Sunday 6 January 2013

6th January 1813: Henry Hobhouse informs the Home Office of the outcome of the Horsfall Trial at York Special Commission

Private

York
Jan. 6. [1813]

Dear Sir,

I should have mentioned in my last Letter that the four Burglars convicted yesterday were part of a Gang of whom six are in Custody. The other two were not implicated in the Burglary tried, against one of them we have no tenable case, & against the other no good Case. We therefore do not intend to prosecute either of these two:

Mr. Justice LeBlanc is now summing up the Evidence on the Indictment against the three murderers George Mellor Wm. Thorpe & Thos. Smith. We have made a very strong case, which has been met by a separate Alibi on the part of each of the Prisoners, supported by numerous Witnesses. I trust however that under the Direction of an able Judge & upright Jury (which I hope we have) there can be no doubt of a Verdict.

The Jury after being out of Court 25 minutes have returned a Verdict against all three Prisoners.

I am
Yrs. most faithfully
H. Hobhouse

The Wish of the General as to the Place of the Execution has been mentioned to the Judges, but they have not yet come to any Determination—

[To] J Beckett Esq

This letter can be found at HO 42/132.

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