ae 
-of his watch. 
CHRONICLE. 
retorned, it is ftill detained; under 
what pretext, I am totally at a lofs 
to know. PerhapsI fhare, in com- 
mon with other miferable men in 
my fituation, this hardfhip, I had 
almoft faid cruelty; becaufe, to de- 
prive prifoners of their property, is 
tantamount towithholding the means 
-of their defence, and the chance of 
proving their innocence. 1] am ad- 
vifed, my lord, that fuch proceed- 
ings are illegal, and direétly con- 
trary to a pofitive act of parliament 
(11th Henry VII). I therefore 
leave it to your lordfhips, who, I 
am convinced, will give fuch direc- 
tions as are confiftent with facred 
law and ftri& juftice.” 
The judges ordered the money to 
be returned; which was according- 
ly done, in open court. 
Being now called upon for his 
defence, he faid, «I am placed in 
a very diftrefiing fituation; if 1 am 
filent, it may lead to an opinion of 
my guilt; if I fpeak too boldly, it 
may occafion the jury to ‘diftruit 
-any thing which 1 may advance; 
on either fide 1 am likely to be in- 
volved in fome danger. I hope, 
however, that the gentlemen of the 
jury, adverting only to the prefent 
affair, will indulge me with fome fa- 
vour, and credit that which wears 
the femblance of truth. 
*« The evidence adduced againft 
me is, in many parts, defective 
and inconfiftent; and that of Mary 
Danby I am inclined to think ra- 
ther unfair, as it never was heard of 
‘until this day. When Mr. Town- 
fend came up to me at Enfield 
races, he faid my name was Bar- 
rington, and that I had robbed him 
I anfwered him, that 
in the firft he was right, but that as 
to the robbery he was perfectly 
Wrong. I was then, amidita great 
[217 
tumult, conveyed to the booth; 
and a very great misfortune it is 
for me that you have not feen that 
booth, and might thereby be ena- 
bled to judge how probable it is 
that another perfon might drop the 
watch over the rails. 
*¢ T was flanding clofe to the rails 
when the watch was claimed, and 
am forry that this material part 
fhould be varied by the evidence. 
—The coachman faid before juttice 
Hubbard, that he did not fee it fall, 
‘and the probability that he would 
have called out if he had, tended 
very much to invalidate his evi- 
dence. He was afked before Mr. 
Hubbard, whether he could fwear 
to the watch; and although he at 
that time declined it, yet he now 
comes forward, and pofitively af- 
firms what he had before doubted. 
« From Mr. Townfend’s fitua- 
tion, who was anxious, amid a 
crowd, to carefs a winning horfe, it 
is more than probable that in the 
{queezing his watch might either 
have tumbled out of his pocket, or 
might have been taken by fome 
perfon, who, feeling for my fitua- 
tion when forcibly detained in the 
booth, might have thrown it at my 
feet, to fave an innocent man. 
<< T am fenfible that common re- 
port has injured my charaéter, and 
it may well be expected that the 
affertions in newfpapers have confi- 
derably hurt my reputation for in- 
tegrity: of this I am confcious that 
many: now prefent are convinced; 
but [ can, however, truft my fate 
to the noble nature of a Britith 
court. Life is the gift of God— 
liberty the greateft blefling ; and 
‘they cannot reft more fecure than in 
the breaft of an Englith jury, who 
delight not in blood, but whofe only 
failing is—Humanity. ~ 
se Tt 
