Nevvs from the sessions, or, The whole tryal of George Allen the butcher vvho murthered his vvife in the fields behind Islington, on Friday the 5th of this instant February, and the manner how the same came to be discovered : as also the full tryal of John Harter the oastler, for stealing au [sic] horse, and an hundred and twenty pounds of money, for which he is convicted of felony : with the tryals of several other malefactors for divers notorious crimes, and other remarkable passages at the sessions begun at Justice-hall in the Old Bayly, the 19th of Febr. 1674/5. 1675 Approx. 10 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 5 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2007-01 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A52228 Wing N1016 ESTC R38114 17194776 ocm 17194776 106142 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. 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England and Wales. Court of Oyer and Terminer and Gaol Delivery (London and Middlesex). 8 p. Printed for George Smith, [London] : 1675. Reproduction of original in the Union Theological Seminary Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO. 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Trials (Robbery) -- England -- London. 2006-01 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2006-03 SPi Global Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2006-05 Mona Logarbo Sampled and proofread 2006-05 Mona Logarbo Text and markup reviewed and edited 2006-09 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion Nevvs from the Sessions . Or , The Whole TRYAL OF GEORGE ALLEN THE BUTCHER VVho Murthered his VVife in the Fields behind Islington , On Friday the 5 th . of this Instant February , And the manner how the same came to be Discovered . As also the Full Tryal of John Harter the Oastler , for stealing an Horse , and an Hundred and Twenty Pounds of Money . For which he is Convicted of Felony . With the Tryals of several other Malefactors , for divers Notorious Crimes , and other remarkable passages at the Sessions begun at Justice-Hall in the Old Bayly , the 19 th . of Febr. 1674 / 5. Printed for George Smith , 1675. News from the Sessions , &c. AT this Sessions for London and Middlesex , and Goal-delivery of Newgate , amongst many other Criminals of diverse kinds , George Allen for the heinousness of his barbarous crime , was sadly remarkable above others : Having not onely committed a bloody murther , but such as was aggravated to the highest degree , by being perpetrated on a poor innocent of the weaker sex , and the nearest Relation in the VVorld : This inhumane Fact was done on Friday the 5 th . of this instant February in the Evening . In the Fields behind Islington ( lately the bloody scene of several lamentable Tragedies , as that of the eminent Quaker who drown'd himself in VVheelers-pond on Friday night the 12 th . instant whose corps was not found till Thursday last , and another person since killed in a fray not far from thence . The manner how this Allen came to be suspected and discovered was thus . The murthered party his wife , and he had for a long time lived at difference ; insomuch that she was forced to leave him , and return home to Uxbridge her native place , to live with her friends , and had lived from him there for about Two years : During which time he being by trade a Butcher , workt as journy-man with one of that profession in an Alley in Turn-Mill-Street ; but the week before the murther committed he went down thither , and seeming very willing to be reconciled by fair words prevailed with the womans credulity and good nature to live with him again , promising for to use her far more kindly for the future ; and accordingly on Friday the fifth instant they came up together from thence to London , and arrived at Grays-Inn Lane just as it began to be dark , but he pretending that his Lodging was a great way off , led her from thence round through Hatton-Garden , and so again into the fields , where he inveigled her along till they came as aforesaid behind Islington , near the Gravel-pits , and there carrying her pattins for her with one of them he knockt her on the head , and leaving her dead went home to his Lodging in Turn-Mill-street : next morning her body was found , and comming to strip her , in her stocking they found her wedding ring , which 't is more than probable she had hid there , that he might not take it away from her , it being his usual custome formerly to plunder her of every thing of any value to supply his extravagencies . The rumour of a woman so found , who by all circumstances appear'd to have been murthered , spreading about the country , soon came to Uxbridge where her Father and Uncle were living , who no sooner heard it but they were struck with a kind of prophetical apprehension , that it might be this person murthered by her unnatural Husband . And therefore ordered a friend that was comming to London to inquire after it , who comming to Islington knew the slain persons cloaths , and thence concluding on violent presumptions that her husband must indeed have a hand in it , immediately procures a Warrant and apprehends him in Newgate Market , before the Justice of Peace , he absolutely denyed all , and affirmed he parted with his Wife at Grays-Inn-Lane end , and since had neither seen nor known what was become of her . But being committed to Newgate , and forced ( for he was very unwilling ) to go to hear the Sermon there the next Lords day . It seems the same made some impression on his spirit , for the next Day being closely examined , he confest he did K●ll her , and that the intention of the murther first entred into his heart as they were passing over Hatton-Garden , and that he did it with one of her Pattins , which was sufficiently proved now in Court , for notwithstanding such his acknowledgement at the Barr , he pleaded , Not Guilty : It was also proved by several persons from Uxbridge , that he had formerly attempted to Poysen her , and to that purpose had sent her several times Poyson , which once before had like to have cost her her life , and also that here in London he kept company , and was in League with another woman , whom he had promis'd Marriage , and appointed a day for that purpose : telling her , his wife in the Country had married another man ; and therefore he was free to dispose of himself : yet being questioned , he now cleared that person , and affirmed that she neither instigated him , nor was privy to this Murther . There was likewise a letter produced and read , which he owned to be of his writeing , it was dated on the Munday after the Fact , directed to his Wives Father ( contrived on purpose to conceal his Guilt ) for therein he acquainted them his wife was very well , and that he had taken a little house , beyond London , at Stratford , &c. All which making his Murtherous intention so apparent he could not at last deny that he Kill'd her , but said it , on provocation of ill Language , and that she tore him by the Hair , whereupon he did indeed strike her a blow with her Pattin , and left her on the ground , but did not think to have Killed her ; but being not able to give any account why he led her that way , at that time o' th night , his design was evident : Being askt what he had to say for himself , one of the Honourable Judges , no less Gravely then Religiously told him his Condition , required him rather to say much against himself , as being Guilty of so great and horrible a sin , of which he feared he was not sufficiently sensible : To which the Prisoner replyed that indeed he was not sensible of it , and that he hoped that the Court would pitty him : and so desired Transportation . But was told , that our Laws are more Just then to allow that favour to such bloody Criminals : so he was left to the Jury , who Immediately brought him in Guilty of Murther . There was also one John Harter , Endicted for Felony , his Case appeared on proof to be thus : a Gentleman of Barkshire usually lying at an Inn in Old-Fish-street , where this John was Oastler , being to go forth o' th Town early on Munday Morning , the 15 th . instant , desired him to get his Horse ready , which being done , he having One hundred and Twenty pounds to carry down with him , lays it on the Saddle , and then steps into his Chamber , or the Kitchin to fetch his Coat : Whilst he was gone , John having notice of the Money , mounrs the Steed , and rides away with the Money directly to Cain-wood , where taking out so much of the Mony as he thought fit far his present Occasion , which was to buy him a Perriwigg and new Suit , that he might pass undiscovered , he hides the rest there , and brings the horse into a By-Lane neer Holloway , and there leaves him tyed , and comes back to Lon●on : in the mean time a friend of the Country-mans that dwelt in Drury-lane that was very well acquainted at the Inn , comes thither , hears the sad story of his Loss , and goes homeward , where neer Drury-Lane he spies this fellow already disguised in a Gentile Wigg , yet not so much but that he knew him , and caused him to be Apprehended ; before the Iustice he forthwith confessed the fact , and told how he had disposed of the horse and money , which were recovered all but about 10 l. which he had spent . The Jury at first brought him in , Not Guilty , as supposing it could not be Felony , because the Horse was delivered by the Owner into the Oastlers Custody , But upon the advice of the Court , that he had no such special custody committed to him , and the Witnesses better explaining his former Testimony , they amended their Verdict , and found him Guilty . A person was indicted for robbing a Woman in the Evening near Thistle worth ; who tes●ified that as she was walking two men came behind her and one of them clapping his hands over her eyes pluckt her to the ground whilst the other rob'd her , and then muffling her Hood over her face , fled . A Shepheard hearing her cry out , making to her rescue , savv them at a distance and pursued one of them near half a mile , of whom he gave a description so like the prisoner at Bar that he was apprehended and presented upon suspition . But no direct or sufficient proof appearing , and the fellow producing several to speak in his behlf , he was acquitted , so also vvas another , upon the same score that stood indicted for stealing of broad cloath out of a West Country Carryers VVagon . There vvere three more arraigned for Murther : That 's to say , A Souldier for killing a man in a fray in St. Gilese's , and tvvo vvomen for destroying their Bastard Children , vvith several others for fellonies , petty Larcernies , and other offences too tedious here to relate . FINIS .