opportunity for remonstrance that evening. Lady Cloncurry retired before him, and was asleep when he went to bed; but, upon her waking about four o'clock the next morning, he reproached her with the impropriety of what he had been a witness to. Lady Cloncurry burst into a flood of tears, and sobbed out, in words hardly articulate "Sir John Piers is an infamous wretch; he is determined on my ruin; for God's sake let me never see him again." Lord Cloncurry, not conceiving the whole extent of his misfortune-not supposing it exceeded some improper familiarity offered to his wife, rushed out of her apartment in scarch of sir John; he found him shooting in a distant part of the demesne. His first care was, to get possession of his gun, under pretence of shoot ing a rabbit; he then said to him, "Piers, don't be angry with me; for God's sake don't drive lady Cloncurry to infamy; quit this place; go, God bless you." Sir John, after some confused attempt at explanation, departed. Lord C. returned to the house, and to his wife's apartment; he endeavoured to soothe her; he assured her that the man whom she detested was gone, and that she should never see him more; he also assured her of his own undiminished affection. Struck with his generosity, she threw herself at his feet, and made a full confession of her guilt. The solicitor-general concluded by informing the jury, that, in addition to the loss of the affections of his wife, lord Cloncurry had to lament another circumstance of a most afflicting nature. This adulterous intercourse had proved fruitful, and a spurious offspring was imposed on lord Cloncurry, to bear his name, and to participate largely in that fortune which had been set. tled on his younger children. Three letters were read from sir J. Piers to lord C.-In the two first he asserts his own innocence, and calls on his lordship for explanation. The third was written with the manifest intention to provoke a breach of the peace. A letter was also read from sir John to lady C. written after the discovery, and which had been intercepted by lord Cloncurry. It is written in the most impassioned and romantic style; he styles her his own beloved Eliza; calls his lord. ship a poor tame wretch, alluding to his conduct in the demesne on the morning of the 25th, and proposes marriage to her; finally, he begs to know, is it only suspicion with lord Cloncurry, or if he has discovered all? Several witnesses were called to prove the statement in the opening. The trial was resumed the next day. Mr. Burrows was then heard on the part of the defendant; he spoke for upwards of two hours, but did not call any witnesses. Serjeant Ball, spoke to evidence; and the jury, on hearing the charge, retired, and in about 35 minutes returned a verdict for the plaintiff-Damages twenty-thousand pounds! 20. John Holloway, aliàs Oliver, aliàs Long Will, and Owen Haggerty, aliàs Eggerty, were indicted at the Old Bailey for the wilful murder of Mr. Steele, in the month of November, 1802, upon Houn slow Heath. Thomas Meyer, brother-in-law of the deceased, Henry Manby, and Wm. Hughes, described the manner in which the body of the de ceased ceased was found buried near a clump of trees upon the Heath; and Henry Frogley, a surgeon, described the wounds he found upon the body when he examined it; one of which, an extensive fracture in the fore part of the head, he had no doubt, was the immediate cause of death. Benjamin Hanfield, the accom. plice, was next examined; the record of his pardon having been first read, without which his deposition could not have been taken. [The pardon, however, only applied to the offence for which he was suffering at the time he made the confession on-board the hulks at Portsmouth.] Ile deposed nearly as follows:-" have known Haggerty eight or nine years, and Hol. We were loway six or seven. accustomed to meet at the Black Horse and Turk's Head publichouses in Dyot-street. I was in their company in the month of November, 1802. Holloway, just before the murder, called me out from the Turk's Head, and asked me if I had any objection to be in a good thing? I replied, I had not. He said it was ano toby,' meaning a footpad-robbery. I asked, when and where. He said he would let me know. We parted, and two days after we met again; and Sa. turday, the 6th of November, was appointed. I asked, who was to go with us; he replied, that Haggerty had agreed to make one. They all three met on the Saturday at the Black Horse; when Holloway said, our business is to serve' a gentleman on Hounslow Heath, who, I understand, travels that way with property. We then drank for three or four hours, and about the middle of the day we set off for Hounslow. We stopped at a public-house, the Bell, and took some porter. We proceeded from thence upon the road towards Belfont, and expressed our hope that we We should get a good booty. stopped near the eleventh milestone, and secreted ourselves in a clump of trees. While there, the moon got up, and Holloway said we had come too soon. After loitering about a considerable time, Holloway said he heard a foot-step, and we proceeded toWe presently saw wards Belfont. a man coming towards us; and on approaching him, we ordered him to stop; which he immediately did. Holloway went round him, and told him to deliver. He said, we should have his money, and hoped we would not ill use him. The deceased put his hand in his pocket, and gave Haggerty his money. I demanded his pocket-book. He Hollo. replied that he had none. way insisted that he had a book; and if he did not deliver it, he would knock him down. The deceased again replied that he had no book, and Holloway knocked him down. I then laid hold of his legs. Hollo way stood at his head, and swore if he cried out, he would knock out his brains. The deceased again said, he hoped we would not ill use him. Haggerty proceeded to search him; when the deceased made some resistance, and struggled so much, that he got across the road. He cried out severely, and, as a carriage was coming up, Hol., loway said, "Take care, I will silence the b―r,' and immediate. ly struck him several violent blows on the head and body. The de ceased ceased heaved a heavy groan, and lining over it, threw it into the stretched himself out lifeless. I felt Thames. alarmed, and said, John, you have killed the man: Holloway replied, that it was a lie, for he was only stunned. I said I would stay no longer, and immediately set off towards London, leaving Holloway and Haggerty with the body. I came to Hounslow, and stopped at the end of the town for near an hour. Holloway and Haggerty then came up, and said, they had done the trick, and, as a token, put the deceased's hat into my hand. The hat Holloway went down in was like a soldier's hat. I told Holloway it was a cruel piece of business, and that I was sorry I had any hand in it. We all turned down a lane, and returned to London. As we came along, I asked Holloway if he had got the pocket-book. He replied, it was no matter; for as I had refused to share the danger, I should not share the booty. We came to the Black Horse in Dyotstreet, had half a pint of gin, and parted. Haggerty went down in shoes, but I don't know if he came back in them. The next day I observed Holloway had a hat upon his head, which was too small for him. I asked him if it was the same he got the preceding night. He said it was. We met again on the Monday; when I told Holloway that he acted imprudently in wearing the hat, as it might lead to a discovery. He put the hat into my hand, and I observed the name of Steele in it. I repeated my fears. At night Holloway brought the hat in a handkerchief, and we went to Westminster Bridge, filled the hat with stones, and having tied the The witness was then cross-examined. He said, he had made no other minutes of the transactions he had been detailing, than what his conscience took cognizance of. It was accident that led to his disclosure. He was talking with other prisoners in Newgate, of particular robberies that had taken place; and the Hounslow robbery and murder be ing stated amongst others, he inadvertently said that there were only three persons who knew of that transaction. The remark was circulated and observed upon; and a rumour ran through the prison, that he was about to turn “nose,” and he was obliged to hold his tongue lest he should be ill used. When at Portsmouth, on-board the hulks, the compunctions of science came upon him; and he was obliged to dissipate his thoughts by drinking, to prevent him from divulging all he knew. At last he was questioned by sir John Carter, and soon after an officer arrived from London, and he made a full confession. He admitted, that he had led a vicious life, that he had been concerned in several robberies, and had entered and deserted from several regiments. He had served in the East and West London militia, had enlisted into the 9th and 14th light dragoons, and had been in the army of reserve. He added, that he was ashamed and sorry at what he had been, and would en. deavour to mend his life in future. After some witnesses had been examined, in order to bring the two prisoners and the accomplice together about the time of the rob. bery bery and murder, and several policeofficers had been called to shew that they were all three considered to be of reputed bad character, and connected; Justice Nares was examined, who gave an account of the several examinations the prisoners underwent before him. In those examinations Haggerty denied any knowledge of Holloway, and said he had never seen Hanfield, the accomplice, in all his life. They both denied ever being at Hounslow in their lives, or that they had ever entered the Black-Horse or the Turk's-Head public-houses in Dyot-street. Another head of evidence was, to prove that they had been seen at both the public-houses mentioned, and that they had also been seen in Hounslow and its neighbourhood. The next and principal of evidence was that collected from the prisoners' own mouths. It appeared, that they were confined in separate apartments after their separate examinations; but as there was only a slight partition betwixt them, they were enabled to con. verse together. An officer had taken the precaution of placing him self in a situation where he could over-bear their conversation, and by that means became possessed of every thing they said to each other. They deprecated the villainy of Hanfield, and flattered themselves that the crime could not be brought home to them, and that it was possible that Hanfield might suffer for his perfidy. They confided to each other, that they had denied having any acquaintance with the accomplice, and, in fact, recapitulated to each other the whole of their examinations. In one of these conversations the following colloquy passed: Haggerty- Where did he say we parted after the murder?" Holloway" At Houns low." Haggerty- Where did he say we had the gin?" Holloway At the Black Horse in Dyotstreet." 66 Haggerty We must have had the gin there." A deal more of this conversation was given in evidence, which only went to confirm the knowledge the prisoners had of the transaction; and the hat, shoes, and bludgeon found upon the Heath, were produced in court. Holloway, when called upon for his defence, said, that Hanfield was a stranger to him, and he was innocent of the crime alleged a gainst him. He said, Hanfield had accused him, to get his own liberty. He then pointed out what he called contradictions in his evidence, and called Mr. Nares to witness for those contradictions. Mr. Nares could see nothing like contradiction in the story told by the accom. plice. Mr. Justice Le Blanc summed up the evidence in a very clear and perspicuous manner, making some very humane observations upon the nature of the testimony given by accomplices. He was near two hours in his address, and left no point either for or against the pri soners unobserved upon, leaning at all times to the side of mercy. The jury retired for a few minutes; when they returned a verdict of Guilty against both the pri soners. The recorder passed sentence in the most solemn and impressive way, and the unhappy men were ordered for execution on Monday morning. They went from the bar, protestjog ing their innocence, and apparently careless of the miserable and igno. minious fate that awaited them. They were both ill-looking men, particularly Holloway, whose appearance was the most brutal and ferocious that can be imagined. A few days ago, Mr. John Lupton, of Linton, purchased the wife of Richard Waddilove, iun-keeper, of Grassington, for the sum of one hundred guineas, and gave one guinea in earnest. The following day he went to demand his bargain, and tendered 99 guincas to her hus. band. She, however, was obstre perous, and would not be delivered. Waddilove had the good sense to retain the earnest-money. A few evenings since, Mrs. Beauchamp, of Trevince, Cornwall, a maiden lady, 78 years of age, was burnt to death, as she sat in her parlour. It is remarkable, that apprehensions had been long entertained that such would be her fate, as she had once before set fire to her clothes while reading; and a servant was retained to be always with her, to guard against such a dreadful event. This servant had not been out of the room a quarter of an hour; when returning with the footman, they found their mistress's clothes on fire, her person dreadfully burnt, and in a state of suffocation from which she never revived. Natural Curiosity-On Monday se'nnight, as the men belonging to Messrs. Bradshaw, of Lancaster, were sawing an American maple log in two, they were much surprized at finding a cavity in the cen tre of it, containing about five or six quarts of wheat, which must have remained there for many years; as there was no hole on the . outside of the log, which was about 25 feet in length, and 18 inches square. The cavity was about the centre of the log, six feet in length, and about three inches in diameter. 23. At ten minutes after eight this morning, Owen Haggerty, one of the murderers of Mr. Steele, was brought out on the scaffold for execution: he appeared to be extremely penitent; with a pale and steadfast countenance, he joined most fervently in prayer, along with the rev. Dr. Devereux, a clergyman of the Roman Catholic church, who attended him; he was so resigned to his fate, and so in. tent upon the last endeavour that he was capable of making towards effecting a reconciliation with the offended Deity, that he did not seem to be at all conscious that several thousands had crowded round on every side, to gaze at him in his last moments; but, though he was a Roman Catholic, and was remarkably fervent in his last act of devotion, we are informed that he did not confess his being guilty of the crime for which he suffered. John Holloway, on the other hand, shewed such indifference as to the terror of death which then stared him in the face, and the ignominious manner in which he was to suffer, as, for the sake of human nature, we must hope could not possibly have any real existence in any human breast, however depraved it possibly might be:-With even an affected cheerfulness of countenance, he jumped upon the scaffold when he had ascended the ladder; his arms being pinioned with a rope behind, as usual in such cases, he got his hat between his two hands, and, as well as he was able, bowed to the crowd repeatedly, turning round |