The Sun. — 1829-08-06 (London, England)

OXFORD CIRCUIT.—WORCESTER, Auc. 4.  Samuel Burton was indicted, charged with having feloniously assaulted and ravished Justitia Hall, at Oldswinford, on the 22d of May last. Justine Hall, the prosecutrix, said, I was 17 years old the 2d of last June. My father is a shoemaker, living at Pcdmore, and I live with him. On the 22d of May last I left home at twelve o'clock to go to Stourbridge. I saw the prisoner at Oldswinford on my way to Stourbridge, at about half-past twelve. I knew he was a married man and that he had three or four children. I returned about one o'clock, and met the prisoner opposite the Talbot ; he said, " Now you must come and have something to drink." I said, " No, thank you, I must make haste home with the meat for my father's dinner." The prisoner then laid hold of my wrist, and said, " - it, come along." I told him if he would loose my wrist I would go with him; we then went to Mr. Collis's liquor-shop, and the prisoner called for a quartern of rum. A little girl brought the liquor; he poured out one glass for himself and another for me ; I wanted some water ; he desired me to drink it neat. I said I could not drink it, and poured some of it back into his glass; altogether I drank a glass and a half. I got up from my seat, and asked what o'clock it was ? He said between one and two. I then wished him a good afternoon, and went off on my way home. When I got to a I gate about a quarter of a mile on my road, the prisoner came up to me. I said to him, " Where are you going this way ?" He made no answer, but came and laid hold of my basket, and said I was not going that way. He got my basket away, and went off over some fields towards Love-lane. I followed him, and called to him to give me my basket. 1 asked him several times for my basket. Love-lane is a narrow lane, about wide enough for a cart to go up, with high banks and hedges. I followed the prisoner up Love-lane, till he canto to a gate, when he stopped. When I got up to him he laid hold of my arm, and threw the basket into the field. It was a barley field ; he then got over the gate, still keeping hold of my arm. He then pulled me over the gate. While he was pulling m,e, over, I called out, " Murder, you rogue, loose me. He then threw me down under the hedge. I had a light-coloured shawl on, and a dark handkerchief. The prisoner then put his knee on my right side, and his hand on my mouth, and I scrat him; he said, " Yon - -, if you are not quiet I will kill you :" he then got his hand round my neck, and dragged me down the field. 1 tried to get up, but could not stand, his ill-treatment and the liquors alrogether overcame me. I sat up on the ground, and the prisoner then pulled my bonnet, shawls, and handkerchief off. I was strangled, that I could not speak. He then pushed me back, and pulled my petticoats over my face, and accomplished his purpose. I fainted away : when I recovered I found the prisoner standing before me. I saw a person of the name of Smith, and called out to him, " You with the white smockfrock, for God's sake come to my assistance." He came and laid hold of me and picked me up off the ground, as I could not get up myself. Smith said, " Sammy, you are a rogue: what have you been doing to this girl all this time?" The prisoner replied, " I have done what I wanted to do; if you want anything to do with her, have it and have done with it, as I shall not leave her." Smith then said to the prisoner, " You had better make it up." The prisoner said, he had got nothing but a sovereign, and lie would go and change it. I told him he had not got a sovereign ; if he I had, he had better take it home to his wife and