The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-21 00:00:00

Confession of the Wigan Murder.

A powerful young fellow, named John Healey, was
brought before R. Greaves, Esq., county magistrate of
Warwick, on Thursday evening last, by Police-sergeant
Maycock, of the Warwick Borough police force, under
the following circumstances :—The prisoner had been
admitted into the Warwick County Prison about twelve
months ago, under contract from the county of Mont-
gomery, where he had been imprisoned for a desperate
burglary at Newtown, in that shire. He had been placed
under the new strict regulations enforced for persons
repeatedly committed, and had, while undergoing them,
made a confession to the governor of the above gaol,
Mr. Anderson, that he was ono of the men who, it will be
remembered, perpetrated an inhuman and diabolical out-
rage upon the engineer of a colliery at Wigan. He was
accordingly charged before Mr. Greaves with having felo-
niously and maliciously killed and slain James Barton, the
engineer referred to.

Mr. John Anderson was the first witness sworn, and he
deposed as follows:—The prisoner came into my custody
on the 7th of November last. On Sunday, the 2d
of April, he expressed a wish to see me privately, as I
was then engaged in a general inspection of the prison.
I accordingly took him into the room used by visitors
and magistrates. He said, " I have something particular
to tell you, and until I do so I cannot rest at night,
without being troubled in my dreams. I was concerned in
the Wigan outrage about eighteen months ago. I was at
the time on tramp. I met with four others in a public-
house where Barton was. He was sitting there. We
robbed him of his watch and money, and then we put him
into the fire. I was obliged to do it in self-defence, or they
would have done something terrible to me, and I was afraid
of them. I did not put him into the fire. I held his legs
while they put him in. We all fled. I don't-know what
became of the others. I got nothing for it, but some
whiiky, and have been miserable ever since." As soon as
I returned to my office I put down accurately what he
said, and the above is the substance.
The prisoner said he had had a sorry twelve months of it,
and was remanded for further evidence. He has been re-
peatedly convicted, and has been some time in a reformatory

Mr. Samuel Lucas; of the Times, and editor of
the Shilling Magazine, is a candidate, says the Reader, for
the Professorship of English Language and Literature in
University College, London, vacated by Professor Masson,
editor of Macmillan's Magazine, on his appointment to tho
Professorship of Rhetoric and English Literature in the
University of Edinburgh.
THE FRENCH .EXHIBITION PALACE OF 1867.—
Mr. George Maw, F.S.A., of Benthall-hall, Mr.
Broseley and Mr. Edward J. Payne, F.J.8.A., of Birming-
ham, lay claim to being the originators of the system of
classification and plan of arrangement that have been
adopted by the Commissioners of the French Exhibition
of 1867. In the Builder of Oct. 14 a ground plan of the in-
tended French Exhibition building is engraved side by side
with Messrs. Maw and Payne's plan which was published
in the Builder of Fob. 16, 1861. Tho two plans, which are
very peculiar in their arrangements and details, are, with
scarcely any exception, identical. Messrs. Maw and Payne's
design was submitted by them between four and five years
ago to the French authorities, soliciting its adoption for
the intended universal exhibition.
A PENNY ROGUE.—One of two men who were
delivering goods on Saturday morning from a spring
van near the General Post-Office had his boots cleaned by
the little shoeblack whose station is there. The work was
done satisfactorily, and the little fellow expected to get
paid, but instead, the person got into the van and drove
hurriedly away, leaving the boy crying bitterly. A num-
ber of gentlemen who sawtheaffapirurgsauveed,chtashreewtoetluaet vtahne ,
and the fellow, seeing himself
penny, expecting that this would stop the chase. But
those following knew better; they took no notice of it,
stopped the horse, apprehended the man, brought him
back, made him lift the penny from the street and per-
sonally hand it to the little shooblack, amid the hisses and
groans of the spectators. As there was no policeman near
at the time be was not given iu charge, but ho took him-
self off with a very hang-dog look.—North British Daily
Mail.