Trial of Jane Leigh Perrot
9781465684578
213 pages
Library of Alexandria
Overview
About half past Seven o’Clock, the Priſoner, attended by a number of Ladies, walked from their Lodgings at the London Inn, in two or three different Parties, to the Aſſize Hall, where they waited in the anti room to the Grand Jury Room, till the Judge came, about Eight o’Clock. She then went into the Priſoners Pen, accompanied by her Huſband and ſeveral ladies. Mrs. Leigh Perrot appeared very pale and emaciated, between 50 and 60 Years of Age. She was dreſſed in a very light lead colour Peliſſe, a Muſlin Handkerchief on her Neck, with a Cambric Cravat; her hair of a dark brown, curled on her Forehead; a ſmall black bonnet, round which was a purple ribbon, and over it a black lace veil, which was thrown up over her head; while the Jury was called and ſworn, ſhe appeared perfectly calm and collected, converſing with her Counſel and Friends.——The Indictment conſiſted of four Counts, varying the owner of the Property charged to have been ſtolen. Her Counsel requeſted ſhe might be allowed a chair, which was granted. That on the 8th of August, the lady at the bar came to the shop of Elizabeth Gregory, the prosecutrix, in Bath Street, Bath, where having purchased some black lace, she contrived whilst the shopman Charles Filby, who had been serving her, was gone to procure change of a five pound note she had given him, that she took from a box at the end of the counter, furthest from that at which they had been standing, a card of white lace, that Filby saw her take it, that he would swear it was not by mistake put into the paper parcel of black lace he gave her, that Sarah Raines would confirm him in this; that Elizabeth Gregory seeing the prisoner pass by her shop, in about 20 minutes after, and walking with her husband, went out and accused her of having the lace, that she denied it, but said if it was in the parcel, the shopman must have put it up by mistake, that the parcel was examined and the white lace was found in it; Mr. Leigh Perrott readily told his address; the parcel was not in the state when found in Mrs. Perrott’s possession as it had been folded up by Filby for her; and that they, Gregory and Filby, went immediately before the Mayor, to lodge an information, but in consequence of the number of Soldiers who were passing through Bath, for the expedition in Holland, the magistrates could not attend to them ’till the week following.—These were the leading facts of the case, for the prosecution.
