392 
he went ot to ascertais the cause, 
but he did not perceive any person 
coming from the premises; and he 
was in a situation in which, had the 
person who fired it attempted to 
make his escape, he must have ob- 
served him :— it was about eight 
o’clock in the evening, and it was 
dark ; but he was near enough to 
Aaveseen any one run away, or climb 
the wall. 
Miss Ann Davis and Miss Martha 
Davis, sisters, who happened to be 
walking by the premises in a dif- 
ferent direction from the last wit- 
ness, stated, that they also saw the 
flash, and heard the report of a gun, 
and must have scen any person at- 
tempting to escape; but all was 
quiet, and they concluded that the 
gun was fired by some one on the 
premises. 
After this head of evidence, to 
establish that the gun fired on the’ 
Thursday preceding the death of 
Mr. Blight was not by any stranger, 
but by the prisoner, wi(nesses were 
then calied to relate the circum. 
stances which occurred on the 23d. 
Mr. Michacl Wright stated, that 
he was going past Mr. Blight’s house 
alittle alter eight, when he heard 
the report of a pistol in the house ; 
and having become acquainted, by 
rumour, of the former attempt, he 
was indneed to 0 up to the house 
witha view to offer his assistance— 
he knocked for some time, and was 
not admitted: but insisting on having 
the door opened, Mr. Patch made 
his appearance, and began inform- 
ing him what a dreadful accident 
had happened. The witness was 
impatient at hearing this story: he 
ought that some means should be 
rather adopted to pursue the mur- 
derer, and recommended Patch to 
commissian him te apply to Bow- 
7 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
street ; as an enquiry taking place 
instantly after the assassination, 
would most probably be attended 
with success. Patch seemed reluc- 
tant, and thought that no good ef- 
fect could result from it. ‘Phe wit- 
ness was rather indignant at his as- 
sistance not being accepted, and 
therefore went away. 
Hester Kitchener’s evidence ap- 
plied to the two days. She stated, 
that on the 19th she had been or- 
dered by the prisoner to shut up the 
shutters of the house earlier than 
usual. Her master and mistress 
were then at Margate. At eight 
o’clock, the prisoner sent her out 
for some oysters ; and, as she re- 
turned, she heard the report ofa 
gun; but through the court-yard, 
the only passage to the house, she 
did not see any one. When she 
saw Patch, he cried, ‘¢ Oh, Hester, 
I have been shot at!’?—She rejoins 
ed, ‘* Lord forbid !”?—They then 
looked for the ball, which she found, 
The witness continued to state that 
her master returned to town on the 
Monday morning ; that in the even- 
ing he and the prisoner drank tea 
together in the back parlour, and 
afterwards had some grog. Her mas- 
ter was fatigued, heavy, andsleepy 
with his journey and the liquor. 
Patch came down in a hurry to her 
in the kitchen, and, complaining of 
a pain in his bowels, wanted a light 
to gointothe yard. She gave it to 
him, as also the key of the counting- 
house, through which it was neccs« 
sary he should pass. She heard him 
enter the back place and slam the 
door after him, and immediately she 
heard the report of the pistol—Her 
master ran down into the kitchen, 
exclaiming, ‘*O Hester, I am a 
dead man !’’ and supported himself 
upon the dresser. She ran up to 
shut © 
