The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-03 00:00:00

LLEGED MURDER OF A GENTLEMAN OF

FORTUNE.

Yesterday, Elizabeth Vickets, a middle-aged, and well
dressed female, was placed at the bar before Mr. Elliott,
at Lambeth Police-court, charged with having, by vio-
lence, caused the death of Mr. William Jones, an aged
gentleman of considerable property, on the night of Sun-
day, the Bth of last month.
On the discovery of the death of the deceased, who was
upwards of 83 years old, strong suspicions were enter-
tained by many of the inhabitants of the neighbourhood
that it had been caused by unfair means, and this opinion
became strengthened upon the fact being disclosed, that
his housekeeper (the prisoner) became entitled, by his
will, to the great bulk of his large property, to the ex-
.c?usion of his immediate relatives and friends. Mr.
Lund, the superintendent of the P division, assisted by
one of his sergeants (Quinnear), collected sufficient evi-
dence to justify them in apprehending the prisoner. The
task, ho-Never, was not a very easy one, as the accused,
who is a very powerful woman, and not at all unlike the
notorious murderer Mrs. Manning, made a most deter-
mined resistance, and Mr. Lund declares that a more
desperate woman he never encountered.
Mr. Scudding, an attorney, attended on the part of
the nephew and friends of the deceased to prosecute,
and Mr. Solomon, who defended Mrs. Manning, appeared
for the accused.
The first witness called was Mr. David Key, a surgeon
of Brixton, who said—l knew Mr. William Jones, who
lived at Springfield Cottage, Acre-lane, Brixton, for 18
or 19 years, and attended him occasionally during the
whole of that time. I also know the prisoner. She had
lived with Mr. Jones, as his housekeeper, for 12 or 14
years. On the 12th of January I was called to Mr.
Jones's, about half-past five or six o'clock in the morn-
ing, by a man of the name of Evans. I went there a
little after eight, and I found Mr. Jones dead, lying
upon a sofa in the back parlour. He was dressed as
usual, I believe, but I am not sure whether he had
his coat on or not. He was lying on a blanket, which
was wrapped round him. The prisoner was in the room
at the time, and I asked her how long he had been lying
there ? She said she could not get him up to bed the
night before ; that he asked her for a little water, which
she gave him, and then he died at half-past three o'clock
in the morning. She said she could not get him up stain
because he was helpless, and that he had expressed a
wish that she should sit up with him. I asked her what
time he was down on the Sunday, the day before, and
she said she could not tell me the exact time, but that
he had dined up stairs, and after that he came down.
I asked her if he had had any spirits, and she said he had
a little gin and water, but could not tell the exact quail_
tity he had. She said he had been on the sofa from the

time he came down until he died. I asked her if he had

made any snoring noise, and she said "No." I asked
her if he was insensible, and she said "No ;" he died
directly after taking the water. I asked her if he had
swallowed any of it, and she said she was not certain
whether he had swallowed any. It appeared to me to
be a very confused account that she gave. I then ex-
amined the body, and found several wounds on the fore-
head ; two of them were cut wounds, and had been done
some little time. They were in the course of healing.
I should think they had been there about a fortnight.
I think these wounds might have been inflicted by a
blunt weapon or by a fall. They did not appear to be
incised wounds. There was no bruise then to be seen.
There was a crust formed over the wounds. They were
on the forehead—one on the centre and one on the left
side. There_ were four or five other wounds on the
head, some on the side, some on the back, and some on
the top. All these wounds were trivial as to affecting
life. I found dried blood on the hair. These wounds
were covered over with dried blood. On washing, the
blood came off and the wounds appeared. There was a
severe bruise on the right temple—a severe contused
wound—but the skin was not broken. It was merely a
swelling, larger than a crown piece, and it was slightly
discoloured, and it appeared to have been recently inflicted,
It might have been done five or six days, not more—
it might have been done much less time. There were
one or two scratches and bruises on the face. There
was another severe bruise on the back part of the head,
towards the top. There was a swelling, and I think it
had been done about the same time. The lower carti-
lage of the nose, called the septum, was broken, though
there was no bruise perceptible on the nose itself, but
the cartilage might have been broken by a fall or a blow.
On the right knee was a discolouration arising from a
blow or fall, but the skin was not broken. There was a
wound on the left knee, which appeared to me to be a
bruise. I did not see any other bruises. I spoke to the
prisoner about the bruises, and she said he had fallen
upon the stairs, and had then hurt his nose, and that it
was some little time ago, but she would not tell me when.
She said, also, that he had had a fall in the garden, but
did not say when it was. I have attended Mr. Jones
medically for eighteen years, and I think it must have
been two months before this happened that I had seen
him alive. He was very well then. He was subject to
gout. I have not attended him medically these last two
years, but have now and then sent him plasters for his
feet. He did not complain of anything then, nor did
I observe aLy marks of violence on him at that time.
He was nearly 84 years of age, and was rather infirm
from his years ; but, except the gout, I believe he
was a perfectly healthy man. It would be uncertain
whether death caused by such means as I found would
be sudden or not. I cannot say whether those injuries
were caused by a fall or a blow ; but there was certainly
great violence, whatever it was. A person receising
such a blow as that which I found on the temple, for
instance, would be rendered insensible for a time, but
might not die immediately. The marks I saw on the
head would not have been produced by one fall. Ido
not think a mere fall upon the ground could have
caused such a bruise as I found on the temple or the
side of the head, unless he had fallen upon a large stone.
The blow on the back of the head might have been
received by his falling backward on the ground, if he had
fallen on something hard. I have been to see the
deceased several times when I could not get in, but not
for a month or two before his death. I saw him once in
August last. He had then two black eyes and a slight
scratch or two upon the nose, and likewise upon the chin.
The prisoner was present at the time, and I asked him,
in her pres'ence, if he had fallen down stairs ? He made
no answer, but the prisoner, before he had time to do so,
exclaimed, "Don't answer," and he did not. The pri-
soner then began abusing me, and said, " Well, I have
got the money, and you told Mr. Jones not to do it,"
and then she continued to abuse me for an hour for
interfering between her and her master, who wanted to
transfer some money to her. No other person lived in
the house but the prisoner and the deceased.
In cross-examination by Mr. Solomon, the witness
said that an inquest had been held on tha body of the
deceased. At that inquest the witness had given evi-
dence similar to that which he gave on the present occa-
sion, yet the jury returned a verdict that the deceased
bad died from the effects of an accidental fall.

Miss Susan Allen was next sworn, and deposed as fol-
lows :—I have lived at No. 5, Springfield Cottages,
Acre-lane, Brixton, for 14 years, and during the whole
of that time the deceased resided next door to me. About
13 years ago the prisoner came to live with Mr. Jones
as his housekeeper, and resided with him up to the time
of his death. About a week before his death—on New
Year's-day—Mr. Jones came to the fence of the garden
and spoke t• me. He was then in excellent health and
very cheerful; but he had a very large bruise, as big as
a walnut, on the right side of his head, near the temple,
and a large bruise above that, as large as a moderate
sized tea-cup, on the right side of his head. The bruise
on the temple was as big as a walnut, but the other was
coagulated blood, and blood was issuing from it. He
had his night-cap on at the time, and it was much stained
with blood. It was put on so as not to cover the in-
juries, so that she could plainly see them. I have fre-
quently seen bruises on him before this, and he has com-
plained to me about them. I have seen the prisoner
beat him violently, and pull him about by his grey hair.
I have seen her pull him from the garden fence to his
own house by the hair, beating him on the head and
shoulders with her clenched fists. I have seen her
beat him with both her fists about the head ; that
was in the course of last spring. I have seen violence
used by her in the autumn before. She pulled him in
then by the hair of the head, and beat him with her
fists on his head, and she said then she would make him

remember going out, a 4 she had desired him not, while

she WAR out. For the last twelve months not a week

had passed without my hearing her beat him. I can
hear it from outside the house. I had listened at his

request. The prisoner frequently came home intoxi-
cated. I believe she has not been sober for an entire
day, except Sundays, for a year. She told me that Mr.
Jones had made over 1,0001. in their joint names—his
name and hers--and she wished it in her own name ;
but Mr. Key had persuaded Mr. Jones not to, but she
would make him remember going from his promise as
long as he lived—that she would let him know that she
was a lion resolved, and as he called upon Mr. Key un-
known to her, he should never go out of the house by
himself again, and if Mr. Key came there she should kick
him out. It was last spr:ng she said so. She said that
Mr. Key persuaded him that if he did not transfer the
money to a trustee for her benefit, it would be a bona fide