The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-19 00:00:00

THE MURDER. IN MILBANIii

PRISON.
John Francis, who stands charged with the cold-
blooded murder of Thomas Hall, one of the warders,
underwent a very lengthened examination before Mr.
Burrell, one of the Westminster police-cOurt magis-
trates, at the Milbank prison, on Saturday, the only
persons present being the Magistrate and clerk, Mr:
Hayward, from the Treasury, and Captain Groves,'
governor of the gaol at the time of his entrance.
The prisoner was brought in closely guarded by
two turnkeys. He exhibited throughout the same
callousness as on the occasion of the coroner's inquest.
He listened without the slightest emotion to the horri-
, ble
_details of this cold-blooded tragedy,. and with
much cunning carefully avoided; in his questions to
the witnesses, the slightest allusion to that portion of
their testimony affecting him, but wasted considerable
time in ptitting, as before,. frivolous and irrelevant
questions. He is amm about five feet five inches in
height, does not develop much muscular power, al-
though well knit, and is of the Jewish persuasion.
The offence which originally consigned him to this
gaol was a larceny, after previous conviction for a
similar offence. He was furnished with pens, ink, and
paper, and took notes of the proceedings.
The witnesses who had severally given their evi-
dence before the coroner's jury having been sworn,
repeated their statements in almost the same words,
nor did the frequent interruptions or questions of
the prisoner go a step further than before to show
any motive for the commission of the dreadful crime
upon an inoffensive maa, in whom kindness seems to
have been a leading characteristic.
The witness Westbury, an elderly convict, who
appeared to be a man of some feeling, was so ex-
cited by a recapitulation of the words he had heard
uttered and the part he had seen of this fearful tra-
gedy, that he exclaimed, with tears running down
his face, "It was a sight I shall never forget; to be
within view of a man being murdered, and not to be
able to help him, in dreadful indeed ; to be fastened up
and know that' such a thing is going on, is more
than a man can bear. If I had been loose my poor
strength could have been of very little service, still
•T Would willingly have tried to save him."
Upon the depositions being completed and read
over,

Mr. Burrell, in the usual form, asked the prisoner
whether he wished to say anything? Prisoner—l
have only two requests : the one is that I may be
furnished with copies of the depositions ; and the
other is that I may ba sent to Newgate and have a
fair trial.

llaving been informed that he could have copies
upon the usual terms,
. Mr. Burrell observed, that his warrant would com-
mit him to Newgate.
Prisoner—l have been in irons all the time I have
been removed from my ward.
Mr. Burrell—l have nothing whatever to do with
that.
Prisoner—The session commences on Monday
week. I know I shall get no justice here.
Captain Groves remarked that there had been
every desire evinced on his part to treat the prisoner
with the utmost fairness. lie had communicated
with the persons named by the prisoner as his friends,
but none of them had interested themselves is his
behalf.

Prisoner—l ought to have been sent away from
here after the coroner's inquest. I was told I should
be taken before a magistrate. The laws of my country
say justice shall be done.
Mr. Burrell—And there is no doubt it will.

The prisoner was then removed, muttering inco-
herent sentences.

Captain Groves observed that he should be very
glad to get rid of him, as he really could not afford to
have two men constantly placed over him; and from
the desperate character of the prisoner, he was afraid,
after what had happened, if he were to attempt another
act of the same description, something serious might
result.
Mr. Burrell observed, that the prisoner appeared
very mindful of the slightest thing affecting his own
interest, although he did not exhibit the slightest
emotion at the dreadful details given by the witnesses.
[There appears to be some legal ditlieulty with re-
spect to the removal of a convict, or the prisoner would
doubtless have been sent to Newgate upon the coro
ner's warrant. The difficulty, it is understood, has
been overcome by some other instrument, and the pri-
soner was taken to Newgate in the course of the after-
noon in a cab.]

STATE Os' TRADE.-.-BIRMINGHAM, SATURDAY.—
The manufacturers of this town are generally pretty
well employed, although, as is always the case in Bir-
mingham, where its trades are so various, in seine
branches there is little doing. It must be recollected,
however, that a few weeks before Christmas a few
businesses are usually dull, nor is it likely in some de-
scriptions of manufacture they should be otherwise
until the commencement of the ensuing year. The iron
trade is represented to be fist as compared with the
promises held out at quarter-day. Orders for the home
market come in tardily, and one or two furnaces have
been put out of blast.
DOWNING STREET GOSSIP.—Mr. R. Carter has
been appointed Treasurer of Newfoundland; Mr. C.
Bayley, Colonial Secretary at Mauritius; Mr. C. Lake,
stipendiary magistrate at Jamaica. The following ap-
pointments were made on Saturday by the Lords of tne
Admiralty::--11. A. Hollinworth, lieutenant, to the In-
defatigable; P. A. St. Leger, commander, to study steam
at Woolwich. Letters which reached town on Saturday
from Lord Lincoln represent the Noble Ea' re health as
considerably improved by his marine excursion. As at
present arranged, his Lordship will not return to Eng-
land until after the meeting of Parliament. We are
happy to learn that the Duke of Newcastle, whose serious
indisposition we announced last week, is fast recovering.
Owing to the lamented illness of Earl Fortescue (Lord
Steward of her Majesty's Household) his Lordship has
been advised to pass the winter in the Mediterranean.
His eon, the Hon. Member for Barnstaple, accompanies
the Noble Earl, and we have authority to state that the
Queen has been graciously pleased to approve of Vis-
count Ebrington acting as vice-lieutenant for the county
during his noble father's absence. A rumour, which
received general credence, prevailed on Saturday in
Westminster Hall, and afterwards in the clubs, of
the decease of Lord Denman. We are happy
to have it in our power to state that there is no truth in
this report of an event which, whenever it may occur,
will be universally deplored on personal and national
grounds. We were informed on Saturday night at the
town residence of Lord Denman, that the accounts
received during the week from Stoney Middleton re-
presented his Lordship to be steadily improving in
health, and , that letters written with bis own hand had
been received on Friday. There is no foundation for the
rumour of Mr. H. D. Browne's death. The lion. Member
was lately confined to his chamber for some days by an
attack of influenza, but is now convalescent. Mr. Cobden
is making arrangements for attending a series of meet-
ings among his constituents in the West Riding. The
Post-office authorities are now engaged in negotiating
with the American Government an arrangement for
better regulating the accounts upon the international
correspondence between this country and the United
States. The suggestions, which have emanated from the
authorities here, are directed to obviate the present
tedious and inconvenient system of making up and
taxing the American correspondence at Liverpool. It
is proposed that either office should account to the other
for tho weight of letters by the gross, and not by the
individual letter. This system has been adopted with
reference to the French and English mails, and the
result has bean highly satisfactory.— Weekly Chronicle.
ALARMING FIRE AT CAMDEN-TOWN.—DISCOVERY
OF AN ILLICIT STlLL.—Yesterday morning, about three
o'clock, the premises, 6, King's-place, Camden town,
were discovered to be on fire. An instant alarm was
given and messengers were sent for the engines. In a
very brief period thu parish and London Brigade engines
arrived, when the firemen found that the flames had
commenced in a loft over the coach-house, and had ex-
tended into another similar building over the stabling.
With assistance the flames were extinguished, when it
was ascertained that one part of the premises where the
fire had fallen into was used as a private still, and bad
no doubt been so engaged for some time past, tbo owners
of which, upon hearing the alarm of fire given, succeeded
in making their escape before the police came up. The
whole plant was immediately seized by the authorities.
No one in the neighbourhood .had the least idea of illicit
distillation being carried on in the premises. The build-
ing was insured in the Phoenix Fire. office.
To DESTROY ANTS.—I have never known a solu-
tion of alum and potash in hot water to fail as a cure for
ants-in timber, but it must be applied boiling hot.—
Correspondent of the Builder, -