Treason and Murder DISCOVERED.  
Being a True and Perfect RELATION OF THE Trial & Condemnation OF James Alsop the Father, and William Alsop his Son for Treason and Murder; At the Assizes held at Chelmsford for the County of Essex, on Wednesday the 25th of March, 1674.  
ALSO The wonderful Discovery both of the Treason and Murder; with the Sentence of the Court for the manner and places of their Execution.  
Written by a Person who was present at the Trial.  
LONDON, Printed in the Year, 16●●.   

Treason and Murder Discovered, etc.  
UPon Wednesday, March the 25th, 1674. The Court being sat, William Alsop alias Thomas Topham, was called to the Bar, and Two Indictments read against him; The One of Treason for Clipping of Money; The other for Murder. That of Treason to this Effect, That he the said William Alsop alias Thomas Topham, and James Alsop signior, and Others, of West-Ham in the County of Essex, had Traitorously and Feloniously against the Peace of our Sovereign Lord the King, his Crown and Dignity, with certain Iron Instruments, Shears, Scissors, and other Tools then and there found, Clipped Filled, and Diminished the King's Coin, viz. Forty pieces of Silver, each of them of the value of 12 d. commonly called Queen Elizabeth's Shillings, and Clipped from off them silver to the value of three pence; Forty other pieces of Silver commonly called King James his Shillings, and Clipped off silver to the value of three pence; Forty pieces of Silver called King Charles the First his Shillings, and clipped off from them silver to the value of three pence; And Twenty other pieces of Money, called King Charles the First his half Crowns, and clipped silver from each of them to the value of Eight pence, etc. (according to the usual Form of Indictments.)  
To these Two Indictments William alsop pleaded Guilty, and seemed to Excuse the rest, viz. his Father, Mother, and Brother.  
William alsop being set by, James alsop the Elder, and Dorothy alsop the Wife of James alsop the Elder, and James alsop junior, was called to the Bar, and the Indictments to the same effect with the former was read; to which they pleaded Not Guilty, and submitted themselves to their Trial by God and the Country: Upon which, the several Witnesses was called and sworn; viz. First the Bell-Man, Two Constables of West-Ham, and several others. The Constables and Bell-Man gave in their Evidence thus; The Bellman declared▪ That upon the Tuesday morning, the time that the Murder was committed, he passed by the house of James alsop signior, and gave him the usual Salute, and the time of the Night, and was answered again by the said James alsop, and that he saw no light in the house; neither did he hear the dog's bark as they use to do oftentimes to his Affrightment: which dogs, as he was afterwards informed, were shut up in the Barn; and, as it was supposed, to prevent any disturbance by their noise, to their intended bloody design. In the morning, the Murder being noised about, several people, as well Officers as others, flocked to the house to inquire about it; amongst which, he enquired of James alsop signior, and his Wife, about the Murder; they both told him, That they had been robbed that night, and the persons that robbed them, had done the Murder: But the Officers was not sufficiently satisfied with their answer, but made a farther search into the house, and found a Chest in the Chamber, where the Murder was committed, empty; which they said was their Daughter's Chest, wherein was Plate and wearing Clothes; but searching their Chamber, they found the Clothes which they pretended to be stole; and also found in their Daughter's Chamber a Silver Spoon, and a Silver Cup standing by the Bed; so that if Robbery was the intention, they would have taken away those things.  
Next, the Constable agrees in a great part of the Evidence of the Bell-Man, but gives this farther, That when he was about to carry James Alsop before a Justice of the Peace, he desired to go into his house, pretending to make fast his Doors; which the Constable granted; but he would have gone into his Chamber by himself, which the Constable would not agree to: Then he desired that he only would go along with him; which he did, and being alone, he pulled out of his Breeches a Bundle tied up in Leather, in which was several Clipping of Money. He tells the Constable, That this Bundle he found last Night coming home between Mile-End, and Bow, and knowing, that upon this unhappy Accident (as he called it) these things being found about him, it might do him a great prejudice, he would therefore give him Ten pounds if he would conceal these Clipping; but the Constable told him, he dared not do it, and brought him out to the Company, and showed what he found about him: Upon this they make narrower search, and find in a Chamber where Wool used to be laid up, in the Wool was hid several Shears, and a Whetstone with several furrows in it, supposed to be for the smoothing of the money after it was clipped. (Here the Shears, Scissors, and other Tools, and Whetstone, with the Clipping bound up in Leather, were shown in Court, and handled and viewed by the Judge, and most of the Jury.) That when they first heard of these Clipping found, they went to the house, and searched narrowly the parts of the same, in order to make further discovery; and in a Window in one of the Chambers, they found Clippings and Filings, and the Impression of the Tools, and spied in a Crevice something clyster, upon which they took up the boards, and there found hanging in the Cobwebs several small Clipping and filings of Silver, some of which he showed in Court  
The next Evidence was the other Constable, which was much to the same effect with his Partners, and agreed in the same Circumstances.  
Then there was called one that had peen a Servant in his house, and lived so near to the Chamber where they were supposed to Clip, that he and his Wife often heard a Tinckling-Noise; He declares, That he never saw any thing of their Clipping, but his Wife and he had often been discoursing about the Noise they heard, and she told her husband, That when she lived in Yorkshire, she lived next to a house where she heard such Noises in the Night, and that afterwards there was a Discovery made of clipping of money; and she-wished this might not prove so. He declared also that he had taken several times Clipped many of him for wages, and thought sometimes it looked as if it was but new done; Whereupon he once said to his Master, when they were drinking together, Master; I do not like this Tink-a-tink-tink we often hear in your Chamber, pray God you be John; Upon which he was very inquisitive to know what he meant by the Tink-a-tink-tink; he told him, he would say no more. A while after James alsop arrested this Servant in a vexatious suit, but told him if he would talk no more of Tink-a-tink-tink, he would release him; And that after he was apprehended, and the Clippings discovered, he told James alsop, That now was come to pass what he long feared and expected. And Afterwards when he visited his Master in the Gaol, He told him, That if he had been worthy to know of his Observations and suspicions of him before, he would have given him two or three hundred pound to have Concealed what he observed.  
Next was called and sworn a Goldsmith, that bought the melted silver of this James alsop, he declared that about two years, or two years & half since, this James alsop came to his shop, and showed him some burnt Silver, and asked him what he would allow him, an ounce for it, And told him that a Friend of his, had a house burnt down in Yorkshire, and that all his plate and money was melted and burnt in the fire; and told him, if he would give him as much as it was worth, he could help him to more; for as fast as they found it, and got it out of the ruins, it would be sent to him; the Gold smith allowed him four Shillings Ten pence an ounce, and bought at that time about four pound weight of him; and said, that this James alsop sold to him about four or five times afterwards, of melted silver about three or four pound weight at a time; and that he ordered letters to be left for him at his shop, and showed him some subscribed by one Nich. Campion, who was pretended to be the Person that sent this silver out of Yorkshire; the Goldsmith produced some part of the silver and showed it in Court.  
Then alsop was called and asked what he had to say for himself, he made a long, tedious, and impertinent discourse in his defence, endeavouring to lay't all upon his Son William, that had Confessed, and brought a Boy or two that lived in his house to say, That the Tinking noise in his house was pointing of Nails to hang Leather on, and several other idle excuses he made.  
Then Dorothy alsop was called, the evidence against her for this Indictment was only, That she had been with her husband at the Goldsmiths.  
James alsop Junior was called, and little could be fastened upon him by the evidence.  
Then the second Indictment was read against Jeames alsop junior for Clipping, and there was Produced in Court a Portmantle, in which was clippings, and Shears, and other Instruments, with some letters subscribed by Nich. Campion, which was after found to be done and Contrived by James alsop Junior, and William alsop who personated this Nich. Campion, sometimes went for his man: This was found in an Alehouse in moorfield's, where a person that went by the name of Campion lodged, and this Portmantle was brought thither by this young alsop, who went there as Campions' man; There was several Circumstances to prove this Portmantle to be made in young Allsops' house, and that they there contrived it, and carried it from thence to moorfield's, but nothing positively could be proved.  
Then there was read the Indictment of Murder against James alsop, the Elder, and Dorothy alsop, his Wife, the evidence was first by the Coroner, who said, That when he had, viewed the body, and had examined alsop and his wife, who told him, That their house had been Rob, and the Thiefs had murdered their daughter in bed; the Coroner demanded of them which way the thiefs came in, they told him, That they came in at such a window, The Coroner went into the yard, and viewed the place, and found the glass lying behind a hedge, and as Carefully set as any Glazier could set it; there being no part broken: he could likewise discover no footsteps either in the grass, which was high, or print of any foot or toe in the wall, by which they should ascend to the window; And viewing the window, they found it full of Cobwebs, which went Cross it, and not a part above the breath of a hand broke in them, so that it was impossible for any person to come in there, the Cobwerbs remaining whole.  
A little Child was then brought, which was the daughter of the young woman that was murdered; she said, that she saw some body go out of the chamber in the night without any light she thought, about the height of her Grandmother; and that she found herself wet in bed, but knew not what was the reason of it; but in the morning she went and told her Grandfather, That her Mother was killed; who answered, God forbid; and that was all she could declare.  
The next was the Surgeon's Evidence, who declared, That hearing of the Murder, he came to the house, and viewed the Wound, and came down and found Mrs. alsop smoking a Pipe of Tobacco by the fire; he asked her, Who did the Murder? She answered, The Lord knows. He enquired for her husband, She told him he was gone out just before he came in. The Surgeon went after him, and over-took him about a Bow shot from his house, and told him he must know something of this Murder; and (the Constable being by) he charged alsop with the Suspicion of this Murder.  
Then a Person of Quality declared, That he went to view the place, and found it according to the Coroners Evidence; and that there was shown to him a Vizard Mask found in Allsops' Trunk, having a drop of a Candle newly done, on the outside, and on the inside a spot of blood, like the print of a Thumb; and that when he caused Allsops' Sleeve to be turned up, and found a spot of blood upon his shirt, which alsop said, was caused by bringing home some Meat the Night before; and on Mrs. Allsops' Neck-kercher there was a spot of blood, which she said, was an Iron-mold; but a Basin of Water being brought to try it, the blood washed clear out, which no Ironmould would. Other Circumstances was proved against Old alsop, as that he was observed in the morning when he rose to have black Breeches on; and that afterwards he had changed them, and put on other Clothes. To this Evidence, alsop answered, That his Son William had been a Treacherous Son, and had done this to destroy him; and talked a great deal, but nothing to any purpose. The wife likewise denied that she knew any thing of the Murder. Upon which the Jury went out, and returned with this Verdict, That Old Alsop was guilty of Clipping, and the Murder; and the Wife and James Alsop Junior, not guilty. William Alsop was guilty by his own Confession.  
William Alsop received Sentence to be drawn upon a Sledge from the Gaol in Chelmsford, to the place of Execution, and there to be hanged by the Neck till his Body be dead. Old Alsop to be conveyed to Stratford Gaol, and to be drawn upon a Sledge from the same Gaol, to the place of Execution, which shall be before his own house in West-Ham; where he is to be hanged upon a Gibbet by the Neck, till his Body be dead.  
FINIS.