The Express.
London, England, 1848-12-06 00:00:00

THE NORFOLK ASSASSINATIONS.

ADJOURNED INQUEST-FOURTH DAY.

Yesterday, at Wymondham, the coroner and jury
again met at 10 o'clock, to purrue their investigation rela-
tive to the murder of Mr. Jtrmy and his son. As hntore,
they assembled at the petty moons room, in the King's
Head len.

The coroner commenced the proceedings by remarking
that he had received a communication from the magistrates,
stating that as a witness for whom he had issued a summon.,
Rosily Jainse,was at present in the Bridewell for safe ou'tody,
they suggested that the coroner and the jury should adjourn
to the Bridcwell to take her evidence. From the peculiar
nature of the ea e it was deemed advisable that no one should
be admitted to the inquiry but the coroner and jury ; and
he (the coroner) thereture hop Al that the gentlemen of the
press would not consider him as exercising any undue power,
or wishing to interfere with the right they chimed
to attend any public inquiry, by not permitting them to he
present. He, however, should be happy to afford them all
necessary information as to the general purport of the in-
quiry, and he trusted that they would not press their right
to be present, nor think they were secluded from any
improper motive.
The coroner and jury then proceeded to the Bridewell, and
our reporter, to be doubly sure, applied at the door of the
prison fir admimion,which was guarded by a policemen, who
observed that he had strict commands not to admit
strangers.
Several statement* have b. cn made relative to the female
known as the " widow " James. Sin dresses in widow's
weeds, and is al patently not more than twenty-five years of
age. It is said that she had been living with Rush for a
considerable time under the guise of governess to the family.
On his bankruntcy she left Norfolk, and nothing was
heard of her until a week or so before the murder, when
she wee brought from London by Rush dressed as a widow.
It was stated that aLe had Leen connected with some theatri-
cal teleplay in London.
Early on Sunday, Mr. John Forrester, of the Mansion
House, arrived at Wyrnondhun, to assist in investigating the
facts connected with the murders. He bad an audience
with Col. Oaks, the chief officer of the constabulary, and
stated that he had been sent down at the instance of the re-
latives of the deceased. Findieg, however, that the county
force and Norwich police had exercised every vigilance in
the case, Forrester -left for town, to institute inquirio s in
the metropolis.
In the course of yesterday (Monday), the police, in con-
sequence of a communication they received treat the widow
James, again made a strict .earth at Potash Farm, and in a
pile of papers discovered a domino (half-meek, black). The
police think, however, it was not the one worn by the dis-
guised assaroin. They do not believe that the murderer wore
• mask. The one found must have been held to the taco by
the hand, and se the asasasin is sworn to have had a pistol in
auk hand, the difficulty in wearing the domino is obvious.
The Ur:on:stance of Rush having ordered the widow Joalta
to keep her room on the night of the murder, and his leav-
ing the house in a secret way, favours the opinion that he
bad blackened his face and wore a profuse wig,--a wig
amongst other things having been since found in the house.
At about 2 o'clock the coroner and jury returned from
the Bridewell to the inquest-room, and proceeded with the
open inquiry. The Coroner then addressed the reporters of
the London and local press, and informed them that they
had been to the Bridewell and had taken the evident' of a
female named Emily James with reference to the time of the
evening of the 28th ult. when Rush left the house, the time
of his return, and as to the state of his mind and general
appearance after hie return, the particulars of which he did
not feel called upon to explain, and which he hoped would
not then be required. She bad given her evidence very
clearly and satisfactory, but there was one thing which she
was fearful might act prejudicially to her, as a e had stated
on a former occasion that she was a widow, and which she
now would not swear was the case.
The deposition of the female was therefore refused, bat
our reporter understood that she swore positively to Rush
going out on the Monday night armed with pistols, and see-
ing him return after the murder greatly agitated. She did
not nee him particularly, it being dark. He was very ill, and
she had the curiosity to look through the keo hole of his bed-
room, and saw he was disguised. His head and face were
covered, and be wore a long cloak. Thos cloak found by the
police was the same.
Several wingless were examined, but the only novel points
in the evidence were the following :
George Pons, constable in the county force, said, I took
Rush hats custody. I searched him, and in his trousers
pockets found • small purse containing money, 17 keys.
and a pocket-book containing • cheque for 491 10a
In the course of half-au-hour I delivered Ruh into the cus-
tody of another constable, while I made inquiries about
Rush's boots. I went into the wash-house, and found there
a pair of wet boots.—Coroner : Did they look as if they had
been recently worn I—Witness: As if they had been worn
on the previous night, and either wiped or washed. There
wee another pair of boots, which were dry. They did not
seem as if they had lately been need. I then took charge of
Rush again, and went up into his bedroom, and discovered
under
his bed two pair of boots ; one pair were Bluchers
(dirty), and the other patent leather, which were clean. I
shortly afterwards left tee farm, with Rush, for Wymond-
ham, in his hone and cart.
Mr. Hubbersty, • superintendent is the Norfolk consta-
bulary, said, in consequence of information he received, he
searched Potash Farm on the morning following the murder.
In a chest in Mr. Rash's bedroom he found a fur cap and wig.
[dt was alone black lossg-haired wig. The olikerput lion, and
it could be so arranged as to add much to the eonesalmeut of
the face.]—Ceroner Did
_you find these things at the bottom
of the box I—Witness: The wig I found nearly at the top;
it appeared as it it bad been rudely shoved in ; the cap was
lower down by the side. I don't knew whether the box had
been previo•sly searched. It was not locked. The box
stood in • dark closet in the bedroom.
The inquiry was proceeding when our preel was des-
patched (half-past 6 o'clock), it being understood that the in-
quiry would continue for ems hours.

THE EXCLUSION or REPORTERS from the examinations
before the magistrate' at Norwich has given rice to many
cor.tradietery rumours as to what statements were really
made by the witnesses. The following statements are now
said to have been made by a lad mined Smith who we is
ineh's service, and by a constable named Futter. It is
stated that a qnansty of straw or litter had been, about •
math sham, GM do. a upon a footpath leading by the most
di route from Rush's hours to Stanfield-hall, and that
about twelve o'clock on Tuesday, the day of the mur-
ders, Rash directed the boy Smith to lay down
fresh litter on • portion of this footpath. He also
gave orders to another boy, so late as four o'clock
on Tuesday afternoon, to lay down litter on the other por-
tion of this footpath, the presumption being that the litter
was laid down to conceal the prisoner's footmarks out his way
hems from the scene of the murder. Footmarks were traced
in the direct path between Stanfield hall and the prisoner's
residence on the morning after the murder, but a great deal
of min had fallen in the night, which had obliterated to •
cossiderable extent the impressions left by the feet of the
San who bad passed over the ground. Rush's boots were

cammeed with the masks thus left, and were found to cor-
=dimwit& se Is as they went, although the foot
ewe delieleatin the imprewien of the heel, as if, on
assesat of the slipper/ steles of the gonad, or hem same
ether eases, the mia had walked emu his toss or the fore
part of his feet. The distance between the Polish Farm,
wham the prisoner slept ea the night of the murders, and
Stanfield-hall, is about seven furlongs.
It semen by the short-head writer's notes of the cue, that
when Rash was belie the Chart of Beakriptcy, the de-
amid Mr. Jitney, sea. demeibed the state of things on
Stenfield-hall farm who; he west to &strain for rent, and
admitted taking pomades of a paper, which Rush declared
had reference to the disputed right to the Staafleithall
estate. The prise ia the report is as follows :
" Kr. Jassy obi there were immense heaps of straw
lying about is all di/maims, sad under one of them I found
a fat pig. I understood there was &siren chest in the how
with mum in it, and I was asked to break it open, but I
would not do it until some days afterwards, as I thought it
might contain papers of value only to himself. I never
was bet ones above the ground-floor in Rush's house.
He went with me up stairs and opened the chest.
I expected to Sad SOK and upwards I turned over some
papa, bat DM so .—The Cesamissioner : Why did
yes sap* s
had
dad that f— . foray : Because his mother
add me eke had paid hha for the valuation of the stock on
Potash Farm 0001. and MOM oa the previews Saturday. On
Sunday, the 10th, the mate of the bankrupt wu taken off
his carts, sad her name was pat upon them. It appeared to
be a colourable pomades. That lady died about a week
since. The bankrupt here appeared to be annewhat
affected.] I ,:id net take either cask-book or labour-book
from the farm, nor authorise anybody to remove the books.
The paper I took out of the chest was the draft of an un-
executed will. I had the bankrupt's consent.—This the bank-
rupt denied, and asserted throughout that the paper related
to the disputed ownenhip of Stanfield ball estate.—Mr.
Jenny produced a paper, which he declared wu the one he
took.—The Commissioner passed the bankrupt's exami-
nation."

FITNILAL or TRZ DlCZAZED.—Yesterday the remains of
the murdered gentlemen were buried in a newly-firmed
vault on the south side of Wymondham 'thumb. la the
early part of the day all the shops in the town were aloud,
the blinds of all the private dwellings were dews, and many
of the inhabitants were attired in mourning. The vicinity of
the church was greatly crowded. Amongst the chief
mourners were Mr. Thomas Preston (boatherof Mr. Jenny),
Sir Thomas Beevor, Bart. (brother in-law), Mr. T. Beevor,
Mr. Poster, Mr. Chevalier, Mr. Jepson, Mr. Chambers, and
others. Mr. Press, the coroner, and the whole of the jury
(who, to attend, had adjourned their private sitting iu the
Bridewell for a short time) also took part in the mournful
ceremony.