The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-13 00:00:00

such thing done. During this conversation between
her and myself, O'Connor rose, put on his hat, and
left the house. She immediately ran up stairs, put
on her bonnet, and overtook O'Connor about 300
yards from the house, and afterwards informed me
what she had said—" Patrick, what makes you
leave in such a mean way." He answered he
did not like my observation about bringing an action
against the two men, and that it was his firm opinion
that I meant to entrap him in the same manner ; he,
therefore, declined returning to the house. She re-
peatedly urged him to do so, but he did not return.
She came into the house in a very excited state, and
said to me, "You cow hearted villain, you have
prevented me from carrying out my plan," and
she cried bitterly. She said, " You will stand
for it, for it never will be found out. lam now
quite certain he will never come here again."
I then asked her what would become of her soul if
she committed an act of murder? to which she said
"We have no soul ; after we are dead we are like
lumps of clay, and there is no more thought of us,
and I shall never have to suffer hereafter for mur-
dering that man." The next morning (Friday) she
said to Massey, " O'Connor was here last evening,
and I informed him that you were out with your
sister. I wish you would write me a note to O'Con-
nor." He said, " Certainly; but you must dictate it."
Massey then sat down, and said, " Now, Mrs. Man-
ning, let me know what you wish me to say," upon
Which, he wrote as follows :

"Dear O'Connor,—After arriving home late last
evening, being informed that you had been at my
house, I am truly sorry that my sister and myself
were not able to be at home to dinner. We went to
an uncle's in the afternoon, and during the time we
were there he was taken dangerously ill, and my
sister was obliged to remain the whole of the night;
but we shall be most happy of your society some day
next week. Trusting that you are quite well, I am,
dear O'Connor,

" Yours every truly,
" WAIL MASSEY.

" 3, Minver place."
On Monday, about ten days afterwards, my wife
wrote to him to come to dine. He never came until
ten o'clock that evening, as he did not receive the note
before seven. He was accompanied by a person
named Walsh, and appeared to be quite drunk. He
lay upon the sofa, and appeared like in a fainting
state. She got a bottle of eau de Cologne and ap-
plied it to his nose, and washed his face, and implored
Mr. Walsh to go straight home with him. We all
shook hands and parted as the best of friends. The
next day, Thursday, the 9th of August, at nine
o'clock, A.m., she wrote a note to O'Connor,
and took it to the Post•office herself, telling tne that
there was a certainty of his getting it. The note was
Its follows :

"Dear O'Contior,—.4 shall be happy to see you to
dine with us this day at half-past five. I trust you
are quite well.—Yours

"MARIA MANNING."
Re came at ten minutes past five on this Thursday,
the 9th of August, previous to which she had laid the
table for five, with the dishcovers and everything
down. Nothing had been prepared in the way of
food. When he entered the house he asked, " Where
are Mr. and Miss Massey ?" 'My wife answered
that they were up stairs, dressing for dinner. He
then inquired how long they had been up stairs.
'My wife replied, " They are only just gone up ; they
paw you come to the door." At this time Massey
Was not in the house, nor was his sister even in London,
for even to the present hour it is my belief she
bas never been in London at all. My wife asked
O'Connor to go down stairs to wash his hands, which
he declined to do. She said, " Patrick, Miss Alassey
LI a very particular young person"—(he had been
then in the house twenty minutes)—" do come down,
Patrick,:and wash your hands." I heard him go down
stairs, being at the time in my bedroom washing.
About a minute after I heard the report of a
pistol after he had descended the stairs. She then
came up to me, Land said, " Thank God I have made
him all right at last—it never will be found out, as we
are on such extraordinary good terms—no one will
ever have the least suspicion of my murdering him,"
to which I replied, " I am
,quite certain that, you
will be hung for this act." She then said,
"It won't be you that will have to suffer,
it will be me."; After shooting him she
," I think no more of shooting bins than
the cat on the wall." Upon her coming up stairs she
insisted upon my going down stairs immediately,
and upon my reaching the kitchen I found O'Connor
resting on the grave. He moaned, and, as I never
liked him very well, I battered in his skull with the
7'Pping chisel. She took from ,his] trousers pockets
the keys of his trunk and cash boxes, and within
ten minutes after the murder—namely, twenty
Minutes to six—she put on her bonnet and mantle,
and proceeded to his house. I then said, It will
be impossible for me to stay in this house." I went
out into the garden and smoked a pipe on the wall,
and conversed with the landlord of the next house.— ,
(The chaplain hero produced a drawing of the kitchen
by Manning showing the position of the body, with
the words " Shot at this spot.") Went into his
out house to make purchase of a large quantity
of rice he had there. My wife returned from
O'Connor's, letting herself in with the street-door
key. This was about twenty minutes to eight P.M.
She appeared much excited, and said, " I have the
Whole of the shares and bonds with me. I knocked
door when I went to O'Connor's house, and
its Armes let me in." I then asked if O'Connor
was at home. She said " Ne, he is not home from
the docks yet." Upon which my wife said, " Will
You let me go up stairs, as I have come to see him
on business." The answer was, " Certainly." After
she had been up stain about fifteen minutes she
Walked quietly,from his drawing-room to his, bedroom,
Unlocked his trunk, and took all the shares she could
See, two gold watches, and two gold chains. She
saw the bankers' book, by which it appeared there
Were 3,0001. iu the bankers' hands. Regarding the
book as useless, she did not take it. She remained
at Miss, Armes' about an hour and ten minutes.
Returned home and sorted the shares, and in doing so
exclaimed, " I have not got the foreign bond,
Which is worth between 2,0001. and 3,0001.'
She said she was determined to go the following
day to get the bond, as she was quite sure he had it
for she had seen it before she knew me. She did so
repeat her visit to Miss Armes' the following day,
and returned greatly excited, not having found the
subject of her search. She said she went-into Miss
Iszmes' shop and purchased a cake, remarking, " It is
very strange Mr. O'Connor has not been home," to
which Miss Armes assented—my wife desiring,
her to be kind enough to tell him that she
had been. two evenings to see him, and that
she had desired to do so on most important business.
My wife remained there the same time as during the
previo'as day. On the Saturday, she said she wanted
me, to go to a stockbroker with the Eastern Counties
ako".res. I asked the use of my doing so, as I should
b'sve to commit a forgery. She said, " the man is
dead, and there can he no witness against you?,
Upon which I said, "it would be impossible to sell
these shares now, as 15 days' notice is required be-
fore a sale could be effected." Upon her
saying, " you can borrow money on them," I went to
Messrs. Killick and Co., sharebrokers, of Bank-
chambers, and said, I wanted to borrow 1201. upon
these :shares. They asked me by whom I had been
referred to them, to which I replied a gentleman
who had been in the habit of doing business with
them. The party I addressed asked me my name
and the place of my residence, to which I replied,
" Patrick O'Connor, 31, Greenwood-street, Mile-end-
rna(l-"ai I was told that 1201. could not be
advanced on the shares, but that I might have
110/.—that their rate of interest was five
Per cent. for six months. I replied, I
I should not want the money for more than two
rneanths. They replied the charge would be the
Larne if I only had it fora week. I said, "Very well."
They produced a document, which I signed "Patrick
O'Connor, 31, Greenwood-street, Milend-road."
They gave me a 1001. note and ten sovereigns. I
Wished them " Good morning." I then went to the
Bank of England, had the note changed for 50
Sovereigns and five 101. notes. I returned home and
gave the money to my wife. There were other shares
with O'Connor's name to them. My wife said "I had
better take these shares to another broker, and turn them
nto money." The last-named shares I believe to
have been six of the Leicester and liirmingham, an