APPENDIX TO CHRONICLE. 



Sll 



Mitchell, should be imprisoned in 

 the same gaol for four calendar 

 months. 



Old Bailey, Saturday, Feb. 19. 



William Stuiman was indicted for 

 setting- fire to a house he tenanted 

 in Half-Moon-street, Piccadilly, 

 with intent to defraud the Globe 

 Insurance Company, with whom 

 his furniture was insured, to the 

 amount of 1,500/. 



Mary Wright, the first witness, 

 deposed, that she lived servant with 

 the prisoner at No 9, Half-moon- 

 Btreet, Piccadilly. He had a wife 

 and child, and they were the only 

 residents in the house. She had 

 livt-d with him eight days. On the 

 11th of January, at nine o'clock in 

 the morning, her mistress said to 

 her, tliat they were going out to 

 dinner, and she might go out for a 

 few hours after she had shut up the 

 house. Mrs. Sturraan went away 

 about half-past twelve. The pri- 

 soner told her to bring some seed 

 for a canary bird. He then show- 

 ed her how to unlock a patent lock 

 on the front door. He told her to 

 be home at half-past eight o'clock, 

 to leave all safe, to have a fire 

 ready, and leave a lamp in the 

 passage, which she did. When 

 she went out at four o'clock, she 

 barred the shutters, but did not 

 draw the curtains. All the fasten- 

 ings were >ecure when shewentout. 

 She returned at 20 minutes before 

 eight o'clock, and found the house 

 ill flames. The door-posts of the 

 back dining-room were in flames. 

 There were some boards on fire 

 lying against the door-posts, which 

 had formerly been kept in the wine 

 cellar, of which her master kept 

 the key. On the other side of the 



posts were papers and bundles of 

 wood, with the strings cut. la 

 the front parlour was a band-box, 

 brought from Mrs. Sturman's room, 

 full of wood and papers, close to 

 the partition. There were also 

 some wooden steps, and three 

 clothes-horses, which had been 

 usually kept down stairs, in the 

 wash-house. There were stock- 

 ings of her master's scattered about 

 the stairs, and rags, which she had 

 used in dusting the tables. These 

 smelt very strong of turpentine, 

 and she believed some of the stock- 

 ings did also. A bundle of matches 

 was lying on the wooden steps, 

 and there was a great fire in the 

 front parlour with two red-hot 

 pokers in it. The lamp was re- 

 moved to the back pantry. The 

 curtains of the front parlour she 

 found drawn. Her master's bed- 

 room windows, and her own were 

 opened, and his shutters closed. — 

 The snow was deep on the ground 

 at the time. She called for assist- 

 ance, and a boy came first ; Cap- 

 tain Kempsterand his servant, who 

 lived next door, came also, and 

 soon extinguished the flames. The 

 book-case and drawers, in the front 

 parlour, were all apparently fasten- 

 ed when she went out, but on her 

 return she found them all thrown 

 open, and stripped of their con- 

 tents; the bird cage was also gone. 

 At half-past nine o'clock her mas- 

 ter and mistress came back, and 

 on his being told the house was 

 robbed, he immediately cried out, 

 " My writing-desk is gone, and 1 

 am a ruined man." Mr. Dtnham 

 came a day or two afterwards, and 

 her master told her to fetch two 

 turpentine bottles from a cup-board 

 in the back pantry, in which she 



