The Sun.
London, England, 1840-06-18 00:00:00

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lilting to anOther case, with a view of making it bear upon the
present one, more particularly when it cams with such au-
thority as that of a Learned Judge.
Lord Chief-Justice ritNnAL sad the Learned Counsel might
make any remarks en the general question of circumstantial
-evidence.

Mr. A noLruus proceeded to state the opinion he had -al7uded
to, and which stated, that circumstantial evidence was more sa-
tisfactory whin the chain was complete, than even direct evidence.
It might also be attempted to show that the witness Mansell
was unworthy of credit, and-from what had been published he
imagined that such would be the defence. Her character had
never been i .rpeached.
Mr. C. I'llitttra objected to the Learned Counsel vindicating the
character of a witness which had not been attacked by the defence,
and that merely because it had been attacked in the public F pers.

Lord Chief Justice TINDAL thought Mr. -A doiphus might go on.

Mr. A Datpitus would defy them to bring any single imputation
against the character of the witness Mansell ; and if they had any
witnesses to examine who could prove any thing against her cha.
racter he would himself call them. He then proceeded to ♦indi.
rate the character of the police from any imputation that might be
cast upon them. The Bedford family merely prosecuted here as
petitior.ers for public justice ;- (hey had no desire to hunt an
unprotected foreigner to an ignominious death. The feelings
of pity might be appealed to, but let them remember that
mercy Was a mitiga ion of punishment; not a denial of
justice. The safety of the comMunity depended triron the
verdict of Juries in eases 'similar to this, and it was for them to
determine whether the de'enceless fema:e, the decrepid old man,
and the helpless infant should retire to rest and remain in their
beds in safety. Should the depositions before the Coroner become
necessary forthe defence, he should not object to their being so used.
Mr. C. PHILLIPS was much obliged, but 2'l he asked was justice.

•
Mr. Baron PARKE thought the case should be conducted as cases
ordinarily were, and that Mr. Adolphus ought not to concede any.
thing more than he would in ordinary cases.
' Mr. C. Putt-ties said ail he dosired was, that the depositions
taken by the Coroner should be before their Lordships.. The Co-
roner, whose name was Higgs, had, he believed, been sent for.
• The following witnesses were then caked :
Sarah Mansell—l was housemaid in the service of the late
Lord William Russell, he resided at 14, Norfolk-street.. A cook
and valet were also in his Lordship's service. I had been with his
Lordship three years, the cook two years and nine months, the
prisoner at the bar was the valet, those were all the in-door servants.
There was a coachman and groom who did not reside in the house.
None of his Lordship's family resided with him. I remember the
morning of Tuesday, the sth May. His Lordship went out about
9 o'clock, the prisoner had been with him pre►iously, lie came'
to me after his Lordship went out, and said his Loidship had given
him five messages to attend to, and he was apprehensive he should
forget some of them: One of them was that his Lordship had told
him to order the carriage at 5 o'clock, to go to Brookes's. Myself,
the cook, and the prisoner, dined together at a little after one that
day. The prisoner afterwards went out and returned a little before
five. He was aloras. He said he should go and put out 'his Lordship's
things to dress. The upholdsterer 's men came to the house soon after.
his return. Ile remained about a quarter of an hour. He went
up to his Lordship's bedroom to tighten the bell-pull. The pri-
soner went up stairs with him. , Whilst they were up stairs, a
man named Carr, an acquaintance of the prisoner's, came to the
area gate. He had called about a fortnight before. He came down
into the kitchen. Carr remained after tha upholsterer had gone.
Ile remained until six, and took tea with myself, the cook, and
the valet . The coachman came in by the area steps while we were
at tea. The prisoner said he hail forgotten to order the carriage,
but that lie should tell his Lordship he had told him to order it at
half-past five. I told him he had better tell his Lordship the
truth, as his Lordship would sooner forgive him. He said he
should tell him it was half-past five; his Lortislii r was very forget-
ful, and must pay for his forgetfulness, The coachman then left.
After tea the prisoner. went into his own pantry with Carr. They
remained about half an hour. Lord W. Russell soon after
returned in a- hackney cab. I went to prisoner and told him,
and he went up and let his Lordship in. His Lordship went
to the dining-room. Soon after that the prisoner came down
with a letter in his hand. He said he was going to take it
to the stables by his Lordship's direction. He then went out,
accompanied by Cart. I saw nothing more of Carr. The pri-
soner was absent about ten minutes. He returned down the
area steps. He said that his Lordship had appeared angry when
he first came in, but that afterwards he got quite good-tempered.
The prisoner, when he came in from the stables, brought in his
Lordship's dog. -His Lordship then went out for a walk, accom-
panied by his dog. His Lordship returned about half-past six.
The prisoner was soon after employed in making arrangements
for his Lordship's dinner. The dinner hour was seven. About
seven a bell hanger came to fasten the handle of the door in
Lord Russell's roam. I went up with him at the prisoner's re.
quest. He was in tbehouse about a quarter.of-an-hour. He repaired
the handle of the door. Lord Russell died at home that day alone.
He was waited upon by the prisoner. His Lordship went into
the back drawing.room after dinner; he was there when I went to
bed ; the coachman came a little before nine, to fetch the dog. I
saw nothing `rriOre. of the coctehman that evening. The cook had
gone out, and the prisoner and myself supped together a little before
nine. The prisoner while at supper talked about a change of ser-
vants. The cook was going away and a new one expected ;he said
if a friend of Mine, who had applied, was not taken, he should not
recommend any one himself, as he did not like his Lordship's
service. On the 22d of April, the day Lord Russell came to Lon-
don from Richmond, the prlioner said his Lordship had been very
cross and peevish, as they had changed his room three times while
lie was at the Castle at Richmond. I said that was the reason his
Lordship was angry ; he said his Lordship had lost a locket while
at Richmond, but he did not know how it was lost:; he could not
find it. He said he did not know how the late valet had stopped so
long, as his temper would not allow him to stop with his Lordship.
After that time the prisoner said that he must write to the porter
about the locket ; this was not many days before the sth of May.
I never heard him say anything after that time in reference to that
locket. The cook retired on the evening referred to soon after
ten, The prisoner let her in at the front door. The prisoner
went out after she came in far a pint of porter by the way of the
area steps ; he was absent a few minutes. When he returned I
do not know whether he fastened the area-gate; it was generally
unlocked in the day time. It was the duty of either the cook or
the prisoner to fasten it at night; the key was hung up in the
kitchen. Ido not remember seeing it after the prisoner returned
with the porter. I went to bed at about a quarter after ten: I
slept immediately over the room in which Lord Russell slept; the
cook slept in the same room but in a different bed. The beds were
at different ends , of the loom, and I had to pass the cook's
bed to get to my own, It was my duty to light a fire
in Lord Russell's bedroom at night. I did so on the
night in question, and then went up to bed. There is a door at
the foot of the stairs leading from the landing near Lord Russell's
door to the floor where I slept., The prisoner slept in an adjoining
room to mine, at the back of the House. Every thing appeared
to be in its usual state on that night in Lord Russell's room. The
room adjoining Lord Russell's behind it was not used for any pur.
pose. There was a door of communication between the two rooms.
The door opening intro Lord Russell's room from the landing had a
spring on it, which caused it to close of itself without producing
any noise whatever. The door leading up to the third floor shut
easily. Lord Russell's bed-room door was covered with baize. .
The attic stair door was an ordinary one. It was sometimes closed
of a night, and sometimes left open. After I had been up stairs
about twenty minutes the cook came up and went to bed. We
neither of us left that bed-room any more that night. I heard no
noise, nor was lat all disturbed during the night. It was
the duty of the prisoner to remain up until his Lordship
went to bed. A fire was left burning in the kitchen. I awoke
about half after six on the following morning. The cook was
then in her bed and asleep. I usually got up at that hour. As I
was going down stairs, I knocked at the prisoner's door ; it was my
custom to do so. I did not hear him give any answer. The door
at the foot of the attic stairs was slightly open. I noticed a warm-
ing-pan on the landing immediately adjoining Lord Russell's door.
The handle was nearest the door, so that you would have to step
over the warmitig•pan to get to the door of the back room, but it
presented no obstacle to getting in and out of Lord Russell's room.
It was the prim ner's duty to warm his Lordship's bed. The warm.
ing-pan was generally taken down into the kitchen. The bed had
been warmed every night since the prisoner came. It had since
before occurred that the warming.pan had been left on the landing,
and I had spoken to the prisoner about it. This was before I.ord
Russell had gone to Richmond. I left it, and went into the back
room adjoining Ms Lordship's, but did not remain a moment. I

went in for a broom. I did not observe the state of the
door leading from that room to Lord Russell's bedroom.
I then went into the back drawing-room. I noticed his
Lordship's writing-desk turned round, and the four drawers open
and the top jammed up with paper; there was his Lordship's bunch
of keys, and several of his papers, on the hearthaug. I noticed a
screwdriver, which I had seen in the butler's pantry a few days
before, lying on a chair in the back drawing.room. The screw.
driver belonged to the place, and had been in possession of the late
valet. I noticed nothing in the front drawing.room particular. I

opened the, shutters. I then went down stairs, and came into the
passage. When I got there I saw a number of things lying behind
the street door; the street door was shut, it had no fastening done,
but a latch. There was on the door a top and bottom bolt, and a
lock and chain, but none of them were fastened, and the door was
on the latch. I was at the bottom of the stairs when I first noticed
the things lying behind the door. The things were his Lordship's
large blue cloak, his opera glass, and a little trinket box lying on
the top of it. There were a number of things lying on the mat
nearer the door, tied up in a napkin, than the cloak, which I did
not observe at that time; the cloak was neatly folded up. I

did not at that' time notice any other articles. I did
not examine those things on the mat until atlas* the police
come. They contained his Lordship's gold pencil case and gold
toothpick. They were in the folds of the napkin. The napkin
contained a silver sugar dredger, a little silver caddy spoon, a silver
top of a salt dredger, a pair of spectacles, a little cayenne spoon,
and the top of a silver dish cover. The napkin was the same that
I had given out on Monday for his Lordship's dinner. I saw it on
the Tuesday, and asked Courvoisier if he wanted a clean one, and
he said No, he could make it do twice. The cloak was usually
kept in the dining room, the opera.glass in his Lordship's bed room,
the toothpick case and the pencil case his Lordship generally carried
about his person, and at night put them on a small table in his bed.
room ; the dredgers were usually kept in the pantry cupboard, the
Gish cover was kept in the sideboard cupboard in the dining room ;
the prisoner had the key of it. There were other articles of plate
kept in the same cupboard. I went up to the street door when
I saw the things lying about, and then went to the dining room;
the shutters were closed, I opened the door, and then went in,
and opened the.shuttetsi and saw several things lying about, I
saw the silver candlesticks, the bottom of the dish.cover, and
other articles lying on the floor. Sugar was sprinked about. All
the drawers of the sideboard were open. I felt alarmed, and went
upstairs to my own bed-room. I found the cook still in bed. I
then went to the door of the prisoner's room, in consequence of what
the cook said. I said, Courvoisier, do you know of anything being the
matter last night. He instantly opened his door. It was about ten
minutes after I had first called him. He was dressed all but his
coat. He was accustomed to wash himself in the pantry. He
was dressed as he usually was. I said, Do you know what has
been the matter last night:? He said, No. I said, All your silver is
about, He poked very pale and agitated, and gave me no answer.
He put his coat on as he was going down stairs, and went down
instantly. I immediately followed him. He took the warming.
pan down in his hand into the dining-roorr. It was generally half
an hour or longer before he came down after he was
called. He first went into the dining.room, where he
left the warming-pan. I did not hear him say any.
thing. He then went into his own pantry down stairs. There is
a door near the pantry, opening into the back atea. I did no-
tice the state of it as I went down. I followed him into his
pantry. There was a cupboard there and drawers. They were
all open. He went up to the drawers. He said "My God, some
one has been robbing us." I said, Let us go up stairs; when we,,
w ere as far as the passage, I said" fur God's sake let us go where his
Lordship is." We went up stairs. He went up first. I followed
him close. He went into his Lordship's bedroom by the cloth door.
The door closed upon me, but I had the handle in my hand, and
went in immediately after.
There are three windows facing you
as you go in. When I came in the prisoner was opening the shut-
ters of the middle window. He must have passed the font of the
bed to do it. I went about half way to the middle of the foot of
the bed, and noticed blood upon the pillow. Before I did so, I
said, " My Lord, My Lord," and the prisoner said " Here he is,"
or" There he is," I cannot say which. I cannot say whether this
was said before or after I saw blood on the pillow. On seeing
the blood I screamed and ian out of the room. There were hang.
ings to the bed, and the curtains were closed on the side nearest the
door. They were half closed on the same side at the foot. I left
the prisoner in the room. I think I went part of the way up the
attic stairs, and then ran back, and went down into the street.
up the attic stairs was to alarm the
in
e
enl thought I would give an alarm in the
street.
I left the house by the street door, and went to a
neighbour's, . •
lir Latham's, nearly opposite. They did not come
101oyk°, object
going
at the next door, and the footman came up.
servant came up while I was standing there.
occurred. I had left the front door of the
u(otAt there, eg
him
5i
ra. nw Latham'sh d I
at rangsha d
houseeturnoedp e
t wic think u the cook at
she followed me.
I was not gone many minutes. When I
the bottom of he stairs. I
r, 'n
left.
I
went into the dining-room. Ido not know whether
I found theprisoner
I No stranger had come into the house at that time.