Thomas Pithouse, also a waiter at the Saracen's-head, remembered the arrival of Mrs. Stent. She continued in the house till the evening. About half-past 6 he heard a shriek from the parlour. He entered the parlour with Turner, the porter, and perceived the woman on her back and the prisoner with his knees apparently upon her.. Turner said, "Thomas, the man has got a knife." Witness looked and saw the knife. (The knife was here produced.) That was the knife. Witness saw the prisoner stab the woman in the neck. He attempted to take the knife and the prisoner dropped it on the floor. After he had struck the blow, the prisoner said, "I have accomplished my purpose; I wish for nothing more; I shall suffer for it, I know I shall." The woman directly exclaimed, "You have! you have, Henry! but I freely forgive you, and I hope the law will take no hold of you and that no harm will come to you. I freely forgive you." She then asked him to kiss her. He kneeled down and kissed her twice, which she returned. She said he was the best of husbands and she was the worst of wives: she highly deserved all she had got. The woman was taken to the hospital. When witness first entered the room, the woman exclaimed, "Take him away; he'll murder me." Thomas Turner, another waiter, corroborated the witness's evidence. Witness went into the room on hearing the shrieks of a female. He saw Mrs. Stent lying on her back; the prisoner was kneeling on her. Witness ob served the prisoner stab her in the front of the neck. He said, "I have accomplished my purpose." Witness desired Pithouse not to let the prisoner escape, while he went for a surgeon. Prisoner said, "I don't wish to escape." An officer was immediately sent for. Before his arrival, witness said to prisoner"You're a rash man-you've accomplished your death warrant." Prisoner observed, "I have had sufficient cause-she has behaved basely to me.' Mrs. Stent said, "Indeed, I have been a base woman to the best of husbands." She then requested to be raised up, and witness lifted her between his knees, She requested him to take her hand and kiss her, which he did, twice or thrice. She said, she freely forgave him and hoped her fate would be a warning to all bad wives. John Hodson proved that he took the prisoner into custody and searched him; he found a letter in his possession. The letter was produced; it proved to be the same which had been directed to him by his wife; witness asked the prisoner how he could commit so rash an act; he answered that he had done it, and he knew that he should suffer for it. Mr. Henry Benwell, house surgeon of St. Bartholomew's hospital, recollected Mrs. Stent being brought to the hospital on the evening of the 5th of August. She had several wounds; one on the lower part of the neck, which had penetrated the windpipe; it was a dangerous wound and might have occasioned her death, but she might have done well with out out a surgeon this was probable. She had another wound on her chest, a superficial cut; a third on the right breast, a stab; a fourth in her right side of considerable depth, which had wounded the right lung; this was likewise a dangerous wound. There was a fifth wound on the right arm. The wound in the lung might have occasioned her death. The knife produced was such an instrument as would inflict these wounds. This was the whole of the case for the prosecution. Mr. Justice Best now addressed the prisoner, and intimated that if he had any thing to say in his defence the period had now arrived for so doing. The prisoner said he would leave his case entirely in the hands of his counsel. A vast number of witnesses were then called on behalf of the prisoner, all of whom appeared to be persons of great respectability. They stated, that they had known him for many years, and had always believed him to be a kindhearted, humane, good-natured man as any in existence, and a particularly affectionate and indulgent husband. It was impossible, in fact, to imagine testimony more favourable than was given by these persons, who all seemed actuated by the strongest sympathy towards the prisoner. Mr. Justice Best proceeded to sum up the evidence. He deeply regretted the important and painful duty which, in the present case, devolved upon himself as well as upon the jury; painful, however, as that duty was, he felt no doubt that they would dis charge it in a proper manner. The learned judge then explained the law upon the subject. From the evidence detailed, and which he should again read over to them, no doubt could remain on the mind of any unprejudiced person that the crime charged upon the prisoner came within the provisions of that most excellent act of parliament introduced by the late lamented chief-justice of the King's-bench, for the protection of the subject's life. Though it did not appear in evidence upon the present occasion, the fact, however, might fairly be assumed, that Mrs. Stent, the unhappy woman who appeared before them on that day, had forsaken her husband, and by proving unfaithful to his bed had inflicted upon him the most poignant anguish, the most acute suffering that a man devoted to a wife could possibly endure. This, however, could by no means be admitted as a justification of his crime. The law of the land upon this subject proceeded upon the same principles as the religion of the country, which was Christianity. If a husband detected his wife in the very fact, in flagrante delicto as it were, and that at the moment he plunged some deadly. weapon into her bosom so as to occasion death, it would not be considered murder. The law, like the religion of the country, making fair allowance for the frailties of human nature, considered the husband, with such provocation immediately before his eyes, as no longer under the guidance of reason, and of course not accountable for his acts. Here, however, the circumstances were were quite different. A considerable time had elapsed since the elopement of the first witness, and on her return she manifested those symptoms of repentance, that appearance of return ing affection, which might well be supposed to disarm vengeance, and prevent that ferocious purpose which the prisoner appeared to have deliberately contemplated. Even while her blood was flowing from the wounds inflicted, she still intreated him to kiss her; and in that kiss conveyed a pardon to her assailant. Under circumstances such as these, the law did not admit of the same excuse as when a husband detected his wife in the very fact. Sufficient time having been given for cool reflection on one side and for repentance on the other, the law, proceeding on the same principle as the benign religion which it imitated, did not allow vengeance to be inflicted with impunity. After some further observations, which the learned judge delivered with great talent and feeling, he summed up the evidence at length. The jury then retired, and after consulting for about half an hour, returned with a verdict of Guilty; but recommended the prisoner strongly to mercy on account of his good character. Mr. Justice Best.-The recommendation shall certainly be for warded. The punishment of Stent was finally commuted for 2 years imprisonment. SEPTEMBER 19. Theft.-Elizabeth Dunham was put to the bar, charged with steal ing two keys, the property of the governor and company of the Bank of England, on the 28th of August. The prisoner pleaded guilty to the fact of taking the keys, but would not admit that it was a theft. She was respectably dressed, and while Mr. Bosanquet was stating the ease, appeared to pay great attention to him. He said the only object of the Bank in bringing forward this prosecution was, that the prisoner might be sent to a place where she could be taken proper care of. It appeared that when her room was searched there were found not less than 4,000 keys. Among them were the keys of the Church Missionary Society, Bell's-buildings, of the counting-house of the duke of York's school, the padlock of Greenwich watchhouse, the key of the College of Physicians, of the Royal Exchange, the Temple stairs, county prison, Maidstone gaol, the council-room Guildhall, and many others. They were all ticketed, and the day carefully recorded on which they were taken. Mr. Bosanquet having closed the case, Shackwell, the porter of the Bank, was called for the purpose of identifying the keys, which having done, the prisoner requested that they might be put into her hands for the purpose of ascertaining whether they were the same found in her room. This being allowed, the moment the poor woman got them into her possession, she exclaimed with an air of high satisfaction and triumph, "Now I have got them, I shall hold them for the rights of my king, my country, and and myself." She then wrapped them up carefully in a pocket handkerchief, and said nothing should induce her to give them up but a free pardon from the Prince Regent. The constable who searched her lodgings was then examined. He stated that he found there not less than 4,000 keys, all of which were labelled except about 200. Being called upon for her defence, she said that she had done all this; that she had taken all the keys for her own rights, which she could not otherwise obtain. She thought that by doing so she would secure her own rights as well as those of her country, as the persons who own them would thereby be obliged to come forward and do her justice. Mr.Justice Richardson.-Have you any witnesses to call? Prisoner.-I don't know that I have; I see no witnesses. I have got many relations, but no friends. The jury, under the direction of the Court, acquitted the prisoner upon the ground of insanity. She was, however, detained for the purpose of being taken the proper care of which her situation required. OLD BAILEY, FRIDAY, SEPT. 24. At 10 o'clock, Mrs. Mary Ridding, the wife of captain William Ridding, was put to the bar, and tried upon an indictment for stealing Benjamin, the infant child of John Schrier, 14 months old, on the 28th of August last. The first witness was a little boy, 7 years of age, named SaVOL. LXI. muel Schrier, who said his father lived at Bencroft-place. Witness was sent out with his 3 little brothers before 2 o'clock on Saturday; one of them was Benjamin; he took him to the adjoining field to the alms-house. A lady who was the prisoner at the bar, came up to him, and asked, "Is this Bencroft-place ?"-he replied, "Yes;" she then asked him if there was a cake-shop near, and if the child (Benjamin) was his brother? he said, "Yes ;" she then gave witness a shilling, and desired him to go and get 3d. worth of cakes, and she took the child out of his arms to hold while he was away; he was gone about a quarter of an hour, and. when he returned to the spot he found Benjamin missing, and searched all about the fields without being able to find him or the lady. The lady had a bundle in her hand, but he did not know what it contained. The moment he saw the lady at Lambeth-street, he identified her as being the same who carried away his little brother. Sarah Holdgate said, her husband kept a green-grocer's shop at Shadwell. On Saturday, August 28, the prisoner came to their shop, about four o'clock in the afternoon, to buy some fruit for a child she carried in her arms. The child now in the mother's arms was, she believed, the same. The lady seemed very agitated, and trembled much: she said she had lost her way, was much fatigued, and said she wanted a coach to Old-street and did not mind what she paid for it. Witness directed her to the nearest coach-stand, and was, at the time S while while she stopped, for about ten minutes, struck with the difference in the condition of dress of the child and the lady, and also at the whitish coloured hat of the child as being much newer than the rest of its dress. Witness was so much struck with this, that on the same day she communicated her suspicions to a lady whom she knew. She was quite certain of the identity of the pri soner. Ann Knight lived in Newsquare, Minories, and knew the prisoner perfectly well; she took an apartment at her house on the Monday before this business occurred. On the Saturday in question she left the house about half-past 12 o'clock; she had no child nor any family with her; she said she should not return before night. Witness did not observe any bundle in her hand when she went out; she, however, while she was at the house, used to see her with a hat, which she said she meant to give to a poor woman. At seven o'clock in the evening of Saturday, she brought a coach to the door and took her things away. Hester Hilder lived at the Cross-keys inn, Gracechurchstreet, and remembered the prisoner's coming there on Saturday the 28th of August. She had been there once before: this Saturday, when she came with the child it was dark and candles were lighted for her; she left the inn on the Monday following. Witness had occasionally assisted her in dressing the child, which was a boy, and which she said she took from nurse. She could not speak positively that the John Schrier was night-constable at Mile-end road, and the father of seven children; Samuel, the boy who had been examined, was one of them. On the 28th of August, Benjamin, another of his sons, was two days more than 14 months old, and was sent out with three of his brothers. On the 28th August he returned home about four o'clock, when he found that Benjamin was lost; he immediately went to make a diligent search, in the course of which (on the Thursday following) he arrived at Birmingham, where he found Martin, the officer, who had arrived there before him; he was in the same apartment with the child and the lady at the bar. Martin held up the child to him, which he immediately owned to be his, and accordingly took it. Martin then pointed to the lady and said it was she who stole it; either the prisoner or her sister in-law, who was present, asked witness how he knew it to be his child; and he pointed out a mark on the child's arm and eye, when one of the ladies remarked he might have seen these marks since he came into the room. He refuted this by producing one of his printed bills advertising the lost child, which contained an enumeration of the aforesaid marks. Prisoner then became embarrassed, and said something about the |