Star. — 1820-10-27 (London, England)

RILL AND•OTHBO,V. MANTIELLI. themselves Mary Baker and Catherine. or Kit Baker, The plaintiffs in this cause were the owners of a ship were brought up. from St. Martin s watch-house, named the Princess Mary, chartered from this coun- I under the following circumstances :—lt appeared try in 1817, for St. Thomas's and St.. Domingo, on b tike outloo • y the evidence of a host of' witnesses, that between these conditions:—the ship was to tons ' three and four o'clock yesterday morning, the whole cargo, to be delivered at the above-mentioned islands, f neighbourhood of Vine-stree, Chi idos-street, was freight free, and in compensation was to be freighted alarmed by dreadful cries of " watch r " murder!" • home with coffee, at a certain stated tonnage.; The Ike. accompanied by the sound of windows breakipg. brother of the defendant went out in the ship as Su- These cries continued for nearly a quarter of an hour, percargo. When the vessel arrived at St. Thomai,'s, and no watchman seems to have come near the place the Supercargo shipped• on board 7bs.cases of mer- during that time. At length a man was seen hanging chandise, *lrish were taken to St. Domingo; and from the second fl iop window of the house No. 4., the action was brought to recover the fleight of the Vine-street, with his head downwards, and in the next cases. The defence rested on the cross-examination moment he fell upon the pavement. Two watchmen of a witness, which entirely failed; and the plaintiffs had by this time arrived, and whilst some persons bad a verdict in their favour : thedamages to be .conveyed the' man almost lifeless to the watch. settled out of Court. • house, they forced the door of the house, and proceed. evidence or not, it was allowed by the Court to 2 ing to the room from whence the man had fallen, they *mad. It contained a full admission, on the part of found there the two prisoners, in a state of great dis. Bennet, of the fact with which he was charged, and order and agitation, and with their clothes much torn. his earnest request that the Company would not The story these women told was,•that he had wilprosecute, as he had already been sufficiently punished fully thrown himself from the window I—and one of by the consequences of his misconduct. them asserted that as he was getting out she caught ' Mr. CHITTY contended,• that no conspiracy had hi • m by the leg and held him, calling " watch I" with been proved against the defendants; what the result all her might till her strength was exhausted ; and might have been had they been indicted separately, she then was obliged to loose her hold, and he fell. he should not take upon himself to say ; but there Several of the witnesses, however, deposed that he was no proof that they had acted in concert, and con, p a__ ared to be struggling very much with some perquently could not have been guilty of a conspiracy. sons before he was completely out of the wiudow1. Mr. Justice Batter told the Jury, that the ques- that all the cries,of " murder !" and " watch!" were tinn for their consideration was, if a conspiracy had uttered in a moan's voice; and that, as he fell, two. been proved or not? If they thought the defendant women looked out after him, without uttering any Fos was not guilty, they must also acquit the other alarm at all. The evidence was heard thus far in the defendant, Bennet, as they had both been included forenoon, and the prisoners were then remanded till in the same indictment. the evening, in order to obtain from the man him. The Jury withdrew for half an hour, and then ac- st.lf, if, possible, some account of the transaction; and, quitted both the defendants. notwithstanding the dreadful fall he experienced, he