The National Register.
London, England, 1814-01-23 00:00:00

THE NiTIONAT, REGISTER,

I -

lour o'clock, having first fasteved the window-shutters, and left a e•
lamp in the passage, with the additional precaution of a tinder-box
close to it. She did not stay out so late as leer mistress told her :
if she had, dole is no doubt but the whole house weuld have
been in tholes. She, not knowing exactly what it was o'clock, re-
turned about twenty minutes before eight. On her twilling flee
street door, she discovered that the Limp was not ourniog as sl,e
left it, but the house was en fire ; she gave the alarm, and Captain
Kempster's servant, who resides at the next door, came in mid as-
sisted her with solute pails of wale.., and with the exertions of score
gesetlemen, the lire was gut out. She staled, tloet ehiring her ab-
sence the clothes-horses and a pail' n 1 wooden Stel/• ha • 11011
brought out of the kitchen, and pho ed against the wainscoat of
the parlour, neso the statics, with 1 fp: tidily of matches Oil the•an.
'nee door-p• st• ieed other parts of tat. I, eek-parlour were lii filmes ;
a hat-box, filled exits ‘tood was hoar the flames. Some
classes, cloths eehirie they rublw.l ta',lrs and fnrniture with, some
pia cloths, !roelss. a.ed other clothes a the child, and also some
rags, all of which had been dipped ice turpentine, were sI ewe d in
different parts of thee: parlours, passage and stairs. The fire on the
stair case, was distioct from that in the back parlour. The front
parlour was stiewed with Wood, such as is used tOr lighting fires in
bundles, but the strings were cut, and the wood dish ilented alone t
so as to make a train for 11:e flee, mixed with ditterent articles that
had been dipped ire torperitine, and matches. They diet not keep
but one tire in the house, as, when slit. lead done leer work, she sat
with her master and mistress in the front parlour. %When she tat
the house there was scarcely any fire in the stove, and on.her rc-
turn there was a very large one, with two pokers in it ; both were
red hot. The curtains of the parlour had been drawn after she left
home. The slimier!: of ti.e first and seemed-floor windows were in
the same state as she left them, but those of her master's bed-room,
on the third-fluor, nese put too, which site left open, aced
the 'window Was open which she left shut. Out of this room
the hat-hoxes and band boxes were taken, awl tided with
combustible articles, to assist the fire on the ground-floor. Being
asked iespeeting a roomy bird, she said she was sure it was time
on thee Tuesday mot no.g, as her master sent her fur seed fur it, but
ebsee ved it was nut he its pliers. in the evening.
John !Amine, a bookseller, of Portman-street., Portman-square, -
stated, that me Tuesday evening soon after half past seven o'clock, he
was passing throngh Half Moon street, when lee heard the cry of tire.
He entered the house, No. 9, and discovered some boards which
were placed against the door on lire, with same wood used for light-
ing tires under the boards, partially lighted ; the timer of that room
was- on ire, which he extinembhed by heading on it, &c. He con-
firmed this general state of the house as described by the servant":
he remained there till a quarter past eight o'clock, and then left it,
leaving an appointment. tle returned again to the house, and was
there when the vrisoners came home at half past nine o'clock ; he
did not know how they got into the house ; when he first saw them
they were in the passage ; the conduct and behaviour of Mr. Stur-
man did not appear to him to be such as he skould have expected ;
lie did not appear to lac alarined;• hut, on his belies. told that his
writing desk was missin,is, he exclaimed he was suited, and went and
threw himself on two chairs. in the back parlour, and said he was
very ill.

William Dean, Esq. of Jermyn street, stated, that on Tuesday
evening. as he was passing Halt' Moon street, he heard a woman
licreaming fire, at No. 9; knocked at the door, and was admitted
by the servant girl ; he cautioned her against admitting other peo-
ple. lie confirmed the sta'e of the house as before described : lie as-
sisted in treading out the tire. About live or six minutes after he
had been in the house, he opened the door of the trout parlour, when
be saw a kinale, rather tall, in a dark dress, with a mend hat on,
with her back towards him, standing at a book ease, which had a
secretary under it. She appeared to be in the act of taking sonic
valuables out of a drawer into her lap, or something at her trout ; he
rot knowing of what description the house was. conelnded it me.
either the mistress of the house, or a lady who lodeed in it, taking
care of come valuable property. She did not turn round to see Who
be was, nor did he speak, but withdrew. On his ascertaining that the
tire was completely extinguished and all danger over, in three or
tour minutes after, he went again to lie front parlour, and on open-
ing the door, he.observed G e same female figure in the same place,
mid in the same attitude. He assured her the fire was entirely out,
all dariger over, and advi•ed her to keep 'he doors shot, to preveut
the smell and smoke from issuing, which would stop the alarm Tn the
neighbourhood. The female did not turn round to him, nor did ,be
make an reply; lie therefore withdrew, conceiving himselt to be
intrnding ; he torn left the house, at the same time Mr. Leboine did
the first time, when the servant gill appeared extremely distress:ed,

•Tn • -0 00

and into eated them to cal again the next day, t., report to her mas-
ter and niktiess the state they hail found the house in. Ile could not
till the Thursday, when he the female prisoner, Mrs. Stur-
man; and t.o far as her fume went, he conceiv«f llim ttf to
be talitiing to the PUDIC pi`r•oll 11c Inol seen enipt he
valnables into her lap at the time of the fire; but not
.viog ficen her lxv, he could not say it wa‘
'F • e instiratire which the prisoner had made at the Globe Office
fo, 0 `tit. iiirtudfoi Ixlol. on the house, of which he had the Itar.e, by
a C!illise IVa4 COlnpUlit'd to insure to that amount.
The Magistrate committed the man for trial, and admitted his wife
to nail.

ITII,TII ER PA RTI CULA RS.
The bed-rom window of tiu. Pri,ong.,s. on the attic, w::1 found °ern,
and the shutters pot too, by Mary wright, the servant girl, e bleb was
the revi rse to what site lett thum As it has been
was TOhheri, it is supposed that the window was Id; the rob-
bers : how,•ver tl.ere wac no trace of feet marks, nr any svi pcm-ns
havii:v, passed on the snow.
It is a very singular circumstance. that the female described by Mr.
Deaue, as being at the drawers ,if the secretnr. under the bia.keasei,
appare.o!v in the act of filling her lap rfith valuables, anti who cart
not answer' him wilt a hr sie•lie to tier, or tarn round to look :t hunt
was ird even noticed by any tit the oilier inif-ges, not even t.y Mary
Wright. A' t°:e close of the examination of Mr. Sturman. his wife
was lirtrio:lit into the (Mice placed by his rode, nod was infwer.. what
Dcane had said respecting the termile at the drawers, and that the
impression upon his Mille was, when lie called upon her on T 1 ursday.
at her .house in Halt Altion•street, and was in corivers.nion with her,
that site was the person he hod seen a; the drawers tahing things out
of them. She was very humanely cawioned byit N. Conant (hat
she need not answer that or any other question put to her, except she
was advised so- to do by her Cow,. I ; 110WP‘Tr ,tie most pan t a e ot!s-
ly answered, filar it was jillr)SSlble, as she was at her sister', ill
Broad-court, the %%bolo of the time, from her leaving Halt 110" n-street
at half past twelve o'clock till half past nine at Mohr, s she retu•n.
ed b' me ; •I'l° had not evem Cone dowu stairs at her sister's.
Adolphus, Counsel, 4pproyed highly of the answer she had given,
so much being implied in the word impossible. N (ine of the witnesses
could •tate when and how the Prisoners roitywell the house, only, that
at about half.past nine o'c!uck, most of thesu sisw them in the pa‘sage,
but it was riot known who let them tn.

On the day or two alter the fire. when Nlr. Denham, lb.. Secretary
to the Globe Insurance Office, called at the house, Mary Wright, the
servant, answered the ring of the belt, wig-en Mr.Sturmau, in :he pre-
sence of Mr. Denham desired Irer to lett It the turpentine, the not 114Y-
log seen any since she had b-en in the house ; her master told lel. it
was in the back paiary. Sin- went to the place as directed, and found
a stone bottle which woild hold about three qusrts, and took it to her
master. She was positive it had not been there before the tire, and
%he was in the daily habit of going to thit pantry Thole was
al.° a stone bottle with oil in it at the saint. place. They were both
produced at the exatnination, as were the different atttcles that had
been dippod in the turpentine.
Mary 1V right stated,. that thv wood iihsich was distributed in the
parlour and passage, to assist the fire, was such as ;s used in lighting
fires, was in the house previews to the fire, and was kept in a clu-et on
the staircase leading to the kitchen.
Just as the exaniinatitin was abbut to CI. Pe-, she was r: glad hi, and
Piked if the had any ohtection to say where she was darnig the time
she was out. She replied certainly not : and said she et.; s the vd.ole
of the time at a friend's, in a court in the Strand, which %vas perfectly
satisfactory.

Mr. Adolphe. said, that lie was prepared to prove that the prisor.ers
let their first floor tOr tonneas a-wt-ek. This w.s to ,how the
goodness of the turtlitore. The matt( r is involved int much dilliett:ty
and perplexity ; Ihr only delonee is, that rtneves vul into the how,e
some how or other, but tt c. hid not be eqnjectured how, n, there was
no vkletices used in lirealdinr in or lir( aking out of the house. and the
motive tor the prisont rs t tire to then. 1,0.04 e wii expidmeti away
by 15001. beitni inured .-n the house 'lit of the :;(1D;11.; and it the
furniture cosi 11001. or 1.4001. :is Ilr Stortwsit stated it dui, tlnf insTt.
ranee Irony ‘‘,ll eo:t.plett.; tool in c.-e of the tutu t• toning blunt, Mr,
?turnout ould nut have elattited tilt- I 5001• iiismed on if, exc.' "
'was grossly not-rant as to -nnoose ht. eroild.-- Mr. and Mrs. St uttnua
holt conduried liconse-ces with the Sit t lie 111111114 :SS afld cuolnew, as they
did on Saturday evet.lng.

(luaus:la's —F i tav, .4 one o'clock, an ingnevt wac I el 4
at the Fie , Deinunik-sireet, near Si Uurs's Cho(h,
bchrt. Gt 0. I 1.,d1 so n, Ev(i. Coroner for Aliddlew x, (Hi view ut he
•)1 Alioy Ann Cooney a 61 ht-i wt:eit tourt,..o dna
lateen tsu t~t av, who was bUlllt to death ouWeditesday nivrtiii.g at