The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-02-22 00:00:00

THE BIRMINGHAM MURDER.

At Birmingham, on Tuesday morning, Thomas
Marlow (aline Beesley), Jiweph Beesley, William
Beesley, Charlen Grayson and Elizabeth Grayson
(husband and wife), were brought up a second time on
remand, charged with being concerned in the der
of Miss Mary MtMourn, at her residence in Hetwage-
street, on the 21st of January. in this occasion the
charge was supported by a man who, according to his
own statement, had been concerned with the accused
in the committal of the crime. His name is John
Slack; and in the course of a very lengthened examin-
ation by Mr. Elers (for the prosecution), he said that
the prisoner Grayson's real name is Louis Bee; that
on the 14th of January he met at the house of a man
named George the "absent man" (as described in the
examination), in a court in Deritent, Birmingham,
Thelma Beesley, Louis Bee, and the owner of the
house; in the course of conversation Thomas Beesley
said to Louie Ilea (or I Irayson) that his brother had
told him that his mother-in-law cleaned for an old
lady (the deceased), whose brother had recently died,
and that she had looked over his boxes and found
money to the amount of 1:600, partly in bank notes,
and two or three hundred in spade ace guineas ; upon
this Bee said to Thomas Beesley, "1)0 you know the
place r upon the reply that be did, Bee said, "I
should like to have a look at it ;" after some further
, conversation it was agreed that they should go and
see the place, and if they could do it they would do
it. On the following day, the 15th, witness went again
to the same house, the owner of it (now absent), was
there. Thomas Beesley and Louie Bee came in.
The owner of the house, referring to the previous
day's conversation, said, "Can it be done?" to
which Bee replied, "Ii there a servant there," add-
ing, "the best thing will be to get a woman to go and
ax ' the old lady if she had any houses to let." Bee
asked the owner of the house if he could get any one
to go; to which he replied that his wife was a hard-
working woman, and he never let her know his bind-
newt. Upon that Thomas Beesley said to Louis Bee,
" Could not your lois/out ?'' He replied that he
would ask her, and with that this interview termina-
ted. On the next day, the 16th, witness again saw
Bee and his wife, and the latter said that the old lady
had told her that she had only one house and it was
let, but that she did not much like the tenants, and
she desired MT to call again. She asked the old lady
if she had a servant, to which she replied that she had
not. Further, according to this witness, the woman
Grayson, or Bee, said that she saw on the table some
books, and a pistol plated with silver, and that there
was a cross-bar at the back of the door, but that the
kitchen-window was only fastened by a catch. On
the 29th the witness again met in the afternoon Bee,
or Grayson, and his wife at the same house, outside
the Absent Man. Said to Grayson, "That II be all
right to-morrow ; on which the female prisoner, who
had followed, said," No, I'll not go." her husband

was angry with her, lint she replied "That she didn't
like to ?lit such a thing. ''he following afternoon (the
21st), at four o'clock, witness went to Joe Beesley's
house; he was not there, but the two brothers were;
and soon afterwards the man who is now absent came
in. They stayed there for half an hour, nothing being
said respecting what subsequently took place.
leaving the house they proceeded in the direction of
the railway arch in Lawley-street, and therp met
Bee; the man new absent said to him, "Why were
you not here before ? " to which Bee replied, "It's
time enough." We then (eoutinued the 'vane's),
split or separated, but made for Heneage-streeti
the two Beesleys walked up and down the street ; I
saw the old lady at her door talking to a child ; I also
saw the man who is now absent going up the yard
by the house ; Thomas Beesley followed ; they had
both got over a wall ; Thomas Beesley opened the
front door from the inside; and William Beesley and
the man now absent went in ; they remained inside
25 minutes; I saw them come out of the yanl ; Bee
and I were watching; I was a hundred yards off ; we
all met an hour afterwards at Joe Beesley's house.
Before Bee had come in there Thomas Beesley last
said that there was only £8 in sovereigns; this was
divided amongst five. rhomam Beesley asked the man
who is abeent todlay if he had put the old woman's
light out, to which he replied, "I don't know whether
I have or not." That WM before Bee came in. When
he did come he had his share of the money. I said to
him "It's a bad jib; I am afraid the man who is
absent (I named him at the time) has killed the old
lady." We all went 50011 after, and live or six days
afterwards I saw Bun and his wife. I said, "Has
George (the absent man) gone away r"Fhe reply was
that he had. The female prisoner said she was better
pleased than if she had a thousand pounds that she hail
had nothing to do with it, fri the 3nl of February I
saw Thomas Beesley, atm, Marlow, at Bristol. I said
to him, "It's been a had jolo about her. A man must
be very clumsy to have put the old lady's light out."
He replied that he didn't believe it was the intention
to do it, sibling that it WWI George (the absent man)
who got hold of the old lady. In reference to the
money Beesley Habl his brother believed it was there,
but the old lady had banked it. In cross-examination
witness said that he ha I been three years and three
months at Portland for house-breaking. Since this
crime had been committed lie had been unwell, and as
he felt sure some cif the party would split, he himself
gave information to the ; that was on the 27t11
or 28th of January. Did not know of the £5O reward
at that time.

Witnesses were called who gave confirmatory evi-
dence in several particulars as to circumstances de-
tailed by Mack, and a further remand was granted
until Friday.