Page:William Booth - handbill - CR2565-8.jpg



ILLIAM BOOTH, the unfortunate malefactor who has this day terminated his exitence to the offended laws of his country, was born of repectable parents near Henly-in-Arden where his father is till living. He was about 33 years of age, and was brought up to no trade, and his parents indulged him in everything he wanted.

The crime for which he o jutly forfeited his life, was for having in his poeion without lawful excue, a frame, mould, and intrument, for the making of paper, with the words "Bank of England" viible in the ubtance of the paper, and with having made or caued to be made, divers heets of paper in the ubtance of which the aid words "Bank of England" were viible, and with having the aid paper in his poeion without lawful excue; and with forging divers Bank Notes for 10l. 5l. and 1l. each, and divers blank bank notes, for the like ums, and alo for coining divers pieces of coin reembling ilver Dollars and Bank Tokens; and for forging the tamp or die to denote the duty of four pence; and alo for forging divers promiory notes of Mers. Raikes and Co. Eat Riding Bank, Hull, for the payment of one guinea each.

In the Year 1808 he was taken up on upicion of having murdered his brother, at AwlHall [sic] End, in the parih of Wooten Wawen, but the evidence not appearing clear againt him, he was accordingly acquitted.

It appeared in the trial that J. Linwood contable of Birm. in conequence of ome information he had received went to the prioner's houe on 16 of March, with 10 pecial contables & 7 Dragoon—topt at the Boars Head Perry BarBarr [sic], about a minute on their way thither—prioner's reidence is alo at Perry Bar apparently an old Farm houe, and 2 or 300 yards from any other dwelling. He decribed the manner in which the houe was blockaded, there being 3 doors in the paage leading to the parlour, all very trong and fatened with olid quare oak and iron bars and the windows were lined with wrought iron and alo barred, o that it was almot invulnerable to the attacks of any aailant. The poe being unable to obtain admittance into the lower rooms by reaon of the doors and windows being o trongly barricaded & the windows of the chamber being alo ecured by iron bars &c o that they could not get in there Chillingworth one of the Brirm. aitants to the contables, proceeded up a ladder in front of the houe. On going up the ladder he aw the prioner in the chamber over the parlour—he came up to the window—witnes aked him if he would let him in—prioner aid he would jut now—witnes then broke the glas, and the prioner went to the middle of the room, and witnes aw him take ome papers from a rolling pres that was fixed on a bench in the middle of the room, the papers appeared to be the ize of bank note—aw the prioner put them on a fire. Witnes then acended the ladder to the garret window, and with much difficulty forced himelf through it into the garret and others of his party followed. After he had entered the garret he jumped thro' a trap door onto the room where Booth was when he went up the ladder, but Booth at the ame time went thro' anther trap door onto the parlour below. Witnes remained in the chamber, and found burnt paper in the fire place. 3 other perons came to him, & he broke the wall over the fireplace, and took burnt papers out of the chimney—one was but very little burnt. The note was produced in Court and worn to.

John Ingley had been in the prioner's employ ince Chritmas lat. The prioner occupied 200 acres of land. Since he came to prioner the windows of the parlour & a chamber had been trengthened. Witnes was taken to work in the houe about ten days before prioner was apprehended. Before that time worked in the barn. Recollects Dorothy Ingley coming in the houe on the 16th and that Eliz. Chidlow went and rapped at the parlour door in conequence of Dorothy Ingley peaking to her—Booth came out, and aid, "God woman, what bother have you brought here!" Chidlow aid the runners were coming Booth aid it was a dd lie—they dart not come there. Walked back into the parlour & called witnes after him—gave him a small trunk (which was produced)—told him the things that were done, and he mut go and plant it on the far ide the ground—the trunk was locked—he dug a hole in a field and buried it; he had been directed by the Prioner to hide two copper-Plates on the Tueday before he was apprehended; he wrapt them in a cloth and buried them in a ditch; ame day he was ordered to hide a ingle plate which he hid in the ame manner. Mrs. Booth who gave him Plates when Prioner was abed, which he hid in the thatch of a wheat rick. Booth was then in bed he had tumbled down a trap door that morning & hurt himelf—witnes was taken up on the Friday after the prioner. When he gave information, & dicovered where the articles were conceiledconcealed [sic].

Joeph Chirm, head boroughhead borough constable [sic] of Birm. proved the finding of the of theof the [sic] trunk and plates.—They were Notes of different value, and in a large amount. There were beides 13 blanks, with the Bank of England water mark.

Wm. Bridges & Wm. Brewer, Paper and Paper-mould makers to the Bank of England proved that part of the Bills found in the trunk were made from the mould which had been produced. The prioner's Council took everal legal objections, which were over-ruled. The jury with very little heitation pronounced a Verdict of GUILTY. The Judge then paed entence on Booth in the following words:——

"William Booth, you tand here to receive the judgement of the Court for two capital offences, of which a Jury have found you Guilty: it is not neceary for me to peak of the other indictments againt you, under uch circumtances with which you have been indicted, you can have little reaon to expect that the mercy of the law will be extended to you: I can hold out no hope of that expectation, but I hope you will now do that which I groly fear hitherto neglected—that is that you will, by humble and devout prayer and contrition to prepare yourelf for that great and dreadful day, when before a judgement far more awful than any earthly Tribunal, you will be called upon to give an account of your actions in this world; the hort interval that can be allowed to you between this time and that of putting into execution the entence which the law directs me to pronounce upon you, I trut you will employ in that preparation: it now only remains with me to pas that entence, which i—that you William Booth be taken from hence to the place from whence you came, and from there to the place of Execution, there to be hanged by the neck until you are dead, and the Lord have mercy on your oul!"

The prioner heard his entence without dimay & at the concluion bowed repectfully to the Court.

Between 11 and 12 o'clock the Prioner was taken to the uual place of Execution, where after ome time pent in prayer he was uddenly launched into eternity.

Taylor, Printer.