Old Bailey New Court, Fri...
The Times, 1824-10-30T00:00:00

(BefuTe the RECORDER and M eJr~j- John Ringkarn, a very pretty boy agd1,wstidand con- victed of stealing a handkerchief from teprnofWlim Gillett, on the 30th of September. lie was etecdoberasredfor seven years. Richard Horn, aged 20, was Indicted for stealing a pair of trou. Fcrs, and other articles of wearing apparel, the property of Giotthold Endman Frederick Schiweiger. It appeared from the evidence of the cook and houasemaid of the pro;ecutor, th~at Mlr. Schiweiger resided at Highbury, but cmrried oni the business of a mrcrhant in the city, whither he was in the habit of proeedng romhi hose ver monJg. On the 23d of September, Mr. chwigerwen to he ity susal.Shortly at'ter he haal dopart. ed, he risnercam toMr.Schei~r'shouse,and saidathat he was sen fo soe lea clthe b iir. chwigr, who had been thrown outof ilagig~tn mch urt Heat hesame time enjoined the servant no'. to let Mrs. Schweiger know whast had occurred ; but that Precaution was useless, for she had overheard what the fellow said, and unfortuntately the consequences to her have beesa serious. The prisoner's story obtained credit, and he received a suit of clothes, a shirt, two neck-cloths, and a silk handkerchief, to carry, as it was anuposed, to Mlr. Schwei or but with which he abseondea. ~Xr. Sc weige depos ,at he had not beezn thrownm from htis gig on the 23d of Sqeptemnber, nor authorlived the prisoner to go to his house for clothes. A constable who apprehended the prisoner on. the 3d of October, st'a ted that he had on at the time aL pair of boots which be aekuww. ledgeto be the-property ofAMr. Shweiger, Hemsentioned apawn- broke Is where the property had been disposed of, and It was foand there. TIhe property was produced, and identified. The Jury found the prisoner Gntilty.. SophiEa Davis, aged 30, was conivicted of stealing some linen from a laundress, who had employed her to wash for her, and sentenced to be transported for seven vears. It app eared was she had re- turned from transportation oniy a few months since Henr-y Phelp was indicted for stealing a gold snuTf.box, value 121., the property of MVanuel Rodrguez. Mlr. CARIIRNGTON Stated the case for the prosec-ution. The pro. secutor, Don Mlanuel Rodriguez, had held a commissown in the Spaniisli Constitutional army, but had been driven, like many other of his countrymien, so seek a refuge in England, by the troublees which prevailed in Spain. In London he became acquainted with the,prisoner, who spoke Spanish very well ; but the proseutor colBpeak very little English. TIhe proecutor informed the prisoner that he wished to sell a gold snuff-box. The prsner sai'd hecould introduce the prosecutor to the v-alet of a genle 9man of for- tune, who would enable himn to dispose of the box, And he fixed a day for hiaving an interview with the valet. OR the day appointed the prisonercalled upon the prosecutor, anid took him out. They had sot procceeded far when a person came up to them, who, the prisoner said, was the valet of whom he had spoken. The prtended 'valet said, that his masiter was then. at breakfast, and sold she prosecutor and the prisoner to go into a public-house, and wait there till he came to thent. The prosecutor went into the ptsblic-house, and presently the valet camie in and asked for the snuff-box, that he mig te show it to his master. The prosecutor was unwilling to part with the box ; but at length he did go,upon she prisoner's representing that he was his confidential friend. The valet then went away with the box, and some time after the prisoner left the pub:lie..bouse. The prosecutor waited a considerable tlms; but neither the prisoner nor the valet returned. 'I'he prisoner was apprehended e& few days after she transaction took plate, and upon seeing him the prosecutorasked him for his snuff boxc, so which the pristoner replied that " it wa-s melted down, anid that he would rather die than, tell where the man was who had takeni it." Ile (Air. Catr-' rington)i'wouid addIress to them only a few words with respect so the law, asiitapplied to thecase in question. The point which they had, to consider was, whether the prssoner was in league with thepro whom he describedi as a valet. to rob' the prosecutor of the grstr-box If the jury believed that, they were bound to find him guilty of the felony, a though he was not the person who actually conveyed the bo from the prosecutor. Senor Mlanuel Rodriguez was examined bay meants of an inter- preter. He wag a native of Cadiz, and was a Captain in the Constitu- tional army. He miet the prisonerin London, and had a conversation with him respecting the selling of a snuffi.box. The prisoner told himi that he knew a gezntlemaWsa valet who woul.4 perhaps purchase it front him. The prisoner then made an apposittisent to meet him on the following day- at a public-house in Wsndlmilli-street, He came t1here, acompanied by a shoemaker. The prosecutor met hmanthY went together to another part ofthe towrn, where they stoppeda large house, in which the prisoner said the gentleman resided who wals to purchase the snuflfboz A'1obng mba dressed in black, and without a hat, crossed the road to th ersi ~1he pri- soner said this was the gentleman's valet. After a short conversa- ation between this person and the Prisoner, the latter told the pro- secutor that the gentleman was at breakfatt, but that the servant would carry the box up so him. They then entered a pubic room in the house, and the prosecutor gave theprisoner the box, who gave it to the rervant ; the laster then went out, telling them to wait until he should return from his master. They called for someting to drink; the shoemaker then went out, aind the prisoner soon afterwards pre. tended that he had some occasion for leaving the room. He sient away. The protsecutor, after -waiting an hour, and. finding that nei- ther his friend nor the servant returned, became alaxIned about the snuff'-box, and made siome inquiry in the house, bits could learni no. thing of any gentleman or gentleman's servaLnt. He was employed until 7 o'clock at nighit in looking for the prisoner. He then went te Bow.street, and wit.s sthe assistance of an officer apprehended him, He hadanever seen his snuFf.box since. The prisoner's Counsel then proceededl to cross-examine Senor Rodrig~uez. Is appeared that the.counsel had been instructed to ask some qvestlons relative to the daughter of a lay at whose house Senor Rodriguez lied lodged, and whom he was said to baveseduced. T'he prosecusor probably not unslerstanding that he was compelled to answer these questions, said he wvas there to speak about his snuff- box of which he had been robbed, and for which he came to seek redress.. The questions were repeated, and the interpreter put them so she Senor as forcibly as he could. There is, however, a peculi- arity in these Old Baileyisnzsr5 which it is almost Impossible to render into an.y other language i stripped of their native bAd English, their sts engtlh is gone for ever. -wor example, the counsel requested the interpreter so "1tell the prosecutor so sake care of himself and to Mind what hle was saying." Terrific as thiis isounds in Euglish,it was quite harmless in Saish, and the Senor replied, "1he haLd nothing so care nor to fear fo'r: he camec here only to speakc the truth, and to seek juistice." Hle was asked again, " If he was not turned out of thie house of the lady alluded to, for some baseness he had cotnmritted." He denied this unequivocaly, and deniedi too, that aniy suchi chaLrge lhad been made againBt hinl. He a. th'at for whiatever wrongs he might have dose in Englantd or elsewhere, he wgo'reatdy to answer; hie was ready to explain allhis own affairsaud whatethfseiis am~iydi ito dor necessary ; but he could not imagine what thc8e (binwith the los of hi s nufl-box. He was asked if he bad not emploYed the prisoner to write a letter to-the miother of the Young ladly, whose name was bandied about very un- ceremoniously, and, as it turnedl out, quite uselessly. Senaor R#dri- ocr epled hat he risnerhad riten anyletters for him to a seaand entlmen f hi acqaintnce,andto the M1inisters, at lst lughe as Thecros-exainaion was loI unohn c inipeachs Site veraciy of Senor Rodrigue l Tauton th Bo-steetoffcer prved the apprehension of the prione, ad tat n hs pcke wa fond a card, witlh the name of trusted the box. ~ ~ ~ ~ ha in The prisoner, in his defence, said that Senor Rodriguez h;adbeen nuiltbyof sthe crimue which by the tenour of the gross-examination ~a, ben imputed to him, and that he had, In the priaonespreaence, anti in an exulting manner, told the mother of the YIoungll lady that he hiAd seduced her daughter, and that he had a gtsuff-l4ox anti a ring which had been given him by the young lady, as tokens of her affec- tion, and( which lie initendedto keep. The prisoner went on to say,that the prosecutor had applied to him to help him to a chapmuar for his snuff-box; that he endeavoured to do so, notwithstandinig she Senor asked a ridiculous price for it, and more thian twice its value. At length lie learnt front the prosecutor that aMr-Thompson was likely to buy it, and went withi the prosecutor to MalaHy's Hotel, whiere this gupposedl servant met thiem, and aaid his master wais then at breakfass. The prosecutor gave, the box to the servant, and the prisoner, fancyingIt was finally sld, walked away. Beyond this he ahct hie knaew niothing of the matter. Two witnesses gave the prisoner the character of being a kind- hearted honest young rman. The Rxcostxszu Bummed up. He observed to the jury, that it appeared in evidence before them thAt the prisoner had a companion the person called by Senor Rodriguez "the shoemnaker," who could havepr&ved the trithboftsheaccounthe had just Iven in his defence ifIt were capable of such proof. The prisoner ha~l",however, declined so call this person, or so account for his abseence. With respAct to the cliarge whichb had been made against the prosecutor, of hiis having abused the hospitality of some lady by seducing lier daughiter, the jury woold observe that this tale, if true, wouild be most easily proved, because the person whorefceeI~ sags had been thus ootraged would not have hesitated to a'vail her- self of this opportunity of exposing the baseness of the proisecuitor, and ofbhearing witness against hischaracter uproinsoiportant anoc-e casion, This lady, however, was not forthcomsing, nor was any reason ofTered to account for her absence. The jury, in considering the facets whilch had been proved, would not omit to take into the ac- count these twvo circumstances. The Jury found the prisoner guilty. The REcciRDER then proceeded to pass sentence. Hie aninstis. verted upon the prisoner's treacherv in deceiv-ing a tian whe confided in him, Isis cruelty in plundering a destitute foreigner, and the ad- ditional crime he had committed In endeavouring to fix upon him a would, ae o sr ,y,t sritr an(l whichi, if he hadtisucceeded lq It, ipped.the proseceatorof hisRraputation...the only 'wealth he possessed. H ie then sentenced the prisoner to be trikrnaportedl for, OLD BAILEY NEW flOTTR?T VRTTAY fl-'T 90