The National Register.
London, England, 1820-04-03 00:00:00

VIE WOOLWICH MURDERS.
.dppreArnsion of the supposed Murderer of the late Mr.
parker and his houseeper at Woolwich.
Pm mama h, March 24.
Last niAlit information was given to L. Carter Lsq.,
one of the Magistrates of this town, that a suspicious cha-
racter was residing at the Red Lion, rather an isolated
tavern of this hear. It appears that he has been loiterMg
about this place nearly the a hole of the winter, and had
been to France, from whence he returned a few days before
the murder. lie often exhibited a number of curiOtli old
trinkets; and from these circumstances Mr. Carter ordered
Mr. Hunt, the gaoler, and the turnkey, Hill, to go to the
tavern, last night at eleven o'clock. They found him se tied
in at little parlour near the bar, and immediately Mr. Hunt,
(whose person he knew) ',lolled the door, he hurried his
hand into his waistcoat pocket, and drew a pistol, a hich
was loaded to the muzzle. Hunt sprang at him, and in
grasping the pistol, tore leis thumbagainst the flint, by a Inch
means it dropped out; the thumb is severely cut. In this
momentary struggle Hunt fell on his knees, and the fellow
got from him. trill, the turnkey, then rushed on him, but
not before be had time to straw another pistol also loaded to
the muzzle, vs Melt he pushed close to Hill's breast, and pulled
the trigger ; fortunately it snapped, and before he had tone
to re-cock, the landloid, Heath, came in, aid seize d him
behind, the f. all this time roario4 out that lie was
murdered. Mr. Hunt had now tecovered himself, and after
giving hint two or three blows with his stuff, succeeded iu
placing on the handcalfs, and led him to gaol. 1l a• is a Vinod
Woking man; and he had on three a aistcoats aed tool.
coats, and wore spectacles, for which he seems to have 110
need, but supposed, with the additional clothes, to be fur
the purpose of disguise. tic also wore a foraging fur cap,
with a gold band. He gave mit that he was a relation of at
Highly respectable officer of the garrison, hut who would
not allow his visits. This is notoriously false, mid lie turns
out to be a relation of the man servant of Vie gentleman
mentioned. lie has a wife and six children, living whoop a
few doors of the late Mr. Parker's house. He In.s a new
French travelling trunk, with a small new leased trunk a atria,
containing a number of old fashitmed gold and peasel trin-
kets, large breast pins, a golf watch-seal, wills the OE ia
l.
T. P. engraved ou it ; a child's silver mounted coral, w ith
the engravings bled out by a small tile, a Melt a as also found,
two old.fashioned watches, one of them a guild one, maker's
name" Vick, London; a pair of old•fashioned tea-tongs;
hisilver sauce ladle, marked with two swords across, tan
table spoons marked 'l'. M. P. some table spoons without
a mark, a singular silk sash, untuge ground, ti an-versed with
dark blue. supposed ill belong to some society ; he had 16
Bank of England notes, mostly dated lit mid td March;
one of teem was much burnt, and marked IM the back Mr.
Bohn and Mrs. Redford, Feb. '20,21, most of them marked
Mrs. Nesbitt. In his bunk was a pair of nankeets trowsers,
not *urn since they were a nshed. but on one side of the
waistband, a considerable hole is burnt, and apparently not
lung done, certainly since they were washed ;in Ins pocket-
book were found two directions—" Mr. Booth, Ranelagh
Road, Thames Bank, No. 6, London. A girl of the town
with a hom he cohabited, was taken up this mornia;,*. who
states that he would not sleep by himself, and being very
restless when with her, she asked him the r.ason, when
enjoining her to secrecy, he said he had committed muruer,
that he had killed two men, and one animal. He was about
to leave this town for France.

Mr. Thomas Ci .Yee relates an anecdote of Mr. John Den.
nit, the celebrated critic, w hash may he worth repeating,
as it is a striking nod melancholy instance, among ti, .os:olds,
of the distressful predicaments, into which tacit of genius
and literary abilities are perhaps apter than any others to
plunge themselves, by paying too slight attention to the com-
mon concerns of life, and their own most impoi tont interests.
After he was worn out (says the author) warp age and po-
verty, lie resided within the verge of the cowl, to prevei.t
danger from his creditors. One Saturday ni,iit he Itappmied
to saunter to a public-house, which in a short time lie disco-
vered to he without the verge. tie was sitting in a drinking
room, si hen a mutt of a suspicious appetirame happ: lied to
cone in. Tii,re was something about the man %illicit de-
ntttetl to Mr. Dennis that he was a bailiff. This struck him
with a panic ; he n:e• his fiber ty was 31 :111 snit ; lie
sat in Vie almost solitude hut thirst tint utf. r lIP stir lest
should lie seized Nom. After an hour or two had lia,s+,l
in
this painful auxins, at last lite clock stroek I welve, win it
Mr. Moms, iii nut extaey.ei ied out, addiessing Ilint.elflo the
aill)ecte,l per,ou," Now, Sir, hail.llor tin haiiiff, I duet cats
at'arthili; for you, you hire tics !tower no.Y.'"flie ratan was
adonislied at ha I;eletviutlr ; and w hen it Was expl,iited to
b in, much affronted with the sitspieitio, that had
,t Mt. Dennis found hi• protection in age, lie nook' pro,
IL4hlv have ,ohati..l tar lii, ntiAdkrii opinion. A stung
pietiii.e of the or, rt,, of 1. ar and appieimision, lii a teal-
ye .0 timorous such jealous :0 Mr. Dennis''., of which the
following is still a more wlttoisiral instance. In 1701,
came out his ti:tgetly, " Liberty Asset ti ii,'
in
which were sn many st tokes on the Fteurli my J.., lust
thought they wile aster to he corgi .eti. Ile had woi ed
hlitiseli* him 3 11er033,303; Ilia( the King' of Prance n ooi.l
insist tin his beiug iteltseted up helot e Iw %%wild tow, lit
to a pt ace ; sod full of this idea of his (mu
when the Cling' es:. was held at Utrecht, he is •3111 ill 11.141'
Waited tin his ptit ron tile Duke of Alarlborough. to de sue
that no such ai title it'll:lit the (hike
to it
him lie had really on interest Olen with the iitionstiy ; but
had ditce uo inch provisiou for lii• uwu sreii:ity tiamigh
he entild not help thinking he had thole the Fit tit It as
much ii.;itry as Mt .I) •• himself, Atioihri• kioryr re-
diiti; to this await is, that being at eentliiiiaii's 1 Cy on
the coast of SII•seX, and walkout tine day oil the sea-sliete,
11,.. Saw a ship sailtl;4, ax he 1.11013..41; tow arils him ; lie in-
atautly set ',lit for Loudon, in the fancy that he wits be-
trayed; and Oil t ululating ell his escape,
gave out that Lis ft ion{ had decoyed him loan to Ii is
house, to ...lit soda* hint tip to the French.
On Thursday, the 16th of March, a deputation
from the British and Fore'gn School Committee,
consisting of Sir Thomas Bell, Mr. Wilbertiirce,
Dr. Schwabe, and Mr. Millar, waited on her Royal
Highness the I)uchess of Kent, when they had
the honour of pr;senting tin address to her Royal
Highness, accompanied with the IL:solutions of the
Committee, and also the Cotntaime of Caches, on
the melancholy occasion of the decease of his Bova
Highness the Duke of Kent. Her Royal High-
ness received them very graciously. The deputa-
tion had also the honour of see.ud the infant Prin-
cess on that occasion.