[list-cumbria] Carlisle Patriot, 06 Mar 1824 - Westmorland Spring Assizes (4)

[Petra Mitchinson]

Saturday 06 Mar 1824   (p. 4, col. 1-6)

 

WESTMORLAND SPRING ASSIZES. 

 

[continued] 

 

TUESDAY, MARCH 2. 

 

The Court met this morning at ten; but sat upwards of two hours, doing nothing, before the Grand Jury returned any bill. 

 

On the motion of Mr. AGLIONBY, John DENT, a a [sic] person charged with felony, was permitted to go before the Grand Inquest and
give evidence, the learned Gentleman assuring his Lordship that without it his case for the prosecution would be incomplete. 

 

At length a bill was returned true, and 

 

GEORGE RAWSTHORN, aged 25, and THOMAS RICHARDSON, aged 19, were put to the bar, charged with having on the night of the 2nd of
December last, burglariously and feloniously broken open and entered the dwelling-house of John GUY, gent. in the Burgh of Kirkby in
Kendal, and stealing therefrom, one drab woollen top coat, four cloaks, six silver tea-spoons, one hat, four waistcoats, one close
bodied-coat, and various other articles, the property of Mr. GUY. 

 

RAWSTHORN pleaded not guilty. 

 

RICHARDSON said he was guilty. 

 

His Lordship observed that if he pleaded guilty under an idea that his punishment would be less than if convicted, it was right he
should know that no expectation of the kind could be held out to him by the Court, and therefore he thought the prisoner had better
consider of it. If he took his trial, it might possibly turn out that, if guilty, he had committed a less offence than that laid in
the indictment. 

 

RICHARDSON took this humane hint in the spirit intended, withdrew his plea, and pleaded not guilty. 

 

RAWSTHORN handed in a paper containing the names of about half a score of jurors resident in Kendal and immediate vicinity, to whom
he objected. Four of them were in the box, and they were therefore under the necessity of retiring. 

 

Mr. ALDERSON (with whom was Mr. AGLIONBY) conducted the prosecution. He shortly developed the leading facts of the case in his
address to the Jury. The only question for them to decide would be, he observed, whether the prisoners were the persons who had
committed the offence; for that it was a burglary there was not the slightest doubt. To prove the principal facts of the case he
should bring forward a witness (John DENT) who was concerned in the robbery; but unless his evidence were corroborated by other
testimony he asked them not to give a verdict on his word alone. 

 

Sarah GUY called.—I lately had the misfortune to lose my husband, John GUY; he died about a fortnight ago. We lived at Crossbank, on
the second of Dec. last, in the parish of Kirkby Kendal; my husband and I lived together alone. On the night mentioned, the windows
were fast, and I myself bolted the doors about half past eight, when we went to bed. We were not aware of any thing happening till
we got up in the morning, at 20 minutes past five, before it was light: we then discovered the window open, and many things stolen—a
pane of glass had been cut out and the latch by that means opened: and the door was unbolted, which must have been done on the
inside. The clothes drawers were open. I saw the stolen articles again on Christmas day; they were taken from different parts of the
house. Both my husband and myself went up stairs to bed at the same time. 

 

John DENT sworn.—I have known RICHARDSON five years—RAWSTHORN three nights before John GUY's house was broken open, and first met
him at his own house. I saw him on the night of the robbery between six and seven; it was on a Tuesday night. On the Monday night
preceding, I had some talk with him in the presence of RICHARDSON. RAWSTHORN said to us he knowed where we might have a good
crack—at John GUY's, for they went to bed drunk every night. RICHARDSON and I would not go that night. On the next night, we saw him
again in widow SIMPSON's house; RAWSTHORN came in and asked us to go to his house, not far off, in Kirkland in Kendal. We went
thither with him, where we found Wm. LONG, a boy, and RAWSTHORN's wife; and the widow SIMPSON also went. We all had supper—LONG
supped behind by himself. This was about seven in the evening. After supper RAWSTHORN went out, and called RICHARDSON and me out. He
said we must go and do that job; that it was a right night, a wet one. We went with him beside John GUY's house, into a little
garden, to stop till they went to bed. We remained there till an old woman came out of the house with a lanthorn and shut the
garden-gate; she then went into another dwelling up a pair of stairs on the outside, about 20 yards off. Then we came to the front
of the house, and stopped a little till the people went up stairs. RAWSTHORN and RICHARDSON went to the door; and when they came
back, RAWSTHORN told me that they had opened the shuts,* and that we must go back till about 12 o'clock, and then come again, it
being over soon. We did go back to RAWSTHORN's house, and found there his wife and widow SIMPSON—the boy, LONG, had gone to bed. We
then had another supper: and stayed till about a quarter past ten. Before this, RAWSTHORN asked his wife if her step-mother had not
a dark lanthorn. She said 'Yes.' He desired her to go and see if she could get it; and she and widow SIMPSON went out together, and
in a quarter of an hour brought the dark lanthorn. About a quarter past ten, it came on terribly wet; RAWSTHORN said we had better
go before the watchmen came round. All three then went to GUY's house; I carried the lanthorn. They went to the window, and I went
into the shoeing-house. I know not what was done; but I heard some glass scatter; and soon after I saw one of them creeping in at
the window. Then Thomas RICHARDSON came to me for the lanthorn, which had a light in it; and I saw him give it at the window to
RAWSTHORN. Directly after, the door opened from the inside, and RICHARDSON entered. I remained in the shoe-house, being desired to
stand there till they came out. They stopped within about 20 minutes. When they came out, I went to the door to them, and Geo.
RAWSTHORN gave me a bundle; and RAWSTHORN put his shoes and hat on at the door. He had on a great white top coat, which he had not
on when he went into the house. We took the things straight away to widow SIMPSON's—I the bundle, and they several articles in their
pockets. She refused the bundle, and would not have it in her house. RAWSTHORN's wife was there at the time. The goods in their
pockets were silk cloaks. We sat down about five minutes, and RAWSTHORN and his wife took the bundle home with them. I and
RICHARDSON remained at the widow's that night. The night following RAWSTHORN told me they had planted the goods in Oxenholme wood. A
fortnight after I went with them to the plant, found it safe, but nothing was taken that night. On the following Saturday night,
RAWSTHORN said they had taken out a shirt and some tea, and skifted†  the plant down beside the Low Mills. On the Sunday I went to
the place in the wood and found that the goods had been skifted only about three yards. I know John DENT, a cousin of mine, a
waller. He went with me on Monday night, and we removed the goods to the Beacon nursery—this was on the 22d of December. On
Christmas-eve I again saw John DENT, and went with him to CARRADUS and FAWCETT, police-officers at Kendal, and told them where the
things were—I did this voluntarily. On the Saturday before the robbery, I was at RAWSTHORN's house with RICHARDSON. 

 

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* Anglicé. Window-shutters. 

 

† Shifted. 

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[to be continued] 

 

 

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