The National Register. — 1812-04-05 (London, England)

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.  PROVINCIAL ASSIZES.  SURREY.  -,APRIL 6  KINGSTON, APRIL I.—. Adam, Lee, Thomas Lee, and Eleanor his wife, were indicted for a highway robbery, by stopping Elizabeth Collier, on the 21st of October last, and forcibly taking. from her her cloaths, pockets, money, 3tc. The prisoners were three gipsies, and the case excited a considerable degree of interest, on account of the cruel manner in which the prosecutrix had been treated. Elizabeth Collier, when called, was in a very languid and debilitated state, from the ill ugage she had received. She stated that she lived at Horsham, in this county, with Mr. Giles. On the morning of the 21st of October she was sent to Walton, by her mistress, and on her return home she saw the three prisoners. The woman gipsy asked her if she would have her fortune told ? She replied no, she knew her forvery well. Immediatejy the prisoner Thomas Lee came up to her, and caught her by putting his arm round her neck. The other came up, and dragged 'her towards the park paling of Sir John Frederick's park. While the men were dragging her, the woman kicked her several times. They then loosened a paling from the park, and dragged her through the aparture into the Old Park. Here they abused her very much, by beating her violently. She fainted away, and when she recovered she found that they had stripped her of her gown, pockets, petticoat, &c. and left her almost naked. She made a noise, but they were not gone, and they returned back again, and told her if she mad.: any more noise tilt), would murder her. She then described the dress of all the three.—She said that Thomas Lee, the ta;ler gipsy, had more hair and Whiskey. They were taken the next day, and she recognized them again, eitcept that :he whiskers of Thomas Lee had been shaved eft Another witness proved, that she passed:the same place shortly before, and she saw tho three prisoners near the spot which the prosecutrix had described as the same of the robbery. • For the prisoners an alibi was set up ; to *wort which a great num• bee of witnesses were called. 1 The Jury found all the prisoners Guilty.  LAUNCESTON: Wyatt, of Fowey, was tried at these Assizes, for the nrardf.r and robbery of Isaiah Falk Valentine. The prisoner kept a publichouse in Dock, called the Jolly Bacchus, from whence he removed in November last, to the Rose and Crown, at Fowey. The dpeceasel person of the Jewish persuasion, Wah in habits of intimacy with tile prisoner. About the kith of November, two letters were aedressed to Valentine (then in Dock) by the prisoner, desiring him to come down to Fowey, where he (the priscnerl had some buttons, or guineas, to dispose of. Relying on this statement, Valentine. accordingly went hwn on the 19th of the same 'onth; but on his arrival, instead of introducing lialentine' as he had proposed, to the persons whom he had stated as dealing in coin, the prisoner contrived to amuse and deceive hint, in various ways, until Monday evening, the 25th of, Novenfo!r, when, under the pretence of taking him (Valentine) to Captain Best, • he led him to a place or quay called the Broad Slip, in Fowey, and pushed him into the water, where he first suffocated, and then robbcd him of ::601. which be afterwards deposited in a heap of dung on his own premises.—No doiiht, whatever mild be entertained of the prisoner's guilt, front a long but strong train of circumstantial evidence; and after a trial of eleven hours' continuance, he was found guilty of felony and murder, and sentenced to be hung at Launceston.