Star. — 1812-04-03 (London, England)

ASSIZES.  KINGSTON, APRIL L Adam Lee, 7homar Lee, and Eleanor his. wife, were indicted for a highway robbery, by stopping Elizabeth Collier, on the 21st of October last, and forcibly tarring from her her clothes, pockets, money, &c. The prisoners were three gipsies, and the case excited a considerable degree of interest, on account of the cruel manner in which the prosecutris had been treated.  Elizabeth Collier, when called, was in a very languid and debilitated state,.front the ill usage she had received. She stated that she lived, in October last, 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 fortune very well. Immediately the prisoner Thomas Lee came up to her, and caught heiby putting his round her neck. The other came up, and they dragged her towards the park-palling of Sir John Frederic's park. While the men were dragging her, the woman kicked her several times. hey then loosened a palling from the park, and dragged her through the aperture 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, and left her almost naked. " She made a noise, but they were not gone, and they returned back again, and told her if she made any more noise they would murder her. She then described the dress of the persons of all the three. She said that Thomas Lee, the taller gipsy, had more hair and whiskers. They were taken the next day, and she recognized them again, except that the whiskers of Thomas Lee had been shaved off. •  Another witness proved that she passed the same place shortly before, end she saw the three prisoners near the spot which the prosecutrix had described as the scene of robbery. Foy, the officer, stated, that 'then Thomas Lee was taken into custody, he appeared as if his whiskers had been lately cut off, as that part of his cheek seemed much lighter in colour than the rest of his face. But with respect to Adam Lee, he did not take him into custody, but took his word for his appearance at the office. The prisoner did appear on the day, but the girl not being there that day to identify him, he was again let go at large, on a promise to appear on the following Wednesday, which he did, and appeared to answer the charge. This was all the evidence on the part of the prosecution, the case resting on the correctness of the prosecutrix, as to the identity of the prisoners. For the prisoners, an alai was set up, to support which a great number of witnesses were called ; the general outline of which was, that Thomas Lee and his wife were in their hut, at Brixton Causeway, on the day of the robbery, and for several days preceding. Some of the witnesses had not seen them so near the, time as to be inconsistent with the fact of their having been to the distance of twelve miles, the place of the robbery ; but others spoke with indre certainty as to seeing them at near nine o'clock, the time of the robbery. Several witnesses also said they saw no alteration in the appearance of Thomas Lee's fice, nor did it appear to them that he had cut off any whiskeri or hair. With respect to Adam Lee, some witnesses stated, that they saw him near four on the day ; but, on cross-examination, they did not seem to have fixed the day by any certain reference. The Learned Judge told the Jury, that this was a case of great nicety, and begged their particular at. tention to the evi,fence, observing, that it merely depended on the crc,lit they should give to the prosecu. air. He then detailed the whole, most minutely, observing upon the beating of every part of it ; and said, it was for them to determine between the contradictory testimony. The Jury found the prisoners all Guilty.