678. JAMES MAHOFFEY proceedingsdefend , ELIZABETH MAHOFFEY proceedingsdefend , MARY MITCHELL proceedingsdefend , THE ELDER, and MARY MITCHELL proceedingsdefend , THE YOUNGER, were indicted for High Treason, in counterfeiting the Current Coin of this Realm, called a sixpence .

HENRY COLLIER < no role > . On the 3rd of July , I went with Squibb, another constable, to No.6, Bainbridge-street, St. Giles's . I went up three pairs of stairs into the left hand room; I saw the prisoner Mahoffey and his wife; we left the man with whom we had come, in the care of Fry, at the door. Squibb and I went into the house; Mahoffey and his wife were satting on the side of the bed; he was polishing a piece, of brass of the shape and size of a sixpence with his thumb and a stick. His wife was employed in rubbing something in a wet rag, which she threw under the bed, and which I afterwards picked up. I told them to stand up, for they were prisoners., I was tying them together, when the man threw his left hand up, and put something in his mouth; I immediately seized him by the throat, and he chuckled a little, and he threw up forty into my hand; they are all brass, in the shape of a sixpence; there is a mark of a little a on almost all of them; they were so when I took hold of them. I searched him; but there was nothing more on him. I then searched his wife, and found a quantity on he; they were in her pocket; there were also six finished in her pocket. All the pieces I found, finished, or unfinished, were marked with the letter a, which on all of them seemed to me made with the same punch. The finished ones were rolled up with paper between them; they were brighte when I found them, than they are now they now assume a greenish appearance. The bustle brought Squibbing with the other two prisoner, and I tied them all together, and searched the two Mitchells; on the elder Mitchell< no role > I found several the gutter; four of them had the letter a on them. I also found a tite; it appeared to a have been used for brass; also a pair of cissazes; they have been used for brass; the brass is on them where they have been cutting it. A small pair of plyers; they are brassy also. Also a small quantity of cream of letter, and a small quantity of salt. I don't know the use of these articles; a rubbing stick like the other, and a little drop of aquafortis in a bottle; two pieces of pumic stone, and a sheat of sand paper, unused. I also found some six pences, which fell behind young Mitchell; they appeared to fall from her; I picked them up near her. there were still a finished state, wraped up in paper, like the others; they have also the letter a. I told her, I have got them; but she made no answer.

Prisoner James Mahoffey < no role > . Q Dal you not see the stauding up when you came into the room.

Witness. No; he was sitting on the bed side.

Prisoner Mary Micky< no role > the elder. Q. What did you find in my pocket.

Wittness. As many as I said.

GEORGE SQUIRE < no role > . In the evening of the 3rd of July, John Michlilian was brought to me, charged with uttering false money. He shewed me the way to the house in Paibridge St. Gules's.Fry was with me; I syent to the house with him; I went up stairs, and into the right hand was first; the door was on the latch; I foand the two Bitchelds in that room; the elder was standing up well dressed, appatrnetly as it she was going lad hes bal or bonner on. The youngest was in the room, without that or bonnet, or check she was standing. When I entered the room they in confusion. I said, it is no use making any resistance, I have some information that you are soing something which is wrong and I beg you will give up to

JOHN< no role > M'MILLAN. I am a rope-maker by trade. I know the four prisoners at the bar, from a late acquaintance; the first time I saw them was at Diffield, in Yorkshire; that is about seven weeks since. From a short conversation then, I learned that he was a drover. I saw no more of them until about a fortnight after, when I saw them together in Hull; I then formed a public-house acquaintance with them; but nothing farther. I agreed to travel to London with them, and the man said, that I should not want any of the necessaries of life. Accordingly, I agreed to travel with them to London. We embarked at Hull, and came to Burton, where we stopped that night; I did not see any of them do any thing extraordinary until we got to Stamford; I there saw James Mahoffey employed with a file scouring and rubbing of brass under a hedge; it was a wet day. It was a thin sheet, which had been cut up, and rounded to the size of sixpences; nothing more passed until we got to Peterborough, which was at about five o'clock in the evening; James Mahoffey went to work, I saw him; I had a full opportunity of seeing him colour some of these pieces; he put colour out of a piece of paper, and it produced an effect to make it look like silver. We did not drive cattle on the way to London; it was on a Sunday when we arrived in London. We occupied a room in Mrs. O'Neill's; the four prisoners at the bar and I went to Mrs. O'Neill's, in Carrier-street, St. Giles's; we had a ledging there until Tuesday, consisting of two beds; that served the whole five. We remained there until Tuesday, and then we took the lodging for a week, on condition that I was to sleep below in another bed, and we were to pay seven shillings and sixpence a week; we continued there from Tuesday until the Monday following. During the time we were there, we lived together; they were then employed in the same service which absolutely I have sworn to; I saw them. I went to the cutler's to get the scissors sharpened for the same execution. On the Monday, I was down along with Mary Mitchell, the younger, at Greenwich, and circulated twelve. We afterwards went on Tuesday to M'Lawrence's, in Bainbridge-street; two rooms were taken there; the one on the right hand belonged to the two Mitchell's; the other to Mahoffey and me. The morning after I went to this house, Mahoffey after preparing seventeen sixpences, gave me a penny to procure a pennyworth of aquafortis; I went to a chemist's, and got it, without any qustions what it was to do; by his request, I gave it to Mary Mitch < no role > ell, the elder. I came to him in his room, and by his desire, I went to her in her room; I give it her. In about fifteen minutes after that, she came into the room in which I was, with that cup, and delivered it into Mahoffey's hand in his room; it had then some stuff in it, more than it has now. He immediately applied it to colour those seventeen pieces which he had prepared; he succeeded in that, and affected it. He then wrapped them up in paper, sundry with paper, and told me to go up Highgate-road, and buy any small article; but return him two pence out of each sixpence. On my return from that place, I was apprehended. I put them all off but five. The last words Mahoffey said to me were if I was apprehended, to swallow them, and they would injure me not; that was the same evening on which I was afterwards escorted to Bainbridge-street by three officers. Those five which I had not uttered, the gentleman of the name of Squibb got.

Prisoner James Mahoffey < no role > . Q. Were not these your goods, (pointing to the different ingredients and implements produced.)

Witness. No.

(Here a dispute arose between the witness and the prisoner, each accusing and criminating the other.)

JOHN< no role > M'LAWRENCE, merely proved the prisoners taking the lodging where they were found.

CALEB EDWARD POWELL < no role > . I am assistant solicitor to the mint. I have been so a considerable time, and am conversant with transactions of this nature; I have seen the various things produced to day; from my experience, I think they are complete to finish the counterfeit money of the description now produced; they are tools proper for making the pieces that have been produced, and they appear to have been appropriated to such a purpose. I look at two pieces of the parcel taken from Mrs. Mahoffey, and one from the parcel that dropt from Mary Mitchell < no role > the younger; they were made to resemble the coin called sixpence, as it is now currant in this Country. I saw them on the morning that the prisoners were taken up, and I think they were then likely to impose on a person using ordinary caution.

JOHN NICOLL. I am one of the moneyers of his Majesty's Mint. These pieces never came from the Mint; they are brass coloured; they could be brought to their present round state by merely clipping with a pair of scissors.

James Mahoffey's Defence. This is the first prison I was ever in, and I leave it all to the mercy of the Court.

Elizabeth Mahoffey < no role > 's Defence. Whatever was found in my house, was brought by that man, (pointing to M'Millan.

Mary Mitchell < no role > , the elder's Defence. I say it is that very man that brought the things into the room.

Mary Mitchell < no role > , the younger's Defence. I never saw an article of the kind, and more than that, I was out of town, and did not sleep in the place where they slept; and John< no role > M'Millan asked my mother to lend him a bottle, and he said it was to buy oil for his hair, and what he fetched in, I don't know.

JAMES MAHOFFEY, GUILTY - DEATH ,

aged 45.

ELIZABETH MAHOFFEY, GUILTY - DEATH ,

aged 43.

MARY MITCHELL the elder, GUILTY - DEATH ,

aged 50.

MARY MITCHELL, the younger, NOT

GUILTY.

First Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice Park.