The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1812-07-21
TRIAL OF BELLlNGHANI.

oil the Vfu baucy WAS never so crowded, as 10 see
and hear the trial ut the assassin Beliingham on
Friday. Att O'Clock one guinea paid by each
person for ad,nttancc, but before 10 o'clock the
price rose to gu;neas. An unusual assemblage of
the gentlemen of the bar appeared, and every ave-
nue. OF the Court closed up by thousands who
could not obtain admission. About 10 o'clock the
Duke of Clarence, the Marquis ct Wellesley, and
the Chief Justice of the Common pleas, accompanied
by the other judges Mr. Justice Grose, Baron Gra-
ham, and the Recorder, appeared, and took their
seats each side Of the Lord Mayor, and mmedi-
atey the prisoner produced and placed at the
bar. At this moment Il deep horror was visiLly de-
picted every countenancc. Even Nottingham
himself seemed dismayed But in few seconds he
resumed the speeies of department which he
all along displayed. Mr.. Garrow called the pri-
soner TO plead. Several afiidayits produced,
stating acts Of insanity, the part OF Tie prisoner,
which were over-rued by the Court, and the trial
proceeded.
The Attorney General addressed the Jury. He
conjuretl them to consider that justice, and not
vengeance, TO day, the Object of this prosceu-
ton. lie advertcd to the prsoners's lite and habits
aud the soun,iness of lis mind in every transac-
ton o. his life, being selected BIS others TO transact
Siieir business well maniiestng and exercising
complete knowledge OF his own. lie went some
years ago, TO Russia, from house in Liverpool, and
where, whether by his conduct misconduct, he
would not say, bus he was iinp. isoned, on wsh
casion he applied fOr redress To Lord G. l.. Cover
and Mr. Sharpe--but they could not interfere with
the Government there, and he afterwards returned
here. and went INTO business, and found persons
JOIN him aad employ him, in liverpool, as well as
20 manage his own, as to conduct their affairs
Then Re took into his head that he entitled
to reinrncration, and sought it from Government
here. But no foundation being established that
could warrant their consideration OF k;m, lis claim
Was rejected. Nc then enieavored 10 appeal to Par
lame, {, out no person could he found 10 undertake
the task, conceving that he had the least claim
or right to any relief from Parliament. He then
applied to Mr.. Perceval himself, Who found that he
had Just ground of claim and o; course, resisted
mis- suit. From that moment, the desire OF revenge
arose in his mind, and murder was the crime he
solved on. He has been resident in London for
some months, and the whole Of that time has been
occupied III preparing himself for the horrid act.
He informed himself of the time when Mr.. Perez
val was in the habit ot going the House of Com
mons, he provided himself with pistols, &c. and e
ven had an alteration made in his dress, by the
addition of pocket extraordinary to contain of
the pistols so provided. In advertins here to the
bloody deed, the Attorney General noticed the
1cr in which the prisoner always conducted HIM
sell to shew that he always coLpos DlenfiS, Il
completely so at the time that he committed the
foul murder. Because he had done this one acts
which was an act of madness, was it to be,nierred
that lac was ueranged, merely because he had COM
mitted SO atroeious deed, that one else would
have committed 1t If so, then the consequence.
would be- that the magnitude ot crime SrOwid be
apology for ii. The learned Gent reeted the law
otthe case, as 1t applies to sane and insane persons
There had been cases, two of which the most
prominent, he should notice The first that
OF MIR. Arnold, for the attempt to murder Lord
=
mold was out of his mind, and several witnesses
proved that lie to a certsin extent Incapable
even from his childhood. But it proved that he
had taken up causeess resentment against Lord
onsiow, had made preparations for the deed, and
IT was held by the judge, that notwithstanding, If
ne was incapable OF distinguishing between right &
wrong, he was clearly snswerable. Tie jury found
him guilty, and he was executed. The other case
was that OF Lord Ferrer's steward. He had taken
up an unfounded suspicion against him, and had re-
solved upon putting the unfortunate man to instant
death. Medical men swore he insane, his
cations declared that they would have taken out a
commission Of lunacy, but afraid of their mo-
tives being misrepresented-The cases the At
torney-Genera applied to the present, maintaining
that even insanity Ia all his other acts had heCn
manifest, yet the systematic correctness with which
tae prisoner costrivcd the murder &C Mr. Perez.
val, Showed niind at the time capable OF dstin-
gushing right and wrong.----Here there was no
deficiency, as in the cases he had cited He conc!u
ded by expressing his satisfaction, that this an
act not connected With any other person, but con-
fined solely &c the prisoner at the bar.
The examination OF witnesses produced little or
nothing new The prisoner was then informed by
the Chief Justice that this the time to make his
defence.
He began by stating that he would now unfold to
the gentlemen of the jury, OF circumstances,
AS to the saiteiings at home aud Abroad which, had
they not been proved by documents, might have
appeared to them incredible. No man more regret
ted the event which had taken place than himself;
not even the family of Mr.. FegcevaI. He then pro-
ectded 20 read the various applications ana PeutIcn3
he had madeto Sir Stephen Sharpe, Lord LevesOn
Cover, and several members ct administration,
which had not been attended to. He SAID lac had left
an intimation at Bow-street, which lie read, OF his
being resolved, in consequence Of the refusal of jus
fce, TO take justice into his own hands lie regret
ted that Mr.. Perceval was the individual that had
falien-that lac should have preferred Lord LevesOn
Gouer The Bow-street magistrates informed Linn
that they conld not interfere, and notice was sent
90 Mr.. RYDER Of the intiuatom he had transmitted
them Mr.. Ryder informed him that he must APP
ply to the Treasury, and that he mIgt adopt such
measures as lac Thought propeIf he WAS called up
on before the tribunal OF God, he could appear with
rs clear a conscience as the unfortunate that
had suheTed--hat his did the deed he confess
cd, but he denied that it from malice prepcnse.
he recSoneJ The air0nt afforded to him as an at
front offered 90 the country His case was nation
nj case, and when minister refuses to grant re-
dress, he must refuse it 1t his personal risk Justice
was the only object. lie called upon Go forfeit
his fife, because Mr. Percey;d had refused to for.
ward redress. What is the crime he committed.
compared with that Of the government TO hiIn
Only rs mite to mountan.He hoped this would
prove warning 20 future minister's 70 be more at
seRtiVc 10 tl,e grievances 0f individuals.
VI ost % tie defence was strange but his demcs-
nor ON The whule calm and collected. Mr.. Al
leg then called three witnesses to establish the fact
Of his insanity. I've Of them we're a Mrs Bill
let, aud a Mrs. Clarke, and the third, TIC maid
where he lodged. They all considered him 20 he
deranecd.
Sir James Mansfield then snmued up the case
lie stated th1t the Indictment was for the murder
OF MIR. PcrceVal, usme dear to every English
man. (iiere the venerable Judge much at
feeted thsS be paused, some time, unable TO pro.
eesdl IN naming HIM, lac said, he was overpower-
It