The Sun.
London, England, 1862-03-06 00:00:00

SHOCKING DEATH IN A BROTHEL.

Yesterday afternoon, Robert Whitty, John Dunage, and
Elizabeth Pratt, the latter, an unfortunate girl, were
brought before Mr. Combe, at Southwark Police-court, by
Mr. Inspector Reed, A division, charged on suspicion by
causing the death of Jane Rayor, aged 40, at Tiverton-
street, Newington-causeway, by acts of violence; also
with attempting to set the house on fire.
Mr. Henderson, the superintendent of the fire brigade of
the district was in attendance to watch the proceedings on
befalf of the insurance offices.
Inspector Reed said that he was on duty at the Stones-
end Police statiion, on the previous night, and about
twenty minutes past twelve he was informed that a
female had been murdered at No. 11, Tiverton-street,
Newington-causeway, and that the house had been set on
fire with the view of consuming the body. He proceeded
there at once, and on forcing the street-door open he saw a
female lying in the passage, apparently burnt to death. On
entering the place there was a strong smear of burnt flesh,
and he perceived that the clothes had been consumed, and
that the body was much charred. He also discovered a
wound on her head.
Mr. Combe—Where was she lying when you first dis-
covered her?
Inspector Reed—Just inside the door, at the end of the

passage.
Mr. Combe--What part of the house was burnt ?
Mr. Henderson—No part of the house ; but the paper
and the skirting-board in the passage and bed-room was a
little scorched.
Inspector Reed further informed his worship that the
prisoner Whitty and the deceased cohabited together, and
kept a brothel. The other prisoners came there, to sleep
in the other room, and while they were there the deceased
appeared to have quarrelled with Whitty. He (Inspector
Reed) believed that it would be as well to make witnesses
of the girl .and Dunage, as they could give some insight
into the occurrence.
Mr. Coombe asked if any blood was traced from the room
to the door where he found the deceased lying?
Inspector Reed replied in the negative.
Mr. Coombe ordered the female to be released from cus-
tody, and sworn.
She stated that her name was Elizabeth Pratt, and that
she was an unfortunate girl. She knew the deceased as

keeper of a brothel at No. 11, Tiverton-street, Newington'

causeway. About half•past eleven on the previous night
witness met the prisoner Dunage, and accompanied him to
deceased's house. She was at home with Whitty at the
time, and they appeared to have quarrelled, but they had
made it up. About twelve o'clock witness and Dunage
entered their bedroom, and they had not been there more
than ten min ites before they heard the other door open,
and Whitty calling out " Fire." Witness instantly opened
their door, and saw deceased rush down stairs enveloped in
flames.

Mr. Combe—Had you heard the deceased call out before
that happened
Witness—No, sir; I never heard her speak after we left
her and Whitty in the room. They seemed good friends
then. As soon as I saw her run past me in flames I opened
the window and called out "Fire" and " Police I"
Did you see and blood marks in the passage or on the
stairs ?—No, sir.
Mr. Henderson informed his worship that they had
examined those places, and there were no marks of blood
to be seen. The inside handle of the door was broken off,
and he considered it most likely that she fell against that
and caused her death.
Mr. Combe here ordered Dunage to be discharged, and
examined as a witness, as he did not think that he was in
any wife ccncerned in causing the woman's death.
James Dunage was then sworn, and stated that he was
an engineer at Woolwich. About eleven o'clock at night
he met the witness Pratt in the Borough, and accompanied
her to the house of the deceased. Whitty was then going
out at the door. When witness and Pratt got upstairs
they saw the deceased, and she appeared to have been
drinking. About ten minutes afterwards Whitty came
into the room where they were, and he said something
about going out. The deceased called out that he should
not go without her, and then they both left the house.
They returned about twelve, and appeared to be quarrel-
ling, when witness and Pratt went into the other room.
They had not been in bed ten minutes before they heard
some one call out in the other room. Pratt got out of bed
and listened, and in a minute or two they heard some one
call out "Fire I" Witness and Pratt pulled their door
open, and he saw some one pass him enveloped in
flames. Witness thought the house was on fire at first,
but a moment afterwards Whitty came running up, ex-
claiming, " She's burnt to death I She's dead, she's dead 1"
Mr. Combe asked whether there was a fire in the de-
ceased's grate.

Witness replied that there was a good fire there.
Pratt here informed his worship that the deceased wore
a very large crinoline, and was undressed when she left the
room. Witness should think it was likely that the crino-
line caught fire.
Mr. Combe here asked whether the prisoner Whitty had
made any statement about the occurrence.
Inspector Reed replied that he had not.

Mr. Combe then told Whitty that he might make any
statement he liked, but he cautioned him that what he
said would be taken down and might be used against him.
Witness said he had nothing to fear, as he had done no
harm to the deceased. He then said that he had lived with
her about a week at 11, Tiverton-street, Newington-
causeway. There were only two rooms over a gateway,
one of which they occupied, and the other the deceased
let out. On the previous evening he came home, about
six o'clock, a little the worse for liquour, and seeing she
was rather quarrelsome he walked away, and went to a
neighbouring public-house. At a late hour the deceased
and the witness Pratt came for him, and they all went to
another public-house, and he treated them to something to
drink. A little before 12 they went home, and after Pratt
and Dunage had gone to their room he sat in a chair by
the fire. The deceased, who was undressed, came up
to him with her back to the fire and kissed him, at the

same time stooping down just as she was saying, " I'll kiss
you before I go to bed," her clothes suddenly became all
in a blaze, and sb.e screamed out. He seized hold of her

and attempted to tear the clothes from her, but she was
too strong for him, and rushed out of the room down the

stairs towards the door. He followed her down with a
counterpane, when be saw her lying insensible near the
street door. He called out for assistance, and then it was
discovered that she was dead. That was all he knew about
the affair,

Mr, Combe asked Inspector Reed whether therer was

any reason to doubt the man's statement.
Inspector Reed replied that there was not. Dr. Towns-
end was called in to examine the deceased, and he might be

able to state the cause of death.

Mr, Combe asked if ha.was in attendance.

The Inspector replied that be was not, but an inquest
would shortly be held, when he would give his testimony.
Mr. Combe accordingly remanded the prisoner until after

:he inquest, but admitted him to bail.

THIS DA I'S SHIPPING.

LONDON, March 6.—Wind this clay at noon—South-
Westerly ; strong breeze and cloudy weather.
DARTMOUTH, March 6.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Nau-
tilus, from London for St. Kitt's.

QUEENSTOWN. March s.—Arrived—American, steamer,
'rom Bostcn.

PLYMOUTH, March s.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Alex-
ander, from Honduras ; Cactus, steamer, from New York ;
Athens, screw steamer, from Southampton. Sailed—Cap
Rouge, for Callao.
GLOUCESTER, March s.—Arrived—lbis, from New
York.

SUNDERLAND, March s.—Wind S.E.—Sailed—Eastern
Queen, for Calcutta.
YARMOUTH ROADS, March s,—Arrived—Free Briton,
from Shields for Hamburg, leaky, having encountered a
gale on the Ist inst., and would await orders from her
owners.

CARDIFF, March s.—Wind S.— Sailed—Stuart Wortley,
for Shanghai; Christina for Havannah ; Reindeer, for
Bilboa.

SWANSEA, March s.—Wind S,W.—Sailed—Parocca, for
Valparaiso.

KINGSTOWN, March s.—Arrived—Minorca, from New
York.

(BY SUBMARINE AND MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Thursday Morning.
Arrived—Earl of Auckland, from Rotterdam; Neptune,
from Havre.

DEAL, Thursday Morning.
Passed, March 6—Telegraph, from Larache ; Genova,
from Villa Nova—both for London.
Anchored—Enmore, from Demerara, for London.
The Frederick Shearer, from Shields, to Havannah, lost
anchor and part chain during the gale of last night, and has
since been supplied with others.

THE ITALIAN TARIFF.—At a meeting of the
Newcastle and Gateshead Chamber of Commerce, held this
week—Mr. C. Allhusen in the chair—the secretary stated
that a letter had been received from the Board of Trade,
dated the 28th of February, in which the board desired to
receive the opinion of the chamber as to the effect of the
tariff of Customs now in force in Italy on British trade.
Mr. Barker desired to know whether the Customs' tariff
existing in the ex-kingdom of Naples had been absorbed
into the tariff of the Sardinian Government, or whether
the old tariff of the kingdom was still in force. The
chairman said that he had asked the same question of
the Board of Trade, and the answer was, that the
Neapolitan had been absorbed in the Piedmontese
tariff. A deputation had had an interview with
Earl Russell on the subject, and the result of that
interview was that, on the 21st of February, a communi-
cation was sent from the Foreign-office to the Associated
Chambers. It stated that there were negotiations between
France and Italy of such a character as to render it pro-
bable that free trade and commerce would shortly exist;
between those two countries on the same principles as the
trade between France and Belgium, and that the time had
now arrived to endeavour to place the commercial relations
between this country and the Italian Government on a
satisfactory footing. The opinions of Chambers of Com-
merce would be of great use to her Majesty's Ctovenuueut,

TEE YELVEI?TaN MARRIAGE CASE.

n this case the proof on both sides has now been
closed, and, with one exception, the Lord Ordinary
has given judgment on all the objections and ap-
peals occurring in course of the proof for Major
Yelverton, in which judgment both parties
acquiesced. The exception referred to was as
regards the admission of the Doune visitors' book in
evidence. In the course of the proof for the pur-
suer, she proposed, in January, 1861, and again in
April, 1861, to produce the visitors' book, kept at
Donne Castle by Donald M'Donald, keeper of
Donne Castle, in which the pursuer had alleged
on record that, in the course of a tour
taken in September and October, 1857, the de-
fender entered the names of himself and the pur-
suer as " Mr. and Mrs. Yelverton." The defender
objected to the production by the pursuer of this
book, on the ground that it was mentioned by the
pursuer on record that it had been in the possession
or within the power of the pursuer, and that it had
not been produced before the record was closed.
The Court of Session, on Tuesday, repelled the ob-
jection, and allowed the book in question to be pro-
duced in evidence. Three other points remaining
to be disposed of under the joint reclaiming notes
in June last were taken up at the same time. The
first referred to a letter from the pursuer (Mrs.
Yelverton) addressed to the defender's (Major Yel-
verton) mother, Lady Avonmore, in which she had
spoken of her marriage to him. The second re-
ferred to certain letters which passed between the
pursuer (Mrs. Yelverton) and her sister and brother
in law, Mr. and Mrs, Bellamy, containing similar
statements. The third referred to certain letters
between Mrs. Yelverton and Major Yelverton's late
brother, the Hon. G. F. W. Yelverton, with refer-
ence to the proposals that she should relieve the
major by transporting herself to New Zealand.
On the first and second points, the Lord Ordinary
had sustained the objections for the defender, and
refused the admission of the documents in question ;
on the third, he had repelled the objections, and
allowed the letters to be put in evidence. The
Court, after hearing counsel for both parties, unani-
mously adhered to the Lord Ordinary's judgment.
All the preliminary questions on both sides being
now finally disposed of, the case on the merits will
as soon as possible come for argument before the
Lord Ordinary next week.

SINGULAR FORGERIES OF BILLS OF
EXCHANGE BY A WOMAN.

At Sheffield, yesterday, a wretched-looking
woman, named Sarah Oakes, the wife of a market
gardener at Wincobank, near Sheffield, was charged
with forging bills of exchange to the amount of
several hundred pounds. The prosecution was in-
stituted by the Sheffield Banking. Company, and
the facts of the case, as taken principally from state-
ments the prisoner has made, are substantially as
follows :--About two years ago she received a bill
for a small amount, in the way of business. She
says that she had never seen a bill in her life
before, and that she was doubtful for some time
whether the piece of paper was worth any-
thing. The husband decided to present it
for discount, and that was done at the
bank of the prosecutors, where the acceptor was
known, and where it was met at maturity. That
seems to have given the prisoner the first hint of
manner in which bill transactions were managed,
and she appears to have thought it a remarkably
easy way of raising money. She went to a rela-
tive's in the town, and procured some blank bill
stamps, and got the shopman to fill up the body of
a bill, with the name of her husband as the drawer,
for a certain amount. She then wrote, or procured
some one else to write, the name of Mr. Thorpe,
keeper of an eating-house, as acceptor, • on
the back of the bill. The document was
then presented for discount at the bank,
and the signature of the acceptor was
com-
pared with a genuine one, :and pronounced
in
theall
right. Several other bil:s were presented
same names, and the most singular part of the case
is that, upt tao
billst the
that time
hadof the
become discoverydue woefr
em
the
met in
all the
the regular course. The prisoner says she got the
money in the ordinary way from the proceeds of
her business, at her shop in Sheffield. On Tuesday,
a little girl presented herself at the bank,
and said she had come to pay one of the bills,
which was for a rather considerable amount.
She was asked who had sent her, and
she replied, " Mr. Thorpe." Several ques-
tions were then put, and the girl being un-
able to answer them, she was detained; and she
then said her aunt (the prisoner) had sent her with
the money. The prisoner was apprehended, and
she made a clean breast of the whole matter. It
was stated that there are now forged bills running
to the amount of £l9O, but the prisoner says they
would have been met if she had not been stopped.
Where the money was to come from is a mystery,
for the prisoner presented a most poverty-stricken
appearance. The bank authorities seem to be under
the impression that she has been acting as the tool
of some person, but she declares that no one knew
of the forgeries but herself. She was remanded
to Friday.