The Sun.
London, England, 1849-11-05 00:00:00

MONDAY

EVENING, NOVEMBER 5 1849

THE BERMONDSEY MURDER.

Manning has not had any communica-ion with his
relatives since his arrest at Jersey; indeed, for some
time before the murder he had ceased to have any
intercourse with them. This is accounted for by the
ill-feeling which was known to exist between his
family and his companion in crime, Maria Manning.
Manning has another brother and sister in London.
The brother just referred to has only recently re-
turned from the Mauritius. He received, on Wed-
nesday, the following letter from his wretched re-
lative :
"My dear Edmund,—l have an order for you to
see me on Friday evening. Come with Mr. Binns.
" Your most affectionate brother,
" P. G. MANNING.
"Horsemonger-lane Gaol, Condemed Cell,
Oct. 31, 1849."
The interview accordingly took place about one
&clock on Friday, in the presence of the Rev. Mr.
Roe, the chaplain of the gaol ; Mr. Keene, the
governor; Mr. Binns, the solicitor, and the officers of
the gaol appointed to be constantly with the unfor-
tunate man. Manning was seated in the condemned
cell at a small table, and so altered and mentally pros-
trated that his brother scarcely knew him. He shook
him fervently by the hand, and held his hand in his
grasp for some moments, during which time neither
was able from the force of their emotions to utter a
word. Those present were moved by the sadness and
the awful reality of the scene.
At length the brother said, " Surely, Frederick,
you are not guilty of this horrible charge ?" Man-
ning immediately replied, " No, lam innocent. I
have told Mr. Roe everything. I have confessed all
to him; have I not, Mr. Roe ? (Mr. Roe nodded
assent). Edmund, she murdered him. I was up
stairs dressing myself at the time she shot him. I did
not know she was going to do so. I had no hand in
the murder. Mr. Roe knows lam innocent." The
unfortunate man continued to assert his innocence
with much vehemence and excitement, and then added,
in consequence of his brother having asked him if he
had not written to his wife to cleanse her breast by a
full confession, " Yes, and I have authorised you,'
Mr. Roe, have I not, over and over again, to get her
to see me, because I could put such questions to her
that she could not evade." Mr. Rue replied, that he
had done as he said, but that she had declined to see
him. Manning then handed to his brother the letter
he had written to his wife, beginning, " I address you
as my wife," and couched in the most endearing terms,
to confess, so that the world might know the great
disparity between their guilt—how innocent he was,
and how deeply guilty was the part she had played in
the awful drama, for upon the truth of her statement
depended the issue of life and death to him ; and as she
knew he was innocent, he implored her to save him
from an ignominious death upon the scaffold. The
letter concluded by imploring his wife to grant him
an interview. The letter covered three pages of letter-
paper.

-Mrs. Manning, soon after the receipt of the above,
called for pen, ink, and paper, and indited a long
letter to her husband, and covered four sides of le.ter
paper, closely written. She began by saving, " I
address you as my husband," and it contained more
than once the expression "my dear." She said, in
effect, that she was innocent of the diabolical charge
of which she had been shamefully convicted, and that
he alone could save her. Then, upbraiding him with
the course he had pursued towards her from the pe-
riod of his arrest up to the trial, she went on to say
that he alone could save her—that she could not think
of granting him an interview until he had stated in
writing that she was innocent of Mr. O'Connor's
murder. Then followed this remarkable statement :
—" You know that the, party who went with you to
Jersey committed the murder, and that I was from
home when it was committed ;" adding that if he
would make this statement in writing she would grant
his request and see him. It will be seen that she en-
deavoured to induce her husband to declare that a
third party committed the deed, that she was far
away from the scene of blood at the time, and that
the third party and her husband fled to Jersey after
the commission of the murder.

Manning's brother, after he had perused the letters,
exclaimed, " Frederick, she exculpates herself from
the charge, and accuses a third party; who does she
mean ?" He replied, "My dear fellow, her state-
ment is altogether false ; no one accompanied me to
Jersey. I know, Edmund, you will believe me
when I assert that I am innocent, for you have
always been my best friend, and I should never have
married that woman if I had listened to your advice."
After a long pause the brother urged his unhappy
relative to make his peace with God, who would
receive his soul if he was, as he said, innocent of the
awful crime. He immediately exclaimed again, "My
dear Edmund, I am innocent, as Mr. Roe knows
perfectly well. I hope God Almighty will commit
my soul to hell flames if I am guilty of this murder.
Mr. Roe is in possession of the whole of my state-
ment. I have told him all. I declare most solemnly
that I shall die innocent of Mr. O'Connor's murder.
I never hurt a hair of his head." He asserted his
innocence, and declared he was perfectly prepared to
meet his Maker.

There no longer exists any doubt that it is the in-
tention of Mrs. Manning's legal adviser to bring the
point raised by her counsel at the trial, that she should
be tried by a jury partly composed of foreigners,
before a higher tribunal. A certificate was signed
by Mr. Parry that he considered the decision of the
judges erroneous, and there were good grounds for
an appeal to the House of Lords. This certificate
was forwarded to the Attorney General, whose sanc-
tion it was necessary to obtain before an appeal could
be made, and that Learned Gentleman, after consult
ing with his professional brethren who conducted the
case with him on the part of the Crown, wrote back
to Mr. Solomons, Mrs. Manning's attorney, refusing
to give his consent, as he perfectly agreed with the
decision of the Learned Judges. The Attorney-
General, however, added that Mrs. Manning could
bring the point for discussion arid d,ci-ion before the
Court of Appeal in criminal cases, appointed by the
late Act of Parliament, and that, as far as he was
concerned, he would afford every facility for bringing
the matter to a speedy issue. Of course the object of
the prisoner was delay, because the appeal to the
House of Lords could not be tried until after the
meeting of Parliament, whereas the appeal to the
Court of Appeal in criminal cases will be disposed of
very speedily.
The execution of the Mannings, husband and
wife, is appointed to take place on Tuesday, the 13th
inst., at Horsemonger -lane gaol. The day is fixed
by the Sheriff in all cases ; the time allowed between
the sentence and the execution varying according to
the custom of the several counties. The day fixed in
the case of the Mannings will give time for an argu-
ment in the Court of Appeal in criminal cases on the
point made for Mrs. Manning, should it be seriously
persisted in.
Another case, scarcely less remarkable for treachery
and delib,rate cruelty, is the case of a young man,
Alfred Jordan, alias Dowland, who attempted the life,
at Dulwich, of a woman that trusted him, and who
at the very moment bore in her bosom the unborn
pledge of her affection. This is as bad a case of at-
tempted murder as there is on record ; but as it is, by
the interposition of Divine mercy, an attempt only, it
is possible that the culprit may escape through the
merciful interpretation which of late years has limited
almost exclusively the execution of the capital punish-
ment to cases of actual murder.

Monday has been the usual day for executions in
the metropolis; but Tuesday is substi.uted in order
to avoid the necessity of any preparations being
made on the Sunday night preceding.—Sunday Paper.

RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS.
LIVERPOOL, Nov. 3.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The share market was firm to-day at
the quotations. The sales are Caledonian, 13—Ditto, Pre-
ference, 854—Lancashire and Yorkshire, Consol., 61—Ditto,
Unpaid up, 39 dis.—Ditto, Fifths, 6/. 6s. 3d.—London and
North-Western, 1144—Ditto, New Quarters, 16s 3d. p.—
Manchester, Sheffield, and Lincoln, Preference, 101/I—Mid-
land, 48— I itto, Halves, 21 c. dis.— Shropshire Union (Bail.
way and Canal), 31 Bs. 9d.
BIRMINGHAM, Nov. 3.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The only transactions to-day were—
North Staffordshire, 834 dis.— Shrewsbury and Birmingham
(A) 7!i dis. —London and North-Western, 116%.
YORK, Nov. 2.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The transactions to-day were as
follow:—York, Newcastle, and Berwick, 17;%4 —Ditto (G. N.
E. Purchase). 3—Eastern Counties, 71/s Midland, 47
York and North MidlAnd, l9''/4.
NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, Nor. 3.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The transactions tc-day were as
follow :—Caledonian, 133/4—Hartlepool !lock and Railway,
guaranteed 8 per cent., l29—Ditto, New Fifths, 4 p.—
London and Blackwall, 34,,—North British, 'Thirds, 314—
North Staffordshire, 8 dis.—York, Newcastle, and Berwick,
177/B—Ditto, Extension, 11 'Zq .
GLASGOW, Nov. 2.
STOCK EXCHANGE.—The only transaction to-day was—
Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ayr, 481.

SUPPLIES TO PITCAIRN'S ISLAND.—Her Majesty's
ship Daphne, which sail,d tram Valyarsi4o on the 14,h
of July, for the islands of the Pacific, being ordered by
Admiral tiornby to touch at Piteairn's Leland, for the
purpose of communicating with the inh,bitants, and
conveying to them a supply of things usually sent from
that place by such opportunities, the following were
kindly taken charge of by Captain Fanshawe to give to
them :—A bull and a cow, supplies for the passage beintf,
provided : agricultural imploments, iron pots, saucepans,
fishhooks, soap, printed and white cot!ons, th:eati-
needles, writing paper, steel pens, &c. The value of the
above, amounting to about 200 dollars, has been raised
amongst those kindly disposed towards that secluded
though happy little community. Other things were
also torwarded that had been given for them, such as
clothes, boots, newspapers, &c. • also two pair of rabbits
which. they had requested might be sent to them ; the
same request had been made for the bull and cow.
They wilt likewise rec ive a good supply of excellent
books for their schools, church, and for general reading,
which have been sent from London by the Society for
Promoting Christian Knowledge. United Service
Gazette.