Norwich bulletin., 1914-12-17
FAMOUS TRIALS
TRIAL oF JOHN HARRoT.

The unfortunate gentleman whezlost his life in the melancholy affair of John Barbot, was one Matthew MiAss who owned considerable estates in St.. Christopher, Antigua and in different other West Indian Island.
 On the 4th of January, 1753, Barbet. who was an Englishnlan and horn in London, was indicted for the murder of Matthew Mills, gentleman. On the following day the prisoner was arr. raigned before the Court of Gaol De-: livery, held at Bassetrre, in St. Chris topher's which court was presided over by William Matthew Burt. pres-I ident of His MaJesty's Council in the, island. The prisoner pleaded not
 guilty, and on his request was allowed Mir. Frye as counsel to argue points
 of law and to examine and cross-ex-
 anime him.
 The case was opened by John Baker,
 the Solicitor General of the lsand.
 Addressing the court. he followed the
 case all the way through. The con troversy," he said, which eventually led to the death, started when Mills put fer sale some land which he own ed. This was sold by auction, and all present were surprised to hear the prisoner bid much more money than he was worth or could in any way
 command Mills then drew the pris
 oner aside and told him that once be-. fore he had done the same thing and
 
 paid; that sh should not do it this
 time, for he 1BIills) knew that the prisoners purpose, to break up the
 sale. The prisoner had replied in
 some hifaluting term, and the matter
 was dropped. However, nearly two
 weeks later, Mills was found dead shot in the side-lying on the sands
 Two doctors, Hamilton and Ed
 wards, were then sworn and when asked if they had been called to in- len l.. piled in the affirmative. Dr. Hamil ton was closely questioned as to
 whether or not the shot could have been fired while the deceased was in 3. state of self-defense, or whether it was fired from behind without Mills seeing the assassin, to which HamiI- ton replied that he positively could not have been in a posture of self defense, as the ball had entered on the right side. nearer to the back than the front of the body.
 Dr. Horne, who was also with Ham flton after the death, on being qGes- l toned, replied that he could say no more to throw any light than Hamil- ton had already related.
 Barbot, in his defense tried to prove that he was not at Basseterre at the time of the murder and called some witnesses to bear out the fact that he was at the time at Nevis, but the same witnesses, upon being closely cross examined, did not speak either clearly or firmly and they were often centralized by themselves and the ev- I idence on the other side.
 I The jury then retired, and after con- sultlng half an hour, came back with the verdict of guilty. The president then sentenced him to death. Upon l hearing this, Barbot burst out to the
 court: May it please yonr Honors since it can no longer avail me to con ceal the fact, I will make a frank con l fesslon of the whole.n He then started | the story of how he attended the land sale at which he had been inSuited l by MT. Mills and upon his expoStulat- l Ing, the deceased had cried: sir, you are an impertinent puppy upon which he had demandedlan apology te l which Mills had replied to the effect that he was always at Barbot's ser l vice when properly called upon. l The prisoner then told how on the following Thursday morning he had Written a letter to the deceased bid- l ding him to keep his promise to meet the writer at the dawn of day near 1 Leowland Church, armed only with a case of pistols. This meeting never. poured, for the deceased wrote back q Ietter 1n answer and in all there 1 were six letters passed between them l before meeting could be properly ar
 ranged. The last letter Written was by Mills, feling Barbot to meet him at FTigate Bay. The following morn , l ing he had gone out in canoe 1 manned by some colored men and
 rowed to Frigate Bay, taking ashore I with hifn the black boy who carried 3 his case.
 l Not long after, the deceased came up riding furaously on a horse. Mills l then Jumped off his mount and tak- I ing the pistols from the holsters, both j he and Mills presented. He then fold
 how he fred first, and Mills drouped. l crying: Sir, you have kelled me: won l have killed me. sir.'' Whereupon he I replied: T am heartily sorry, sir |
 pray God to bless you, but I cen stay
 no longer here. He then ran to hfs
 canoe and jumped in with the coiored
 boy, and went back to town until his l arrest. He said also, that when l1e asked the boy if the pistol Of MT. AfiIIs
 had been fired he said it had snapped. I After his confession, there could be
 no doubt as to his guilt and aocord- I prisoner was executed In the town sf T Basseferre, according to the sentence l rronolnced against him.