The Sun.
London, England, 1849-08-30 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, AUGUST 30, 1849.

THE

BERMONDSEY :MURDER.

CAPTURE OF MANNING.

The account of the capture of Manning on Mon-
day evening, at Jersey, which appeared exclusively in
the Fourth Edition of The Sun of last evening,
was officially announced to the police authorities in
Scotland-yard, in the course of last night by the
following telegraphic message :
SOUTHAMPTON, WEDNESDAY, 7.49 rAt.
" Manning was apprehended at ten o'clock last
night, by the chief of police of St. Helier's, Mr.
Chevalier, his son, and Sergeants Langley and
Lockyer, of the London detective police. He was
in ben at a house near Beaumont, in the parish of St.
Peter's. The officers had been in search of him all.
day, and had returned to town, when a publican
of
Beaumont informed them of a person of Manning 's
description being in that neighbourhood. They im-
mediately again went in pursuit of him, entered his
room, and Mr. Chevalier threw himself across the
bed in which he lay. Ile confessed the murder, and
said his wife was the instigator, and fired the shot
into O'Connor's head as he went down stairs. Ile
also stated that he would have given himself up next
day had he not been captured. He is still in gaol at
St. Helier's awaiting the arrival of the warrant."
It is evident that there is a mistake in the official
account. Manning was captured, not on the night of
Tuesday, as therein stated, but on the night of
Monday, and the account sent up by telegraph was
probably written in Jersey on Tuesday, although it
was not telegraphed from Southampton until yes-

terday.
The Jersey Times of Tuesday gives the following
particulars of the manner in which the arrest of
Manning was effected :
" We are now enabled to announce the gratifying
fact that Manning \was captured last evening about
nine o'clock, and safely lodged in prison. He arrived
in this island last Thursday week, the 16th, and took
lodgings at Mr. Berry's, the Navy Arms, in Mul-
caster-street, where he remained until the following
Thursday morning, and on his then leaving, desired
that his bed should be kept for him, as he would re-
turn on Saturday. While there, he went out early
in the morning and returned in the evening, generally
under the influence of liquor, of which he drank more
before he retired for the night. He had once ar-
ranged with the captain of a sailing vessel to go with
him early in the morning to Guernsey, but he did not
get up in time.
" From his quitting the Navy Arms until yester-
day, there was no direct trace of him ; he took lodg-
ings on Thursday last at Mr. Bertheau s, a private
house a little off the St. Aubin's-road, on this side
the third tower; while there he kept very close, and
might have remained longer concealed but for the
notice taken of his so frequently sending to the same
house for a bottle of brandy. This caused a suspi-
cion, and information was given to Mr. Centenier
Chevalier, who immediately repaired to the place, ac-
companied by two officers of the London detective
police, one of whom was well acquainted with Man-
ning from his having had to do with him in the
affair of the snail robbery on the Great Western
Railway, for which Poole and Nightingale were
convicted.
" On arriving at the house, it was ascertained that
the lodger was in bed, and admirable arrangements
were made fur getting a sight of his face, and securing
him before he could offer any resistance. He was,
however, easily captured, and was in a very nervous
state. Near him was a bottle of liquor and a razor.
He immediately recognised Mr. Edward Langley, of
the London police, and stated that he was glad he
had come, as he was thinking of going to London to
explain all.
" One of his first questions was, Is the wretch
taken ?'—alluding to his wife; and on being an-
ts wered in the affirmative, he observed, lam glad
of it—that will save my life. In subsequent conver-
sation he endeavoured to throw the whole blame on
the woman, and stated that she had caused the grave
to be dug some time before; and, after having laid
the cloth for dinner, had invited O'Connor down
stairs to wash his hands, and while he was going to
the kitchen for that purpose had taken the opportunity
of firing at him from behind.
" The prisoner admitted that all the things; in the
room where he was lodging belonged to him, adding
that he had found a man to give him 121. for his
furniture in London—all the money he had to start
with, of which seven sovereigns, which he gave up,
was the remainder. On his arrival at the Navy
Arms, in Mulcaster-street, his first inquiry was to see
the Times newspaper.
"During his stay there he regularly breakfasted
and supped with the other guests, but rarely dined
with them. He carried himself rather high, talked of
his losses by the French revolution, that he must go
to France, and should require an interpreter, as he
did not speak the language.
"During the passage from Southampton he had
forced himself upon a respectable passenger, with
whom he shared a double-bedded room, but to whom,
as well as to several masters of vessels, and others in
the house, he so behaved as to render himself anything
but a favourite. He always evinced a great desire
to see the newspapers, and on Saturday, the 19th, he
went to the Union Hotel on purpose to read the
Times.
"At the Navy Arms he paid regularly for every-
think be had, including a glass of brandy, before he
went away. This, coupled with his leaving a trunk,
a coat, a pair of trousers, &c., made the host fully
expect his return."
The prisoner, it appears, at once confessed the
murder, and accused his wife of being, not only the
principal concocter of the plot of assassination, but
also the actual perpetrator of the crime. It is evi-
dent that she had appropriated to her own use the
whole of the property of which O'Connor had been
plundered, and that she left her partner in guilt to his
fate without furnishing him with even the means of
escape. Manning stated to the officers that it was his

•
ntention to have surrendered had he not been taken

indeed it would appear. that he had no other alterna-
tive but to surrender as soon as his money
was exhausted. His ignorance of the French
language prevented him from availing him-
self of the many opportunities which must
have presented themselves for escape to that country.
Had his wife accompanied him, it is not improbable
but that they might together have effected their es-
cape to the Continent, and have for some time longer
evaded the pursuit of justice.

The details that have yet reached us as to the means
by which the officers of justice have succeeded in
tracking his guilty steps have as yet only reached us
in a meagre and imperfect form, but already sufficient
is known to show how small are the chances of escape
now left to those who commit enormous crimes.

Wherever they go the awakened indignation of the
country vigilantly seeks them out, and men who have
never seen them before supply the information which
leads to their detection. While in its own way so-
ciety thus strengthens the hands of the law, the police,
by more systematic and skilful means, follow in the
trail of the fugitive. The dexterity and the unwearied
industry with which, in this instance, they have pursued
the perpetrators of a most atrocious murder, are de-
serving of the highest commendation. By some mis-
chance the culprits had a long start of their pursuers,
and ere the slightest clue to their movements could be
found days had elepsed, and the scent lay cold. The
arrest of the woman was accomplished with such
marvellous speed, when the first traces of her were
discovered, that some impatience began to be mani-
fessed at the delay in securing the person of her
husband. Yet, singularly enough, the means by
which their apprehension was brought about were in
several important respects the same. They both
commenced their flight from justice in cabs, and in
both instances the drivers being found out, gave the
information which enabled the police to follow. In
both cases their boxes were discovered before them-
selves, and supplied important evidence as to their
whereabouts. In both cases strangers, to whom their
persons were quite unknown, set the officers upon
them. As we have already mentioned, Manning left
Bainbridge's (the broker's) house on the lath inst., in
a cab, which conveyed him by back streets and a cir-
cuitous route to the South-Western Railway. There,
although formerly a railway guard, and probably
therefore known to many servants on that line, all
trace of him disappears, and he is not again heard of
till on board a steamer bound for the Channel Islands,
where, by one of those providential accidents which
so frequently occur in the history of great crimes, a
young woman to whom his person was known re-
cognied him. She had not then heard of the
murder, the news of which only reached her after
became landing
aware
of
Guernsey.
Nvh what had
Of
happened, course,
she immediately as soon as she
communicated with the Governor of the island, who,
fn his turn, forwarded the information to the Home-
eflice. In the meantime Langley, an active officer of
the detective force, who was perfectly acquainted with
Manning's person, bad been dispatched along the
South-Western line to follow up the clue supplied by