Star. — 1814-09-17 (London, England)

MURDER OF THOMAS DAVIS. Joan De Silva (a Po. tuguese) was the third priso. ner put to the bar to take his trial, on a charge of having murdered one Thomas Davis, a waterman, cm the 12th of Dec. 1812. In a second Connt he was charged with aiding and assisting one +lonia Cardoso in the commission of the said murder. The prisoner smiled and seemed to treat the charge against him with the utmost indifference. Mr. Cowan( stated the case for the prosecution: The facu which he detailed were shortly these : The deceased and his brother, who were watermen, on the evening of the murder were walking up Nightingalelane, and had a dispute with some women of the sown. One of the girls ran into a neighbouring public house, and called out-4g Cardoza 1" Cardosa, the priso. ner, and two other men came out ; on coming out the girls pointed out the deceased, and said—" that is he, kill him dead." The prisoner drew a knife, and made a stab at the brother of the deceased, and  afterwards ran to the assistance of Cardoza, who !hid stabbed the deceased, in consequence of which death ensued. Shortly afterwards the prisoner went into the public house from whence he came, and delivered to the landlord a knife. A Gentleman who followed him, and perceived this act, said, " You are the man who stabbed the young man." The landlord said— " Can you prove it, Sir ?" and upon answering in the negative, the prisoner, with his comrades, were suffered to escape, with the exception of Cardoza, who was secured, tried, and had been executed. The disco. viry cf the prisoner was owing to one of those interpositiotft of PROVIDINCI4 which fully proved the truth . of the maxim, that a murderer could never escape the punishment his crime deserved. The brother of the deceased, it appeared, fulfill of the vengeance of the countrymen of Cardoza, to whose death he had been so instrumental, thqught it wise to quit his ordinary profession of a waterman, and to sh,p hinisell as sailor on board an East Indiaman. H- went with the ship to China, and while there went on board toe Sir Charles Grant: he there saw the prisoner, whom tie immediately recognised as having taken part in the murder of his brother. The prisoner saw him it the 'same time, and covering his face with a handkerchief, went away. The young man, however, f. w. d him, and asked whether his name was not De Silva ? was answered in the affirmative. In a week . wards he saw him in oae of the ports of the yeast, and said " you are the man who killed my broth. r." The prisoner said, " t wish I had kilted >ou 4144" The prisoner was confined in a week aiterwar&, and, sent home to England ; and he now stood at the bar of a British tribunal to receive that punishment his crime so justly merited. The Learned Counsel then called evidence to prove  the fact. The prisoner put in a written paper in his defence; it was written in Portuguese, and translated into Erg• lish by an interpreter. In it be most positively pro tested his innocence, and stated that he had been several times in London subsequent to the murder. Witnesses were called who proved this latter assertion. ' Mr. Justice DAMPIER, in summing up the evidences remarked, that he did not think such tesom. ny had been adduced as would lead to a fair conclusion that the prisoner was either a principal or an accessary to the murder which had been committed. The Jury were clearly of opinion that the evidence did not warrant them in finding the prisoner guilty of • the murder. The Learned Judge then summed up the evidence, in order that the Jury might term their opinion as to whether the prisoner was guilty of m inslaughter He remarked that, it they were of opinion Ow the prisoner had gone out of the public-house a Ith the vie .v of joining an some illegal act, death having ensued, then he was guilty of manslaughter; it they were of opinion that he had merely gone out to protect the girls, who had called for Cardoaa's assistance, then be was not guilty. 'The Jury pronounced the prisoner—Not Gulty.