Guildford, Friday, Aug. 2...
The Times, 1824-08-23T00:00:00

Ine oummer lssixzes tor tclis county commenced here to-dlay, be- ore .Mtr. Baron GRA.A-m , on the civil sile, and Malr. Justice BUE. 10 UGH, on the crown side. On the civil side there are 23 cAuses ntered fbr trial, of which seven are special juries. The gaol ca- erdar contins h82 comnitments. of which a great many are for ca- sital offinces. There was nothine to-dav worthy of .h... r, -tir- SATURDAY. Aur. 21. tURIMI.MAL SIDE.-Bef0re Afr. Juittice BURROUGoe. Autd,r'u' Lesl* was inilicted for maliciously setting fire to the rouse of Alexander Walker, at Bermondsey. MMr. LAWv briefly stated the case to the jury, and proceeded to caU he witnesses for the prosecution. Ann Walker is thc dauighter of Alexander Walker, who lives at No. 24, Salisbury-place, Bermondscy. The prisoner was a Green- vich pensioner, and hatd lodged with her fathier for about nine years, 3revious to the 14th of JulY. He was to have left, owing to a quar- el, on the Friday; on ther Wednesday morning, about nine, he came nto the kitchen to ask if he could have the use of the fire for his areakfast. Her niother said, " Certainly," and he accordingly prepared it; and took It up stairs. About a quarter of art ,our afterwards he came down for a lighted candle, which he like- wise took up stairs. About ten o'clock she went out, and was lesireci by a neighbour to look up at the prisoner's window * she iaw smoke proceeding from it; in consequience of which she went Ip stairs, and found the prisoner's room-door open, and the smoke itreaming out. She ran down and called Mlr. Win. Mutllinger, who went up stairs, while she went into the yard for water. She did not terself go into the room rhile the fire lasted. About half an hour ifter the discovery,the prisonerwent out, and passed down the street, before the people had quitted the room occupied; he did not come back till the following Saturdav. About an hour after the fire she ,aw the boards of the room, which were burnt about the middle of t4e room; the nmore valuable apparel of the prisoner had been re- novest from the room previous to the fire; before the Wednesday he had frequently sworn at her mother, and said he thought it wouldi 2e no sin to take away her life. Wrilliam Alullinger lived opposite to Mr. Walker's. Hle heard ~he alarm of fire, and looking up, saw smoke coming from the gar. rct-window; in conseguence of which he went utp stairs and tried to )pen 1he door, but the prisoner sbut it again, nnd said nobodiy should omne in, for there was no fire, btut he saw there was fire; he ran lown for a pail of water, andl on coming back threw that and other water that was provided on the lire, while the prisoner declared all the time that there was no flhe, but nothing but picems of paper; and standing over the fire, the flames being out, struck the witness, on which he collared the prisoner, and had him turned out of the room into the street. A constablc was sent for, but the prisoner made his escape before his arrival. This fire was made on the floor with paper, old rags, and rope-yarn, about three feet from the hearth; the loor was burned about nine inches in a circle. Barret is a watchman. He got the parish engine to assist in at- ting out the fire; there were some pieces of wood, about a foot from the burning of the floor; one had sparks on it, and the others were warm. Williani Painter is a constahle. He went on the following day to I look at the state of the room: the hearth-stone comes out nine inches from the wall, and the fire two feet Six frorn the extremity of the hearth-stone; the diameter of the fire was about fourteen inches, anti burnt into the floor about half an inch. On the fol-: lowing Saturday he found the prisoner about 300 or 400 yards from Mr. WValker's, in the way to Greenwizh. When he told the pri. soner what he wanted of him, he struggled violently to get away, and he was obliged to use some strength to secure him. The pri- soner had nothing to say in his deferca, and appeared extremely confused. Mr. WValker said, that fromr time to time he was in the habit of talking wildly and incoherently, anti that he had received severe un s in his head. Ile was in the habit of picking up old paper, pieces of tobacco-pipe, and other rubbish in the streets, and bringing them home. Mtr. Justice BuRitaouGis then summed up. Thejury had, first te lecide wliether there was any intention to injurc Mr. V1alkere- anl secondly, whether the Prisoner hadl any malicious intent in so dloing. The Jury, after a few minutes.' consideration, returned a verdict of Not Guilty; the foreman adtling, that the lury did not consider thie prisoner to it.ve been in his right mind at the time of the trans. action. John Pitch was indicted for stealing a pocket-book, and two soye- reigns, from the person of Jobn Henry Frederick de Donspierre, on the 30ih o. June. The prosecutor stated, that on the digy mntioned in the indict- ment, he and a partyofa dozen, after dining at Cumberland-gardens,! proceeded to Vauxhal-bgrdenp. [le walked with MI. Donner, a merchant in the city, and stayed there till between 12 and l,where he lost his pocket-book ,-le did not exactly know the time when he lost it, but he had it before the fireworks aomtnenced, and it was some time after the fireworks had conclude4 before he missed his pocket-book. While near the orchestra he missed it. Ho had his coat buttoned during the the greater part of the evening. His inside pocket had been cut, and the book gone. lie immediately spoke to Hall, the officer. The pocket-book contained two sovereigns, anid a blank check, with other memoranda. Cross-examined by Slir. ADoLnPMts.-There was an immense crowd at the fire-works, and an hour and a half elapsed from his knowing his property was safe to his missing it: when the prisoner was apprehended and searched, there was. nothing found upon him that betongedI to the witness, except the blank check; he believed that there was no knife or other sharp instrument foand apon hinm. Robert flal is an officer. Ile had heard of several robberies hav- ing been committed in the Gardens, and was on the look out. lr. Doinpierre came to hipa at the time the prisoner was in custody. The vitnress desired the prisoner to walk into a little room called the Treasury, which he did, M1r. Dompierre accompanying them. He then searched him, und was told that hiis name was Fitch * the witness knows that this is not his true name. LMr. Adolphus here interrupted the witness by observing, that he need not pursue that subject any further.1 Vitness founid upon him three or four sovereigns and a guinea and silver ; and Cave, a fellow-officer, pro. duced a blank check from his coat-pcket; upon which Mr. Dom- Pierre said, " That is my check; dion't show it me, for I can tell you the number ;" and the number that he stated (866, he believed) was the number of the check. The prosecutor then exclaimed, Lhat he had taken a valuable purse, which be would give five guinens For. The prisoner said that he knev nothing about it, and that, with respect to the check, he would explain at some other time. Cross-examined by Mr. TnEssIGER.TThe prisoner went wil- lingly to the Treasury, and offered no resistance to being searched; the money was either in his waistcoat or breeches pocket, and the check was loose in his coat pocket behlid: there were about half a dozen per,onss present: Mr. de Doinpierre used very strong Ianguase, upon which the prisonersaid that he would explain at some other time. (Mr. de Dompierre here swore to the check. It waas the one that he had in his pocket on the night in question.) Richard Pople had the prisotier in his custody ahout ten minutes before he gave him to Vall: he apprehended the prisoner in conse- quence of information lie received from a ger.tleman in the gardens the prisonerwas alone, coming outof the Rotunda ; hetold him that he was charged by two gentlerren with picJting their pockets, and that he must come up to Hall, which he did; there was asother person of Ihe namre of Stewart apprehended the same night, but there was none pf Mr. de Doirpierre's rroperty on him. Cross-examined by Ar. ADoLrPsus.-A knife was found upon Stewart, but nothing of that sort upon the prisoner. Thomas Cave was in company with HaUl, and they conjoisntly searched the prisoner: witneu took the check out of his cbst kcet? and deIivereq ia. immediatcly to Hall. CJross-examined by lr. ADOLPHUi.-Tle clichwas cMiOtj put into his pocket rumpled without any order. The- prisoner was thern caied upon for his defenre. fle addrised the Court ne.rly as follows -.-My Lord, and Gentlemen0of lhejUry this is a charge of which .1 am as ianochnt As the child unborn. i had hecn going to a partof the gardens for a certain purpose, when I found the eheck, which L picked up, As any person rmight have done. Wfith respect to Stewrt, who wa also taken into custoly at the same time as myself, that was a circumstance that might have happene(I to the fizat gent eman pf thelend: if the same erson had been standing near any nobleziln, the sorvQ thing would bave taken place, upon the principle that any body miight havc picked up the paper. Mte had verylittle to say as. to 5 r.4 npierred' evideRce, ex- ceptastdthemistakethatthatgentitleon hhdalsde*ith respectto the numberof the check. He had been rearel, ras hcsi4ht say, in the lap of affluence,and after serving for 20 years in ai honounhble profeesion, was it to be supposed tiat lie coald be so mean, so despicable, so low, as to descend to pick pockets, more especially in so public a place, where every eye wits upon him, snd where it was impossible to escape? It made his blo&l run cold. Again, he would as., if he had been guilty, would. he have kept the iec'k-a piece of paper quite valueless ? Vould he not rather have instantly thrown it away, if, as had been represented, he was a hardened offender? To theii verdict he looked. it wouli either enable him once more to hold up his head before all the world, or blast him for ever. hlr. Justice Buntou&yE summed up at some length: and the Jury, afler consulting together for a quarter of an hour, returned a ver idct of Guilty, but they nevertheless "spressed some doubts on the subiect, and therefore recommended him to mercy. -is tordbhip, in passing sentence Upon the prisoner, said that he had no doubt as to the propriety of the verdict. He perfectly knew reho he tear, and he thought he could not do better, in order to re- move him from his present companions, than transport himu for 14 years. GUIIDFORD, FRIDAY\, Auo. 20.