Southwark Sessions.
The Times, 1824-10-08T00:00:00

Yeserdlay these sessions corrmmenced, before the Loan MAYO a the Rcon! ga, and Alderman J. J.-SmtTeR. Bdward A1fartin, an elderly man of sespectable appearance and address, was indicted for havin- nzrcr&d; a counterfeit. half-crown, and having in his nossssi6rotrterotmtereit m6ney knowingly. The.irisoner, upon being askdw.Tiether he was " giliUty or not gullty, 'said he certainly was guilty, but he earnestly requested that rho Court would attend to his reasons for doing what be had done.. fie entertained no (loubt of a merciful consideration if he Wa lieard in mitigation. The Rlcoitinit said, lie could not permit the prisoner to ad.. dress the Court under such circumstances, and-adVised him to take his trial. The plisonez ;ersisted in acknowledging his gailt, saying that It -was impossible for a manl of his age (67) to pretend to be innocent when he was p6sitively guilty. The RECoRnEr.-.. I advise you, as afrienl, to plcad ' not guiltV' Your acknowledgment of guilt cannot affect your sentence,I WIic4 iS fixed by act of Parliament. The act has no power of mitigation." The prisoner handed a written stateroent, and begged that it Might be read before sentence was passed upon himf as it contained ihis reasons for uttezing the bad money. Tle RECOUtDEX again advised the prisoner to plead "not gulltyj" and said he could not admit such a Iprecedent under circumnstances of sich a pature. If the admission of guilt were persisted in, the only course to be adopted by the prisonerfwas that of petitioning the Se- cretary of State for mitigation of punishment, and producing evi- dence of the truth of the representation. The prisoner shed tears, and begged to be heard. His misfortunes. were excessive- The REcoantEu..- I eantnot permit you to proceed. It is wrltolly against the course of public justice. Why do you not plead 'not guilty ?' Are you aware of the sertence I must pass upon you if you persevere ? Prisoner..." I ain awara of it's severity, but I mnst persist In saying that I am guilty." The RscoitD,gt regretted tlt.t he would not take tlhe chanceof a trial, and proceeded to.pass sentence upon Slim. The unfortnnate man was greatly affected upon hearing that he wraq to be imprisoned for 12 months in the Borough Compter, and to find securities in the sum of4Ot. for his good behaviour for two vears mlore. William Rush was indicted for stealing a sieve-full of damsons in the Borough. The theft was proved beyond the power of contra. dicrion from weight of character. The prisoner put in awritten de fence, which thle RrcoaRDE said he liad no doubt Was the produc- tion of some idle fellow, who was in the habiE of imposing upon wretched prisoners, and getting 5s. from them, by the assurartee of an acqulttal on the merits of the writing. An Irish woman, who cameferfrard to speak in rwour of the pri- soner, swore that she knew him befere lie wag horn., The Jury found him gitilly, but recormmended him to xuercy, on account of his good character. He was fined a shilling, and dis. charged.- Julia Rolfe was fot4ndi guilty of stealing two sieves of fruit in tme Borough-market. lie had HOt a good character, and The RECORDEmI sentenced him to be rhipped publicly through the market on a market-day, and to be inmprisoned to hard labour in Brixtoii house of correction for six months. SOUTH WA Rr SLESSIOANS.