The Express.
London, England, 1862-11-26 00:00:00

26, 1862.

THE BURGLARY IN DERBYSHIRE.-THE
BURGLAR SHOT BY A LADY.

CHAPEL-EN-LE-FRITH, Tamar.
Yesterday (Monday) Matthew Depledge was
brought before Captain Nield and Mr. Slack, charged with
being concerned in the burglary on the premises of Mr.
Norman, of Whaley-bridge.
Mrs. Norman, in reply to questions put by Mr. Fox, the
chief constable, said the ;reamer was about the aim of the
man who stood by the window, and he wore a velveteen
coat. The jemmy produced was like the one used by the I
man who was in the room ; it had something on the end, ,
but she could not say it was • ring. She did not think the
prisoner Matthew Depledge was the menthe saw in the room.
He was not so tall. He resembled coed the men witness saw
°Maid° of the window, who had on a velveteen coat. Wit-
ness was in the habit of Laving a fire in her bedroom, and
there was a fire in it on the night of the burglary. It had
goes out, however, at the time. Witness heard the noise
downstairs. Left her infant in bed with her husband, first !
baring placed • chair against the bed, to keep the child
safe. Should have awakened her husband if she had
thought anyone was inl the house. It was her general rule
to take pistols downstairs with her in the night when she !
had occasion to get up or felt alarmed. The revolver was I
always loaded, also two double-barrelled pistols as well. I
From the time she heard the noise in the house she had ,
to partly dress herself sod lay her child safe, which omit- I
pied about five minutes. The man in the room held • candle
in his left hand, and it went out when witness fired ; but
she could then see everything by the moonlight. Saw the
Jeremy in hie hand, and also the two men standing outside
the window, by the light of the candle, as it was burning
only one yard from them. When the robbers left the window
witness ran to it to see what direction they took, which was
towards Whaley. She then ran upstairs and told her hus-
band. Scarcely • minute elapsed from the time they drew
the man through the window till she went to look after
them. Witness and her husband came downstairs toge-
ther after the men had gone. When witness fired the pistol
she was bolding the door open with her left arm and the
side of her left foot. The first time the cap mimed fire ; the
second time, in order to secure a steady aim, she rested the
revolver on her left wrist, and fired. The ball might have
rthrough the window from the place she fired at. On
ely evening, before the burglary, at 5 o'clock, she saw •
man come to the window and look in. lie looked downwards.
Witness could not tell him again. When the servant-maid
went to close the shutters the same evening she told witness
there was something which prevented them properly
closing. Witness said, " Never mind ;we must have them
repaired to-morrow." A stone was afterwards found in
the pocket in the window-sill, where the shutters bolted,
and this prevented their closing.
Henry Hilton, detective inspector, said that from informs.
Hon received, on the 21st of November he proceeded to
Maoclerfield, and went to a house in Windmill-row, where
he found the prisoner Matthew Depledge, and asked him
when he was last at Whaley. He replied, " I have not
been to Whaley since • week last Sunday." Witness
then told him he must consider himself his prisoner, as
answering the description of the man who, with two
others, broke into Mr. Norman's house. He said, " I don't
know a Mr. Norman." Witness then searched the house
and found the jemmy, with a ring at the end, now produced.
On comparing the marks made on the shutter and the cup-
board with the jemmy, he found that they corresponded.
Be took the prisoner on the following morning to Muscles.
field lock-up. When conveying the prisoner to Whaley, he
" Me and Jem Stumpy and Bill Cope slept in Whaley
on Sunday night, and the following morning we left for
Macclesfield. The same day we all three went to Allmock.
moors for heath for making brooms, and we stayed there
until the following Thursday, when Cope left us to go to
Manchester, and we went to Macclesfield." Prisoner told
the detective that he would find Cope at Manchester selling
brooms ; he did not know where Shinny was, as there was a
warrant out against him for poaching.
Superintendent Shaw said that the prisoner, since being
brought to the lock-up, had told him that he was in Whaley
on the Monday night and the Thursday night, but not on
the Tuesday or Wednesday night.
The prisoner was than remanded.