The National Register.
London, England, 1814-03-06 00:00:00

TILE NATIONAL MISTER.

119

The young wheats have not suffered'hy the severity of The win-
ter. The early sown have thrown unit a strong an-.I lu‘uriaut Hag,
a Nitre indication or a full-crop. The latter sown, upon tenacious
suil4, have been checked, but the plants, although backward, look
beautiful.

The' spring preparations of the land to receive the lent corn
must be thrown hockwattl, in consequence of the fiosty, weather.
Considerable breadth of peas and beans have been prinelpany
in the after part of the day, when the sun had thawed the soil.
The earth is much ameliorated and fertilized by thv Lake cover-
ing of snow, and works kindly under the plough both on dith and

:, ,

The young clovers. tares, rye, winter bailey, and all the soiling
species, are is the most promising state.
Turnips and the brassica tribe have not sutfured so much as
might have been expected from the severity of the %%inter amid
from the -same cause there is more of this species of spring food
thin can lie recollected, and will consequently keep back the feed-
ing cattle tiom mai ket, and throw the barley sowing verylate on
those soils.

MURDER.
The murder of Mr. Varney, an aged man, ies-his 80th year. who
kept a chandler's shop in Newtowolongville, near Fenny Stratford,
haying been attended with the most wanton circumstances of
aggravation, the gentlemen of that part of the country wrote up
for a Ilow-stwit officer to be sent down, to endeavour to detect
the murderer, and Bishop was in consequence dispatched. He
found it necessary to detain iu custody a young man of the name of
John Matthews, a journeyman carpenter, who had been suspected
pievions to his arrival. Matthews hai undergone several examina-
tions before the magistrates of that district. and on Moaday he
underwent a final exannnation at Wing. when it appeared that on
the evening of the '2ist of February, about twenty minutes before
right o'clock, Ale. Varney was alive and well in his shop, having
servrd a boy with some candles from behind his counter. A short
time atter the clock struck eight, a man was passing by Mr.
Varory's house, who observing his door open, and hearing some'
very distressing groans, he was induced to go into- the Red Lion
feel. which is but a levy yards distance from Air. Varney's house,
where he related what he had seen and heard, which induced a
munber persons .to go with him to the house. They found the
shop done opt/Laud Mr. N'arney, most cruelly wounded, behind the
counter. A surgeon was sent for, but the old man expired in
about 0 minutes. The surgeon on examining Wm found that he
had received severe wounds on his nose, lustier his eyes, oh his
Ltsusle, and on Isis skull, which appeared to have been given with a
mallet or hammer, those on his nose appearing-to have 'seen given
wills the ;law of a large Isamener. It was also ascertained that the
house had been robbed, but to what amount could hut be then
ascertained. The murder and robbery caused very considerable
alarm in the village ; but it was observed, that Julio Matthews did
not appear to take the same interest in what had happened as
the generality of the people did, which was the original groutod of
suspicion against him. It was proved that he was the last and
only person who AS seen near the deceased's house. Three wit-
nesses said, they saw him close to the deceased's door, about eight:
although he denied having been at that end of the village' .
chirmg that night. One of the witnesses stated, that he had no
donht Matthews was the man whom lie saw close to the deceased's
door, about eight o'clock, and that he called to him at the time,
%ming, '6 Good night, Master Mathews," but received no answer,
which he observed to a friend as being an extraordinary circum-
stance iu, Matthews's conduct, as he knew him extremely well.
Another witness, who saw him close to the deceased's door,
observed to a friend that he had seen that fellow, who was to be
married the following morning, meaning John Matthews, skulking
about the door of the deceased, and had also seen him in the same
situation on the Sunday night previous, and wondered what he
could wart there. Matthews denied being at the door of the de-
ccaseek but was not able to account fur the last halt .Isour of the
time when the murder was committed. Under these circumstances
it was thought right by the inhabitants to stop his marriage on the
fillowing slay, and accordingly when he was walkiug to the church
with his intended wife, an industrious lace-maker of that village,
lie was stopPed till the arrival of Bishop, from London, and then
delivered into his custody. When searched, there was found on
him a canvas bag, containing twenty shillings, also five shillings
which Matthews appeared desirous to conceal: they had the ap-
pearance of being bad, but this proved only to he the effect of
tieing boarded. On being questioned as to how lie became pos-
sessed of this money, and also the had shillings, he conceiving tilt

ill

fi. e shinnies to be bad at that time, replied, t!sat he had" taken
atm iu ehainte of the decetned Arita a fortnight previous to the
neirder. prisante bad been out of work fur the three months
previous, and being atsont to set married was consWered a very ex-
. tr.nadistury th.tiz be nll who kn.girt, as it waS knowu that he
no means of sni•.porting a wife. lie had not purchased the WA-
eil/g ring till the looming after the murder, whielrhe did At a very
early hour, of me. unoivint, at Fenny stratt4d,- and for "ithich
he was to pay la.. in peat of payment be gave eight sixpences, all
ta which apnoea ed to he bad, but on examination proved merely to
have en hoarded. The same day lie paid les. tot six gallons t.l°'
loser to make merry with at his wedding. He hal manned clothes
,of 14 tailor resisting at LeiLliton ithielt were to entity to 71.
without any visible means W. paying for thtm.
A sowinaaw of the derea-e,I. wbo keeps a Atop in the same vil-
lage, declared hi, belief that he had seen silver in the posseasion of
the. deceased shiailar to that - width 'had the appearance of belle
hoarded, and also spoke to i had shilling and Altpenee found on the
Owner as being similat to what he had seen in the deceased's yes-
session.
Bishop searched the house of the deceased, and found, concealed
in different and very unlikely places., 147 seven shilling pieces, 7n
hall-gnineas, B guineas, 1'441. in:Dank-notes, and silver to the amount
of stverni posmsls. A tnyfe4-canister. however, is missing ; taltich
contained a 201. note, aid Sot. in./quail Dotes. The ihstrument that
perpetrated the horrididetal has not been logiol yet.
Matthews was lodged in Aylesbury gaol. on Monday, to take his
trial at the tainting Assizts,
A pauper, of the name of Harwond, had long claimed and reeeiv-
pd for himself and wife parochial relief limn the !swish of Be ailes„
in Warwickshire : latterly he has pretended to be incapable of
'Mawr, but, cave his own representations, the medical gentleman
for the parish ealild not di corer any Hitless, or impediment to his
tgnal exertions ; however,-he proposed to apply a good r.
The pauper begged lie Miulit be excused, for he tiimullit shonNl
Sqon be better. On setae abatement being made for their weekly
alloWaness, the paupers became eatremely insolent to the Officers.
alleging distress and extreme want, &c. To ascertain the truth
whereof, the Officers resolved pr rsonally to examine into the ease,
mid to give further relict; should that sestn eecessai y. Nothing,
however, like distress was fonn,l in the dwelling of the complainant.;
on tits contrary, atm..sialiee of commou comforts were discovered ;
tiCAidela good fat basun hog. just slim:shined, there was great part
of a side of old bacon, bed Ilium, neat 20 pair oh' sheets, anti oli:cr
itilleies in great plenty. On furthet examination, the husband was
observed to take from an •0141 coffer a small box, which he seemed
anxious to secret, but one of the officer. seized it ; and, to the
confusion of the paupers, and the surprise of the Officers, the
essineets were 42 guineas, 4'2 hall guineas. and G 3 seven-bhilling
pieces, in gold, &'l. ttds. in silver, and 141. in hank
On Saturday week an inteiest was taken on the body of James
4peacer, at the pips house, Lyndhurst. It appeared on evidence,
that a quarrel had taken place between the family of the deceased
and that of Citovoe ; their wives were pulling each other's
caps, when the 7leerased came to his door, called his wife. and
Nieves then Hype. red (who is a shoemaker) at his own door, with
a knife, cutting-baard, and piece of leather ; calling to his son, he
gave him the board avid leather, and advanced towards the %t omen
with tee knife In his tight baud; the deceased seeing him, eame
out, and caught hint by the waist, at the same- time pulling
hint
from Liao women ; they scuffled and fell, Hinves being under; they
re ,e again, when the deceased remarked, et Hinves what do you
mean by that knife in yonr baud?" No reply was made; they
Pl;ain scuffled, fell, and the deceased was under ; his son seeing, as-
sisted. hint to rise, when, as be Was staggering towards his own
door, Itinves Struck him-oh the back, he fell on his face, and ne-
ver sttugsled more. The unfortunate man expired within half au
hour; on examining his body, a deep wound was discovered in the
left side.of his groin, as also several slight wounds on his breast and
arm. The Jury, after consultation of three hours, returned a ver-
dict of—Manslaughter. Hinves is committed for trial.
On Monday se'nnight, in the, afternoon, a most melancholy aecis
dent (accused :—As Mr. Stedman Glittery, youngest son of Mr.
Chinery of Bradfield, Essex. was riding ort horseback, hisliors.
slipped down, and he fell ; the stick which he was riding with was
roved through ore pf his res, and esitered the brain. Two per-
son: who saw the accident w cut 'lmmediately, and conveyed him to
4 nei4hbourituz friend's house, where medical assistance was pro-
' tamale after which he was carethily carried home, anal lingered in
extreme torture until Wednesday evening, when he expired, to .the
great sorrow of his friends-, in the 21st year of hie age. I 4 was a.
• Ittutig man of a good disposition; and well revected.

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