Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1857-06-29 00:00:00

TIM MURDER OF MR. LITTLE.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

On Friday, as on the day previous, a large crowd as-
sembled in the neighbourhood of Capel-street Police-office,
for the purpose of seeing the prisoner, Spollen, who it -ins
expected would bebrought upfor examination. Thie opinion
was strengthened by Mr. F. T. Porter takirnh, leis seat on
the bench with Mr. O'Donnell. The creeed remained in
the streets, and the police-office confirmed to be filled with
anxious expectants up to three o'cleek, when the magistrates
rose. Shortly after this time information was conveyed to
them that the Crown was t clay to bring up the prisoner for
preliminary examination. The magistrates appointed four
o'clock for the purpose,, and gave orders that the court should
be kept clear of all, persons save the reporters of the public
press, and other persons whose business required them to
be present. The news that the prisoner was about to be
brought before the magistrates spread rapidly, and as the
hour of four o'clock approached, the streets became again
crowded, and the persons who had left the places whCh
tkey had occupied during the day in the police court vainly
sought re-admittance ; but the police were inexorable, and
the magistrates' orders were rigidly carried out. Shortly
before four o'clock the prisoner was removed from the
cell which he occupied in Frederick-lane police station-
house since Wednesday last, and was conveyed in cus-
tody of two policemen to a cab which was in readiness
at the door to receive him. At this time a large crowd
of persons had collected in the lane adjoining the,
station-house and as the prisoner presented himself
nothing could, exceed the efforts which were made by the
people assembled to get a good view of him. When the
cab drove off, the crowd followed, and as it was proceeding
down Bolton-street to the Police-office, it was stopped
by a constable, who told the persons in charge of the
prisoner to convey him back from whence he came, as the
magistrates lied postponed the examination to the next
day at eleven o'clock. While this message was being
delivered, the cab was hedged in on all sides by an eager
crowd, anxious to get a view of the prisoner's face through
the windows of the cab. In this they were disappointed,
as he wore a cap, the peak of which he kept pulled down,
by which means his face was entirely concealed. The
crowd followed the cab as it drove back to Frederick-lane,
and when the prisoner re-entered the station-house, the
passages leading to it were literally blocked up.
On the prisoner being taken back to his cell,
Mr. Superintendent Guy went to him and told him that the
magistrates had fixed eleven o'clock the next morning for
his examination at Capel-street police-office and to be
prepared. The prisoner answered " Very well, I will be
ready. I intend to engage Mr. Macdonogh, the eminent
counsel, to defend me." Mr. Superitnendent Guy then
withdrew, and the prisoner relaxed into the silent mood
which he has observed since he has been in custody. As
we have already stated, Mrs. Spollen and her daughter
Julia were examined at great length by the Crown Solici-
tor and Mr. Guy on Thursday last. Their respective
statements were fully written out and read to them yes-
terday. In Mrs. Spollen's statement relative to
the manner in which the murder was committed, she
says that on the evening of the 13th N svember last her
husband was laying in wait in the corridor at about seven
o'clock. He was not long there when Mr. Little came out
of his office and went into the water closed which adjoins
the cash office. After he had done so her husband slipped
into Mr. Little's room, and concealed himself behind the
counter. Mr. Little returned in a short time, and locked
the door on the inside, and then went to his chair stea sat
down. At this part of '.he narrative Mrs. Spollen says
her husband observed: "I had nothing for it then but to
finish him." She further says, that -afesr having effected
his escape by a window and along the roof of the terminus,
he brought the money which he had taken from Mr.
Little's office home with him in a bucket. He obtained a
long ladder, a hammer, and an iron holdfast, and ascended
by the ladder to a chimney in the old locomotive sheds, the
flue of which was curved, which would prevent any person
looking ap it observing anything which might be placed in
the top of it. He secured the holdfast across the fine, and
placed the bucket containing the money upon it. The
money remained in this place for several days, when he
removed it to the place in which it was discovered. The
statement made by Julia Spollen, relative to the piece of
cloth in which some of the money has been found wrapped
up, and which she mid she had got from her aunt to make
a bonnet, has been corroboraeed, as the aunt of the child
was examined on Friday, and identified the piece of cloth
as thit which she had given her niece for the purpose above
stated- James Spollen, the son of the accused, was conveyed
on Friday morning from Chancery-lane police station-house,
where he has been hept in charge since the day of his father's
arrest, to the Breadstone terminus, and was examined at
considerable length by the crown solicitors, assisted by Mr.
Guy. As this boy was under examinatien for a considerable
portion of the day, and the police having determined on
bringing up the prisoner for examination before the
magistrates this morning, it may be fairly conjectured that
some important ev dence has been obtained. The person
who Mrs. Spollen says made her husband a present of a
razor a short time before the murder was committed was
not examined yesterday, as the Crown-solicitor was busily
engaged during the day arranging the evidence which is
intended to be given this day in support of the charge made
against the prisoner. The search for the key of the cash-
office was pursuedyesterday with much energy by Sergeant
Craven and the labourers employed, but without success;
although every part of the little river Bradogue adjoining
the railway was explored over and over again. A large
number of persons were present during the search, and a
great many visited the place where the money was found,
and the cottage in which the prisoner resided.
Mrs. Spollen, we understand, w.ts allowed to return to
her cottage on Thursday night, but remained under police
surveillance, and was yesterday busily engaged in her
usual houshold avocations. She watered the plants in the
little garden, and walked about the place with very little
apparent concern or trouble of mind. In the course of
the day she seated herself on one of the window sills,
and continued there a considerable time darting stockings,
and not in the least abashed by the curious gaze of the
persons in the employment of the company and others
who visited the locality during the day. In every quarter
of the city nothing is spoken of but the recent discoveries
connected with the murder of Mr. Little, and perhaps on
no other occasion has there been caused such an amount of
geueral excitement as the revelations of the " Broadstone
tragedy" have created.—Free-man's JourLal of Saturday.

IMPORTANT DICISION AGAINST THE ROMISII
e Welles, of the New York Supreme Court, har
decided against the claim of the Roman Cat .olie Bishop
to hold all the c'eureh property in the diocese against the
rights of the local societies or their immediate representa-
tives.
SINGULAR CAPTURE —A cod was taken at Keiss the
other day, from the mouth of which protruded the tail of a
large trout, which it had ineffectually attempted ta
The trout was a fine 'fish of five or six polities weight ; and,
what is ceetraerdinary, on being opened it was found to con-
tain a full grown herring !
STRANGE! ADOPTION.—At Valesburn, Teviot, a house
rabbit has lately undertaken the nursing of a flock of
.duck-
ling,. The rabbit adopted her strange family when it was
deserted by the old hen. The rabbit seems to be both proud
and pleased with her task, and the ducklings take very
kindly to her.—.Kelso Chronicle.
A STAGE--ATI4uCK GERMAN COUNT.—The German papers
announce the death of Count Hahr-Neuhaus, a most
celebrated character in his day. He was the father of the
well known Ida, Countess of Hahn-Hahn, and Lad devoted
-the whole of his life, and a very large for tune, to the stage.
an early life he built on his estate a beautiful theatre, which
he fitted up in the most costly manner, and for which he
provided a regular company of actors, maintained at his
awn expen e. Most of the celebrated actors of the day
made occasional appearances on his stage. His passion,
however, cost him dearly, and one estate after another had
to be sold to defray his lavish expenditure. He died at
Aliens, at the advanced age of 78, in very needy ei; cum-
stances. He had lately been obliged to work for his bread,
and—the " ruling passion strong in death"—conducted, as
paid director, a provincial theatre up to his last moments.
—Literary Gazette.
WILLS,--The will of Thomas Hodgson, Esq., of St.
Jatnes's.p!ace, Wee4miuster, has been proved tilde,.
£400,000: John Morrant, Esq., of Breekenhurst }louse,
Southampton, £250,000 ; Robert Bickersteth, Eq ,
Liverpool, L 70,000, within the province of Canterbury ;
the Rev. J. Bailey, of Domer, £20,000; Thomas Welch,
Esq, of Edgbaston, £20,000; Mr. Isaac Neal, of Thames-
street, £lO,OOO, and has left smell charitable bequests to
the London Orphan Asylum, St, Anne's School, British
and Foreign Bible Society, and the London Missionary
Society; Alfred Brittle, Esq., late of Paris, formerly of
London and of Derby, £70,000. (In the account of the
will of the late Elward Kemble, Esq., as given in our
last, for " a legacy of £5OO to the minister of Camden
Chapel," read "to the late minister of Camden Chapel,
the Rev. Henry Melvin.")
THE MAINE Lew.—The Recorder of New York, in his
addressl to the Grand Jury of New York, says " The great
evilsr‘dyehn it ch result, and have resulted for ages, from the nee
of spirits, have called into requisition the intellects
philanthropists and philosophers to devise plans and
means to check the evil, and to ameliorate the condition
Of the numerous victims
or blasted by its influence,
whose prospects have been blighted
moral suasion and morale
Experience has shown that
influence have done, and can
that
do,
much towards the accomplishmentn of the object;
legal enactments have done and nothing.r
at
The evil emanating from
intemperance a n do is little o
great, and
the misery iketvieg from it so terrible, that s?g
legislators have
frequently attempted ey law to arrest
, it,t
but experience
has shown the utter failure to accomplish
the object."