132 Mifs BLANDY'S DEFENCE. was very ill in goal, and when fo, Mr. I will not deny, my lords, that I did The prifoner then defired feveral wit March and they without going out of court, brought in their virdiet, guilty. After fentence of death was pronounced upon her, the in a very folemn and affecting manner prayed the court, that the might have as much time as could be allowed her, to prepare for her great and immortal state. The court told her, she fhould have a convenient time allowed her; but exhorted her, in the mean time, to lose not a moment, but inceffantly implore the mercy of that Being, to whom alone mercy belongs. The counfel for the crown, on this trial, were the Hon. Mr. Bathurst, Mr. Serjeant Hayward, Mr. Nayres, townclerk of Oxford, Mr. Hayes, Mr. Ambler, and the Hon. Mr. Barrington: For the prifoner, Mr. Ford, Mr. Moreton, and Mr. Afton. The trial was heard in the divinity fchool (the ufual place for holding the affizes being rebuilding) and the concourfe of people who came to hear it was fo great, that the prifoner was much incommoded by the crowd behind her, and the witneffes fo fatigued in coming into court, that feveral of them were fcarce kept from fainting. The prifoner, who is about 32 years of age, appeared in a black bombafine fhort fack and petticoat, plain linen, and a thin black thade. Her behaviour, during the whole time, was ferene and compofed. A chair was neiles to be called, two of whom, to prove D ordered by the court as foon as fhe came Binfield's ill-will to her, fwore, that they heard her fay, I hope the black bitch cvill walk up a ladder, and fwing; but they differed as to the time when the words were spoken. Others were called to tef tify her duty and affection for her father; and others to prove, that the thewed no intention to make her efcape after her father's death. One of thefe, Edward Hearne, being asked the queftion, faid, when he once faw the prifoner in Oxford goal, and one came in and faid, he heard Cranston was taken, the reply'd, I am glad the villain is taken, that he may receive the punishment Le deferves, as well as I. Which this witnefs faid he understood only of imprisonment; but the king's courfel in their reply, took it for a confeffion of guilt. They alfo obferved, that fome of these witneffes ferved only to prove, that Mr. Blandy was a very fond, affectionate, and indulgent parent, therefore there could be no pretence for giving him powders, or any thing elfe, to promote in him an affeflion for his daugh ter. E in, for her to fit down when the thought proper. It is obferved, that her father was a man of a very good character, but was guilty of one failing, by which he perhaps imagined he might get his daughter married into opulence. He gave out, or encouraged, or did not contradict a report, that he was a man of 10,cocl. fortune; and, as Mifs was his only child, fuch an estate, joined to her accomplishments, could not fail to attract many fuitors. Every match, however, was broke off, because the father would advance no money with his daughter, but only promife that he would leave her his all at his death, which, F when it untimely happened, did not appear to be above a fifth part of the fum reported. Such frequent difappointments of Mifs's expectations, and natural defires, raifed her refentment, which it is fcarcely to be fuppofed her natural good fenfe, joined with a good education, would have fuffered to proceed to fuch a dismal extremity, or provoke her to the perpetration of fo horrid a crime, if her mind had not been totally depraved by the base artifices of an infidious feducer, who had won her affections before the knew or heard that he had been married to ano, The prifoner defired leave to fpeak G in anfwer to this, and faid, the powders were given to her father to procure his love to Mr. Cranston. The judge fummed up the evidence in a clear and impartial manner to the jury, 1752 Trial of SWAN and Mifs JEFFRYES. ther gentlewoman of a good family, to An Account of the Trial of John Swan and E DWARD Buckle, of Walthamstow, was first called and fworn, who faid, I live about 30 yards from the deceased's houfe. On the 3d of July, I heard an outcry about a quarter after two in the B morning. My wife faid to me, it was Mifs Jeffryes's tongue. I faid, if the wants me, let her call me. She faid, here is Mifs Jeffryes in her fhift. I went to her; fhe was in her fhift without fhoe or ftocking, at a neighbour's door, about 20 yards from the deceased's house. I went and asked her what the did there in that manner? She faid, 0, they have killed him, they have killed him, I fear! I defired her to put fomething about her: She faid, don't mind me, fee after my uncle. John Swan unlocked or unbolted the street door; he was within fide. I went in, and there the deceased was lying on his right fide. I faw he had three wounds on the left-fide of his head I took hold of D him by the left-hand, and faid, my name was Edward Buckle; if you cannot speak to me, fignify to me. He fqueezed my hand with as much force as he could; but he did not speak, and I went out of the room; about five hours after this, when Mifs was about the house crying for the lofs of her uncle, the faid to me, E Mr. Buckle, will you go and lay informations about the country of this unhappy affair that has befallen my uncle, and of what goods are loft, that the villains may be found out? What it cofts I will pay. Mrs. Martin mentioned in Mifs Jeffryes's prefence, a filver tankard, and silver cup, and 15 pewter plates. I faid to Mifs, if I fhould light of Matthews, I'll take him F up. She replied, Don't meddle with him, for you'll bring me into trouble and yourself too, in fo doing. Mary the wife of Samuel Adams, of Walthamstow. I live within twenty yards of Mr. Jeffryes's. I heard the report of a gun, or a pistol, about a quarter after two. About 3 quarters of an hour after, G I heard an outcry of fire, thieves. I got up and went to the houfe, and faw the deceafed bloody, but being very big with child, they would not let me stay in the room. I faw Mifs Jeffryes in the yard 133 with many people about her. She faid, fhe hurt her ancle by coming out at the window. Thomas Matthews, the accomplice, Some time in hay harveft, as I was coming over Epping-foreft, in my way from Hull, I faw a cart ftuck faft in the road. There I first faw the deceased, who afked me where I came from; 1 faid, from Hull, and was in diftrefs, having no money: He took me home with him, and I worked with Swan the gardener, all the day. I was to work with him for my meat, and not any wages. I worked for him 9 days, as nigh as I can guess. I eat and drank in his houfe. He gave me a fhilling when he turned me away. About 4 days after I had been there, Mifs Jeffryes ordered me to go up ftairs to wipe a cheft of drawers and a few chairs. came up juft after me, and faid to me, What will you do, if a person would give you rool? I asked her, what I was to do for it? She asked me again, if I was willing to earn it? I faid I would, if it was in an honeft way. She faid, go to Swan, and he will tell you. I went to him as foon as I came down ftairs; he was in the garden. I told him Mifs Jeffryes offered me rocl. and he was to be the perfon to tell me how I was to earn it. Swan fmiled, and took me into an outhoufe there, and told me, if I would take and knock that old mifer his She mafter on the head, he would give me 700l. Mifs was ftanding in the garden behind us, and when Swan had done speaking, faid, I fhall never have a minute's fleep, fo long as that old mifer, my uncle, is alive. A few days after, Swan gave me half a guinea to buy a cafe of pistols, on purpose to meet Mr. Jeffryes as he came back from Chelsea. I went to LowLayton, and there fpent the money, at the Green-man. Swan had piftols before, which he fhewed me eight or nine times. After this, I went for London; Swan overtook me, and faid, d-n your blood, where are you going? faid I, to London, he asked me to drink, and gave me 3d. We went in at the Green man and Bell, the houfe of Mr. Gall in Whitechapel. We got there about fix in the evening; we had fome beer, and stayed till 11 at night; about which time Swan got up from the table, and challenged the best man there to fight for a guinea. I being in liquor, ftripped as well as he; Swan threw his coat on the fire, which Mr. Gall took off left it fhould be burnt, and finding the pockets heavy, felt in them, and found two piftols; Mr. Call then charged the watch with us, and we were put into the cage for that night. While We 134 Trial of SWAN and Mifs JEFFRYES. we were in the cage, Swan pulled out out ; D F paffed, if I did, he would blow my brains March fomebody elfe fhould, for Mifs Jeffryes was with child, and if the old mifer, her uncle, came to know it, he would be cut off from his estate, and turned out of doors *. Thomas Forbes, apothecary at Woodford. Between 3 and 4 on the Wednesday morning I was called by Swan, the prifoner, who came and told me, that a fad accident had happened to Mr. Jeffryes; I went immediately, and found the blood about the room congealed; then I examined the wounds, and found two given by a gun or piftol, on the left fide of his face, and a ftab near his ear; I prob'd them, and found that under the ear 4 inches deep. Sarah Arnold, fervant-maid to the deceafed, was next called and fworn. Q. When was the first alarm? Arnold. It was about 3 o'clock, when I looked out of my window, and faw Mifs Jeffryes in the yard in her shift, and Swan told me my master was murdered he feared, and defired me to go and fee him, which I did, and found him wounded, and the blood congealed. I faw a knife, and fome bits of wood in the room, but the knife was not bloody. After this I ran out of doors, and alarmed the neighbours. Q. Where did your master keep his piftols? Arnold. In the kitchen, there used to hang a pair of piftols, but after the murder I could find but one of them, but faw fome chippings of lead on the floor in the kitchen, as if cut off the bullets, that I remember I faw Swan fitting to the pistols. Q. Did you ever obferve any thing particular in the behaviour of Mifs Jeffryes towards Swan, and what have you heard your mafter fay to it? Arnold. Mifs used to go frequently into the garden, and my mafter was displeased at it, and threatned to alter his will, and cut her off, if fhe did not alter her conduct. William Gallant, a barber at Walthamflow. After this murder was committed, I went to Mr. Jeffryes's house, and faid, Where is that villain Matthews, and told Swan, my heart mifgave me about him. Swan faid, "Oh! my lad, he is as innocent as a lamb." And the fame morning I faw the prifoner Jeffryes bounce herfelf down into a chair in the kitchen, and faid, Oh! I fall die a worje deatb than my uncle. James Thornton, furgeon of Walthamflow. I live about a furlong from the deceased's Mr. Jeffryes had made a will in 1746, wherein be appointed his neice fele executrix, end lift ber bis ubote eftate, except a few legacies. 1752. Trial of SWAN and Miss JEFFRYES. deceased's houfe; I faw him about an After this feveral witneffes confirmed what Matthews had faid about the places where he and Swan had met and drank; and John Gall, keeper of the Green-Man and Bell in Whitechapel, gave a particu- B lar account of what paffed at his house, agreeable to what Matthews had faid; and alfo of the fecond apprehension and commitment of Matthews after the murder, when he faid, he knew who did the murder, but did not do it himself. Ann Wright, at the White-Horse, Stratford-Bridge, faid, That the keeps the Yorkshire-Grey at Stratford, and one day in June laft, but which the could not remember, Mifs Jeffryes and two men came in a coach to her houfe, and they, with another man that was there, went into a room and called for fome wine. Mifs Jeffryes fell a crying, and faid he had been fetching Swan out of Bridewell, and fetching a figh, faid, She feared fhe was damn'd. D F Mr. Hillier, a farmer at Walthamstow, faid, That he went about 7 o'clock in the morning the murder was committed; and being asked what fituation he found things in, he reply'd, When I came into the street in the morning, I was met by Mrs. Conder, who told me Mr. Jeffryes was murdered. By what they farther faid, I found it was owing to an alteration which he was about to make in his will. I faw an iron bar ftanding by the fide of the door, that belonged to the window, and the lead was regularly untwisted on the infide of the window, as if a glazier had done it. From thence I apprehended, that fome of the family had done the F murder. We got of Swan two or three rakes to fearch the ponds for the things which they faid were stolen; there came likewife three other men, who each of them took an inftrument, and said to Swan, look about again, these things can never be carried off. A little after this the men hallowed out, pulling a fack G out of the pond, with pewter, braffes, a filver tankard, fome fpoons, and other things. When we were going before the juftice, Mifs Jeffryes faid, as I was a gentleman, the hoped I would not fuffer her 135 to be ufed ill. She then called me to be a witness that she had given to Mrs. Martin bank-notes to the value of 500l. and a 500l. bond; and as the was going to get into the coach the pulled out a bankbill of rool. out of her bofom, and gave it to Mrs. Martin, to let her know, and that all the world might know, that Mr. Jeffryes did not lofe his life for the fake of wronging Mrs. Martin's children; which 100l. was to be equally divided among the children. Richard Clark, of Walthamstow. I was at Mr. Jeffryes's houfe the morning the murder was committed; I heard an outcry of murder, fire, and thieves. I live about 16 yards from his houfe ; as I went into the court, I faw Swan ; there he made a full ftop before me; I asked which way they got in? Swan faid, that he thought they got in at the window backward, and out of the door; he went as far as the door with us, to fhew us the window, and I examined the window and door, after I came back; I looked about the yard, and round the premises, and tho' it was a dewy morning, yet I saw no dew beat off. John Ball, a butcher of Walthamstow, being fworn, faid, That on the morning the murder was committed, he met Mr. Robert Clifton, and told him, Mr. Jeffryes was shot; whereupon they went to Mr. Jeffryes, and Mr. Clifton then took hold of his hand, and faid, "if you know who did this, hold up your hand, or else let it lie ftill; upon that, he let the handkerchief, which he held in his hand to wipe the blood off his face, drop on the bed, and held up his left-hand. This was between three and four o'clock in the morning. Here the king's counfel refted the proofs for the crown; and the prifoners being called upon to make their defence, Swan faid, that he had nothing to fay, but left it to his counfel. And Jeffryes faid, fhe had nothing more to fay, than that the fhould call witneffes to prove most of thofe that had been produced for the king, perjured; and left the reft to her counfel. What thefe witneffes faid, tended chiefly to fhew Mifs's duty and affection to her uncle, and that her fright and concern at his murder was a real fright and concern; alfo that Swan was always very careful of his mafter, and might have had better opportunities of murdering him, if he had ever intended it, as he fetched him home from diftant places at all hours; that tho' he was feen in his fhirt, and Mifs in her shift, which were not clean, the morning of the murder, there was no blood upon them; and that as the piftol burt, the perfor whe 136 Mifs JEFFRYES'S CONFESSION. who discharged it must be wounded, which Swan was not. The counfel for the crown here obferved, that the pifto! being a long one, which appeared from the length of the rammer, which was produced, as alfo the shattered remains of the piftol, and that part where the lock was fixed was entire, that A confequently the hand that discharged it might not be hurt. Sir Samuel Gower was then fworn, who faid, Matthews was brought before, me, and was examined, and I committed him to Bridewell, on fufpicion of being concerned in fome robbery. He was examined four or five times before me, Mr. Bateman, and Mr. Quarrel. He gave dif- B ferent accounts on his examinations. I told him I could not put confidence in his evidence, he prevaricated fo much. I did fuffer him to fign one or two of his examinations. And when he faid any thing of the fact of murdering Mr. Jeffryes, he always faid, he was hired to do it, and was offered money. I asked him, why C he did not make this discovery sooner, and then he might have appeared like an honeft man, and faved his master's life; and he told me, he could not tell how to go about it. He was brought before me by Mr. Gall, and I looked on him as a criminal. Juftice Quarrel confirmed the teftimony of Sir Samuel, as did alfo Sir Samuel's D clerk. The prifoners having gone thro' their defence, the counfel for the crown in their reply faid, that the evidence produced in fupport of the indictment was clear, ftrong and permanent, and that the evidence on the part of the defence, had not contradicted any one fingle circumftance that was advanced on the part of the profecution: That, indeed, they had produced two worthy magiftrates before whom Matthews was examined, in order to deftroy the credit that might be given to Matthews's teftimony; but instead of deftroying, they abfolutely confirm it, for that the fum of the evidence of both those gentlemen was, that tho' Matthews in F The judge having fummed up the evi March dence to the jury, they withdrew, and in a little more than an hour, returned, and brought in the prifoners guilty. On March 12, the day after her conviction, Mifs Jeffryes made a confeffion, That what Matthews had fwore was true, except that part of his being in the houfe at the time the piftol went off : And that the had had this murder in her thoughts for two years paft, but never had a proper opportunity of getting it executed before, till the engaged and perfuaded Swan, and together with Swan, she offered Mathews money to execute it, who agreed to do it; that upon the night the murder was committed, it was agreed between Swan and her, that they should both go up to their chambers, as if they were going to bed, and as foop, as the maid had locked her door, and was fuppofed to be in bed, fhe came out of her own room, and went to Swan's, and faid, Halloh! are you awake? he answered, yes; and he was not undreffed; then the went into her uncle's room to see if he was asleep, and took a filver tankard, a filver cup, and fome filver spoons, from off a cheft of drawers in the deceafed's room; then she and Swan went down ftairs, and Swan took out a new fack from under the stairs, and the and Swan put the plate, and fome pewter and brass which they took off the fhelves in the kitchen, into the fack, till she said I can do no more. Swan and the then drank each a large dram of brandy; then the went up ftairs into her own chamber, where it was agreed the fhould undress herfelf, and lie till a fignal was given by a knock at her door or wainscot, that her uncle was murdered, then she was to open her window, and cry out, Fire and thieves, to alarm the neighbourhood. She farther fays, the accidentally fell asleep as foon almost as in bed, but on a fudden was awaked by fome noife in a fright, when the laid and liftened, and heard a violent breathing or gafping, as if fomebody was under a difficulty in drawing their breath, then the concluded her uncle was mur dered, and then opened her window, and made the agreed alarm; directly after which he came down ftairs, and Swan let her out of the ftreet-door in her fhift, when the run to Mrs. Diaper's door, in the fame court-yard; Swan then shut the street-door, and as foon as he heard the neighbours were coming, and thought a fufficient alarm was made, he opened the ftreet-door again in his fhirt, and run out as if he was juft come out of bed in a fright. She further fays, that previous to the executing this diabolical defign, they had taken care to cut the wire of the |