The Sun.
London, England, 1830-04-17 00:00:00

EXTR A ORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCE.

In the month of September last, as a man was
passing through a field at the rear of a house Wu-
pied by the. family of Sir Matthew Bloxham, at,
Walworth, he ob,erved something white near the
surface of a, small bank, which was cbse to a haw-
thorne hedge. The man at first supposing it to be
a stone, reached down with a view of taking it up,
but he found the greater portion firmly fixed in the
earth. After having moved away some of the
mould with his hands, he then saw that it was the
upper portion of a human skull,and on the discovery
he immediately procured a spade and dug it out.
Surprised at the circumstances, he conveyed the
skull to the residence of a gentleman in the imme-
diate vicinity of the place where it was found; and
on examining it a large nail was found in the socket
of the left eye, and seemed as if it had been driven
in to its fell extent. The skull was subsequently
placed in the possession of the landlord of the Bell,
at Walworth, where it was viewed by some of the
parish officers, who had the place carefully dug up,
when the remaining part of a human skeleton was
found. As, however,. it was the opinion of 'some
individuals to whom the skull and the bones com-
posing-the other parts were exhibited, that the body
had been buried for a number of years, it was. con-
considered unnecessary to hold an inquest, and the
skeleton was therefore consigned again to the earth.
The circumstances above narrated caused a good
deal of excitation in the neighbourhood at the
period they took place, but as there was nothing to
induce a supposition that a person had been murdered
and the body afterwards buried there, with the ex-
ception of that singular fact, of finding a large nail
in the socket of the eye, the matter after a little,
time dropped, and nothing more was heard of it.
Within the last few days, however, a communica,
tion has been received at the Home-office, from the
Governor of the House of Correction at Cork,
detailing that a man named :John Hawkins, a private
in the 73d regiment, had been committed to that
gaol some time previously, and that shortly after-
wards he attempted to commit suicide, but was
prevented from carrying his intention into effect by
one of the turnkeys. Subsequent to the attempt de-
scribed, Hawkins appeared excessively dejected, and
exhibited all the appearance of a man who laboured
under great uneasiness of mind. The opinion formed
by those in constant communication with Hawkins
was, it will appear, found to be correct, for he re-
quested to see the governor of the gaol, adding at
the same time that there was something pressing
heavy upon his mind which he was anxious to di-
vulge to that officer. The governor accordingly
repaired to the ward in which Hawkins was con-
fined, and the latter having expressed a desire to
make a confession of a murder that he had committed
in England, also declared a wish Omit his statement
might be taken down in writing. This was acceded
to, and the substance of the confession he made, at
the time, was to this effect :—He stated, that pie-
viously to his having enlisted in the regiment to
which he then belonged, he lived with a butcher at
Walworth. About the year 1827, while in the ser-
vice of the butcher, he went out one evening and
met a female, and in the course of their conversa-
tion she used some vile expressions towards him,
and that he, irritated at her conduct, led her to a
field in Walworth, where, taking advantage of the
sslitariness of the place, he struck her. mic led to
further violence between them, and having a large
nail in his possession at the time, being the only
weapon he had, he
.forced it into her head and
effected her death. After she was dead, he threw
the body into a pond not far distant ; but fearing it
would be discovered if left in that situation, he got
up at three o'clock the next mooning, and having
proceeded to the pond, lie dragged the body out:
then dug a hole in the field, and having divested
the body of the clothes, he placed it in the ground,
and covered it over carefully, and afterwards buried
the clothes at some little distance from where he had
covered over the body..

After having made the above statement, Hawkins
became more composed; and he declared to the
governor, that since the perpetration of the crime he
had suffered the most dreadful agony of mind.
When questioned on the subject, as to the time
he left the service of the butcher that he lived with
at Walworth, he stated that it was between seven
and eight months 'ago, and that the cause of his
absconding from his master and enlisting in the army
was in consequence of hearing a rumour in the neigh-
bourhood that the body of a female had been dug
up in the field where he buried the woman he had
murdered. He was alarmed at the circumstance,
and fearing detection, he left the place altogether.
The above circumstances having come to the
knowledge of Mr. Chambers, the Magistrate of
Union-hall, he directed Richard Pople, an active
officer, to collect what evidence he should be en-
abled as to the.finding of the skeleton under the cir-
cumstances above detailed, and the magistrates de-
voted a portion of yesterday to the investigation of
the mysterious affair. The first witness examined
was a man named John Murrell, who stated that he
was a gardener is the service of Mr. Smales, at
Walworth. He said that in the month of September
last, as he was walking along the bank of a field
belonging to Mr. Swabey, at Walworth, he, per-
ceived something white in the earth, which he at
first supposed to be a stone, but on digging into
the ground he found it to be a human skull. On the
discovery he informed Mr. Swabey's groom of the
circumstance, and he carried the skull to his master,
by whom it was examined, arid a rusty nail was
found in the socket of the left eye. On the follow-
ing day, Snow, the beadle of Newington, called on
witness, and they proceeded to the field together,
and on digging at 'the spot where the skull was
taken from, they aiso discovered the complete
skeleton of a human body. The skeleton was lying
at length in the ground, and appeared as if it
had been thrown into a hole scarcely sufficient to
contain the bones. The bank from whence the
skeleton was taken is of a sandy nature, and there
was un impression oil along the earth as if a human
skeleton had been deposited there. The witness
and the beadle collected the whole of the bones,
and placed them in a basket, -and they were taken
away to the workhouse.
William Huey, landlord of the Bell, at Wal-
worth, stated that in the month of September last,
a man, named Nettleford, brought a skull to his
house, and on examining it lie perceived a nail in
the socket of one of the eyes. The skull appeared
to be that of a woman, and all the teeth were per
feet ; the whole of the nail, which was about the
length of the finger, was in the skull with the ex-
ception of the head of it, which was lying on the
outerside of the bone that surrounds that organ.
There was a quantity of mould inside tile skull which
remained at witness's house for three days, and it
was then taken away to the workhouse.
Joseph Snow, the beadle of Newington, stated,
that he recollected the skeleton having been found,
under the circumstances above detailed. He saw
the nail that was in the skull, but believing that the
skeleton had been in the situation in which it was
found for many yews, owing to the bleached state
in which the bones aepeared, he, as well as other of
the parish officers, considered it Unnecessary on that
account to have an inquest. Snow added, that he
was also present when the remaining part of tire ske-
leton was dug up, which, together with the skull,
was afterwards deposited in a coffin along with the
body of a pauper who died in the workhouse, and
buried in Newington church-yard.
Mrs. Francis Bertram stated, that she wee the
wife of a butcher, residing qt Ykraiworth, and tee
memhered the eeport in the neighbourhood of a ske-
leton 'having been discovered in a field not far dis-
tant from her house. At that period a young man,
named John Hawkins, was in her husband's ser-
vice; and very eoon after the report of the ekeieton
having been found, as described, he left tire service,
without peing any notice of his' intention, and, she
believed,- en-fisted • for a soldier. She added, that
Hawkins had lived in their service about six years,
and that during that period he.was subject to fits.
In reply to the Magistrate, the witness said that

Hawkins was in the habit of going out occasionally
at. night! ; 'but she Evan not aware that he was keep,
ing cothpany.with any young girl, or that he was in
the hahit: of 'walking with females in that neigh.!.
bourIllood: •.

Mr., Cgmtnirias inquired of Snow, the beadle,
whether, at the time described by Hawkins, in his
corif4ssion, there was any female missing by her
family from Walworth or its neighbourhood ?
Snow said that he had not heard of any, and ex-
pressed his belief, that, if such had been the case,
he should have been informed of it.

Mr. CHAMBERS then inquired whether it had been
ascertained with certainty whether the skeleton was
that of a male or female, as it was of the utmost im-
portance to the inquiry.
•' It was stated, in reply, that no medical person
had examined the skeleton ; but that from the
smallness of the bones, it was conclud,d br those
who had seen them that .they were those:of a female.
Mr. CHAMBERS remarked that it was pretty evi-
dent, from the circumstance of the teeth being per-
fect, that the body had not been deposited in the
place where it was found by resurrection-men ; for,
if that had been the case, no doubt remained but
they would have been extracted from the jaws, par-
ticularly as the teeth were so good.
The Magistrate having heard the whole of the
evidence given by the witnesses in attendance, ad-
journed the further investigation of this extraordi-
nary and mysterious affair, in order that the skull
might be examined by a medical man, to put it be-
yond all doubt whether it was that of a male or
female.

FROM THE GAZETTE OF LAST NIGHT.

Lord Chamberlain's Office, April 15, 1830.

Notice is hereby given, that the Levee intended to be
held at S. James's Palace, on Wednesday the 21st inst.,
is postponed to Wednesday the sth of May next.