The Sun.
London, England, 1865-08-17 00:00:00

118.1§.91
30.17.61

THE SUN, LONDO.N, TITURSDA I' EV ENII G, AUG UST 17, 1865.

CRIMINAL COURT.—This Day.

OLD COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Byles.)
William Biddleston was placed at the bar charged with
feloniously attempting to discharge a loaded pistol at Susan
Denson with intent to murder. It was intimated to the'
Court that the prisoner was of unsound mind and unfit to
plead.

Mr. Gibson, the surgeon of Newgate, stated his opinion
that the prisoner was unable to plead. He laboured under
the delusion that he was being pursued by harpies.
The prisoner was then removed.
CHARGE OF ARSON.

Robert Thompson, 19, George Robert Weston, and
George Bishop were indicted for feloniously setting fire to
the warehouse of the Messrs. Defries, the eminent chan-
delier manufacturers and gas engineers, in Houndsditch.
Mr. Sleigh said he had carefully examined the depo-
sitions, and that he did not feel justified in offering any
evidence, and the prisoners, under the direction of the
learned judge, were acquitted by the jury.

The Case of Constance Kent.

We (7 imes) are requested to publish the following
correspondence :

"Brighton, Aug. 15.
"My dear Mr. Wagner,--In the absence of my brother
churchwarden, the pleasing duty of transmitting to you
the accompaning address devolves on me alone.
" You will observe that the address is dated in June, and
was drawn up some time before the trial of Constance
Kent took place. lam confident that I may now venture
to add, on behalf of those who have subscribed their names
to it, an expression of thankfulness that the trial has ended
so much less painfully than we could have ventured to
anticipate.

"Our anxiety at that time was lest the law of the land,
on the subject of confession, should have been ruled to be
antagonistic to the law of the Church, and that you should
have been called upon to suffer for conscience sake. We
feared, too, that the annoyances and insults which were
offered to the sister might have been carried to still greater
lengths at a time of public excitement. But neither those
nor other evils which might have arisen out of the trial
have actually taken place, and we have groat reason to be
thankful.

"Many who have subscribed the address have wished
also to contribute to St. Mary's Hospital as a testimony of
their appreciation of the unostentatious usefulness of that
institution, which has for many years conferred such
inestimable benefits on the poor, the afflicted, and the
fallen ; and which has now been made the instrument, we
have every reason to hope and believe, of converting a
great criminal into a sincere penitent.
" I have the pleasure of transmitting to you the sum of
£271 12s. 6d. from 124 persons, being the amount of the
contributions above referred to.—Believe me to remain,
my dear Mr. Wagner, very faithfully yours,

"ROBERT MOORSOM.

" The Rev. A. D. Wagner."

44 To THE REV. A. D. 'WAGNER, INCEMEEIiT OF ST.

PAUL'S.

" Rev. Sir,—We, the undersigned, members of St. Paul's
congregation and others your friends and well-wishers,
desire to express our sympathy with you under your pre-
sent anxiety, and under the unmerited obloquy with which
you have been assailed in the conscientious discharge of
your duty.

" We make our earnest prayer to Almighty God, who
ever brings good out of evil, that He will be pleased to
overrule the present troubles to the glory of His name and
the benefit of his Holy Church.—We are with much re-
spect ever faithfully yours,

"ROBERT Moonsom Churchwarden
"G. G. HILL, Jof St. Paul's.
" And 020 other signatures.

"June, 1865."

" Vicarage, Brighton, Aug. 15.
"My dear Colonel Moorsom,-1 beg to acknowledge with
many thanks your most kind note, together with an ac-
companying address, and a check for £271 12s. 6d., all
which have just reached me. I must request you to have
the goodness to convey to all those who have signed that
address my warmest gratitude for their sympathy, and to
tell them how deeply I appreciate their further kindness
in sending with it so very substantial and opportune an
offering to the funds of St. Mary's Hospital.
" I will not say more in reference to what has evoked
this most kind expression of sympathy than that it hae
been my earnest wish, in all that has taken place, simply to
do my duty, and that though, when religious principle is
at stake, no one holding my office ought to be influenced
in the least by the good or bad opinion of others, yet it is
a consolation to me to think that so many friends, whose
good opinion I do prize, should not disapprove of the course
which I have I have taken, and should also have come
forward so generously to say so.—With the renewed ex-
pression of my thanks, believe me, my dear Colonel Moor-
som, yours very sincerely,

" A. D. WAGNER."

Awful Crime in America.

(From the Hartford Time; Aug. 1.)
The quiet village of Oakland, Manchester, about nine
miles east of this city, was aroused this morning by the
news of the most fearful crime ever perpetrated in the
vicinity. At the early hour of four o'clock, or a little
sooner, Mrs. Benjamin Starkweather, sister-in-law of
Natham Starkweather of this city, aged 46, and her
daughter Harriet Ella, aged 14 years, were both foully
murdered while sleeping together in their house. They
wore killed with an axe, but they were also stabbed in
various places with a butcher knife.

We saw the bodies after they had been laid out, and
hops never to see such another sight. The mother's face
was cut in two by a powerful blow from the axe, which
divided the nose, crosswise, and cut open the face entirely
across, crushing through the bones of the upper jaw and
cheeks. Over the right eye was another gash from the
axe, sinking through the skull and into the brain; and
there was another wyich cut open the side and back of
the head, and also a great gash near the right temple.
Besides those wounds there were others made by a
butcher's knife—one through the lower part of the
chin, the blade penetrating deep into the throat; one
deep into the right breast, and another deep one in the left
breast. Ella, the daughter, presented a still more shocking
sight. Her right eye was entirely gone. The axe had cut
a terrible gash across the brow, eye, and cheek, evidently
at one blow, letting out all the eye, breaking in the skull,
and cleaving down to the cheek-bone. Above the right
eye, near the top of the forehead, was another fearful gash
from the axe, sinking into the brain : and she was stabbed
through the bosom with the butcher's knife. The first in-
formation of the murder was given by the son, Albert
Starkweather, at four o'clock. He came to Mr. Horace
White's, a, neighbour, rattling, or rather falling against
the back door, and arousing the inmates with this call :
" Get up!—get up !—Come over to our house ! I don't
know but our folks are all killed, and the house is on fire."
Mr White ran over, followed by Albert, and found his (Al-
bert's) room was full of smoke and the bed on fire. He took
the bed up and put it out of the window. Then he went
up stairs, though the smoke was so thick he was nearly
suffocated. Albert did not follow him, but paced hurriedly
up and down the lower rooms sobbing and crying. On
getting into the chamber, Mr. White found the bed all in
a blaze, and the bedroom covered with blood. He lifted
up Ella, and found her still alive, though bathed in blood
and presenting a shocking sight. As he lifted her a bloody
axe slipped off upon the floor. Mr. White took it, and lift-
ing the windowplacedthe axe underit to let out the smoke.
while he next got Mrs. Starkweather off the burning bed,
and finding her dead, placed her on the floor, while ho
rolled up the bed and threw it out of the window. His
hands were blistered and his clothes rendered very bloody.
The dying Ella he carried in his arms to a back window in
an adjoining room in order to give her fresh air, and then
sent his hired man, who with others had arrived, at once
for the doctor. But the poor girl died in a few minutes.
Her blood covered the window-sill on which she rested and
the floor near by. Mr. White at once instituted a search
for tracks about the house, but was unable to discover any
distinct marks of feet except in the garden. Albert Stark-
weather, 24 years of age, slept on the lower floor in the
north-east room. His mother and Ella slept in the north-
west room above. He says a noise up stairs just before
dawn awoke him, and rushing out of his room he was
knocked down near the foot of the stairs by a man, or men,
coming down; that he recovered, and had a scuffle in the
dark, and was overpowered, thrown down, and the man or
men escaped. He shows a scar over one eye, which he says
was caused by the blow the murderer gave him. This
mark, unfortunately, was obviously of an older date than
this morning. A jury of inquest was summoned, and after
sitting from nine to ten, and tacitly agreeing upon a ver-
dict, they decided nevertheless to have an adjourned
session after further facts were developed. Albert's
butcher knife was suddenly brought out, during the session
of the jury, and its appearance before his eyes caused him
to start and tremble. A very ugly fact is that the knife
was found in his drawer, in his own bed-room. The Hart-
ford police were promptly put upon an investigation, and
Chief Chamberlain, accompanied by officers Cowles and
Pape, went over to the sc9ne of murder. Chamberlain
arrested the son, Albert, and locking him in the front
chamber with himself and Cowles (after the inquest) pro-
ceeded to subject him to an examination. While this exa-
mination was going on, Edgar Green, a man whom Albert
had hired to work about the place in summer, arrived
from Mansfield, where he lives, and where he had driven on
a visit, leaving Oakland last Saturday noon. Albert had
paid him at the rate of $34 a month for services which
never seemed to amount to much, the neighbours said ;
and they think Albert never could have afforded to
hire him at that rate. Green, however, shows no evidence
of guilt, and was very willing to be examined. Ho was
evidently thunderstruck to hear of the murder. Albert's
reputation is not good. Ho has been rather a " fast
young man," and his associations are said to have been
none of the best. We hear that he was soon to be mar-
ried. In his bureau was found a sum of money in
National Bank bills, amounting to about $262. There
were three $lOO bills, one $5O, and some smaller. He
says he left the back door Open over night, so that
Green could get in if he returned. (Green had taken
Albert's buggy and his own horse.) When we left at
noon, the questions of Chief Chamberlain and his assistant
had brought Albert to a point where it seems as if he
Must soon be forced to admit the horrible truth; for,
though he saw it not, the course of the examination was
suddenly drawing him to a point where his answers
would not agree with each other. He is an ordinary-
looking young man, but with an unpleasant expression,
a look of incapacity and weakness about the lower jaw,
which would seem to have been illustrated in the bung-
lingly stupid manner of the murder and its incidents, if we
are to accept the theory that he committed the crime. He
says $2OO of the money was his, and the rest his mother's.
The family were in moderate circumstances, and had but
little spare money. Albert has shunned a sight of the
victims.

THE VACANT MUSIC CHAIR.---4e understand
that Mr. John Hullah will offer himself as a candidate for
the Chair of Music in our University, vacant by the death
of Professor Donaldson,—Scotsman.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

EGHAM RACES-WEDNESDAY.

The second day saw a better attendance, and brighter
skies, beneath which the course assumed a much gayer ap-
pearance. General Hess, with the penalty for his success
yesterday, had the Princess of Wales's Handicap at his
mercy, and won in the commonest of canters. The only
other event calling for remark is the Surrey and Middlesex,
for which a fair field presented itself, one of the favourites,
Pearl Diver, repeating his Reading performance, and again
bearing Mr. Brayley's lucky colours in the van. The racing
was over in good time to admit of many intending Oxford-
goers reaching that city before nightfall. _ _

The Baron's Stgkes (handicap) of 5 sevs each, with 50
added ; for 2-yr-olds. Any winner, after the publication
of the weights (Aug. 11, at 10 a.m.) to carry 51b extra.

22 subs.
Mr. Lincoln's Miss Williams, 7st 51b (including 51b extra)
(Maidment) 1
Mr. G. Newton's Pinchbeck, 7st 4lb (S. Adams 2
Mr. J. H. C.Wyndham's The Masson, Bst 31b (including
51b extra) (Fordham) 3
Tho following also ran :—Ropley, Retribution, Hasketon
Maid, and Violent.
Betting-6 to 4 agst Miss Williams—at first sto 2, and
2 to 1 agst The Masson.
After one break away, Violent on the far side, and Miss
Williams next the rails, were seen with the lead, the re-
mainder running in a line across the course until nearing
the distance. The favourite from this point came on with
the lead, and won in a canter by two lengths; the Masson
a bad third; the remainder pulling up, headed by Hasketon
Maid, finished in a cluster.

The Princess of Wales Stakes (handicap for all ages)
of 200 EOPS in specie, entrance 3 Boys each, to go to the
fund. Any number of horses the property of the same

owner, &c., may run for this plate. One mile.
Mr. G. Angell's General Flees, by the Nabob, aged, 7st
101 b (Perry 1
Mr. J. Nightingall's Discretion, 3 yrs, Est 41b...(Scorey 2
Mr. R. Kelso's Filbert, 3 yrs, 7st 81b (Hoskins 3

The following also ran:—Deerfoot, Verbena, Anti-Ma-
cassar, and Dayrell.
Betting-2 to lon General Hess, 6to 1 agst 'Deerfoot,
100 to 12 each agst Anti-Macassar and Discretion.
Discretion, after a slight delay at the post, jumped off
with the lead, attended by Verbena, Deerfoot, Filbert, and
General Hess to about a quarter of a mile from home, when
the latter went to the front, headed Discretion, and won in
the most hollow style by 10 lengths ; Filbert a very bad
third, and the others all pulling up.
The Magna Charta Stakes of 5 soya each, with 50 added ;
for two-year-olds, 7st, and three, 9st. T.Y.C.

Count Batthyany's Blackthorn, by Ellington, 2 yrs, 6st
41b (£100) (Murray 1
Mr. B. Land's b g Ascot, 3 yrs, Bst 61b (£200) (Cannon 2
Mr. Notley's Wild Dove, 2 yrs, Est 31b (.£150) (Mordan 3
Mr. Hodgman's Viper, 2 yrs, Est lib (£100) (Heartfield) 4
Mr. Jones's br f by Cannobie—Hopbine, 2 yrs, Est 3ib
(£150) (Grace) 5
Betting-5 to 4 agst Blackthorn, 3to 1 agst Wild Dove,
and 4 to 1 agst the Hopbine filly.
Blackthorn made the running, waited upon by Ascot,
Wild Dove lying nest to the enclosure, when Ascot swerved,
and the favourite increasing his lead won easily by two
lengths ; Wild Dove finished three lengths behind Ascot.
The winner was bought in for 200 guineas.

The Surrey and Middlesex Stakes of 15 sows each, with

100 added. Two miles and a distance. 23 subs.

Mr. E. Brayley's Pearl Diver, by Marsyas, 5 yrs, 7st 91b
(inc. 71b extra) (Cannon) 1
Mr. Wodson's Jevington, 3 yrs,•6st 81b (lleartfield) 2
Mr. W. Day's Joco, 5 yrs, 7st 81b... (S. Adams) 3
... .... . ___.

The following also ran :—Dr. Syntax, Gibraltar, The
Swift, Ellangowan, Rinaldo, and Threadbare.
Betting-4 to 1 each agst Pearl Diver and Joco, sto 1
agst Dr. Syntax, 8 to 1 agst The Swift, and 10 to 1 each
agst Jevington and Ellangowan.
Perry weighed for Dunkeld, and his number was put up,
but the horse not being on the ground it was taken down.
Threadbare made play, followed by Ellang6wan, Joco,
Jevington, Pearl Diver, and Dr. Syntax, Gibraltar and The
Swift bringing up the rear. At the far side Pearl Diver
ran into second position, Threadbare having a clear lead,
and the rest going on in Indian file. At the half-mile post
Pearl diver passed the loader, and Jevington joining him,
the two drew away, withJoco following, Pearl Diver easily
shaking off Jevington, and winning by three-quarters of a
length. Joco was four lengths from the second, Threadbare
was fourth, and Dr. Syntax fifth. Rinaldo was last.
Tho Railway Stakes of 3 sous each, with 50 added, for all
ages ; selling allowances. Three-quarters of a mile.
Mr. Amberry's Little Ellen, 2 yrs, sst 71b(£30)(Kenyon) 1
Mr. B. Land's Lord of tho Manor, aged, Bst 71b (£3O)
(J. Nightingale 2
Mr. J. Read's Castle Hill, 4 yrs, Bst 31b (£3O) (Pordham 3
Mr. Coney's Sister Mary, 3 yrs, 7st Glb (£3O) ... (Perry 4

Betting-5 to 4 agst Castle Hill, 2to i agst Lord of the
Manor, and 3 to 1 agst Little Ellen.

The latter, after showing some fractionsn3ss at the post,
jumped off with a clear lead, and making the whole of the
running, won easily by a length and a half ; a bad third.
The winner was sold to Mr. T. Hughes for 150 guineas.
A. Scurry Handicap Sweepstakes (gentlemen riders) of 10
sovs each, 3 ft., with 50 added. Professionals, 71b extra.
Three-quarters of a mile. 11 subs.

Mr. Payne's The Beadle, 4 yrs, 10st 111 b (Mr. Bevill) 1
Mr. W. Morris's The Warrior (inc. 51b ex.), 4 yrs, 12st 61b
(Mr. Dixon) 2
Mr. Pyles's The Gunner, 5 yrs, 9st 121 b (Mr. Wood) 3
Betting—Even against The Beadle, 5 to 4 against The
Warrior, and 10 to 1 agst The Gunner.
The favourite made the whole of the running, and won
cleverly by a length. The Gunner beaten off.