Star. — 1820-07-24 (London, England)

CHARGE OF RAPE AT SPALDING.  Richard Mitchell, an Irishman, aged 21, was indicted for a rape on the Bth of July, in the parish of Spalding, on the person of Mary, the wife of George Andrews. Mary Andrews stated, that about eight o'clock in the evening of Saturday, the Bth of July, she was washing some potatoes at her house door, and the prisoner was standing opposite; she had some conversation with him, and had an opportunity of observing his person and dress; shortly afterwards her husband came home, and they got their suppers.— The family consisted of her husband, herself, and their daughter, a child about tea years of age.— After supper, a neighbour of the name of Lewis, came in, and he and her husband went out together; witness said to him, " Don't go away, if you do I shall go to bed ;" a little before ten she and her little girl did go to bed ; the prisoner had continued standing against the house all this time. She did not lock the door, expecting that her husband would shortly return ; and she lett a light burning in her bed-room. —A little past eleven she was awakened by finding some one in bed with her, whom she at first thought to be her husband, but afterwards discovered it was the prisoner. She then detailed the circumstances of the completion of the rape. On discovering that, it was not her husband that was in bed with her, she shrieked out " murder !" as loud as she possibly could. —After the prisoner had made his escape, some women; her neighbours, came in, having heard the scream she had made at the window; she did not relate to them the whole of the circumstances, but did to her husband when he came home. She could only swear to the prisoner by his waistcoat. Geoige Andrews, husband of the last witness, corroborated her testimony respecting his going out with Lewis ; and further stated, that the prisoner was leaning against the pales in front of their house for a considerable time on the night in question ; and ' that he was engaged in tending beasts in a lane near thereto. Lewis and witness thought he had a very suspicious appearance, and that he was a man likely to steal their pigs, or to do any mischief in his power. They communicated their suspicions in the hearing of his wife. In order to get rid of the prisoner, they went and had his beasts pounded ; the conversation of his wife about going to bed, the prisoner might hear very well. Mr. Baron Gmutow considered some of the circumstances of the case as very suspicious and extraordinary. Why did not Mrs. Andrews lock the door ' on going to bed, particularly when she heard the suspicions the prisoner's appearance had excited in 'the minds of Lewis and her husband ? It was also very strange that the man should be able to pass through the house, up the staircase, into the bedroom, in the dark, without creating so much disturbance as to awaken the woman ; and yet she had sworn that she was not awakened until she found some one in bed with her. The only thing, too, by which she had identified the prisoner, was his waistcoat, and he (Baron Garrow) would venture to assert, that sixty out of every hundred Irishmen that came to this conntry under such circumstances as the prisoner did, wore waistcoats very similar to his. . The Jury without hesitation acquitted the prisoner.  Tuesday night the house •of Mr. GRANT, near Cheam, in Surrey, was entered by means of false keys, and robbed of plate, money, and apparel, to the value of nearly one hundred pounds.