Leicester, Thursday, Aug ...
The Times, 1824-08-14T00:00:00

Before Ch'iifJudtiuc BEST and M-. .7; Thownmas Hickpnaai, aged 49, was capi ally indicted for that he, on he Sth of Iay last. at Alelton illowbray, in this county, ld wil. fblly, k-nowingly, and Wloniously write to John Fabling a threaten. ng letter, subscrbed by himn the said Hickman, withi a view to ex- tort money.by charging the prosecutor with attetmpting to commtit a heinous oflrnce. Mr. John Fabling, thc prosecutor, said that he was a steward, living at Stapleford, in this countv.-I know the prisoner. The let- ter which I now produce I received on the 6Lh o laav last, in the usual way, by the post. I don't know his had-writing. I have known the prisonermany years. ' have not hadaquas-cl with him very recently. We might have had somne words some time ago respectin ng) sFoniee monev transactions. This quarrel might have been ea3u i s 15 or 20Oyeats ago. Mlr. William Latham proved the handwriting of the prisoner, and that he admtitted having senit the letter to Mr. F?abling. The letter was then put in evidence, and was as foilows:- " Aldersgate-sreet, 135, Mlay 8,. 1824. "Sir,-You liave taken possession of all my propertvy,and dispos. ed of it in a way very disgraceful to rnan anid manho?od; anti you have ruined an itndustrious manand an inocenini tie se'yo r .riend John Flore and to make yourself look great; budtyon. shtd averecolleeted u Uyoug to gnend with, and wlszt t can bring against you; and thoughbitbe vears agNo, Icor b0diteyou fori_t Yoa well kvow that you sevcral times tre overtures-ta-me for which 1 can indife you for. Ylou have clone ali yon canto bring: digraceand ruin on my family, but I can bring more disgrace on you that you can on me, for I have as good a caraccor fromi Nottingiam and LOD. don as Joln Fabling can have at Stapleford and Nissenlden. I aus determined to have it out with you rlus tirne, if I do not receive com.. pensation for my loszes. DeFend on it I shall itid you in a feu davs. (Signed) " TEoAs ZZC3OrAN." 'X his was the case jor the prosecution. The prisoner left his defence entirely to his counsel. Three witnesses were then called to his chtaracter, two of whoma were of the jury. They had known him 20years, and he was esteemed an honest and industrious mnan. Lord Chief Justice BEST then charged he stating that this indictment had been preferred under an act of Parliament passed only last year, whichi made it felony te write a threatening letter to any persorn with a view to extort money or other valuable thing, by charg- ing him with having commnitted any offence, which, if true, would subject him to death, or transporta ion, or with any infarmous crime. it was in proof that the prisoner did write a letter to the prosecutor, containing a charge; but it did not appear that a complete crime was charged, and therefore the capital count in the indictment was not sustained. There were, however, other COUlts for demanding and endeavouring to extort money, which rt would be for the Jury to say whether or not they had been proved. It was proper to state here, tita: the making ef overtures, whkib was the. 4ffence eharget was now treated by the judges as an intnmous offerce. Formnerly it was punishable by imprisonment, but that had been disused not from any diminution of the ltirror of the crime, fbr God forbid the day should ever come when it would be received by ourlaws other. wise than as most heinous, but because that particular node of pu- nishmenr wras deemed imnproper. Such a drerdful charge upon any man was beyond ali questiorn a most serious tence, as a tendency was to degrade him to the brute, and render him an object to be shunned and execrated by all mankind. 1The prisoner had received a good character, but this could avail him only in a case where his guilt was coubtful. The present did not ap ar ohirn (the lean ed Judge) to be such a case, for it clear from the expressions in the letter. that the prisoner wrote it with a view to extort money. The Jury deliberated a very few rninutes, and the foreman then said, * e believe thc prosecutor to be innocent of tite critne charged upon him, and that the prisoner wrote the letter with a view tO exthrt monhev." The LoRD ClIrEF JT,UST IC E._ That is, gentlemen, vou find him guilty upon the second and sixth counts' Forenman.-Yes, mv Lord. The prisoner was then called upon to say why he should not be adjudged to the punishment of felony, to which he made no reply. Lord Chief Justice BEST, addressing the prisoner. said, " l'ou hlave been comvicted on the roost satisfactory evidence of the "erv worst offence of which one man in society can be gtilty of to another. in order to obtain monev, you have tingle out onc of your neighbours, and preferred a charge agains, him, which ,vould have the effect of making him an eeat. cast from society. snd deprive him of' all the comforts and respects of iiC I know of no crime more grievous than thisg and to guard all honest men azainst a repetition of this dreadful im- i putition,whiict is more fearful than the loss of life itself-for what ! ISo living fofr, if a man bears the odium of mankind ? To show the sense witich I entertain of its falsity, as the jury tand every one in this coirt believe it to be, I feel myself called upnei to edjudae you to the severest punishment which the law inflicts. The sentence of the Coutrt therefore is, that you be transported beyond the seas for thc term of your natural Lfe." The prisoner, on hearing the sentence, exclaimed, " I did not vrant to extort monev; I only wanted to h2ve my account settled." The LoaD (HIEF JUSTIcE.-Then you should not havesought it in that way : hetter put a pistol to a man's head, and take his life. Take h'mavy Edwa? d 7eb.1r, aced 44, wvas capitalhl indicted for breakirng open a letter addressed to Thomas Wlite, of n arket-Bos-worth, in this county, and stealing therefrom 81., the prisoner being himselfthe postmdaster in tbis little town. The prisoner pleaded " guiltv" to the minor offence of em. bezzling the nionev, and the capital prosecution was thereore with- drawn. Lord Chief Justice BEST, in passing sentence, remarked uron the necessity of protecting thie property belonging to the public which was conveved through the pos.-office- HIs lordship then sentenced hinm to trmnsportatioru for seven years. lsEt;;Sl'kK.'llxiu.soA,t- 1.| CIRnUIV -1-