194. TAMSIN ALLEN proceedingsdefend was indicted for feloniously assaulting Joseph Taylor proceedingsvictim , on the King's highway, on the 21st day of November last, and putting him in fear and danger of his life, and feloniously taking from his person and against his will, one watch with the outside and inside cases, both made of silver, value 30 s. his property .

JOSEPH TAYLOR < no role > sworn.

I was going through George Alley , the 21st of November last, on Sunday night, a quarter past twelve, the prisoner and another woman were standing at the top of the alley, and the prisoner on my right hand, and the other on my left, the person on my left hand caught hold of my coat, and asked me where I was going, I said what was that to her, she said stop, I want to speak to you, says I, what do you want, she immediately with her other hand catched the watch out of my pocket, she kept hold of my coat with one hand, I accused her with taking my watch, I felt her take it, says she, I will have your watch, yes, says I, you shall not have it, I seized her by the hand, and I got hold of the chain of the watch, and the prisoner was going by at the same time, and stepped up and caught hold of me, by the hand which I held the watch chain with, and immediately gave me a shove, and I fell with my shoulders against the wall, which caused the chain, by the force of her shoving to break; the other immediately run away with the watch, the prisoner was then standing by me, and I called out for the watchman, and Mr. Morris was coming down the court at the same time, I had hold of the prisoner, and gave charge of her, she was taken into custody, the other got off.

You never found the other? - She was taken up, and I really believe her to be the person, but it being dark in the alley, and she having a hat and cloak on, I could not swear to her, but the prisoner was never out of my sight and had no hat or cloak on, I delivered the chain to Mr. Morris.

Prisoner. Whether I ever was in his company or not, or ever saw him, till he came into my apartment, and gave charge of me? - After I gave charge to the officer, he took her.

Prisoner. He was very much in liquor, so was the constable.

GEORGE MORRIS < no role > sworn.

I was officer of the night, on Sunday night, I was going round and heard a disturbance in George Alley, and knowing what a bad place it is, being infested with nothing hardly but whores and thieves, I went down, and there was the prosecutor, who said he had been robbed of his watch; by a woman that was run away with it, but this woman had come in and interfered, and prevented his following her.

Did you find them struggling? - No, they had left off struggling when I came, she was close by him, we went into her apartment to see for the other woman, I came out in a hurry to day, and forgot the chain, the prosecutor had a broken watch chain in his hand, it was a common steel chain.

Prisoner. My Lord, I had been down the court for a pennyworth of beer, and coming up the court with a lighted candle in my hand, I heard a great noise in the court, there was the prosecutor, and the constable in the court, I went to unlock my door, they came up and said, is this one of the women that robbed you, the prosecutor said yes, I believe this is the woman that shoved against me, there was another woman in custody, and she was cleared, I never saw him till he came into my room, I never was with any woman, I was in my own apartment, when they came I had been down the alley, and coming up with a lighted candle in my hand, they followed me up in my own room.

Morris. My Lord, they were in the alley coming up George steps, he said that was not the woman that robbed him, but she came in between.

Prisoner. I have sent for my witnesses, but they did not know of my trial coming on, there is a woman that can give an account.

MARY WILLIAMS < no role > sworn.

I was not at home when this man brought three women to our house, he found his watch on the bed, and he staid till he was very much in liquor, and he would have more gin, this was in George-yard, Field-lane.

Court. Be careful what you say, you know you are upon your oath, and if you swear falsly, you will be liable to be committed and prosecuted for perjury? - This man came to our house in George-alley, on Sunday night, about nine.

What man? - Taylor, that stands here.

Who keeps the house? - I keep the house.

What is the number of your house? - No. 2.

Is it a public-house? - No it is a lodging house; and he brought in a lusty woman with him, not the prisoner at the bar, they went into a room together, there were three of them together, and he came again, and said he had lost his watch in the house, and I called in the patrol, there were two more women came in with him, they followed the other two.

How long did they stay in your house? - Two hours, then the women and he went altogether out, they were wrangling about a watch.

How soon did they begin to wrangle about the watch? - Directly, almost as soon as I came in, I do not know how long they had been there before.

Who began the wrangling? - The man said he had lost the watch in the house.

How soon after he came in was that? - I do not know how long he had been in the house before I came in.

Then how do you know that he brought three women with him, if you was not there when he came in? - I saw the three women in the house when I came home.

You did not see him come in? - No, I did not.

How came you to tell me then, that the lusty woman came in first, and the other two followed her? - The maid that I kept told me so.

Is she here? - No.

What time of night was it when you came home? - It was a little after nine.

What time of night was it when you sent for the patrol? - It was about half after nine.

Did any of the patrols come? - They came in and told me they had no right to come in without a charge.

Which of the patrol? - I do not know the man's name, he is a tall man; the patrol went away, and the man found his watch on the bed directly after the patrol went away, then the man said I will treat you with any thing you please, but he did not treat them; there had been half a pint of gin sent for, the man did not pay for it, but he drank some.

Who paid for it? - I paid for it out of my own pocket.

How long was it before he went out of your house again? - He went out directly then, and was satisfied, and wished us all a good night.

How long did the patrol stay? - The patrol did not stop at all.

How long was it after the patrol went out that the man found his watch on the bed? - In less than five minutes.

Was it immediately after the finding of his watch that he was good company, and said he would treat them with any thing they pleased? - It was on a Sunday night, and the girls asked him to treat them with a drop of gin, the gin was sent for directly, he went away directly after he had the gin, it was about half past nine when the patrol came in.

Do you know how long he had been in your house then, was not you informed of that? - No.

How came you to say, in the begining of your evidence, that he brought in this woman with him, and staid two hours, and now you say you came in a little after nine, and about half past nine the patrol came in, and they went away in five minutes; what time was it when he went out of the house? - About half after nine, or it might be eleven.

But what time was it? - As near as I can tell, it was near about eleven.

Was he drunk or sober when he went away? - He was very much in liquor.

Did the patrol that came in, attend constantly upon duty at your part of the town? - He does.

Do you know any of those women that were in the house with this man? - The first woman that brought him in, as our girl said, I was taken up to find her, and I did, and he discharged her; one of their names was Elizabeth Waldon < no role > , and the other's name Sarah, I do not know her other name.

Was this prisoner one of the three that you saw? - No, my Lord, I did not see her all the night, another of their names was Catherine Williams < no role > ; the man had his watch when he went out, and all the three women followed him.

Do you know any thing more after they went out of your house? - No.

Court. Do not let that woman go out of Court till the Jury have found their verdict.

Court to Prosecutor. Was you in liquor, or sober? - I had been drinking at the Bell, in Holborn, but I was not in liquor, the officer was.

What time did you leave the Bell? - About half past nine.

Where did go from the Bell? - I was going down Holborn to go home.

Where do you live? - At Shadwell, there was a woman standing at the end of Union-court, asked me where I was going, and she asked me to go along with her, and I did go to the house where this woman mentions; I do not charge the prisoner with any thing of this, but what was afterwards.

How long did you stay at Williams's house? - I had not been in the house five minutes before I missed my watch and money, I immediately made an uproar in the house, and said I was robbed.

How many women were there in company? - There were four, I believe; I insisted upon not going out of the house till I had my watch and money, I was in the house from about ten till about a quarter after twelve.

Did the women that were in the house with you follow you out? - No, they were gone out before.

Was the prisoner one of those in the house? - I cannot say whether she was or not, I do not remember her face there.

How long had you been out of the house before what you say happened? - I had but just got out of the house; when they found I insisted on my property, they said, why, damn you, why did not you go and look in the room, and I went, and I found it underneath the bed, between the bed and the mattrass, after that I was going up the alley again, I met with the two women, the prisoner at the bar and another, I believe they were not the same women.

Morris. My Lord, I only beg to say, the patrol never comes on duty till past ten o'clock.

The prisoner called one witness to her character.

Court to Morris. Did the prosecutor appear to be drunk or sober? - He was sober, to the best of my judgment, he shewed me the house where he had been before; when I first came up, the prisoner and he were together.

When you first saw them, had he hold of her? - Yes, she did not offer to resist, she was not above five or six yards from her own lodging, they all lodge in one court.

NOT GUILTY .

Tried by the first Middlesex Jury before Mr. RECORDER.