142 AFFAIR of Elizabeth Canning and the Gypfy. March

A further AccOUNT of the Affair of
ELIZABETH CANNING.
INCE the trial and condemnation of

Mary Squires, the gypty woman, for
the robbery committed on Elizabeth Can-
ning, of which we have already given an
account, p. 127, people have been strange. A
ly perplexed and divided in their opinions
concerning the guilt or innocence of the
condemned perfon. What led them into
the opinion of the latter, is mentioned by
the Inspector, in his papers of the 9th
and 14th of this month. He fays, he
was told there were affidavits in the hands
of Mr. Ford, and afterwards of the lord-
mayor, proving that Squires was at Ab-
bottbury in Dorfetfhire, at the time when
the robbery was faid to have been com-
mitted: That Virtue Hall had declared
before the lord-mayor, that what he had
fworn against Mary Squires was falfe;
that this woman was not in Wells's
houfe on the day when the robbery was
faid to be committed, nor for fome weeks
after; that no fuclr robbery ever was
committed there at all, and that E. Can-
ning never was in the houfe until brought
down to it by thofe who carried on the
profecution: That two men of unexcep-
tionable character, having come up from
Abbotsbury on purpofe, and having vifit-
ed Mary Squires in perfon, had (worn,
that they faw her at Abbotsbury on Jan. 1,
and from that time to the roth, and that
the is the identical Mary Squires mention-
ed in the affidavits and certificates fent
up before: That the lord mayor had
granted his warrant for apprehending E.
Canning; and we are fince told that four
perfons are bound for her appearance in
the penalty of goi. each.

On the 20th was published a pamphlet, entitled, A clear State of the Cafe of Elizabeth Canning, by Henry Fielding, Efq; of which the following is an abftra&t.

In this pamphlet, the narrative of E. 'Canning's being feized in Moorfields, &c. is given, which may be feen in our account of the trial, p. 127. Next, the objecti

why did this girl conceal the person who thus cruelly used her? it could not be a lover; for among all the cruelties, by which men have become infamous in their commerce with women, none of this kind can be produced. Again, what motive can be invented for her laying this heavy charge on those who are innocent? Can it be believed that a young girl (hardly 18 years old, who hath the unanimous teftimony of all who have known her from her infancy, to fupport the character of a virtuous, modeft, fober, well-difpofed girl) would endeavour to take away the lives of an old woman, her fon, and another man, as well as to ruin anoB ther woman, without any motive whatever? As to any motive of getting money, nothing can be more groundless and evidently falie, than this fuggeftion. The fubfcription was fet on foot, long after the girl's return to her mother, by feveral well difpofed neighbours, and substantial tradefmen, in order to bring a fet of horCrid villains to juftice; which then appeared (as it hath fince proved) to be a matter that would be attended with confiderable expence. The first proposer of a reward to the girl was a noble lord, who was prefent at the laft examination of this matter in Bow-street. Again, as the girl can fcarce be fuppofed wicked enough, he certainly is not witty enough to invent fuch a ftory: She is a child in years, and yet more fo in understanding, with all the marks of fimplicity that ever were difcovered in a human countenance. Another improbability of the falfhood of her flory arifes from the manner in which this girl hath fupported it. Betore noblemen, and magiftrates, and judges, perfons who must have infpired a girl of this kind with the highest awe, fhe went thro' her evidence without hesitation, confufion, trembling, change of countenance, or other apparent emotion. As fuch a behaviour could proceed only from the highest impudence, or moft perfect innocence, so it seemed clearly to arife from the latter, being accompanied with fuch a fhew of decency, modefly, and fimplicity, that, if there were all affected (which thofe who difbelieve her muft fuppofe) it must have required not only the highest art, but the longest practice and habit, to bring it to fuch a degree of perfection. Another improbability is, that this girl fhould fix on a place fo far from home, and where it doth not appear the had ever been before. In this point, her evidence ftands confirmed by the declaration of Wells herfelf. It is true indeed, that as to her being confined there, Wells Utterly denies it: But the as positively

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ons to the truth of it are placed in the F trongen light, and fatisfactorily answered; and the improbability of her story being falfe clearly fhewn. That the girl, after the abfence of a month, returned in the dreadful condition, that has been publifhed, is a known fact. A very fair prefumption follows, that he was conhned fomewhere, and by fome perfon; that he was almoft arved to death; that She was confined in a place whence it was difficult to make her elcape; that, however, this escape was pofiible; and that at length the tually made it. Now,

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1753. Justice FIELDING's State of the CASE, &c.

affirms, that Canning was never there at any other time, nor in any other manner. Hence arifes an utter impoffibility of the fal hood

her ftory; for unless this poor
girl had been well acquainted with the
houfe, the hayloft, the pitcher, &c. how
was it poffible that the fhould defcribe
them all fo very exactly as he did, at her A
return to her mother's, in the prefence of
fuch numbers of people? Nay, the de-
fcribed likewife the profpect that appear-
ed from the hayloft with fuch exactness,
as required a long time to furnish her
with the particulars. Another improba-
bility is, that the thould charge the gypsy
woman, when he must have known
that woman could prove an alibi [her be- B
ing elsewhere] and not Susannah Wells,
who could have no fuch proof.

But the point of evidence, which was
the principal foundation of that credit
which the author of the State of the Cafe
gave to this extraordinary ftory, is, the
agreement, in fo many particular circum-
ftances, between the evidence of Eliz. Can- C
ning, and Virtue Hall. (See p. 127, &c.)
That Vi. tue Hall had never seen or heard
the evidence of Eliz. Canning at the time
when she made her own information, is a
fact. And even fince her apoftafy the does
not pretend to fay that Canning and the laid
this story together; but imputes her evi-
dence to her being bullied and threatened
into it; which, to the knowledge of ma- D
ny, is a moft impudent falihood: And,
fecondly, afcribes her agreeing with E.
Canning to having heard her deliver her
evidence; which, befides being impoffi-
ble, can be proved to be another notori-
ous falfhood by a great number of wit
neffes of indifputable credit.

I have this very afternoon (Sunday the
18th inft.) adds the author of the State

of the Cafe, read over a great number of
affidavits corroborating the whole evidence
These af-
of Canning, and contradicting the alibi
defence of the gypfy woman.
fidavits are by unquestionable witnelles,
and fworn before three worthy juftices of
the county of Middlefex, who live in
the neighbourdood of Enfield-Wash.

Upon the whole: This cafe, whether
it be confidered in a private or in a pub-
lick light, deferves to be fcrutinized to
the bottom: And that can be only done
by the government's authorizing fome
very capable and very indifferent perfons
to examine into it, and particularly into
the alibi defence of Mary Squires the gyp

On the one fide, here is the
fy woman.
life of a fubject at stake, who, if her de-
fence is true, is innocent; and a young
girl guilty of the blackest, most premedi
tated, and moft audacious perjury, level-

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143

led against the lives of feveral innocent
perfons. On the other fide, if the evi-
dence of E. Canning is true, and perjury
fhould, nevertheless, prevail against her,
an innocent young creature, who hath
fuffered the moft cruel and unheard of
injuries, is in danger of being rewarded
muft extremely aggravate her cafe, and
for them by ruin and infamy; and what
will diftinguish her mifery from that of
all other wretches upon earth, is, that
fhe will owe all this ruin and infamy to
this ftrange circumftance, that her fuffer-
ings have been beyond what human na-
ture is fuppofed capable of bearing;
whilst robbery, cruelty, and the most im-
impunity and triumph; and therefore
pudent of all perjuries, will efcape with
will fo efcape, because the barbarity of
the guilty parties hath rifen to fuch a pitch
of wanton and untempted inhumanity,
beyond all poffibility of belief.

As to my own conduct in this affair, I
know it to be highly juftifiable before God
I frankly own, i
thought it entitled me to the very reverse
The truth is, the fame mo-
and before man.
of cenfure.
tive prevailed with me then, which prin-
cipally urged me to take up my pen at
this time, a defire to protect innocence,
and to detect guilt; and the delight in fo
doing was the only reward I ever expect-
And I have the
ed, fo help me God.
In
know me beft, will most believe me.
fatisfaction to be affured, that those who
folemn truth, the only error I can ever
be charged with in this cafe is an error
If E. Canning be guilty of
in fagacity.
a falfe accufation, I own, the hath been.
capable of impofing on me : But I have
the comfort to think the fame impofition
hath paffed not only on two juries, but
ever fat on the berch of justice, and on
likewife on one of the beft judges that
two other very able judges, who were
prefent at the trial.

I do not, for my own part, pretend to infallibility; tho' I can at the fame time with truth declare, that I have never fpared any pains in endeavouring to detect In Ffalthood and perjury; and have had some fuccefs that way. very notable this cafe, however, ore of the most fimple girls I ever faw, if the be a wicked one, hath been too hard for me. Suppoting her to be fuch, the hath indeed moft grofsly deceived me, for I remain ftill in the fame error: And I appeal in the most folemn manner to the Almighty, for the truth of what I now affert. I am at this very time (on this 15th day of March, 1753) as firmly perfuaded, as I am of any fact in this world, the truth of which depends folely on the evidence of others,

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that

144

VIRTUE vindicated from BRUTUS's Slander. March

that Mary Squires is guilty of the robbery
and cruelty of which the stands convicted;
that the alibi defence is not only a falfe
one, but a falfhood very easy to be practis-
ed on all occafions where there are gangs
of people, as gypfies, &c. That very foul
and unjuftifiable practices have been used
in this whole affair since the trial; and, A
that E. Canning is a poor, honest, inno-
cent, fimple girl, and the most unhappy
and most injured of all human beings. It
is this perfuafion alone, which occafioned
me to give the publick this trouble: For,
as to myself, I am, in my own opinion,
as little concerned in the event of this
whole matter, as any other man whatever.

Virtue vindicated from BRUTUS's Slander
of it.

S

OMETIME fince the Cambridge Journal told us, that the honourable members for that university, had given 60 guineas to four bachelors of arts, that fhall compofe the beft exercises on two fubjects there named ; the first of which fubjects was an enquiry into the life and philofophy of M. Brutus, particularly with respect to that reproach thrown on virtue, in the words which he is faid to have pronounced juft before he killed himfelf; which were thefe, "Poor virtue ! I always took thee for fomething real, and I find thee but a name, for thou art fortune's flave."

and luxury, then the narrow opinions of epicurifm, adapted to that state of things, began to take place of the generous ones of ftoicism, till every thing at last became venal Even Atticus, who was rich, generous and a lover of his country, yet by the felfish principles of his philofophy, would not disturb his own private peace to fecure that of his country, in which yet his own was involved. Thus by the failure of this principle of virtue, the good of the publick was confulted but by a few; and one of these few M. Brutus was, by philofophy, by principle and by blood, being defcended from that L. Junius Brutus, who expelled TarB quin and his fon for their tyranny, and a rape committed on a Roman lady. The image of this ancefter, which he had always before his eyes, the study of the ftoical difcipline under Cato, and the high notions he had conceived of virtue from both, made him list himself on Pompey's fide against Cæfar, the invader of the laws of his country: Yet Brutus could not but fee that the odds, both for number and power, were all his life against him and virtue, or that virtue was fubject to fortune: He might fee this long before in his friend Cicero's banishment, in Pompey's defeat, and Cæfar's triumphs; he faw it plainly in the cafe of his uncle Cato, who was driven to the like neceffity with himself to lay violent hands on himself, or fee his country enslaved. The bad state of publick affairs might well make Brutus apprehend, that there were not virtuous men enough in power to fave the state; but why should it give him an ill opinion of virtue? He had read what wonders had been wrought by it of old, and had experienced much from it; for was the virtue of Cicero nothing but a name, which detected and fubdued the confpiracy of Catiline, and for that time faved the commonwealth? And was his own act in killing the tyrant in the fenate house, which made the ides of March ever memorable to all good men, no more than a nominal benefit? Or did the want of fuccefs ever make him

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This opprobrious fpeech, fo contrary to the philofophy and genius of the speaker, is either forged and fathered upon him, or was the fuggeftion of a difordered, troubled mind, on the dark state of his own and publick affairs at that time: The Roman writers fcarce fuffered a great man to make his exit without interefting heaven E in his death; and the belief of omens and prodigies made a material part of that philofophy which Brutus had embraced; accordingly we are told, his evil genius came first to affure him he would meet him in the field of Philippi, and then appeared again just before the battle to let him know he was as good as his word: This might caft a damp on his F fpirit; but tho' this was an abfurd doctrine held by the Stoicks, their notions of virtue were exalted and fublime; by this principle, they never acted upon mean and felfish motives, but made the good of their country the object of their aim ; for by virtue the Romans meant the good of their republick; and to the G long and general prevalence of this notion, was owing that heroifm which we meet with fo often among that people, and to it must be attributed the grandeur, extent and duration of their empire: But when their conquests had introduced riches

or Cicero think the worfe of that deed afterwards? Why then fhould his own want of fuccefs in the battle of Philippi make him cry out, that virtue was but a name? Nothing but defpair and defpondency could make him thus contradict himself, and condemn all the past actions of his life; and his own words, if his own, which he fays difparaging of virtue, may more properly be applied and turned upon himself; Poor Brutus! I took thee for a man, but find at last nothing manly in thee, for thou art a flave to fortune and given to change. THE

THE

Monthly Chronologer.

146 The MONTHLY CHRONOLOGER. March