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fea, the abandoned woman faid "She fhould be forry his man James, a poor innocent fellow, "fhould come to any harm, but the fhould be "glad, and earnestly wished that Mr. Sayer might "fink to the bottom of the feà, and that the bot"tom of the fhip might come out."

Not long after Mr. Sayer was gone abroad, Noble began to give himself airs of greater confequence than he had hitherto done. He was folicitor in a caufe in the court of chancery, in which Mr. Sayer was plaintiff, and having obtained a decrée, he obliged the trustees nominated in the marriage articles to relinquifh, and affumed the authority of a fole trustee.

Mr. Sayer remained in Holland near a year, during which Noble publicly cohabited with his wife; and when her hufband returned fhe refufed to live with him; but having first robbed him of above 2000l. in exchequer bills and other effects, The went to private lodgings with Noble, foon after which the was delivered of another child. After Mrs. Sayer had thus eloped from her hufband, he caufed an advertisement to be inferted in the news-papers, of which the following is a

copy:

Whereas Mary, the wife of John Sayer, Efq. "late of Lifle-ftreet, St. Anns, went away from "her dwelling-house on or about the 23rd of May "laft, in company with Elizabeth Nevil, fitter-to "the faid Mary, and hath carried away near 1000l. in money, befides.other things of a confiderable value, and is fuppofed to go by fome other66 name: he defires all tradefmen and others not to give her any credit, for that he will not pay"the fame.'

While Mrs. Sayer cohabited with Noble he was conftantly supplied with money, but he was

not

not her only afforiate at that time; for, during his occafional ablence, the gratified herself with the company of other lovers.

Noble now procured an order from the court of chancery to take Mr. Sayer in execution for 4001 at the fuit of Mrs. Salisbury, the confequence of a judgment confeffed by him, for form's fake, to protect his goods from his creditors while he was in Holland. Mr. Sayer declared that the real debt was not more than 7ol. though artful management and legal expences had fwelled it to the the above-mentioned fum.

Hereupon Sayer took refuge within the rules. of the Fleet Prison, and exhibited his bill in chancery for relief against these fuits, and the deed of feparation, which he obtained; but before he had an opportunity of fuing out judg ment against Noble, the vengeance of heaven overtook that abandoned villain.

Mrs. Sayer finding herfelf liable to be expofed by the advertisement her husband had caused to be inserted in the news-papers, fhe, with her mother, and Noble, took lodgings in the Mint, Southwark, which was at that time a place of refuge for great numbers of perfons of defperate circumstances and abandoned difpofitions.

Mr. Sayer was now informed that his wife had taken lodgings in the Mint, on which he wrote feveral letters to her, promifing that he would forgive all her crimes, if fhe would return to her duty but the treated his letters with as much contempt as she had done his perfon.

Hereupon he determined to feize on her by force, prefuming that he fhould recover fome of his effects if he could get her into his cuftody. He therefore obtained the warrant of a juftice of the peace, and taking with him two conftables,

and

and fix affiftants, went to the house of George Twyford in the Mint; the conftables intimating that they had a warrant to fearch for a fufpected perfon; for if it had been thought that they were bailiffs, their lives would have been in danger.

Having entered the house, they went to a back room, where Noblé, Mrs. Sayer, and Mrs. Salifbury where at dinner; but the door was no fooner opened than Noble drew his fword, and stabbing Sayer in the left breast, he died on the spot. The conftables immediately apprehended the murderer and the two women; but the latter were fo abandoned, that while the peace officers were conveying them to the house of a magiftrate, they did little elfe than lament the fate of Noble.

As it appeared as if the mob would rife, from an apprehenfion that the prifoners were debtors, a constable was directed to carry the bloody fword before them, in teftimony that murder had been committed; which produced the wished for effect by keeping perfect peace.

The prifoners begged to fend for council; which being granted, Noble was committed for trial, after an examination of two hours; but the council urged fo many arguments in favour of the women, that it was ten o'clock at night before they were committed. Soon afterwards this unworthy mother and daughter applied to the court of King's-Bench, to be admitted to bail; but this favour was refufed them.

The coroner's inqueft having viewed Mr. Sayer's body, it was removed to his lodgings within the rules of the Fleet in order for interment; and three days afterwards they gave a verdict, finding Noble guilty of wilful murder, and the women of having aided and affifted him in that murder.

On

On the evening of the 12th of March 1713, they were put to the bar at Kingston, in Surry, and having been, arraigned on the feveral indictments, and pleaded not guilty, were told to prepare for their trials by fix o'clock on the following morning.

Being brought down for trial at the appointed time, they moved the court that their trials might be deferred till the afternoon, on the plea that fome material witneffes were abfent: but the court not believing their allegations, refufed to comply with their requeft. It was imagined that this motion to put off their trials was founded in the expectation that when the business at the nisi prius bar was dispatched, many of the jurymen might go home, fo that when the prifoners had made their challenges, there might not be a number left fufficient to try them, by which they might efcape till the next affizes, by which time they hoped fome circumftances would happen in their favour.

The trials being ordered to come on, Mr. Noble and Mrs. Salisbury each challenged twenty of the jury, and Mrs. Sayer challenged thirty-five *; fo that it was owing to the great number of jurors fummoned by the sheriff, that the ends of public juftice were not, for the prefent, defeated.

It will be unneceffary to recite the particulars of the evidence given on the trial, because those who have read the preceding narrative muft be well apprized of its nature. Suffice it to say that

the

* All perfons indicted for felony have a right to challenge twenty jurors, and thofe indicted for petit-treason thirty-five. This may be done without alledging any cause,

the crime of the murder was clearly proved against Noble: however his council urged that fome of the perfons who broke into the houfe might have murdered Mr. Sayer, or, if they had not, the provocation he had received might be fuch as would warrant the jury in bringing him in guilty. of manslaughter only.

As the court had fat from fix o'clock in the morning, till one o'clock the next morning, the jury were indulged with fome refreshment before they left the bar; and after being out nine hours, they gave their verdict that Mr. Noble was "Guilty," and Mrs. Salisbury and Mrs. Sayer were." Not guilty."

When Mr. Noblé was brought to the bar to receive fentence, he made a fpeech, of which the following is a copy:

My Lord,

"I am foon to appear and render an account of my fins to God Almighty. If your lordship fhould think me guilty of thofe crimes I have. been accufed with, and convicted of by my jury, I am then fore your lordship will think that I ftand in need of fuch a reparation, fuch a humiliation for my great offences, fuch an abhorrence of my paft life, to give me hopes of a future one, that I am not without hopes that it will be a motive to your lordship's goodnefs, that after you have judged and fentenced my body to execution, you will charitably affift me with a little time for the preservation of my foul.

If I had nothing to answer for but killing Mr. Sayer with precedent malice, I should have no need to addrefs myfelf to your lordship in this manner. It is now too late to take advantage by denying it to your lordhip, and too near my end

to