Robert Emmett

343

Maureen Withey on 13th June 2025

Old Bailey Proceedings Online (www.oldbaileyonline.org, version 9.0) October 1833. Trial of ROBERT EMMETT (t18331017-54). Available at: https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/record/t18331017-54?text=Emmett (Accessed: 13th June 2025). Session date, 17 October 1832. OLD COURT. Friday, October 18, 1833. Second Middlesex Jury, before Mr. Justice Park. 1460. ROBERT EMMETT was indicted for the wilful murder of George Ashton . GEORGE CROW . I am a plumber and glazier. I was in Globe-lane , on Saturday night, the 5th of October, about a quarter before seven o'clock; it was then dark; I heard some boy s wrangling, there were four of them altogether - I saw the prisoner, and two with him, and one other; I saw the prisoner, and Ashton near to each other, about two feet apart; hearing them wrangling, I went to the door, and stepped into the road, and heard the prisoner say to George Ashton, "If you come back, I will stab you" - the prisoner then put his right hand into his left hand pocket, and took something from it; I cannot tell whether it was a knife or what - Ashton turned towards him, but never lifted his hand to strike him; he did not advance towards him at all, he only turned his foot, and he never lifted his hand at all that I saw; the prisoner then instantly thrust forth his right arm to the left breast of the deceased, and the deceased fell into my arms, saying, "Oh he has stabbed me, take him away" - I did not see anything in the prisoner's hand - I took a knife from him at the station-house, in about five minutes - he had it in his left hand pocket; I took it from his pocket; it was shut then; I afterwards saw it open, it was a double bladed knife; I saw the large blade open and there was a stain of blood on it; the deceased was about eighteen years old; when he fell into my arms, I gave him to a young man to take care of, while I took the prisoner to the station-house Ashton died at the London hospital - the prisoner did not attempt to go away; he remained standing there; while I had deceased in my arms he might easily have gone away - it was a momentary act - there was a gas lamp that enabled me to see this; I saw nothing of the beginning of the dispute. THOMAS FORDHAM . I am a carpenter; I live near the place - I was within ten yards of these parties at first; I came nearer to them - I heard the prisoner, who is a sweep, say to George Ashton, "If you come back I will stab you" - I was not near enough to observe whether he was crying - I ran up as fast as I could, and when I got to them, the deceased had turned round towards the prisoner and was within about two feet of him - I saw the prisoner plunge a knife into him - I did not see the knife, but he struck at him with something; the deceased fell into Crow's hands - I did not hear him say anything - I saw two sweeps there near him, they did nothing - the prisoner was standing up when I first saw him - I had not seen him coming out of any shop - Crow came out of a baker's shop - Nicholls and Stroud were with the deceased; they were very near when he was stabbed- the prisoner appeared very violent; and as if he had been put in a passion - he was very violent; I did not see anything in his hand before he struck the deceased - the deceased was returning to the prisoner when I saw them - he was moving towards the prisoner - I saw him move towards him after the prisoner said, "If you come I will stab you" - the prisoner appeared in a great rage when he said that - I did not see him take the knife out of his pocket; for all I know he might have had it in his hand before. Cross-examined by MR. PHILLIPS. Q. About how far was the deceased from the prisoner, when he said, "If you come back I'll stab you"? A. I was about a hundred yards off; the last time I heard him say it, he was about two feet off; he said so two or three times - I could not see them the first time it was said - I might have heard it said three times - he was about three feet off the last time I heard it said - if the deceased had chosen he might have gone away instead of returning to the prisoner - he was older than the prisoner, and a great deal larger and stouter - it was said in the voice of a person, who was in great anger - I did not hear the prisoner say he had hit him in the eye with a tobacco-stopper - I am sure the deceased walked towards him. JEPTHA MILLER . I am sixteen years old. On Saturday night, about a week ago, I was with the prisoner and another sweep named John Potter, at a quarter before seven o'clock - I was quite sober; I don't know how the others were - we had been to a sugar-house, we had not been to a public-house - the deceased met us; there were two more boys with him; they were doing nothing - as they passed by, Emmett said, "He is a gone off" - he did not point to any one in particular - the deceased had gone on about ten yards before he said that; on the prisoner's saying that, he came back, and hit him in the face - it was a smart blow; I was near him, and the blow almost struck me; I heard the blow - the prisoner fell down from the blow and cried out - when he was on the ground the deceased kicked him on the thigh; I saw that - he only kicked him once; he did it with violence - Emmett began to cry, and then called the deceased a twopenny-halfpenny thief - the deceased went towards his companions, and the prisoner told him if he came back he would stick a knife into him; he said that immediately - the deceased came back in a minute or two, and was going to hit him; he lifted his hand up - then the prisoner put his hand into his pocket, and took something out - I don't know what prevented the deceased hitting him; his hand was cleanched when he lifted it up towards him - I did not see the knife in the prisoner's hand, but he put his hand into his pocket as if to take something out - I did not know the prisoner before; we are not under the same master; but the other boy knew him - I am quite sure I saw the deceased strike him the first time, and afterwards kick him on the ground, and afterwards he offered to strike him again - it was not so much as three minutes between the first blow and his coming up the second time - I knew the deceased by sight before; his name was George Ashton. Cross-examined. Q. Did it appear to you that whatever the prisoner did was in defence of himself, when Ashton was going to strike him? A. Yes. JOHN DAWSON . I am a pupil at the London hospital. The deceased was brought in on the 5th of October, a little after seven o'clock in the evening; I saw him immediately after he came in; he was brought there by four men on a shutter. HENRY MONATT . I went with the deceased to the London hospital, and delivered him to this gentleman. JOHN DAWSON . I saw him immediately he was brought in; he lived five or ten minutes - I afterwards examined his body - there was a wound between the third and fourth ribs on the left side; it had entered the heart, and was about two inches deep; that, no doubt, was the cause of death; it had pierced the heart - I saw the knife before the Coroner; such a knife would have inflicted that wound. William Brazier , a chimney-sweeper, gave the prisoner a good character for kindness of disposition. GUILTY. Aged 15. - Of manslaughter only . Transported for Fourteen Years.

5

JAndres on 13th June 2025

Aged 15 at the time of conviction. Old Court, Friday October 18, 1833