Transcribed from the 30 September 1817 edition of The Strabane Morning Post, by permission of The British Library:
Mary Ashford. The Lichfield Mercury of Friday last contains a map of the place where the unfortunate Mary Ashford was murdered. Since the trial of Thornton, accused of that atrocious deed, several circumstances have transpired which strongly call for further enquiry. It seems the linen of this man was kept back from being produced at the trial, by Day, the officer, who apprehended him, and who has been very properly discharged for so doing. What makes this case continue to excite so much of the public attention is, the circumstance of the result of the trial wholly turning on an alibi, which alibi was produced on the most uncertain evidence possible to adduce--the opinion of the country persons as to time, derived from country clocks. Every one who knows any thing of the country must be aware how little dependence should be placed on such testimony as to actual time. Country clocks are proverbial for nothing but their variance from true time and from each other. Every farmer, in point of fact, has a measurement of time of his own, by which his movements and those of his family are regulated. Guided by this, he cares but little whether his clock and the sun are in unison.--Liverpool Mercury.
> Transcribed from the 30 September 1817 edition of The Strabane Morning > Post, by permission of The British Library:
> Mary Ashford. > The Lichfield Mercury of Friday last contains a map of the place where > the unfortunate Mary Ashford was murdered. Since the trial of Thornton, > accused of that atrocious deed, several circumstances have transpired > which strongly call for further enquiry. It seems the linen of this man > was kept back from being produced at the trial, by Day, the officer, who > apprehended him, and who has been very properly discharged for so doing. > What makes this case continue to excite so much of the public attention > is, the circumstance of the result of the trial wholly turning on an > alibi, which alibi was produced on the most uncertain evidence possible to > adduce--the opinion of the country persons as to time, derived from > country clocks. Every one who knows any thing of the country must be aware > how little dependence should be placed on such testimony as to actual > time. Country clocks are proverbial for nothing but their variance from > true time and from each other. Every farmer, in point of fact, has a > measurement of time of his own, by which his movements and those of his > family are regulated. Guided by this, he cares but little whether his > clock and the sun are in unison.--Liverpool Mercury.
> ======================
Thornton was found not guilty at the above mentioned trial but was subjected to a retrial in Nov 1817. At the second trial he invoked an ancient law and challenged Mary's brother William to a duel. William failed to respond to the challenge so in April 1818 Thornton was released. Unable to find work he emigrated to the USA.
Cwatters wrote: > At the second trial he invoked an ancient law and > challenged Mary's brother William to a duel.
"Trial by battle," it was called. In the early days, before they could rely on the Court system, they asked God to disclose the guilt of the offender. In the ordeal by fire, the accused had to carry a piece of hot iron. If his sores healed cleanly, God was pronouncing him innocent. In trial by battle, a woman was allowed to be represented by a man. Judgment was pronounced for the winner. The case illustrates too how the deceased was represented by her family. Prosecutions were originally launched privately by the victim. By 1823, there had to be a public element. Regular paid police as we know them, the "peelers" or "bobbies" named after Sir Robert Peel, first went on patrol in September of 1829, 12 years after this trial: http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/England-History/SirRobertPeel.htm
Witches were found the same way. They were thrown into water. If they floated, the water was rejecting them and they were guilty. If they sank, they probably drowned anyway.
