226. + MARY Cut and Come-again proceedingsdefend This name instance is in set 34870. , of St Ann's Westminster , spinster, was indicted for assaulting Elizabeth Turner proceedingsvictim widow, in a certain open place, in or near the King's highway called Leicester-fields , putting her in fear, and taking from her an apron, value 6 d. the property of the said Elizabeth Turner < no role > ; an apron, val. 3 s. a shift, val. 12 d. a mob, val. 3 d. &c. the property of Elizabeth Brough proceedingsvictim , March 27th .

Elizabeth Turner < no role > . On the 27th of May - I can't tell the name of the month, it was the month before this, between 7 and 8 at night, as I was going along Leicester-fields, there were some people singing of ballads, and I stopped to hear the ballad singing.

Q. Was the prisoner singing of ballads?

Turner. No, I stopped, and the prisoner stopped too; there was some talk of her being a ballad singer , but then she only stood to hear. And as I was standing there, she cut my apron off my sides and took my bundle that was in my apron from me, and she hit me a slap on the face, and run away.

Q. You say she cut your apron off?

Turner. Yes.

Q. That was done privately, was it not?

Turner. It was so.

Q. Then she did not assault you?

Turner . Yes she did, and put me in fear of my life; I run after her, and cried out, stop thief ; and she threatened my life, if I followed her.

Q. How far did you follow her?

Turner. I followed her to Monmouth street, and took the things from her.

Q. Did any body see her take the things from you?

Turner. No, nobody but my self.

Prisoner. I sing ballads for my living, I don't deny it, but, my Lord, how could she come so far as from Leicester fields to Monmouth street, and not cry out stop thief before?

Henry Juratt < no role > . About eight o'clock at night, I heard a hurly burly and came out; the prisoner had a bundle in her lap, and hearing the prosecutrix say, she had got her bundle; I asked the prisoner whether those things belonged to the person who said she had lost them, and she said no. I asked Mrs Turner what was in the bundle, and she said such and such things, but there was a cap and a handkerchief missing, and it was thought the prisoner had taken them out of the bundle before Mrs. Turner came up to her.

Q. Where was she stopped?

Juratt. She was stopped at the corner of Grafton street.

Q. How far is that from Leicester fields?

Juratt. About a quarter of a mile. When the prisoner was taken, she said, The b - h wants to take my life away. She said, the things were her own; I said , I dare say, they are not yours, how can you say the things are yours? said I, I have seen many a ballad singer, and I never saw one with two aprons. She wished the blessed God Almighty would shut heaven's gates against her, and as her mouth was open, she wished it might never shut again, if the apron was not hers ; and she said , d - n her eyes, she should not have the apron.

Mary Mc Pherson < no role > . I stopped the prisoner at the corner of Grafton street, but she said, she would not be taken away till a proper officer came: she pulled her breasts out, and spurted the milk in the fellows faces, and said, d - n your eyes, what do you want to take my life away? She licked the prosecutrix before the Justice, and said, the longed for it; and she said, she would spit upon the Justice's seat, and she did so. The Justice said, he would send her to Newgate, she said, d - n my eyes then I shall have a ride for the money. Then the Justice ordered her to be fettered and handcuffed; and she said, if he would take the handcuffs off, she would tell him her right name, otherwise she would not.

Another witness said, the prisoner was stopped with the things upon her, and that the prosecutrix said, these are my things, and was likely to fall into fits.

Prisoner. Mrs. Turner asked me to drink a dram, and I told her, I had rather have a pint of beer, and she tied the apron upon me herself, and said, she wanted to tie her garter; so I run away with the things, and she run after me, and cried out stop thief.

Q. Did you go to drink with the prisoner?

Turner. Never.

Q. Did you ever see her before?

Turner. I never saw her in my life, before that night.

Jury. If this robbery was committed by the Prince of Wales's back gate , it is a wonder she had not been stopped sooner. Was the blow given you before the prisoner got the goods?

Turner. Yes.

Jury. What sort of a blow was it?

Turner . It was a violent blow, my mouth was in a gore blood, and she knocked me down.

Jury. Did she take the goods immediately after she knocked you down?

Turner. Yes.

Prisoner. I desire to know whether the apron strings are cut. [The apron the prosecutrix had on at the time she was robbed was produced, and one of the strings was a quarter of a yard shorter than the other.]

Prisoner. The other apron is that which had the strings cut.

Turner . This is the apron that the things were tied up in, the strings of this are not cut. Guilty Death .