Chester, Tuesday, Sept. 7...
The Times, 1824-09-10T00:00:00

Before the Jlon. ChiefJust;ce WXAnE5; and the lIon. lfr. Justice .Tr:RVIS. James Bell, aged about 25, was placed at the bar, indicted fo, having committed an assault upon Elizabeth Lowe, a little girl umder 10 years old, at flacclesfi7.d, in this county,' on the 13di of Mlay last. hi r. He{LL, the Attorney-General, stated the facts of the case for theptesecution, and lam~ented that suci crimes had become so fre- quent in this county, tha t he strong arm of the law was neccssary to check thenm. The case was satisfactorily proved; but the details are too ofrensive for publication. The CHIEF JusTIcE summed up, and thejury returned a ver- dict of Guilty. The CHIEr JUSTICE, after coimnenting in severe terms upon the brutal nataire of the offence-an offence agtainst which every ta. ther and every mother must cry out in terms of the loudest iadigna- tion-sentenced the prisoner to 30 calendar months' imprisonment in the House of Correction. John Threadgydd was imadicted for feloniously stealing a one pou nd ewvcastle note and a half crown from Mr. Poynton., while ir, his ser- vice on the 27th of Februarv Iast. Air. HIlT. stated the case for the prosecution, and before proceed- ing to detail the evidence, said that the crime of the prisoner was coniderabiy aggravatcd by the circumstance of hisbaving inculpated other persons, who had been already put on their trial and acquitted, for the commission of that crime, of which, he had no doubt, lie should be able to prove the prisoner himself to he qu lty. Several. robberies were committed u poon Mr. Poynton, but this was the only one which he vwas successful In detectitig. Thomas Pass examined.-Was, on the 27th of February last, in the employ of Mr. Poynton, and so wvas the prisoner. In conse- quenceof something that had happened. the miU was regularly wstched.. I was the bookkeeper, and received and pait out the cash. About nine in the evening of the -nth, went to the counting- house in the mill, vrhere the cash was kept in a drawer locked up, of which I kept the key. Tareadgold foUowed me into the counting.house. In bis presence I unlocked the drawer, and took out a one pound Newcastle note, a lialf-crown, one shilling, and some anipences. Took the silver, and wrapped it up in the note. This 1 put within some lovse numbers of a book called The Young Matt's Conmpatio0n. I then locked thc drawer, and left in ?t ninepence in copper. The, prisoner and I left the mill togetber. James Barker, in my presence, locketd the door of the mill. Deane Roberts; and Parker were watches in the mill, and they were lock;ed in. - rhreadgold called me up in the morning, and said somebody had gone and broken open the milL I got up and went to the mill. The door was open, bust no dlamage was done to the lock. The anote and silver whtc'l I left in the leaves of the book were gone. The drawer was picked open, and both drawer and the copper I left in it gone. Cross-examlned by Mr. JoxEs.-There were three persons watch. Ing the mill that night-Roberts, Parker, and Deane. They did not beldng to the mill ; they were only employed as watches. Nobody saw me put up the money but the prisoner. The three met were in- side the milL The prisoner was the first whogave the alarm of the robbery. I did not loose sight of him till we got back to the mill. The two watclhinen called corroborated this evidence. Matthewr Frost swore that he assisted in taking the prisoRer into custody, and that vrhat had been done in the mill, the prisoner con- fesmed to have done himself, and that he said Newton and Neward haddone it, to clearhimself, that he nmight be taken back again, nnd get favour with his mastcr. The prisoner was a married man. The CurErE JusTrcE summed up and the jury found a verdict of GWilty.-Judgment not pronounced. _ _ ; _ _~~~~~~ CIIESTER,.TIJESDAY. SEPT. 7.