Burton April 17th. 1817.
near Loughborough
My Lord
I have the Honour to enclose for your Lordships information the statement made to me by Thomas Savage who is this morning to be executed at Leicester I saw this unhappy man yesterday when he inform’d me he had nothing to add to what he had before stated to me. William Towle persists in stating that a man of the name of Lee now under sentence of transportation from the last assizes at Nottingham is innocent of the crime of which he has been convicted. namely a most outrageous robbery in a Booth on a Cricket ground near Nottingham William Towle declares he was there himself but that Lee who had been drinking with the party before they set out to commit the crime & who was with them next morning when they were spending part of the Booty was not at the Robbery and that he was not privy to it in any way either before or after.—I mentioned this circumstance to Mr. Baron Richards at Warwick who had not then time to refer to his notes of the trial. but said as far as he could recollect that the evidence was very clear.—not knowing how to direct to Mr. Baron Richards I take this opportunity of mentioning that from every enquiry into the former conduct of James Crofts whom Mr. Baron Richards has respited from death having been convicted of a Highway robbery it appears that though Crofts has without doubt been concernd in robberies yet that he has never been guilty of violence & there is instance on record in the Police Book at Nottingham of his having dissuaded his associates from carrying pistols.—This man seems inclin’d to give some information that may prove important respecting a Burglary accompanied with great violence that took place at a farm House near Loughborough last summer. He was concernd in it but has heard those that were talk of it—I beg to know your Lordships intentions wether the whole of the prejudiced witnesses who appeared at the Leicestershire assizes last August on behalf of James Towle and Slater should be prosecuted or only those of the most notorious character. The expence of this prosecution I presume is to be carried on by the County but I shall hope for your Lordships Commands on this Head & also whether as it is a prosecution growing out of the former ones the same attorney should be concerned
I have [etc]
C. G. Mundy
[To: Lord Sidmouth]
This letter can be found at HO 42/163.
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