316 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1816. 



r€-examination, that he migKt 

 have time to inquire more mi- 

 nutely intu the ciixumstances of 

 the case. Mr. Gurney then, at 

 considsnibic length, detailed to 

 tiio ji'ay all the circumstances, as 

 they came out on the liifferent 

 examinations of the defendants 

 and :\Irs. M'Donalil. The learned 

 counsel was also proceedinjz; to 

 read the confession of iMackay, 

 when — 



Mr. Araliin, ior thedefendanls, 

 ebjeclcd to tlie I'eadinj^ of this 

 document, and contended that it 

 could not be taken as evidence 

 against \"aiig-han. 



'J'he Chairman observed, that 

 the confes:;ion of iVIackay cer- 

 tainly must not be taken a^i evi- 

 dence against any other than him- 

 self. 



Mr. Gurney resumed, and ob- 

 served, it, was only ai such that 

 he wished to read it. Mr. Gur- 

 ney then proceeded to read it, and 

 it was found particularly to relate 

 to the buigiary at the' house in 

 Grays-inr.-lane. ]t detailed dif- 

 ferent conversations between 

 Vaughan, Drake, and Hubbard ; 

 in one of which Vaughan under- 

 took to furnish Hubbard with a 

 crow-bar, skeleton keys, and 

 other necessary implements of 

 house-breaking ; and in another 

 conversation A'aughan was stated 

 to have said to Drake, " J am 

 told you ciin do a great deal ; can 

 you get two or three men to do 

 a crack?" Drake said he could ; 

 Vaughan said, " If he did, he 

 shouhl have 51. after they were 

 committed." Thi . testimony 

 might be said to be that of a 

 pfirty concerned. Some other 

 witnesses which he should have 

 to call, it might be saidj bore the 



same character ; but he had ano- 

 ther witness to call, a person of 

 the name of Edwards, a police 

 officer also, but one who, it would 

 appear from the testimony of all, 

 even of Vaughan himself, had 

 been admitted into tlie transaction 

 occasionally, to give it credit, 

 though he had never been in the 

 secret. AVith this corroborative 

 evidence, he was persuaded the 

 jury would consider the case as 

 complete ; and if it should so ap- 

 j)car to the jury, they would have 

 no other duty to perform but to 

 find the defendants guilty. It was 

 impossible to aggravate the case 

 by calling in the aid of fancy, or 

 by using any terms that our lan- 

 guiige supplied. It disclosed an 

 attempt to connnit minder by 

 making the law and the admi- 

 nistration of jubtice subservient 

 to so horrid a purpose. Nothing 

 could be said in palliation of such 

 an offence — nothing could be 

 pleaded in its favour to reduce 

 our indignation against it. Pie 

 was sure that no endeavour at 

 mitigation would be made by his 

 learned friend who was counsel 

 for one of the prisoners. He was 

 convinced he would allow the 

 enormity of the guilty and would 

 draw an ai'gunient in favour of 

 his clieiifs innocence from that 

 very enormity. Admitting the 

 blackness of the transaction if 

 proved, his learned friend would 

 attemj)! to show, that there was 

 no man so devoid of every senti- 

 ment of humanity, of evei'y feel- 

 ing of nature, as to have engaged 

 in it ; in short, that the com- 

 mission of such guilt would infer 

 a monster who did not exist. But 

 if, by the evidence which he should 

 lay before the jury, this guilt was 

 established. 



