The Sun.
London, England, 1849-09-21 00:00:00

L.4MBETtI.

On the arrival of Mr. Elliott, the magistrate, at
this Court yesterday morning, it was announced
to him that a murder had been attempted the previous
night upon the person of a young woman named
Sarah Frances Ewins, who was now lying in a pre-
carious state in Guy's Hospital. Thither the magi-
strate, attended by Mr. Perry, the chief clerk, pro-
ceeded, for the purpose of taking her depositions.
'The house-surgeon, however, informed Mr. Elliott
that the young woman was not in imminent danger,
and that the excitement consequent upon such a
procedure would be highly prejudicial to the patient,
and as quietude was essential, he desired that the
proceeding should be postponed for a few days, unless
more alarming symptoms should exhibit themselves,
of which the magistrate should have the earliest no-
tice. Accordingly Mr. Elliott returned to this court,
when the examination of the individual charged with
the perpetration of the outrage was proceeded with.
• The prisoner, who on being apprehended had stated
his name to be Stephen Alfred Jordan, but whose real
name was ascertained to be Dowland, is a young
man apparently not more than eighteen or nineteen
years of age. When placed in the dock he exhibited
the most careless indifference, which he maintained
throughout the whole of the brief inquiry. The
circumstances of the cue are disclosed by the follow:
ing evidence :
William Hunt was the first witness called, and he
deposed that he was a butcher, residing on Dulwich-
common, and that about ten minutes or a quarter to
ten o'clock the previous night he heard his dog bark
violently, and went out to the rear of his premises to
ascertain the cause. On reaching the back door he
saw a person standing there, but at the time he could
riot distinguish whether it was a male or female.—
gibsequently it turned out to be the unfortunate fe-
male now in Guy's Hospital. The witness desired
her to go round to the front door, which was opened
by his (the witness's) Wife, and then he saw the fe-
male in question, and that her hands, face, and
clothes, were all covered with blood. She held up
part of her clothes to a gash in the throat. Some
friends who were at the house of the witness thought
the female was oely practising some trick, and she
went away. The witness, however, was not satisfied,
and, in consequence, he followed, and overtook her
near the tollgate, where he procured a light, and
again looked at her, and saw that her throat had been
cut. The witness asked her who it was that had done
that ? She replied, her husband. Witness asked if
her throat was cut, and she nodded in reply, indicating
that it was so. She added that it had been done with
a dagger. The witness proceeded with her some dis-
tance along the road, and not meeting a policeman
on the way, he at last took her to the bowie of Mr.
Ray, the surgeon, at Dulwich, who immediately at-
tended to her wounds, and afterwards directed her to
be conveyed to Guy's Hospital.
William Pritchard, sergeant of the Y division, de-
posed that about one o'clock that morning the female
now in the hospital was brought to the station-house
in a cab by Mr. Ray, the surgeon, and a police-
constable. Mr. Ray stated that the female bad in-
formed him that her throat had been cut in Dulwich-
wood by a man, who had also knocked her about the
head with the butt-end of a pistol. The woman's
hands were cut in several places. From other in-
formation which the witness then received, he pro-
ceeded to the house of a person named Courtney, No.
3, St. Andrew's-road, Brixton, where he found the
prisoner in bed. On seeing the witness the prisoner
said, "It's all right. I know what you are come
for." Witness asked him if he had been at Dulwich
in the course d.the previous evening. The prisoner
answered in the affirmative, and was desired by •the
witness to get tip. and dress himselr. , He did so,
and was told by the witness tint he was charged
with cutting the throat of a female in Dulwich-
wood. The pri,oner said, " I know all about
it ; do not say any more." There were some
on the floor of the bed-room, which
the witness examined. In the breast-pocket of the
prisoner's coat he found a pistol loaded with ball, and
with the stock broken; and in his presence police-
constable Pratt found in the pocket of the prisoner's
waistcoat about a dozen bullets and a small quantity
of percussion caps, now with the pistol produced. On
examining the prisoner's shirt, the witness found on
the front, the collar, and the wristbands, several marks
of blood, and this morning, on inspecting the prisoner's
hands, he discovered the marks of blood under the
finger-nails; there were also the marks of blood on

the front and on the sleeve of his coat. Witness
brought the prisoner to the station-house, and the re
charged him with cutting the throat of Sarah
Frances Ewing, in Dulwich-wood. The female was
conveyed, as already stated, to Guy's Hospital, whence
the witness had brought the subjoined certificate :
" I hereby certify that Sarah Frances Ewini is unaMe

to attend at the police court, and lies in a dangerous
state from the injuries she has received—a cut throat and
wounds about the head.

(S.gned)

" CHARLES SANDERS.
" Assistant to Mr. B. B. Cooper.
" Guy's Hospital, Sept. 20, 1849."
In answer to a question from the magistrate, Prit-
chard stated that he had not yet been able to ascertain
whether or not the prisoner was married to the injured
woman.

John Wood, police-constable P 131, deposed that,
accompanied by another constable, he went to Dul-
wich-wood, and there found the several articles now
proiuced--a bonnet, a fur victorine, two white pocket
handkerchiefs, a silk necktie, a black shawl, all
completely saturated with blood. Witness also
found a bottle of blue ink and the handle of a razor,
the blade of which (stained with blood) was found by
Jefferies among some dry leaves a short distance from
the footpath. _ _

The prisoner, after being cautioned by the magis-
trate, said he did not wish to say anything at present
in answer to the charge. The prisoner was remanded
until Tuesday next, and left the bar with the most
perfect self-possession.

SOUTHWARK.
James Tapper, a respectable-looking man, residing
in Long walk, Bermondsey, was brought before Mr.
Seeker, charged with stabbing his wife, Sarah, in the
breast, from the effects of which she lies in a danger-
ous condition.

Henry Chater said that on the previous night,
about ten o'clock, his attention was called on hearing
a loud scream proceed from the prisoner's house in
Long-walk, Bermondsey. lie hastened there, and on
entering the front parlour he saw a female lying on
the floor, with her hand to her breast, and she
said that she had been stabbed by her husband,
and begged him (witness) to take her into the next
house, occupied by ,a neighbour whom she knew. The
prisoner at that time was standing in the room, and
on hearing his wife complain of being stabbed, he
ejaculated that he was sorry he had not killed her.
Witness, upon finding the wounded woman express
such anxiety to quit the house, assisted her off the
floor in his arms, and carried her into the next house,
where she became faint from loss of blood, and when
a surgeon was sent for he pronounced that she had
received a dangerous wound in the breast.
A policeman stated that while on duty the preced-
ing night he was informed that a woman had been
' stabbed by her husband, and on proceeding to the
house next to that in which the prisoner lived, he
found his wife there bleeding from a wound in the
breast. He (the policeman) was then told that the
man who had inflicted the injury had shut himself up
in his house, and that he refused to admit any person.
He (the policeman) instantly went there, and was
proceeding to force open the door, when the prisoner
made his appearance, and opening it; said " There is
no occasion fur using any violence. I freely give
myself up. I did the deed, and am only sorry I did
not kill her." The witness then handed in a medical
certificate as to the condition of the prisoner's wife :
" I hereby certify that Mrs. Tapper has been wounded
in the right breast with a sharp instrument. She is
now suffering from bruises and other injuries, the ex•
tent of which cannot at present be ascertained.
(Signed) " W. TURNER, Surgeon."
The p )liceman produced a table knife with marks
of blood on the point of it, which he said he found in
the room where the woman was wounded.
Mr. SECKER asked the prisoner whether he was
desirous of saying anything in answer to the very
serious charge alleged against him, and that perhaps
at present it would be better that he remained silent.
as he intended to remand him until the fate of his wife
was known.
The prisoner said that at present he should decline
making any answer to the charge, and he was re.
mended until Tuesday next.
THAMES.

Mr. Thomas Bai•rett, one of the churchwardens of
St. George's-in-the• East, chairman of the board ot
guardiaw of that parisb, tlza tilAinntiu of the