The Express.
London, England, 1849-09-06 00:00:00

THE BERMONDSEY MURDER.

A letter, addressed to Maris Manning, No. 3,
Minver-plaos, Bermondsey, bearing the post-mark of
a French inland town, was sent to the above house. It wee
instantly forwarded to lionennosger-lane Gaol; and on
being opened subesquently, in the presence of Mr. Becker,
it was found to be Iran • sister of Marla Manning, and,
from its contents, it would appear that the writer was totally
siaarquainteel with a murder having beta perpetrated is
B renondsey, and the awful position in which her wretched
slater was pieced with regard to her participation's the dread-
ful deed,. s ! he Wier made no ell %lei's' to the murder And merely
referral to dimwit matters. It was handed to the prisoner,
who perused it with great •igeraess, and seemed to derive
much plsesure from its contents.
Is the e arse of the af.erooon Mr. Bien', the Witter to
the male prisoner, waited upon Mr. Seeker. for his answer to
the application made by him on the previous day, that a
portion of the 201 grimed to Mr. Solomon, the I.gal ad.
Tian. of Maria Manning, should he handed over to him (Mr.
Diana), to enable bim to conduct hie defence.
Mr. Seeker said that be had maturely considered the ap.
plleation, and wee of opinion that he could not interfere any
further in the matter. He should recommend Mr. Binns to
apply to the conmitsioners of the police, and if they refused,
an application to the &shelter of the Treasury might be
more suceeirul.

At a liter hour Mr. Blom served a notion on Mr. Solo-
mon, requesting him to deliver up 71. 8s , and threatening
him with legal promiclings unless he eumplied with the
demand.

COURT-MARTIAL ON COMMANDER

PITMAN, R.N.

TUESDAY.

The court resumed at hall-pat 9 o'clock.
Mr. Davis, the chrk in aVenciecee from the Admiralty,
stated he had received abstracts of certain documents from
that office.

Mr. Elliott was woes-examined by the prisoner. He said
—Many were present aber the ship struck, when I gave my
advice to you. Lien Graham, Mr. Bark:ey, the mate, and
Dr. Mogen, must have heard what I said, I thick, tor
I spoke loudly from the main tipging. —Q. YOI
say von bad been on the side list; explain Low
you so rapidly recovered se to be able to go on
deck, and advise the Commander ? A. I did not say
I had recovered I have already stated the doctor celled
me. He connuered, sick as I w.s, I was the most likely
preen to save his lase, and the lives of those in the ship.
think so, especially as he said, " Master, will you promisi
to allow me to suck by you," in the event of the ship being
wrecked? The easstantes I rendered when I came en deck
I have already sworn to. Fur the natal* and cause
of my sickness, I beg to peter to the doctor's
book. I was suffering from • pain in my right aide
and chest. I do nut know the technical term of it.—
Q. Wu your ill health the effect of climate, or the result of
your own indigos ion ? A. It is my belief it was caused by
tee continual uppreuive, unmanly, and dishonest treatment
I met with during my service in the Childen. I had been
years service on the coast of Africa before I joined the
Childers. When serving in the Codden off the north
coast of China, 1 lines had duties imposed on mo which
my Ceablitntifell could nut bear. The log will prove
I 1111•111 not had a night off duty for periods of more
than a year at • flint ; and I have ki pt constantly the
torenoen or afternoon watches for the same periods,
as well as done my daisy as master and pilot of the ship. 1
have not been relieved from my watches ; but as goon as my
watch has been out, I have had to go on the &recitede to
direct the ship, instead of going below, as the other officer.
were permitted to do. V. re frequently, alter piloting the
ship from 4 o'clock is the morning until late at night, tired
and worn out, after the ship had been obliged to be an-
chored, in consequesca of the darken., or other num,
have found 1 had the middle or first watch to keep. In con-
sequence of this being repeated, I have found it difficult
to sued upright, from pain in the chest ; but after having a
few hour.' rest, that pain has peened away. When I have
been on the doctor's lot, I hay. nearly always done a por-
tion of my duty. Many times when I have been winding
the chronometers the prisoner has insulted me, when ill, by
telling me the doctor had told him my blues was is oat-
sequence of my having drunk too bawd, which my previous
et.orootse alone will prove to be utterly false, and which,
when I have mentiunei it to the doctor, he has denied
having used such an exiression. I was invalided from the
coast of Attica, is consequence of ill hsa!th, brought
on by my exertions in capturing slavers. I
have been prix master of several slavers when
Schuss has broken out on board ; and in the last
I took to Stun Leone, during the sickly season, I lust one
of my mea, b- came ill mjselt, and was obliged to be inva-
lided. I persist in the stets meat that the advice I gave to
the commander I recommended to be followed out. The
prisoner had his at and snots off ; told me to do what 1
liked ; aad I hoard him tell Lieutenant Graham the same
I saw Lieutenant Teerclett, and I proposed one or two
things to him. He said be had nothing to do with it.
Nearly ell toe officers and ship's company wen on deck at
this time ; I should think all. They wen in a great state
of exitement and fright, insomuch that Mr. Graham could
get me ea* to go aloft, to loose the tore-towail until he showed
the way. I cannot state the names of the potty MSc nor
men who heard me give such advice. I was thinking of
something a Ise at that time ; and not on who was looking at
me, or weo was near me ; besides, I have already stated the
night to be very disk. I swop yesterday that no sea
man, knowing his position the noon before, would have
allowed himself to drop down on the Prams shoal-
when by going round on the other tack, the wind
being at northward, being on the south circle of
the Cyclods, he might have run under the land in
safety. I have stated that no allowance was made ter the
drift, and that there was • current southward and westward.
Had it been more westerly than usual, it would have been
more in favour of the Childers.—Q. Was not the alteration
or obliteration in the log on the 12th of Oct. 1848, as sworn
to by you, made with the knowledge of the officers of the
watch, Lieut. Graham, and yourself? It was not made with
my concurrence. Ti the bent of my recollection, Mr.
Graham stated in the gun-room while the log-book
was oven—and also Lieutenant Tremlett—that it was
the prisoner's order the same erasure should re-
main. I remember perfectly saying I would have
nothing to do with it myself; and I solemnly declare I
never bad. The sad was cut up without my even knowing
it. I have heard it was in Lieut. Dun's watch. The sig
nature to the watch is Lieut. Pure's, who was a super-
numerary.—Q. Did you sot weekly, before the boatswain's
expense-book was taken to the coassander, put your signa-
ture to it? A. I usually did so; bat on this occasion I
would not allow it to be inserted. I afterwards expressly
pointed out to the prisoner that I siraed only for those stores
which were expended during the time I was not on the sick
list. I could not refuse to sign the book under other ek-
'tones' without being guilty of a breach of the Instructions for
master", and of the Articles of War. I have already
stated all I know of the Stowastanem of the entries.
solemnly declare I never spoke to the prisoner Piles= on
the subject of the 'Writs referred to; the act was committed
without even consulting me, and without my knowledge. I
therefore determined to have nothing to do with it. The
list of stores copied into the book for the 9.h and 10th Oct.
is my handwriting; but this list of stores was gives me by
the prisoner Pitman many days afterwards. I knew it to
be false, and I would not sign it, though I dared not refuse
to copy it.—Q. Atter what has occurred, do you or do you
noteutertain any hostile feeling towards me ? A. I certaffily
feel that you have been my destruction ; at the same time I
would not say or do • dishonourable thing towards you to
soya my life.
This closed the erom-examination.

By the President—The advice to which I have alluded
as having given the prisoner when the brig went ashore. was
given loud enougn to have beta beard by say of the officers
or ship's comps, y who were then near me or him.
To Capt. ll•Doegall—It is, I know, absolutely necessary to
the safety of the ship for the captain sad master to be frequeatly
on deck, by night sad by day, on board of the sloops of war
is the Chinese seas; but I masider I was called on deck un-
necessarily when the ship was i• sonadiap sad eon to the
Lad.

George John Dormer Andrews was next called by the
prcereutor, but his evidence was is the main that which has
already appeared.
William Newman Brake was called acid 'matinee& by Mr.
Graham, who said he was assistant range= in tbe Childers,
and latterly acting surgeon. He knew nothirg of the pr -
some?. treatment of the boy Cleverdoa. He had been called
upon one., or mire than Dees, to see him when he had
various wounds; twice wounds is the ear from bleeding--•
rupture of the cuticle. Ogee he had a Kelp wound on his head.
Those are the only things I remember. They were maid to
have been inflicted by the primmer. The wound is the
head was caused by a blow from a boot or oboe. I remember
a boy called Banger, whom I was celled to see ; he was said
to have been scrubbed in the head. I took him below, as
Le appeared to be suffering from • Mill, and after fully in-
! mestiptiag the ease, I was led to believe the greater portion
of it was pretence; as such I did net deem it necessary to
all the attention of my superior to the awe, bat men-
tioned it casually as having °marred. He was
never inanimate, nor laid before the galley Are to
zi..kserladge. I remember the ma Haab, who was in-
fer aberration of mind. He was not suffering hem
this malady when I was AM called to attend him. I ma
sot more that at the time the min was matrix° from Ilt-
nuermariat he had bees under punishment by day and aiebt.
When I was bust called to him he emplaned of a path in
Ids head.
. _ .

To Captain Johnstone—l do not remember the date
whoa Haigh was punished ; but it was on the paws
from the Mauritisa to Hobart Tows. I should