place. John Hall, was
with him then. They saw, as they were crossing over
some pales between the high read and the footpath, this
young hay talking to young Horseman. She afterwards
" dismissed" from him, and went down the path in the
contrary way. They lost the sight of her as they crossed
the river Data. When they saw her the second time
they, were in the same field and 'close with her, and she
was • oppressed" by *the prisoner, who held her down
upon the grass. (:le then described the position of the
parties, which corresponded with the account given by
the piosecutrir.3 From the situation in which they
were, lie was sue the prisoner could not see them until
*Lev actually came up.
John Hall. who was i.e company with the last witness,
corroborated his evidence, and ti.at the prisoner said at
the time be did not care about the matter, and he told the
pi ice irbere he lodged. to which they saw him go.
- Mr.. Ann Pullen, mother of the prosecotrie, appeared
n the witness's box, and stilted the (go of the girl, and
the story of her distress and injury, which she related on
the evening of her return home. But it was not until
the following morning, that she told all that happened to
her.
Mr. John Pullen, the father, proved the disclosure of'
the circumstances to him by Mrs. Pullen on the day after
the occurrence. The witeess was the acting surveyor of
the new line of road, and the prisoner, ivbe was a stran-
ger in the country, a sort of banker, or navigator, was
employed as one of the labourers. He did not know
but traced him among the men.
In his truss-examination, he said that the prisoner
was at his work on the Monday and Tuesday -after this
S:•nrlay.
John Beecroft, the constable of the parish, said, he
had received the warrant to apprehend the prisoner on
Thursday—be found him lying down on the grass among
the trees in a plantation, at Westond,.aboutthreeo'clock
in the afternoon, and be asked him why he absconded
from his work ? be answered, that he found himself very
poorly, and was going to Wert-end to get s sup of ale.
They told him that be must be frightened at something
else—he answered no, he had done nothing amiss. The
• itness told him if that were all, he should not have bad
the trooble of looking after him there. He then said
that he had been " tossicated" the previous Sunday,
and knew riot what he did.
James Shaw, a surgeon, proved his examination of the
young lady on the Thursday, and described the symptoms
oF. her injury:
The case for the prosecution being closed, the prisoner,,
on being toile upon fur his defence, declared his inno-
cence, and said be left his case to his counsel.
John Elliott Overseer of the Poor in the town of
March, Cambridgeshire, kne* the 'prisoner, who was
from that part of the country t he war in a deranged
state of mind at the end of .the tear 1420, and under the
care of hisparents until the spring following, and at
that time they could no longer do for him, and; they.ap.
plied to the parish officers; he was so violent sometimes
On
to require the presence of two or three mesa.. The
;wish afierward. sent him to Brollatti, by the coach, with
two keepers; be was in- Bedlam away from the parish 13'
months. They sent down word. frost Bedlam, that aftei
the 12 months thee coold net keep him : be came bark
to the psrish last November.- Witness sweet np.for him;
be found that he bad bees resoled kontliedlainte Bear

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