Old Bailey Proceedings:
Old Bailey Proceedings: Accounts of Criminal Trials
18th April 1694
Jonathan
Easden
proceedingsdefend This name instance is in set 2942.
of Stepney
was Tried, for that he, not having God before his eyes, but being instigated and seduced by the Devil, the 2d day of December
last,
made an Assault upon
Ann
Roberts
proceedingsvictim
, great with Child, the Wife
of
Thomas
Roberts
< no role >
, taking her up in both his Arms, and throwing her against a wooden Step, giving her a mortal Bruise upon the Left part of her Belly, of which she died
the 8th of March following, the Child being bruised in her Womb by the Fall, &c. All which Easden pretended to do (as was sworn against him) because she ow'd him money) to whit, the Sum of 26s. and that he came to arrest her for it, which he owned in Court. but the cause of the Arrest besides was, that the said Ann Roberts, and her Mistriss, (one Mrs. Young) had abused him, and called him Perjured Rogue, &c. And that Mrs. Young was an ill Woman, and a Bawd. But that did not appear; for on the contrary, she liv'd in good Repute, her Husband being an Anchor-Smith, and maintained her by his honest Labour. The Prisoner utterly deni'd that ever he was in the house, or touch'd the deceased, and called some Witnesses, who declared, that the Woman was well in health after the Hurt was done, and a great deal of malice appeared to be betwixt them, and no positive proof was against him as to the matter of Fact; besides, he had Witnesses to prove for him, that the Woman owned before she died, that Mr. Easden did her no harm: So upon the whole, he was
Acquitted
.