The Sun.
London, England, 1831-05-26 00:00:00

PEMBROKESHIRE ELECTION.

MONDAY, TWELFTH DAY.
The majority on the gross poll amounted this day
to 87 This is owing entirely to the conduct of the
Sheriff; and the way it operates is this—(which
will, by the way, serve to show the manner the ma-
chinery of the present system of elections is being
carried on) :—ln the booths of the hur►drrds where
Sir John musters strong, the Under• Sheriffs refuse
cases, and expedite the poll. In those booths_
the Dewsland booth, for instance—where the Re-
form candidate is strong, the Sheriffs suffer the poll
to be delayed by the most insulting and extraneous
questions being allowed to be put to the voters.
Apropos,—a voter is asked if he be a madman ? If
he holds a situation under a Minister of State? and
questions of a similar tendency, ad it finitts in. Then
they grant cases, in almost every instance; and
refuse cases against Sir John Owen. In the Dews-
land booth on Monday last, but nine voters were
polled, and out of these six were made cases unde-
termined. Only nine men polled while 100 men
had been waiting for days to be polled. This will
serve to show how a weaker side, by management
and a partial Sheriff, may secure the return of a
Member. Mr. Greville, from the hustings this
evening, pledged himself to a scrutiny before the
House of Commons, and verily do we hope that it
may be successfully redeemed.

THE MURDER NEAR ROCHESTER.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.
(From the Maidstone Journal.)

We last week stated the discovery of the body of
the unfortunate lad who had been missing so long,
and respecting whose fate so much interest was
excited. Several individuals have been examined
touching the affair, but three persons are now in
custody on suspicion. These are, melancholy to re-
late, a father and his two sons I The father's name
is Bell, -and the eldest boy's John Any Bird Bell,
the youngest James Bell. The lads are of very
sm4ll stature of their age, one being only about 16
and the other 11, and of very childish appearance.
The eldest was yesterday examined at Rochester,
on suspicion of being concerned as a principal in the.
horrid deed. His appearance was that of a hard-
working lad, exposed to the severities of the weather,
as indeed his occupation with his father as a wood-
cutter must have been. The name of the accused is
John Any Bird Bell.

Robert Taylor, father of the unfortunate deceased,
stated that he is a tallow•chandler, liv'ng at Strood.
On Friday, March 4, his son left him, about half-
past nine, to go Aylesford, to receive a weekly
allowance of 95., which he had been in the habit of
receiving from the parish for nearly three months.
He had gone every Friday for the money, to Mr.
Cutbath, of Aylesford, not being able to go himself.
He usually reached home about three o'clock ;
sometimes earlier. Witness was quite uneasy
at his not returning, but thought it possible the
gentlerren of the committee might have kept
him. The boy that morning was dressed in a
south-wester, a Belcher handkerchief on his
neck, a blue waistcoat and jacket, dark brown
trousers, light worsted stockings, low shoes and
worsted mittens. He took a little bag to bring the
money in. He asked witness for his knife, in order
Aylesford
to
tne we
btaltad a
brown bow and
buck-hornarrow, which
handle
knife, n
h eliefen:
Ihviimth.
It was
On the next day witness went to
to make inquiry of Mr. Cuthath. Notice
vi as given of the lo .s of the child, and bills were
printe I, and a reward offered for his discovery. Witness
heardthat the body was found on the 11th of May.
Witness instantly went to the spot, and at once re-
cognised his son from the dress. It was in a wood
about thirty rods from the road, and two miles from
Rochester. It was lying on the back, with the
right hand across the breast. The mitten on the
right hand was turned back to the knuckle ; that on
the left hand appeared to have been cut off. The
body was lying m a bypath. Witness did not exa-
mine his pockets, because there was an order that
he should not be touched. Witness always used to
tell him to put the bag containing the money inside
his mitten, and the little fellow used to shut his
hand arid say, " there, father, nobody can tell I have
got any money." He was just thirteen years of age.
Witness asked the prisoner, and his father and bro-
ther, at the poor-house, to go and look at the corpse,
as it lay in the garden, saying " it could not hurt
them," but they refused to do so.
The witness lzzard deposed to having discovered
the body.

Henry Lewington, a warrant officer in the navy,
stated that on the 4th of March he was going from
Chatham to the Blue Bell. He overtook Richard
Taylor on the hill, and walked with 'him as far as
Bridgewood Cottage, when they parted. About
one o'clock, or a little after, he saw the same Richard
Taylor and the two boys together, in the road.
They came up the hill very leisurely till they came
opposite to the Bell, when they turned away up
the Burham-common road. The father and the two
boys work together..near the Bell, grubbing the stubs
for firewood. He saw them all three go to work in
the morning. A knife has been found, with which
it is supposed the horrid deed has been committed.
Some bread and cheese were offered to the elder boy
last week, and this knife being laid beside it, he was
directed to help himself; he, however, refused to
touch it. The youngest did not exhibit the same
repugnance, and altogether exhibits less feeling than
his brother.

The father is supposed to be implicated as at►
accessary after the crime. The spot where the head
lay is not more than about 200 yards distant from
the road, and the spectator is forcibly struck with
two remarkable circumstances—first, that at so short
a distance from so frequented a thoroughfare, and in
the middle of the day, no one heard the screams of
the unhappy child; and, next, that no passenger
should, for so many weeks, have chanced to pass
this pathway, which leads through the wood.
The Kentish Gazette, after giving some particu-
lars of the murder, says, " The above prisoners hav-
ing been confined in separate cells, one of them on
Saturday confessed that they were the murderers,
the eldest brother, who is only fourteen, having
committed the horrid deed, whilst the younger, who
isscarcely twelve, kept watch outside the wood. The
eldest boy has been committed to Maidstone gaol,
to take his trial for the offence, On his way to
prison the wretched youth pointed out to the con-
stable a pond by the road-side, in which he stated
he washed the blood of his victim from his hands.
the younger boy has been remanded for further
examination,"

The firmness of Lord PALMERSTON in
punishing the semi-piratical proceedings of Don Ali.
Goat's squadron is producing its proper fruit. Those in-
dividuals who, from vari.us causes, have claims of in-
demnity from Portugal, have been informed that payment
will forthwith be made. Some of them, capable of being
at once clearly established, have, we understand, been
already liquidated, This, if true, as we believe it to be,
will do infinite good. how many months, and even years,
have the unhappy claimants of indemnity from foreign
Governments been heretofore compelled to wait before
those claims were even decided on, and often as much
longer before payment ?
The paving of the new London-bridge k pro-
ceeding with great activity, and in a manner which looks
as if it would be of a most enduring description, the granite
stones being first bedded in a firm foundation, and then
grouted with cement, similar to the pavement in Cheapside.
In our last we expressed a hope that before
our Paper was published the strike among the pitmen of the
Tyne and the Wear would be entirely abandoned. While
we are sorry to observe that this has not been the case, we
must declare our gratification that the pitmen will speedily
be again universally in employment. The Jarrow and
Hebburn pitmen willingly came forward, and agreed to
bind ; and though same alight attempts were made in thee
course of the past week to carry on the opposition to ,thng
terms of the coal-owners, the feeling in favour ofret:eunscoiai_
to work is gradually increasing. We understand d
eatrenating with
proceeding
the pitmen of each
-colliey econcifiation between Inas—
owners have taken
which will much facilitate the r
tere and men.... Tyne Mercur,y,
the
judicious course