William Garret deposed that he was at the widow Payne’s on the 14th of February last, and saw Jackson and Carter and two strangers there; that one of them who had a blue coat on, had received a stroke upon his cheek, and the blood run down just as he came in; this man was standing up by the back of a chair, and Jackson by him, and he heard Jackson say, “that for a quartern of gin he would serve him so again,” by which he understood that Jackson had struck him before. He did not hear the man say he was the King’s officer, but he heard Jackson say, “You a King’s officer! I’ll make you a King’s officer, and that you shall know.” Then when he went away he left them all there.
The prisoners would not ask this witness any questions.
The next witness produced was William Lamb, who being sworn, deposed, that he went to the widow Payne’s, at Rowland’s Castle, on the 14th of February last, about four in the afternoon, and found Jackson and Carter there; that before he went he saw one of the widow Payne’s sons call Carter aside, at his house at Westbourne; that there were several other people there (Rowland’s Castle) in another room, amongst whom were Thomas Austin and two men that were strangers to him, one of whom had on a blue great coat. He further deposed that the two men who were strangers he understood were going with a letter to Justice Battine; but that he saw no ill-treatment during the little time he stayed there. He said that during the time he was there Edmund Richards, one of the company, pulled out a pistol, and said that whoever should discover any thing that passed at that house, he would blow his brains out. But that Jackson and Carter, two of the prisoners, were not in the room when these words were spoken, as he verily believes. He saw, he said, the man in the blue great coat, pull a parchment out of his pocket, and he heard him tell the people he was the King’s officer; his wig was then off, and there was blood upon his cheek; that he saw a letter, which he understood to be going to Mr. Battine; and Kelly and the prisoner Carter had it in their hands, but he did not know how they came by it; that he did not see the direction of the letter; but he observed it was broken open when he saw it in the hands of Carter and Kelly, and he understood, by the discourse of the company, that it was a letter which the two strangers were to carry to Mr. Battine, but he never heard it read.
The prisoners Carter and Jackson would not ask him any questions.
Richard Kent deposed, that he was at the widow Payne’s on the 14th of February; that he saw Jackson and Carter, and many others, particularly two strangers, who he supposed were Galley and Chater; that they took the strangers out with them, and that Edmund Richards told him that if he spoke a word of what he had heard or seen he would shoot him; but Jackson and Carter were not in the room when Richards said this.
George Poate deposed that he was at Rowland’s Castle on Sunday, the 14th of February last, about seven o’clock in the evening, and saw nine men there; Jackson and Carter were two of them; he stayed there about half an hour, and as soon as he came in he saw four or five men with great coats and boots on, most of them upon their legs, as if they were just going; he went and warmed himself by the kitchen fire, and soon after he heard the stroke of a whip, repeated three or four times, in a little room that was at the corner of the kitchen, but did not see who gave the blows, nor who received them; that he afterwards heard a strange rustling of people, more than before, and saw seven or eight men come into the kitchen; that he knew Jackson and Carter, and William Steel, Edmund Richards, and two that went by the names of Little Sam and Little Harry; there were two other persons there, whom to his knowledge he had never seen before or since, and could give no account of them, nor did he observe how they were dressed; that soon after he thought he heard a blow, and saw Jackson in a moving posture, as if he had just given a blow, and was drawing up his arm in a proper form, as if he was going to give another; but William Payne stepped up, and called him a fool and a blockhead for so doing; upon which he sunk his arm, and did not behave in a like manner any more in his sight; that just as they were going out of doors, Jackson turned round with a pistol in his hand, and asked for a belt, or string, but nobody gave him either, and he put his pistol into his pocket, and went away with the rest; that by the trampling of horses he supposed they all went on horseback, but which way he knew not; it was between seven and eight o’clock, as nigh as he could guess, when they went off; he did not hear any conversation about one of the strangers being a King’s officer, nor did he see the blow given, nor the person to whom the other blow was going to be given.
The prisoners Jackson and Carter said they had no questions to ask this witness.
Then his Majesty’s counsel desired that John Raise, otherwise Race, he being an accessary to the fact, should be called, who appearing and being sworn, deposed, that on Sunday, the 14th of February, he was at Rowland’s Castle between twelve and one o’clock at noon; that when he came there he found Edmund Richards, William Steel, the prisoners Carter, Jackson, and Little Sam, Richard Kelly, Jackson’s wife, and Galley and Chater; he saw Jackson take Chater to the door, and heard him ask him if he knew anything of Dimer the shepherd, and Chater answered he did, and was obliged to go and speak against him; that Galley then went out to keep Chater from talking to Jackson; whereupon Jackson knocked Galley down with his fist; that Galley came in again, and soon after Jackson and Carter. When they were all come in, he (the witness) with the prisoners Jackson and Carter, and Edmund Richards, went into the back room; that there they enquired of Jackson what he had got out of the shoemaker (meaning Daniel Chater); that Jackson informed them that Chater said he knew Dimer and was obliged to come in as a witness against him; that then they consulted what to do with them (Chater and Galley)—this was about three o’clock in the afternoon: they first proposed to carry them to some secure place, where they might be taken care of till they had an opportunity of carrying them over to France; and that when this proposition was made, the prisoners Jackson and Carter, and Richards and himself were present. This resolution was taken to send them out of the way, that Chater should not appear against Dimer; and afterwards it was agreed to fetch a horse and carry them away; that Galley and Chater appeared very uneasy, and wanted to be gone; and thereupon Jackson’s wife, to pacify them, told them that she lived at Major Battine’s and her horse was gone for, and as soon as it came she would shew them the way to Mr. Battine’s; that he (the witness) then went away, and saw no more of them that night.
Being cross-examined at the request of the defendant’s counsel, he said, “At this consultation there was nothing mentioned, as he remembered then, but the securing them in order to carry them to France.”
This witness having gone thus far in his evidence, was set by for the present; the counsel for the crown declaring that they would call him again, to give an account of what passed on the 17th, when Chater was murdered, after they had examined the next witness.