No. Had he vifited him? Yes, in Bridewell, having been fent for by him; and Mr. Perreau bad him go to his house, to meet his attorney. Chriftian Hart, (formerly fervant to the prifoner) depofed, that fhe went to Mrs. Rudd in Newgate, who wrote down a fet of inftructions for her to fwear to, to fave her life; and promised her 100l. or 200 1. or even ten times that fum for her trouble; that Mrs. Rudd told her what a bond was, that the might acquaint the jury. Thefe inftructions, being read, tended to criminate the Perreaus, and urged a connection and scheme between Mrs. Perreau and Sir Thomas Frankland, in order to take away Mrs. Rudd's life. Mrs. Hart had wrote her name on the paper of inftructions, and writing it again in court, the hands appeared to agree. She was asked if the knew Counfellor Bailey; fhe faid, No. Sarah Dicken fon faid Mrs. Rudd could write more hands than one, and the believed the papers her writing. John Hart faid that he went to Newgate, and found his wife in converfationwith Mrs. Rudd. The papers were produced, and fworn to by him; and Alexander Allen gave this Hart the character of an honest man. The forged bond was now read, and Sir Thomas Frankland's draft in favour of R. Perreau, The prifoner, in her defence, attacked the credit of Chriftian Hart, and John Moody; obferved how much Mrs. Perreau was interested in her being convicted; was fevere on Sir Thomas Frankland's conduct; avowed her innocence in explicit terms; faid that her life was to be taken away to fave the Perreaus; that he had never appeared there as a prisoner, had fhe not come as a witnefs; and (turning to the jury) added, "I have no reliance but on you; you are honest men, and I am fafe in your hands." Mr. Bailey (Mrs. Rudd's original counfel) fwore that he remembered to have feen Mrs. Hart with her in Newgate; that he understood Mrs. Hart dictated every line Mrs. Rudd wrote; that he kept a copy of the fcheme, but thought it too wild and romantic to be paid any regard to. That the next day he fhewed that copy to Mr. Davenport, and in a word, contradicted almoft every thing that Chriftian Hart had fworn. Yet Mr. Bailey went to Hart's house in the evening, faw the hutband, and talked with him on the fubject of thofe papers.-Ifabella Wright faw Mrs. Hart in Mrs. Rudd's room, but could not remember when, or how often; but fhe feemed rather to confirm Mr. Bailey's evidence. Several perfons were now called to Mrs. Rudd's character, the first of whom, Mrs. Nightingale, had known her eight years; faid fhe had 16,000l. fortune, 7,900l. of which had been paid into the hands of a near relation of this evidence, but that Mrs. Perreau was in diftreffed circumftances when her husband left her. Francis Carbery had known the prifoner fome time, but knew not of any fortune she had. The judge now proceeded to fum up the evidence, and the jury (after being out about half an hour) brought in a verdict of Not Guilty, There were the loudest applaufes on this acquittal almost ever known in a court of juftice. And fhe appeared confounded with joy at her discharge. The trial lafted from nine in the [P] 4 morning, morning, till three quarters paft feven. She was afterwards charged with the other three indictments, and acquitted, no evidence being given. Mrs. Rudd was neatly dreffed in fecond mourning. During her trial fhe wrote near 50 notes to her counfel, and difplayed a most astonishing compofure. Whatever tendency the condemnation of Mrs. Rudd might have to fave the life of Robert Perreau, her acquittal put an end to the refpite he and his brother had fo long enjoyed. They were included in the next report to his Majefty, and ordered for execution on Wednesday the 17th of January following, and executed accordingly, notwithftanding a moft moving petition prefented to her Majesty in favour of Robert, by his difconfolate wife, and their three young children, in deep mourning; and another petition in his favour likewife, to his Majefty, figned by feventy-eight capital bankers and merchants of the city of London. The following are the most authentic particulars of their behaviour during their laft moments. On Wednesday the 17th of January 1776, the morning of their execution, Daniel came in firft from chapel, bowed to the company, and went to the fire, where he warmed himself with the greateft compofure. Robert foon after followed, and looking at his brother for a mo. ment, wiped off a falling tear, which he feemed anxious to hide: he then turned to a little table, where lay the ropes with which they were to be bound; his emotions were then fo ftrongly painted in his countenance, that the furrounding fpecta tors gave vent to their fympathy in loud lamentations. Daniel now affifted in putting the rope properly round himself with decent firmness; but when he saw the man do the fame office for his brother, it quite unmanned him: he fighed and wept. They then took a laft farewell of their friends, and were conveyed to Tyburn in a genteel mourning coach; preceded by another convi& for a highway robbery, and two Jews for housebreaking, all in one cart; and two for coining, in a fledge. The proceffion left Newgate a few minutes after nine, and arrived at the place of execution about half paft ten, when the cart immediately drove under one part of the gallows, for there were two divifions, diftant from each other, a circumftance never before remembered at Tyburn. As foon as the Jews were tied to the tree, a rabbi, or prieft, got into the cart, and prayed with them till near the time it was drove away. The highwayman was now taken from out of the cart in which the Jews were, and carried to an empty one that had been driven under the other gallows. When the executioner had tied him to the gallows, the two coiners afcended the fame cart, and were tied up in like manner. During this time, which might be about fifteen minutes, the two Perreaus remained in the coach with a clergyman. Daniel first en tered the cart, and Robert immediately after. They both appeared in new fuits of deep mourning, their hair dreffed and powdered, but without any hats. After the ufual formalities of taking the cord from round the arms and waift, the executioner untying Daniel's neckcloth, put the cord round his neck, and and immediately tied it to the tree; and then proceeded in the fame manner with Robert. All being made faft, the clergyman entered into prayer with them; which being ended, he addreffed himself to the two brothers, with whom he converfed for fome time. When the ordinary addreffed them to acknowledge the juftice of their fentence, they put each a paper into his hand. Then, after praying a fhort time to themfelves, each having a prayer-book in his hand, the executioner put on their caps. The clergyman now took his leave, which Robert and Daniel returned by bowing, and immediately embraced and faluted each other in a moft tender and affectionate manner. They then took hold of each other's hand, the caps having been drawn over their faces, and in this manner, the cart driving away, they launched into eternity. Their hands remained clinched togerher about half a minute after the cart was driven away; when, by the motion of their bodies, they feparated. They both behaved with a firmness and refolution rarely to be met with in men at the hour of death; yet, with a devotion becoming their unhappy fituation. From the time they entered the cart, to the moment of their diffolution, not the leaft fear of death was difcernable in either of their countenances. They appeared calm and entirely refigned to their fate. They were both handfome men, about five feet nine inches high, were twins, very much alike in perfon, and appeared to be about forty years of age. The number of fpectators prefent was incredibly great, fuppofed not less than 30,000. Hearfes attended to receive their bodies, which were privately interred on the Sunday evening following, in the family vault of Robert Perreau, in St. Martin's in the Fields. The papers left with the ordinary were foon after published. They contain the moft folemn affirmations of the unhappy writers innocence; but as their veracity is greatly invalidated by facts urged against them in a letter written by Mrs. Rudd to Lord Weymouth, two days before their execution; and perfons of credit appealed to for the truth of these facts, as concerned in them; and as fome or all of these facts may not appear ftrictly legal; we cannot help thinking ourselves, for obvious reasons, difpenfed from faying any more on the occafion. Account of the Trial of Mifs Jane Butterfield, charged with poisoning William Scawen, Efq; before Lord Chief Baron Smythe, on Saturday, August 19, at Croydon. T feven o'clock the prifoner AT was brought in a post-chaise, attended by the keeper of Tothilfields Bridewell, and a young lady, her friend. Mr. Cochran was firft fworn and examined: he declared he had acted as Mr. Scawen's apothecary, and gave a very circumftantial account of his ftate of health for fome time before he died: he told the court, that the deceased was greatly emaciated, was in a very ill habit of body, and had an ulcer in his arm, which bred maggots; that in March laft he thought it expedient to rub it with fome mercurial mercurial ointment, in order to deftroy the animalcula; that it threw Mr. Scawen into a falivation; foon after which he put himself entirely under the care of Mr. Sanxy, and he (the witnefs) did little more than make up the proper medicines. Mr. Sanxy was a full hour giving his evidence. He began with defcribing Mr. Scawen's fituation when he faw him on the 4th of May, declared what food and medicines he prefcribed for him, and faid, that on the 14th of June he complained to him of a braffy tafte in his mouth. Mr. Sanxy felt his pulfe, and on examining his mouth, difcovered the fymptoms of an approaching falivation. He faw him again on the 18th, when he again complained of the braffy tafte, and was actually in a state of high falivation. Mr. Sanxy fufpecting unfair treatment, queftioned him as to the person who gave him his medicines, and was told by him, that he received them always from the hands of the prifoner. As the fymptoms grew more and more violent, Mr. Sanxy prescribed the decoction of the bark, in order to prevent a mortification; and when he next faw Mr. Scawen, the latter complained, that the dofes of the decoction which he fwallowed, fometimes had and fometimes had not, the braffy tafte. In a fhort time an ulcer appeared to be formed in his mouth, and the gums mortified. Mr. Sanxy then called in the affiftance of Mr. Young, of St. Bartholomew's Hofpital; and upon their vifiting Mr. Scawen, Mr. Sanxy queftioned him refpecting the braffy taste, and asked if he fhould know it again: upon his replying in the affirmative, Mr. what appearances there were on ation of the ftate and appearance of the internal parts. Mr. Young was fworn, and corroborated Mr. Sanxy's evidence as far as it related to the ftate of the deceased, when he was called in to give his advice. Upon his crofsexamination, he rather differed from him refpecting the effects of mercury, and the poffibility of the fecond falivation being in confequence of the mercury which occafioned the first. Edward Wheelock, an old fervant of Mr. Scawen, was examined, and depofed, that his mafter made him take fome of the rheumatic medicine with him. Upon his being asked whether he found any braffy tafte in it, he faid, he thought it had no taste at all, or, if any, it was most like water-gruel. It was proved that all the food Mr. Scawen took was boiled in filver; and that the quack medicine was bought of Mr. Harris in St. Paul's church-yard. Mr. Dodd, the compounder of the medicine in queftion, declared it had no mercurial ingredient. Dr. Higgins, in a very fenfible and clear manner, gave an account of his having analized a bottle of the tincture for the rheumatifm, when it did not appear to have any mercury in its compofition. Mr. Godfrey gave a fimilar evidencc. Dr. Saunders fpoke to the effects of corrofive fublimate, and the fubtlety of its nature. These three gentlemen, upon their cross-examination, diffented from Mr. Sanxy's doctrine of the certainty of its being evacuated out of the fyftem by falivation. As foon as the evidence in fup port of the profecution was clofed, the prifoner was asked what she had to fay in her defence: the replied, that her fpirits were fo agitated fhe was not able to speak what she wifhed the court to hear; he begged therefore to be indulged with hav ing her defence read by the clerk;, this requett was granted. It confifted of feveral pages of paper clofely written, and took up near twenty minutes in the recital. It began with informing the court and jury, that at the early age of fourteen fhe was feduced from her parents by one of her own fex, and brought to Mr. Scawen; that through a variety of artifices fhe was prevailed on to continue in his houfe; and that the circumftance broke her father's heart: she confeffed that Mr. Scawen had fpared no expence in perfecting her educa tion, and that he had fhewn fo many inftances of friendship and kindness to her, that the tenderly loved him, and had, by a conduct of many years, convinced him of her affection and gratitude. During his illness, which was almoft without intermiflion for the last fix years of his life, the acted as his nurse, had watched him with the moft wary care, and the most conftant attention, having facrificed night after night to wait upon him and give him his food and medicines. She declared the had been treated by the whole family as Mrs. Scawen, and was received in the neighbourhood in the fame character; that the really and fincerely loved the deceased; and, taking every circumftance into confideration, the hoped no perfon would harbour a thought fo injurious to her, as to fuppofe her a monfter |