The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-06-23 00:00:00

THE. STATRS-vt N

•
COURT OF EXCISE.
Saturday, John James Saxebey, keeping an oil shop
in Lambeth, appeared upon an information charging hintl
with haring bought smuggled soap. knowing it to be
entoggled, n hereby he had incurred the penal'y of 3001.
John William Connor, of No. 3, Cannon-row, Wes'
.sninster. who described himself as a min Laving no bu-
siness at all, deToietl that he had kuown the defendant
about three years, saw bib but once since his intioduc-
tion, until the 21st of April, when he proposed to the de-
fendant to join in the illicit speculation of boiling soap
',roamed a sample, and offered it to him at 21. 2i.- per
cwt., the price of yellows ap at the time being 528. per
cwt. dut
ron.^httyy aid. lkfendant ordered a gnantity to be
ti
to blio at dusk. and that the bill of site should
he made out et ;ei- in order to make it look like a regu-
lar transaction. Witness received payment in money
and zo(rds. These ails no Imre! certificate with the soap.
lasi is was made by wituess
illegally. .
• Cross-examined by Mr. C. Patt.tire—Wu a-bankrupt
five years ago. and followed no trade since ; lived with
'friends when he could ; earned no money at all for two
'years and- a loaf ; could not tell how many oaths he had
taken in this Court; he and One Citampoeys divided
per
yaalus, And expected. if theCoort inflicted the full
knee )(tat bad aafortned in order to keep the
maill'aear zwakers ua their Jetts lied made SOO weight
of soap to defread the revesera and sold it to those be
tbonght most likdly to bay smuggled aospn; lie was not
prompted by the share-06e peaakf.
. Cob ampneysolse otheciativeinsar, deposed that be oar-
riell•the soap to She defeadaat.
On his cross-exami patio*. be swore dhot be and Coaster
had mad. snore than half a toa of soap fur the purpose of

making money by laying informations nainst those who
would boy it. No officers were to share.
Mr. Pitman rested the defence upon the want of c 0...
roboratfen in the evidence of the informer., whom he re-
presented as traitors to the cense to which they belonged,
and wholly unworthy' of credit. No one would be safe
one hour In solitude if the testimony of such men were
to be believed in a Court of Justice, especially after bay-
ing sworn, one of them that he was prompted by justice
and not profit, and the other that profit alone was their
object.
Mr. SHIPPARD, in reply, stated that the defendant
must have known that the soap was smuggled, as the
Act directed that a certificate should accompany all duty.
paid soap.
The COURT convicted the defendant, but mitigated the
penalty from 3001. to 101.

POLICE.

Menuuntotron-entesT.—A man of respectable appear
ance and genteel address, was brought to this office on Sa
tnrday,and underwent an examination before Mr. Conant,
the Magistrate, on suspicion of being concerned in the
following ingenious robbery :—Mr. Rutland, an exten-
sive silversmith and jeweller in Oxford-street, stated,
that on Thursday last the prisoner came to his shop, and
asked to loll( at some gold seals, which were shown
to him, and he fixed on a small one, which he agreed to
purchasbfor 18s.; but before he paid for it , he asked for
,a candle and some sealing-wax to try the impression.—
' Having satisfied himself on this point, he took the seal
torah him, and left the shop. On Friday evening be
'came again, and tidied Mr. Rutland to let him see, soar
ladies' ortraments as he had a commission to purchase
several articles of' that description. at the same time tilt•
Ing out his pocket-book. and saying lie supposed Mr.
Rutland could give him change for a large note. Mr.
:Rutland then showed him an assortment of vela:: dt-
mond and pearl ornaments, from which he s lect. d a
beautiful transparent cluster-of-diamonds brooch, a
able diamond ring, a gold cable neck-chain and snap set
with turquois, a gold amethyst ring set with'pearls, aid
,various other articles, all of which he placed together on
the counter; and then asked to see another Kohl se
.1,
wishing also to try the impression of this, called as bef
for a candle and some wax for that purpose. At this lime
another man came into
en the shop anti
over some goods which
he said he wanted to buy, at the other end of the counter.'
Mrs. Rutland called to the servant to bring the candle
the prisoner asked for; and while she' was procuring it
tlte prisoner said be felt himself very faint, having walked
a greatjeal all day, and he would thank Mr. Rutland to
4et him a glass of water. Mr. Rutland, quite unsuspi
cious, left the shop for a moment to bring lons a glass of
water, bat was rather surprised, on his return, to meet
the prisoner in the passage, who stopped and delayed
him there while he drank the stater. On their coming
hack to the shop, at the otter end of which Mrs. Rat-
hind was still engaged, Mr. Rutland missed the jewels
off the counter, and asked his wife if slia bad taken
them ; and finding that she had not, he exclaimed, "Then
th-y are gone;" " And too," said the prisoner, "is my
pocket-bo At, containing a large sum of money, which 1
left on the counter." As soon as the lit st surprise, cc-
cationed by this strange circumstance, was over,
Mrs. Rutland recollected, that jest before the psi.
son-r followed her husband into the passage, a thud
man came into the shop for an instant and spoke
to kim. On hearing this Mr. ltntland immediately
suspected the trick, and accused the prisoner.—
He, however, assumed a very high tone, and said
that he waa himself a great sufferer by the loss of his
pocket-book and money. Notwitbstan•iiiiie this, Mr.
Rad :nd detained him on suspicion of being an accom-
plice in the robbery, and sending for an officer, had him
conveyed before the Magistrate. Mr. CONANT having
now asked the prisoner who and what he was, he spoke
very loftily indeed of his family and connexions, the re-
spechibility of whom must prevent his making known his
name as at all suspected of any concern in such a trans-
action. Mr. CONANT ‘Old him that'll his feelings were
so very delicate on the subject, he would be accommodat-
ed with a pen and paper, when he could write down .his
nanuaand none should be the wiser, except those employ-
ed to inquire into the truth of his respectability.
After a long time, and with considerable reluctance,
lie wrote his name, Samuel Buckley. He was then asked
to give the names of some of those high connexions of
whom he spoke.
He wrote down the names of several persons in succes-
sion, which, however, be as successively rubbed out with
his finger, and ultimately refused to give any, saying
that he supposed they intended to commit him. His re-
sidence, he said, was over the water, and being asked if
he had not lately come out of the King's Bench ptison;be
acknowledged that he had.
The Magistrate next wished to know who the Tidy
was that commissioned him to purchase those jewels, be
this he refused to disclose ; neither would he tell from
whom be received the money which he said he had lost'
in the pocket-book, or what description of notes they
were, except that one was a 401. note, and even of this he
could give no account, either as to the number or from
whom he received it.
Mr. CONANT said, that all these circumstances, caupled
with the very singular one of his following Mr. Rutland
out of the shop into his private passage, and detaining
him there, gave a very unfavourable complexion to the
whole affair, as far as he was concerned, and lie most be
detained until a further Investigation took place. He was
then committed to the House of Correction for re-exami,
nation on a future day.
UNION HALL.—Margaret Speed was charged by her
mistress, Mrs. Hibbs, with absconding fronaher service,
and taking with be; a shawl, value 41. and a gown,
value Bs. The prisoner had been in her service andut a
month, and last week ran away with the above articles.
When taken by the officer she had the gown on. and in
her pocket aas found the duplicate of the shawl, which
she had pledged for 355.
Her mistress had imprudently taken her without a
character; and in the course of the examination it came
oat that in less than two months since she was disekarged
• from Brixton.—Committed for trial.
est-

A Coroner's inquest war on Friday held before M r
HILL, at the Barley Mow, Mount-street, Grosvenor-
square, on the body of W. Beaumont, who wAs found
drowned in the basin, Hyde-park. It appeared that, on
on Thursday mornitig, an alarm was raised by a person
who saw the bnd: in the seater. The person at the en-
ghouse went to the spot it ith the drags, but by the
time Le got there the body had bemt dragged out. On
examining his poehrts Bs 611. in silver, some halfpence.
and memorandums, were found. From the appearance
of the body it had nnbee n the water t wenty-four hour+.
The body bgl toren owed. The widow of the deonts,si
was examined ; she had missed him s;rice Wednesday
for the last fortnight he bad been. depressed in spirits,
and•hari been unable to sleep. of a night. and wruld get
up and walk about the room in his shirt; she attributed
his unhappiness of min% to the embarrassed st.de -of his
circumstances. He was a horse-dealer. and bad been in
the habit of attending Tattersall's and Aldridge's.—
Verdict, " Found drowned."
We regret to state that his Majesty's ships
Captain .W F. Omen, and Barracuda. Captain rid A.:
. (actrort),settrened to alte Cape of Hood Mope on the Mb
April, trots their first etideay.mrs to survey .the shores
r eastt .ard of the Cape of Haut Aope, ;11:14h At loss of
s'. eight officers and fitly mat

EXAMINATION IN THE BOROUGH QMPTFA,
RESPF:CTING THE ESCAPE OP WM. 31ASON.

SZCOND DAY.—On Saturhy Forenoon, the inquiry
into the escape of Mason. and the conduct of Mr. Law,
the keeper, and the two turnkeys, was resumed.
Michael Chase, No. 14, Bird-street, West-square, hair-
dresser, exemined.—On Wednesday lest, I came to the
prison to vista man named Johnson. who wai confined
for debt. About four o'clock I fetched a pot of beer
from tire inner gate, and when I turned round to return,
saw Mason clinging by his hands to the iron spikes, in
the angle of the passage leading, to' the debtors' yard.—
He gut a spring, and be was instantly on the coping
stones of the wall, and into the gutter, which he walked
along some distance; he then tuned round amj trintn•
pliantly snooped his finger% at the prisoners in the yard;
he then crawled on his bands and knees towards the
south corner of the prison.
Cross-et3niinesl.—When lie was serve With the heer
at the wicket, he saw neither of the turnkeys at their
station; if they had been, be surely must-have seen
them—if they had been there, they must have seen Ma-
son escape. After the man hail fled, the turnkey got
upon the roof of the prison to look after him; lie was
telling him what he hid seen, when the prisoners said,
i" Hold your tongue—you know nothing abont it."
Several other witnesses were elamlned as to the es-
cape.but their statements merely corroborating the shore,
we have not given the details.
Mi. Law said, that Ise had tied every ensfeavour to
trace the prisoner, but without effect; he had large Isend--
printed and disseminated, describing his person, and'
offering a handsome reward for his recapture.
The Alderman said that was all very well. hut no-
thing would ever satisfy him that soma person belonging
to the prison did not assist him in escaping. He was
conscious from what little he knew about riveting, that
the basis of Mason's irons were never properly riveted;
For it never could have been pinched half way, through
without assistance.
There being co further evidence to produce, the in.
ciniry terminated ; an& Mr. Newinans the clerk, was- de-
sired to have copies of the invesiption prepared, in
,order that they might be presented to the Court of
Al-
dermen on Tuesday.
WINDSOR, JcselT=47;77;or nine.. soon af. er
five o'clock, some of the people in Windsor Castle were
alarmed by the report of a gain, when, on proceeding to
the spot from whence the report seemed te hare collie,
I. thee discovered the centinel at the foot of the steos lead-
ing to the round :toyer weltering in his gore. The un-
happy man haul destroyed himself: it seems that he had
fas.tened a string to the trigger. with a. loop at the end
rot it, through which be passed his foot. then placing his
chin over the muzzle of the gun, discharged the contents
into his head, and instantly expires, the ball liaised out
at the back of his neck, and lodged in the wall at some
distance up the stairs. The Coroner for the county
'c nue from Reading, and summoned a Jury this more.
ing ; butt they were not permitted to hoist an. invest on
the body of the unhappy man. It elywars that this anc-
ient:lmle event had taken platy within the verge of a
!loyal Palace, where the County Coroner has no jurisdic-
tion. On Lord Ilrent, from the Hoard of iireen Cloth.
stating this to the Coroner, he isnmediately discharged
the Jury; in two meantime Mr. Adams, the King's Co-
roner, has arrived from town and proceeded to summon
his Jury, which must he composed of Yeomen of the
King's Househuld. The Inquest is to 'be held at three
o'clock.

- -
Fines.—Yesterriay evening about eight o'clock. the.'
bark part of the premises of 31r. Croker, baker, Liont-
street, Borough, were discovered to be on lire, and which
was suppos-d to have originate" in the bakehan e. Un-
fortunately for the preserving of the property, the whole
of the family were gone out, and before the neighbours
could get in, the greater p .rt was consumed : the lavish
engine was speedily brought to the spot, but within%
materially checking the fire, which, owing to the old-
ness of the house and the great quantity of timber about
it. raged with great fury, and rapidly communicated to
the adjoining house, which was also speedily burnt to
the ground. By this time the engines had arrived, and
by great exertions the firemen succeeded in arresting
the progress of the flames, which by 11 o'clock were
completely got under. Both houses were insured, and
we are happy to add no person was injured. About a
month ago the bakehouse of Mr. Croker was befor one
tire, when being timely discovered, it was got under with-
out doing any material damage.
An alarming fire broke out on Saturday night at Wil-
lan House, near Hlstree, occasioned by the negligence
of a maid-servant, in setting five to the bed curtains.
'fbe interior of the house was destroyed in an hone, and
very little furniture was saved. Mr. Paul, the occupier,
was in London. There was no person injured, except
the maid-servant, who was slightly burnt.
At about ten o'cl ick, on Finlay night, a fire broke ant
at No. 8, Tower Royal, Watliog•street ; and notwith-
standing an early and numerous muster of engines,
such was the scanty supply of water. that the house was
entirely consumed., and the adjoining one, No. 7, mate-
rially injured.

IRELAND.

On Fe iday se'onight, a Privy Council was held at the
Castle, when a Proclamation was ordered to Ire issued,
declaring the baronies of East Oplialy, Connell, Kilcul-
len, and Wert Ophaly, (with the exception of the parish
of hionastereven, the Union of Lacks and Downy, and
the Union of Kildangan, Nurnev, anti Walterstown,) as
also the Parishes of Kilter! andltatbmore, situate is the
baronies of South Salt and North Naas, and that par% of
the parish of Carnalway, ifs which a portion of the tows
of Kilcullen is situate ; bounded on the North by the
road leading from the Nineteen Mile House to Carnal-
way Church ; on the South by the river Liffey ; on the
East by the road leading from Naas to Dunlavan, stud
on the West by the turnpike road from Dublin to Kil-
cullen,situate in the harms)* of South Naas, to be in a state
of disturbance or is immediate danger of becoming so.
On Saturdai se'nnight, about the hour of twelv
o'clock. two privates of the sth regiment, named Thomas
Ryan and John Nichols, who were stationed on duty, as
sentinels, at the caul of Naas, deserted front their post,
taking with them their arms. ammunition. and accoutre-
ments. A constable of police, named Thomas Porter,
under the direction of Major Tandy, a magistrate, ac-
companied by a parte of the Police, stationed at Dies-
sington, in the Co. Wicklow, went in pursuit of them; he
traced them to Dublin, where they were soon after taken
into rust° ly, and brought to the Head Office of Pdice,
from %silence they here transmitted to Ness. They
•tated that they bad left their arms, aminimition, and
a-eou'rements, et a house at the font of a bill foie 9r five
utiles trout Blessing:9n. Nichols, who is frost, St Ilford-
4reier, is only eighteen rats of age. Ryan, who is an
English tad also, but whose father is Irish, is only 24
years of age.
A tioi.itaiN Tow —Laucatat, Juwa 13.—The night
before last, a man got over the outside gated the Nutt-
tiery, and making his way into the chapel, he opened
the tabernacle, out of which be took the ciborium that
contains the Sacrament, which •lie left on the altar,
taking the silver vessel with him. This sacrilegious of-
fender chalkeiNen the wall of the chapel, " Do not tell
that John ass here."—Tile thief has been discovered,
and the cup has been found with hits. His name is
John Maher, a blacksmith. wka has latterly been Much
in the habit of attending phceil of ditvolioa with much
apparent piety.