The Sun.
London, England, 1852-10-12 00:00:00

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SUSPECTED MURDER OF A
MEAN IN A BROTLIEL.
Yesterday, for some hours before the business of
the court commenced, a crowd of some hundred persons
lad assembled in the vicinity of Marlborough•stret, at-
tacted by a rumour that a woman had been murdered in
Shepherd-street, and that the murderer was in the cus-
tody of the police, and would be brought up for exami-
nation in the course of the day. At ten o'clock, upon
the arrival of our reporter at the court, he instantly
made inquiries as to the foundation of the rumour, and
found that it was t3o true, and that a man was
in custody on suspicion of having caused the death €1
Ann Mathews in a brothel, 11, Shepherd-street. At two
o'clock he was brought up in custody of Inspector Monek-
ton and Sergeant Barnes, C 4, and placed in the dock
before Mr. Bingham.
On the charge being read to him by Mr. Lsadly, the
chief clerk, the prisoner, in reply to the latter gentle-
man's inquiry, said his name was James Phillips, and
that he was 29 years of age, and resided at 11, Shepherd-
street, St. George's.
The following evidence was then gone into:—

Mary Richardson said—l am a widow. lam servant
at 11, Shepherd-street. I have been there eight years.
The house is a brothel, I know the prisoner. He lived
there as porter since the deceased, who was his anut,
bought him off from the Marines two years ago. The
deceased was housekeeper. Prisoner and deceased co-
habited together. They did not agree well together, and
there was hardly a night but what they quarrelled. On
Saturday night last, the prisoner came in about 12
o'clock, rather in liquor. My mistress (the deceased) had
been having her supper, and when he came in she sent
for a pot of porter. The deceased was then laying down
on the rug before the fire. Deceased gave me some beer,
when prisoner came in and used very bad language, and
called her a dirty —, and told her (deceased) she was
Sitting in a dirty position. Prisoner told the deceased
to go to bed. She refused, and, at that time the door
bell was rung. I went out to answer the bell, and in
going out I heard my mistress say, " Oh,;Mary, mean-
ing witness •
The words were spoken very slowly.
When I went back she was lying full length,
with her feet to the fireplace, and her head
to the drawers. I stooped down to raise her head
up, but I trembled so that I could not do it. The pri-
soner then jumped into bed, and I said to bim, " Oh,
yeti have murdered your aunt at last! cone and assist
me to raise her up." Instead of doing so the prisoner
stamped upon her three or four times with his foot as
hard as ever he could, at the same time calling out,
Here, look!" The deceased never moved or groaned
after that. The prisoner jumped into bed again, and I
told him he never was going to bed leaving his aunt
like that. Prisoner replied, she was all right enough.
I then got a cushion and put it under her head.
Prisoner then got out of bed and assisted me in
lifting her into the bed. She was then quite dead.
Prisoner then sent some one for a doctor, but did not go
himself. The deceased bad been drinking during tne
day, but was not in liquor at night. The gold chain, eye-
glass,and other articles produced were the property of the
deceased. She did not give them to the prisoner.
Sarah Noye—l am a servant at No. 11, Shepherd-
street. I have been there about- a week. About a
quarter to eleven on Saturday night she was sent for some
beer. Deceased was then sitting before the fire on the
hearth-rug. Prisoner shortly atter came in and told me
to go to bed. I said I would not till ,my mistress went,
or till she told me. My mistress, about twelve
o'clock, sent me to bed, and about a quarter to one
I was woke up by the prisoner, who came in the
room and called out " Get up, we shall all be
hung, we shall all be transported, your mistress is dead."
I took my clothes on my arm and went down stairs, and
saw my mistress dead. I called out, when prisoner
said, " D—n thee, hold thy tongue." A doctor was
fetched, and as soon as he came he noticed a scar on de-
ceased's forehead, and asked how it came there. Priso-
ner said Ins aunt had knocked herself against the sofa.
Thomas Westlake, 2, Union-street, Bond-street,
grocer—About hail-past twelve on Saturday night I
been] a knocking at the door, and a person called out
" For God's sake get up, Mrs. Brown is dying." I got
and put on my things, and told them to go for a
medical man. I afterwards went to the house and saw
the deceased. The prisoner was there, and said, "It is
all over. I told you how it would be." I then went
for \l r. Clark, the medical man, who came, but deceased
was then lifeless.

Francis Clark, 14, Henrietta-street, Cavendish-square.
surgeon—l was in the habit of attending deceased.
Ypaterday morning, between one and two I was called
np to attend deceased, whom I was informed had met
with an accident. lat once sent my son, who shortly
returned saying that she was dead. I then went myself,
and saw the body, and found on the right temple
a large bruise ; end prisoner, without' being
asked, said his aunt had fallen down against the sofa.
I made a further examination of the body, and felt con-
viuced she had been unfairly dealt with. I then com-
municated my suspicions to the police. My opinion is
th“t she died from the effect of a severe blow on the head
Whether it is a blow from the foot or the hand I cannot
at pre:ent positively say. The blow might have been
given by a double fist. She had been dead apparently
aboul half en hour.

Sergeant Barnes, 4 C.—About two o'clock on Sunday
morning, in consequence of information I received
from last witness, I went to No. 11, Shepherd-
street, in company with another constable, where
I saw the first witnes.. I said to her. " Mary, I hear
Mrs. Brown is dead." She replied, " Yea, poor ores-
turf-, she is." Just as I was going in I saw tho prisoner
going out of the room, and called to him. Ho came
buek, and I questioned him about the d-ath of his aunt.
Prisoner said, " Yes, she died very suddenly, just as I
was getting into bed. She fell down by the fireplace,
and I and Mary lifted her up. and put her on the bed ;
th.,t was natural enough, was'nt it ?" I said yes, but
yen must go with MO to the station, and make the same
statement to the inspector. The prisoner, who was in
liqu,r, at once went with me ; and on the way
to the station, prisoner said deceased had drank
a great deal of gin, and that she had vowed she would not
come to bed with him that night alive. I searched him
at the station, but found nothing of consequence upon
him. The prisoner then made the same statement that
ho had made to me to the sergeant on duty, which he
took down in writing.
Martin, 86 C, corroborated the evidence of last wit-
ness, and in addition said he searched the room, and on
the mantelpiece found a pair of spectacles doubled up
and broken. He also found a knife, which prisoner ad-
mitted to have used for the purpose of cut'ing deceased's
stay lace. Prisoner told him deceased had fallen cff the
sofa and hurt herself.

Sergeant Bennett, 20 C—About half-past one on Sun-
day morning the prisoner was brought to the station.
I detained him till ho had sent for Mary, the servant, and
when she came I read the charge over to him. He said
ho did not see why he should be charged with this. He
the n made a statement, which I took down in writing.
Tye sergeant hero read the statement made by the pri-
soner, which was much the same as the one he made to
Barre.

Thu prisoner, after being duly cautioned, said "I havo
nwhing to say."
Mr. GINGHAM remanded him till Monday next.