The Sun.
London, England, 1824-02-03 00:00:00

and I tried it at several places, but could not succeed, and I
returned it again to Thurtell.
By T. Thurtell's desire, 1 ordered some expensive articles
at Dare and Slarks, in Cockspur-street, which were sent ac-
cording to the order. There was about this time to be a great
dinner at the Cock ; and about ten days before the dinner, John
Thurtell went to Probert's cottage on a shooting party for a
few days to shoot on the grounds of Major Woods ; he returned
the day before the dinner, and at the dinner he took the deputy
chair. On the same day that J. Thurtell returned from the
cottage, he told me that he had become desperately in love
with Miss Caroline Noyes, the sister of Probert's wife ; but
that she had promised her hand to a man named Wood ; he
said, however, that he did not care for that, he would con-
tinue his visits, and endeavour to supplant him ; and I and
stood from him that he frequently went to the cottage, until
Saturday when he was going down there, he met Mr. W
and Miss Noyes coming to town in company together. This
very much vexed and mortified him, and he then commenced
writing letters to her, which were either unnoticed or returned
under cover ; this only served to irritate him still more, and he
inveighed most bitterly against Wood ; Probert also joined in
the abuse of Wood, and said—" You know, John, I hate this
fellow, and there is no man of my acquaintance that I should
like to have the girl but yourself." Thurtell said no man in
the world should ever stand between him and his happi-
ness, if he lost his own life in the cause ; and that he should go
to Norwich the next week, and get his friend Harper to lend
him his air-gun to settle some of the Gentlemen who had ill-
used him. He said there were three or four on the list, but
Wood stood first, because he was in the way of his happiness.
I understood from Probert and John Thurtell that Miss Noyes
was entitled to some money on her marriage, and that if she
married John Thurtell, he and Probert were to go into busi-
ness together. John Thurtell went to Norwich at about the
time the indictment was preferred against him and others for
the conspiracy, and he was absent two days. I met him in
Fleet-street the same night he returned, with the air-gun under
his arm.

John Thurtell had written a letter from Norwich, addressed
to me at Mrs. Mountain's, wherein he informed me, that he
had got every thing he wanted, that all was right ; and desired
me to meet him at 9 o'clock on Saturday evening, at Temple-
Bar, at the corner of Shire-lane. I was a quarter or half an
hour beyond my time, and found him waiting; he sheaved me
the air-gun and a double-barrelled pistol—the latter, he said,
would be of no use to him, as it would make too loud a report.
It was a large-sized pistol, and has the name of Mr. Harper
upon it. We went to Mrs. Mountain's, and after taking some-
thing to drink, I left him. The next week he gave me the
pistol, which I pawned at Cotterell's, in Shoe-lane, for Bs.,
and it is now there, either in the name of Jones or Hunt.
The ensuing week the plan of shooting Mr. Wood in Castle-
street, was determined upon as follows :—Wood, Probert, and
Noyes had lodgings in the same house together, at No. 35 or
36, Castle-street, Leicester-square, and it was agreed that some
night when Noyes was down at Probert's cottage, Probert was
to go home early at night, and keep the landlady and her
daughter drinking below stairs after Wood was gone to bed ;
and when he was supposed to be asleep, John Thurtell, dis-
guised in a boat cloak, was to enter the house by means of
Probert's key of the street door, proceed to Wood's room, and
shoot him through the heart with the air-gun. He was then to
place a small pistol, that had been discharged, in Wood's right
hand, so that it might appear he had shot himself, and he was
then quietly to leave the house, and sleep in the city. Probert
was afterwards to have gone up stairs, and found Wood in this
situation, and given the alarm, or the landlady was to have found
him dead the next morning. An inquest would of course be
held on the body, and it was to be made appear, that in a fit
of insanity or despondency he had shot himself. Probert said
he would attend before the inquest, and swear that Wood was
much embarrassed in his circumstances, and depressed in his
spirits, and that was the reason, he had no doubt, why he had
destroyed himself. John Thurtell asked a man, named Woolf,
who keeps a sale shop, and who was in the habit of using his
brother's house, the price of a boat cloak for the purpose, but
Ido not know whether he bought one or not. The reason why
this plan was not carried into effect at once was, that the air-
gun was found to be out of repair, and it was sent to a gun-
smith's in Sherrard-street to have a new valve. Thurtell told
the gun-maker he had it for the purpose of killing deer, the re-
pairs came to a shilling or two under a pound.
The night Wood's murder was to have been perpetrated, he,
fortunately did not sleep at home, and some accidental circum-
stances afterwards caused it to be put off, and the idea of shoot-
ing him in Castle-street, altogether abandoned, although Pro-
Thurtell to commit the murder,
noutrgbinega better time to serve him, as the
enoouldother lodgers in the house. Probert often
If you mean to do it, why don't you do it at once ; you
know I can keep the women engaged." Thurtell replied
your great eyes, if you want it done, why don't you
do it yourself ; You are big enough and ugly enough, and there
is the air-gun at your service." On which Probert used to
slsbaaae
niyrddit
avg
da sytihe ar de continually
turn it off with a laugh, and say, " You know, Jack, I want
you to have the woman, and should not like Wood to get her."
The house in Illanchester-buildings was taken for the ex-
press purpose of destroying Wood, and making it a warehouse
for whatever goods could be obtained from tradesmen by frau-
dulent bills.
Thurtell took it from a Solicitor in Berner's-
street, and gave a reference to Cousins, a linen-draper at Ken-
sington, to whom also a great quantity of Thurtell's valuable
property was sent. Thos. Thurtell pawned one of the looking-
glasses for 51. to pay for the agreement. I went with J.
Thurtell and Mr. Asseretis's clerk to see the house, and J.
Thurtell told the clerk he should not want the fixtures, as when
his family came from Norwich he must have all new fixtures
and furniture. When this house in Manchester-buildings was
taken possession of, I went with a waggon, hired from Daf-
fern, in Compton-street, to bring away a great many articles of
furniture and bedding, which had been obtained from different
tradespeople, and deposited in a cottage which T. Thurtell had
hired at Kensington for the purpose of secreting them. Some
of these things were afterwards seized, as I have been given to
understand, by the creditors, at a house in Cumberland-street.
The next plan against Mr. Wood was, to entice him to the
house in Manchester-building, and there destroy him. John
Thurtell borrowed a pair of heavy dum-bells, 61b. each, from
a Mr. Hancock, and it was settled that I should by stratagem
get him to accoinpany me to enter the house, and when he was
within side I was to shut the door upon him, and go to Charing-
cross, where Thurtell was to meet me, after dispatching him.—
And, in order to account for his absence, a letter was to be
sent to his lodgings to say that several writs were out against
him.

HANOVER, JAN. 23.—His Royal Highness the
Duke of CAMBRIDGE set out to-day for New
Strelitz ; the Duchess went some days ago. He
will visit the King of PRUSSIA, and the Crown
Prince and Princess at Berlin, and the Duke of
BRUNSWICK at Brunswick ; and not be back here
till the middle of next month.

MR. PIERCE, OF BRISTOL—We are requested
by Messrs. CLARKE, RICHARDS, and MEDCALF,
of Chancery-lane, to contradict a statement
which has appeared in the newspapers, repre-
senting that Mr. Pierce has sailed from Cowes,
in the Isle of Wight, on board the ship Hudson,
for America ; such a representation being alto-
gether erroneous. This report, we find, had its
origin in the circumstance of a person somewhat
resembling Mr. Pierce in personal appearance
having sailed last week on board that ship, and a
conjecture was entertained that it might possibly
be Mr. Pierce. But we are assured most posi-
tively by Messrs. Clark and Co. that such was not
the case; thatMr.Pierce did not sail by that vessel ;
and that it is clearly ascertained that the indivi-
dual who was thus taken for Mr. Pierce, was in,
reality, a Mr. ----, who embarked at Cowes,
under the assumed name of Richardson. Our
informants have put us in possession of this
gentleman's real name; but from motives of de-
licacy, and a regard to the feelings of his family
and friends, we forbear mentioning it. Messrs.
Clarke and Co. further inform us, that up to the
present time, no trace of Mr. Pierce has been
made out ; and that nothing has occurred to
alter the opinion formed by his friends, that he
has been the victim of a murder.—(Times.)

Miss NIXON, the wonderful child, 'twelve years
old, weighing 25 stone of 14lbs. and more than
seven feet circumference, died at Batt' last week.
A singular circumstance occurred at the old
Church,•Leedt, on Sunday last. A child being
given into the arms of the Vicar, for the purpose
of christeping, he discovered to his great surprise,
that the infant was lifeless !