The Press.
London, England, 1857-07-04 00:00:00

TIIE MURDER OF MR. LITTLE.

THE prisoner Spollen was brought up on Saturday
last before the magistrates, and underwent a pre-
liminary examination. Spollen is a man of middling
height, with large red whiskers, and has lost his
right eye. Mr. Corbaltis opened the case, and
briefly detailed the circumstances of Mr. Little's
murder :

The case he proposed to offer was not based on direct
evidence, but rather circumstantial. In a Icng interval
which elapsed after the murder, no clue could be dis-
covered ; but in the course of last week the authorities
had received such evidence as led to the arrest of James
Spollen. Nothing would be mentioned against the prisoner
which was not perfectly legal. Certain money was found
in the prisoner's house, and it would be proved that it
bore the mark of a witness who wss forthcoming, and also
the initials of the lamented gentleman. It would also be
proved that accused had this money on the night of the
murder; that, when it was found, it was wrapped up in a
piece of calico which could be traced to his habitation.
Spolien's occupation favoured the commission of the crime.
From his house Mr. Little's office was visible, and when
the gas was lit in deceased's apartment he could be seen
by the prisoner, who had lull opportunities of approaching
Mr. Little's office unobserved. They could prove that he
was missing from his house at half past five on the even-
ing of the murder, and there was other evidence of a
strongly corroborative nature.

The witnesses were then called. Mr. J. W. Cham-
berlain, clerk to Mr. Little, identified his own initials
upon certain scraps of paper found with the moneys
di-covered. It was also shown by the time.book
that for thirteen days previous to the murder
Spollen had been at work in Mr. Little's office, and
that on the 13th November, the day of the murder,
the prisoner had lost a quarter of a day. Spollen's
daughter, a child of eleven years of age, was next
examined, and, atter some immaterial questions,
she stated as follows :

P.emembers the day Mr. Little was murdered. Her
father came home on that evening between seven and eight.
Her mother was at home Saw her father get up on a
roof near his cottage by a ladder. He had someth►ng like
apa in his hand. It was large and round. Recollects
having a sun-bonnet. No one was with Spollen, who took
tea at home that evening. Never wore the sun b nnei
It went about the house as a duster. (The piece of calico
in which Meyers found the money inclosed was here
shown to the child, who stated that it was the duster
alluded to.) Examination resumed: Saw the duster
before the murder, but never after. Her father desired
that she should deny having seen a piece of chamois
leather if any person asked concerning it.

This was in reference to a razor-case Spollen had
made for his razor.

At this stage of ale proceedings the prisoner was
remanded until Wednesday, when he was again
brought up. The depositions taken on Saturday
were verified, but no new evidence of importance was
offered. Mr. Corballis, on the part of the Crown,
applied to the magistrates to commit the prisoner for
trial. Mr. Curran objected, and called on the counsel
for the Crown to state whether or not they bad any
other evidence ; wben Mr. Corballis said, the distinct
answer to that is that there is. Under the circum-
stances the magistrate refused to commit finally, and
the prisoner was remanded to Thursday the oth inst.
The excitement of the Dublin public respecting
the proceedings has been increased by the general
search commenced for everything that could tend in
any way to strengthen the case for the Crown. In
this search one of the c illVaS bags which contained
a portion of the money stolen from the cash•o®ce of
Mr. Little on the night of his intu-ner was found on
Monday last under a heap of stones near the
hydraulic ram adjoining the privy, where the painter's
tub was found, which contained the 87/. ss. in silver.
This bag is alt torn, and it is believed that it was
concealed where it was found by the person who hid
the money in the privy, and it is also believed that
that person VMS in the habit of taking money out of
the booty he had hidden whenever he required it,
and that this bag was concealed when all the money
it contained had been expended. The piles of timber,
sleepers, and iron rails in the neighbourhood of the
cottage where the prisoner resided have been all
turned over and carefully examined by the police, but
nothing was found. '1 he chimney in which it is
stated the prisoner placed the bucket containing the
money on the night of the murder was also ex-
amined, when it was found that at about eighteen
inches from its top, on the inside, there was the
impress of the basket on the soot, and also the sign
of the holdfast in the masonry, on which Mrs.
Spollen stated her husband had rested the bucket
when he ascended the chimney on the night of the
murder. It was determined on that the canal in
front of the terminus and the harbour should b•
drained for the purpose of trying to get the still
missing key of the cash-office. The work of draining
commenced on Tuesday, and the canal has been
drained.

It is stated that Spollen attempted about a month
ago to take away his wife's life by poison. About
ta•o months ago he bad a pulmonary affection.
Serious symptoms presented themselves, but a short
time after his recovery his wife was attacked with
violent retching, continuing a whole night. The
physician administered the strongest remedies, and
during the day of his attendance Mrs. Silollen
complained of her side becoming paralysed.
This is the foundation of the rumour that poison had
been administered to her.

James Spollen, son of the prisoner, is under
detention. He has been subjected to a very searching
examination by the Crown officers. The result ot this
investigation is thus narrated by the Freeman's
Journal:—

He stated that his father, mother, and himself went out
on the night the murder was perpetrated, and went to
Moore street, when they bought black puddings, and that
the three came home at about ten o'clock; aver that the
puddings were cooked for supper. His father, on ob-
serving that his mother was nut eating, asked her why
she did not do so? She rt plied that she could not, as the
puddings reminded her of a case which occurred in
England of a man who had committed murder, and who
came home with sweetmeats in his hands, which were all
covered with blood ; he offered his wile some of the
sweetmeats, which she took, and a part of them stuck in
her throat when she attempted to swallow them. It will
be remembered that Mrs. Spollen stated that the money
was brought home from the office of Mr. Little after the
murder, and h.d in the chimney of the old locomotive
sheds before the prison n- went into town with her and his
son. With reference to the finding of the money, it is
stated that young Spollen says that be saw his father go up
the chimney by a ladder from the outside, taking a pot up
with him. He also said that he thou 'lit it was water
which his father was taking up to pour do •n through the
chimney on a number of men who v ere in the habit of
sitticg round the fire below. We undtratani that it was
with much difficulty that these few rem, rks were extracted
from him, and as it is supposed that he can tell much more,
he was ordered to be taken back to the sta*ion•house, and
not to be allowed to communicate with any person save the
constables in char., of him.

Some fresh discoveries were made on Wednesday
by the police. A razor, marked " James Spollen,"
has been taken out of the basin of the canal just
opposite that portion of the railway terminus in wbich
the office of the cashier is situated, and a further
small sum of money has been discovered adjacent to
the spot where the larger sums were found last week.
How far these additional proofs may be rendered
available towards perfecting the evidence against the
accused, time alone can tell ; but, as no allusion
whatever was made to the razor in the course of the
adjourned investigation, an impression naturally pre-
vailed that at present, at least, the authorities re-
garded its discovery as a matter of secondary um,
portance.