46 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1813. 



shire was poisoned by Azubah 

 Fountain, his wife, and George 

 Rowell, a cooper, who lodged at 

 the house of Fountain. It appear- 

 ed before the coroner and jury, 

 that the deceased being suspicious 

 of a criminal correspondence be- 

 tween Rowell and his wife, was so 

 disturbed in his mind, as frequent- 

 ly to get intoxicated. About two 

 months ago the parties agreed to 

 take away his life by poison, and 

 there appearing to be a favour- 

 able opportunity on the 30th ult. 

 they gave him four ounces of lau- 

 danum in ale and elderberry wine; 

 that quantity, however, not hav- 

 ing the desired effect, they gave 

 him eight ounces more the next 

 day, which, according to the opi- 

 nions of Doctors Bell and Fore- 

 man, who opened the body, caused 

 his death. Mr. Bennett, druggist, 

 of Grimsby, deposed to Rowell's 

 purchasing a quantity of laudanum 

 of him ; added to which evidence, 

 the jury had the confession of the 

 wretched woman, and brought in a 

 verdict of wilful murder against her 

 and Rowell. They were committed 

 to Lincoln Castle to take their 

 trials at the ensuing assizes, at 

 which they were convicted. 



2. A most atrocious murder was 

 perpetrated at a colliery called 

 Woodsess, near Kirkmuirhill, in 

 Lanarkshire, on the night between 

 Thursday the 1st and Friday the 

 2nd instant. On Friday morning, 

 about six o'clock, one of the work- 

 men, on descending into the coal 

 pit, discovered the corpse of Agnes 

 Watson, who wrought at the said 

 colliery, lying at the bottom in a 

 shockingly mangleci condition, her 

 head nearly severed from her body, 

 which was stabbed in different 

 parts, and the whole of her person 



exhibiting a most frightful appeaf-^ 

 ance. In the shed, or lodge as it 

 is called, at the mouth of the pit, 

 a considerable quantity of blood, 

 some hair, a comb, and other 

 articles belonging to the deceased, 

 were found, which plainly showed 

 that the unfortunate woman, who 

 had been missing since ten o'clock 

 the preceding evening, had made 

 considerable resistance before she 

 was subdued. James Jackson, a 

 collier at Woodsess, by whom 

 Agnes Watson was far advanced 

 in pregnancy, is in custody on 

 suspicion of the murder: and a 

 precognition is going on, with the 

 view of inquiring into the circum- 

 stances attending this most bar- 

 barous affair. 



5. Under the decree issued by 

 Buonaparte on the 6th of April, 

 1809, on the subject of naturali- 

 zation, a special court at Paris, 

 on the 14th of June, condemned 

 to death M, Joseph Darguines, 

 23 years of age, born at Aries, but 

 who had retired into Spain with his 

 parents when he was 14 years of 

 age. He had obtained the rank of 

 heutenant-colonel in the Spanish 

 service, and in that quality, he 

 signed the capitulation of the 

 garrison of Figueras. M. Chau- 

 veau Lagarde, his counsel, urged 

 in his defence that the law was not 

 applicable to those wlio had been 

 naturalized anterior to the issuing 

 of the decree ; but the judges de- 

 clared, that no subject could with- 

 draw himself from the allegiance 

 he owed to his sovereign, and, that 

 no letters of naturalization obtained 

 from a foreign government could 

 be pleaded by one who had borne 

 arms against his country, and in- 

 curred the penalty of treason. The 

 prisoner was ordered for eKecution. 



