The National Register.
London, England, 1819-04-04 00:00:00

SURREY LEA 7' .iSSI2 ES.
KTNGSTON. Aran C.
MOM. 7NI SI DE--N 1 URDER.

Robert I)..an WAS' pill ur the, Isar this moriiimt, chanted
with the wilful murder of Alan? Ann Alistri. a little
girl, betwsen four and five yebrs olds on the Wilt of oe-
to!icr last. in St. George's-fields, by coding her throat
ith a ease-knife. The•trial of this ease excited univer-
Li! interest, and attracted immense crowds at an early
I•nor of the mor 1111 l g to gain ailiiiitt,occ to the Conti,
Lot not one-twentieth of the anxious throng could lind

The circumstances of this singular transaction having
been fully laid before the public in ills publication of
the Coroner's Inquest, it is not now necessary to enter
Into much detail. 'lnc following, however, are the
leading circumsta tic is of the case :—On Friday evening,
the t6th day of October last, between 6 and 7 Alock,
the prisoner, who was a watch-engraver, went, as he
had been in the habit of doing, to -visit the mother of
the child, who lives near the Elephant and Castle, St.
George's-fields, and she asked him to take tea ; while he
was there he nursed and played with the child until
. about six or seven, when he went away with Mrs.
AlberOrabromer, Williams, with whom he was inti-
mately acquainted, and had been fellow apprentices.—
They proceeded as far as the Orae!isk when they sepa-
rated, and the prisonerreturned and took the child again
into his lap, and put his hand in his pocket to get some
halfpence, said he would go and buy some apples
far his little Mary ; he then took the up in his
arms, an:l asked her if she would have an apple, and
111311 y other trilling questions, such as, do you hoe me ?
do you know who 1 am? &c. He then went out tt ith
thechild, but being absent rally long, and the mother
feeling alarmed, went out to see after mem, and on going
into a court near the house, she met the child, who
reekil towards her, and on her taking her in her arms
the blood gushed from her throat, and the child ap-
7i:wed as if she was expiring ; a surgeon was sent for,
but his efforts were fruitless, and in about an hour it
died. The prisoner wandered about for three or four
days, and although every diligence was used to find him,
it was unsuccessful. At length on the morning of
Tuesday following, at about five o'clock, he rapped at
the door of the watch-house of St. Andrew, Holborn,
audlaid his name was Dean, and that he was the mur-
derer, and he was of course detained, and taken to
• ispui -street Com int: r.
Mrs. Mary Albeit, the mother of the little girl, was
-examined in suppon of the above statement. When
she beheld the prisoner at the bar, she burst into an
hysteric scream of horror, and was for a time incapable
of giving her evidence, until site was relieved by a flood
of tears. The prisonerseemed evidently affected by the
agony in which she appeared to be. On her cross-ex-
amination site gave a very favourable representation of
the temper and disposition of the prisoner, and that he
was extremely find of child. en, and particularly of the
enfortunate infant who had lost her life by his act. On
;he evenit:g in question, she observed the prisoner to he
very uncal in his mind, on account of the want of em-
ployment, but he spoke in a rational and collected

manner.
Mrs. Sarah Williams, the mother of the last witness,
on her cross-examination described the conduct of the
prisoner, on the evening in question, as indicative of an
uneasy mind, arising from Ins distressed circumstances.
She gave the prisoner the highest character for kindness
to her grand-daughter, and said that he had always been
on the most friendly terms with her family.
Just ph Williams, the brother of Mrs. Albert, deposed
to the circumstances connected with the a: acre outline of
ttie case. Ott his cross-examination, he said he had
beet lellowapprentice with the prisoner, who bad al-
-ways conducted himself in the most friendly manner
-towards bin) and his family. \Violets and the prisoner
had lodged together for a long time; lie knew the pri-
soner was uarhappy in his mind on account of a young
airrunan with wnoin lie kept company, whose father had
forbidden any further intercourse.
-.Lapel* .Myatt, the watch-house keeper of the parish
of St. Andrew, Holborn, proved, that early on the
morning of the 20th October, the prisoner surrendered
himself tojusuce at the watch-house. Ile appeared in
a state of great agitation, slating that lie had been in•
duced to surrender.hiniself. in consequence of his having
heard a s. triton at the Tabernacle, un Moorfields ; that
he had wandered about ever since he co ttttt lined the
wid deed, and was unable to bold out any longer.—
The prisoner was afterwards taken to Cilispur-street
Camieer, where he begged he might be allowed a Bible.
The witness's description of the prisoner's demeanour
at the %V.IICII•IIOUSe WA, strongly indicative of remorse,
but of sound intellect.
John May, a police officer of Union-hall, proved that
lie removed time prisoner front Giltspur-street Conquer,
and, by the direction of the magistrate of Union-hall,
took him on the 20th of October before the coroner's
inquest, which was then sitting on the body of the de-
ceased child. When they got in the place of sitting, the
prisoner requested to speak with the witness in private ;
and being, left alone, witness, at the prisoner's request,
took down the following statement in writing, as he
gave it in his own words:-
1, Dim Friday evening last I met a young man named
Joseph Williams, with Wilt,llll I had long been intimate,
at Mee. Albert's house, in Jacepies-enure, Thomas-street.
1 had long been acquainted wits a young woman named
s.o.n Lineman, daughter of Mr. L. at the Grapes,
Chnich•row, Ablzue; my affection for her was ex-
tremely great bad for souse time corresponded with
her. is dispute unhappily arose ; lis tote to her upon
gar. scbject, expreasing sty regret at the unfortunate