The Sun.
London, England, 1823-06-11 00:00:00

THE MURDER AT CLAPHAM,

CONFESSION. OF.ON.E oa .7411,E,. I',YRDERERS,
Uxiox-HALL..—Yesterday the neighbourhood of /he Office
was crowded at a very early hour, in consequenCe of the ex-
pectetl examination of the three young men who stand accused
of the murderof Mrs. Richards, of Clapham.
Ifefo're ten o'clock, Ball, the chief constable, and Glennon
.the officer, both of whom hive been unremitting in their endea-
movs to get hold. of the murderers, conducted. the three pri-
soners, Keppell, Stiffen, and Scott, to the office In irons.

L. B. ALLEN, Esq. presided during the investigation, which
lasted from half-past ten till,,nearly four. It presented various
circumstances tending to inculpate the 'prisoners and another
man, of ihe name of Pritchard, not yet taken ; but the interest
which might have been felt in these particulars is in a great
measure destroyed. by this following confessien. made by Stof-
fell two days after his apprehension, which Mr. Allen judi- •
ciously kept frorti the Public eye until a train of evidence was
established which completely eiibr&ced the conduct of the
three prisoners, and of Pritchard, who is yet at liberty, but for
whom a large reward will immediately be offered •
Philip Steffen made this confession :—I was one of the men in
'the murder; there were three more besides myself,. Thomas
Scott oThowyer.lane, was one ; Willis Was not. One; the others.
I do not know ky name, Nit they live upon IValweirth Common.'
I met with them at the Prince of Wales. They were two very
young chips, like myself. The hand-writing on the hrown paper
is mine, it was writtenen lionkytimithe morning, 44 my mo-
ther's, when she was up stairs. About a month back it was
agreed between Scott, myself, and the othet two men, whose
names I doinot know, to commit the robbery ; they are plas-
terers. Stiott wears a blue coat, cut oft; and sometimes a white
fustian shooing jacket. This took place at the Prince of Vales.
linentioned it to the other met} who were hi Ob. the house. I:
was to take a small parcel lhaddirected to Mq. Bell, to knock,
at the door, and ask for. her. She was in the habit of going to
chapel about that time, ind we wished to know 'whether she was'
at home when we went there.' On the Tuesday we met at the
Prince of Wales abOut half-pastsix, and after having a pint of ,
beer amongst us at the door—one of the plaiterers went in for the
beer, and brOught it out tti us: Here it Was agreed that Scott'
should give the parcel, and that another should hold the old •
woman.; We went tOwardsC;laphan: by the South !,itnibeth road. .
It was.agreed as we went along, tat if Mni. Bell Was at home
we were to rob the house. We 'arrived at the house about
half-past seven o'clock ; Scott knocked at the door. I was.
close by; the plasterers just kehind. Mrs. Richards opened the
door;, Scott asked if that wag Mrs. RiclardS's hOilse ; she re-
plied yes ; he said he had a parcel for Mrs. Bell ; she asked how'
much there was to .pay ; Scott said a shilling ; she replied she
.would pay no such sum.' By thiktime the plasterers had come
ently towards the hpoite. I then setae(' the -Old woman round'
the back, and put Ink hand before her mouth: She cried out •
" Oh, dear ,":'several times when I caught lipid of her. By
this time the plasterers, had shut the door; they then caught
hold of the old woman themselifes, and tore her from me, and
said, " GP to work, you they then threw her down,
and prevented her, crying out by squeezing her throat between
the finger and thumb. I then ran up stairs with Scott, and
took a pan from a box in the rtiom: Scott tisoka'watch front
the mantle-piece before we had gone up stairs, as he told me
he had, got the " thimbleland a gown, with some small things
from t)te inkstand, but what I cannot say 'exactly.
were up stairs, as I believe, three or four minutes—all was
'silent when I Wits 'up stairs. Scott and I came down toge-
.ther. I saw the plasterers leith holding the old woman on the:
,ground. We found the keys, and "opened the cupboard, out'
:of which we took ' three sovereigns, ten shillings, end seven
tea spOons. One of the plasterers took the ring off the old
`woman's finger. 'When I came dowu .stairs, anti seeing the
plasterers holding the old woman', I said, d 6 not hint the poor
old woman." When one of them said, • " her.
From* seeingher lying on her back without 'notion I suspected
she, wasdead ; the was lying on her back, With her feet towards
' the' back:doori 'I think there was something lying over her face,
an apron or handkerchief, or somethitig'of thatillii- I stepped
over her feet, and when I.came down first of all,' the plasterers
asked me irlhad got all; and I said,3,ii. Oneof the plaatereya.
then desired me to go to the door, an see if there seas any one.
there. I went, and took the poker, by the desire of the plas-
terers, in My hand, I opened the door and put my head out,
and, seeing nobody, cried out, " All is right." Scott then put
out the candles, and we all came away and shut the door after
uk. We then' went two on the one side of the road and two on
the other, till, we cattle to the Bedford Anna, and then we
joined all fohr together, and turned 'down 'liove-lane. When
we were going down the Lane, I remarked; " the poor old crea-
ture a'nt dead?" but received np answer. We walked down
the bane without talking much. I had the two gowns ; the
black gown was buttoned round me, 'and the' other was in*
my par-ken ' When I. calhe to Kenningtou.commpt' k I put' them
both into my pocket : I also hid the spoons and: the money ;'
Scott had the watch and one of the gowns, one of the plas-
terers had the other gown and the ring, and the other plasterer'
Was without any thing. We'came altogether. cef foot to the
Mint. The plasterers; as We were going towards town, said
they knes a shop where we could 'dispoie of the'things, and
they took us to an old iron shop in the I\Bnkian die rt hand
icicle of the way. We got there about nine o'clock. When wt
got to the shop we produced the Things alqig.ether And sold them'
for twenty-five shillings. We were to receive the money next
night. 'A man in the shop houghs the things of us and his
wife and two.children were having their supper in the back shop.
The man looked at the articles, and asked uethe price, but did
not ask ukhow we came by them. We asked fifty shillings for,
the things the man said he, would giye twenty:two shillings, but
at last he agreed to give us twenty-five shilthigs. lie put the
spooni anti ring info lifs pocket, and refused to-buy the watch,
and 'said it 'was no' good. After we sold the things we went to a
public-housea, believe on the opposite aide of 'the way, where
we had two pots or beer, half a Pint 'of kin, end three or four
half-pints, Wrath. The worhan cf the house served us, and the
pot-boy. A man with bad eyes was bitting. there, and we gave
him some of the gin ittgl ftlM. We were in die public-house
about an hour. NVe avidedthe money in the' house. I had:
one sovereign' and 'soule'silver between. roe. and Scott. The
'plasterers chanod one of the sovereigns for die liquor, snd
agreed to divide their owls share when they got home. We
were all theWorie for liquor; I don't know what became of.
the 'rest since 'that time, and I 'don't know what happened to
myself, but the next morning I found myself in bed at a
public-house In Suffolk-street. I left the public house about
nine in die IMiming', and went and bought the pair of
breeches I now Wear, at some place in the Borough, at
oa sale shop. then went to Wilks'i hpuse, in Gable-street,
and got some beef-steak: Tor breakfast, 'some pickled pork,-
andtitrnip tom, and had several pots .orporter and several
half pints of tin. I, stopped at \Villta's all that day anti
night, and breakfasted at his house next morning, and then we
went together to' time Joiner's' Arms about eleven o'clock, as I
believe. I staid there about an hour and a half, and then came
back to Wilks's, and dined there, and afterwards lay down on
the bed. The plasterer to whom Scott gave the watch to be'
sold the old iron shop, gave it to me at the publtc.house to
dis Pose of.' When I was at 'Wilks's, before tea, anotit, middle-
aged woman came irk, known to Wilks's wife. asked her if.
she would have anyliquor, and then' fobk the watch and tle-
sired 'Mrs. Inks to pledge it, and get as much 'as she could,'
and to bring halt' a 'pint of gin ; the. brought back the liquor,
and kept. the dupheate I was the worse 'for liquor. 111,k
.mother came when I was at Wilks's, took me aside, and told
me her aunt hid' been Murdered at Clapham; and told me the
officers were after me, and asked me to go with her to Cam-
berwell ;' she, 'Vilks, and 1 then walked together to Camber-
well, to my mother's house; I got thereabout half-past eight ..,-
I'SfOpped there a few Minutes, and then went to the George,
and did not drink any...timing; I then went to the Red Cap,
where I staff- about an hour, and then went across the'Green ttf
the lock ;' I believe I drithk sane gin there, but cannot be cer-‘
tarn ; returning from the'door I was apprehended by the olli-
eers t 1 don't know the names of the two niasterers ; they both'
wore blue coats and white 4prons, and 'are strioothfaced ; Scott.
is rather stouter. The watch'now produced is the same I gave.
the woman to pawn: '
Mr. Aki,gst ordered the prisoners to be brought pp for final
examination next week, when they will be conformed for trial:
'When the three young men left the Magistrates room, Kep-
poll ' damned "Stoffell's' eyes for peachiv, and called him a
thirty 49,15, ' •