The Sun.
London, England, 1841-01-25 00:00:00

THE MURDER AT ASHTON.

On Thursday the four prisoners, Williams, Holme,and the
two Hardwicks, were placed before the Magistrates at Ash-
ton, when Edward Davis, one of the accompiicPs, was con-
fronted with them. He was one of the prisoners liberated
from Kirkdale on bail, but afterwards recommitted. His
appearance as a witness, produced a great sensation in
Court. After recounting the various meetings of the par-
ties, he thus describes what took place after his arrest:—
While in custody here, I was with Williams at the station-
house in Droylsden. On Saturday, when brought up here,
we were taken out to be shaved one by one. We were all
shaved. I and Thompson, Williams. and Hardwick, were
all in the lock-up together. I heard Williams saying to
the Hardwicks, that all of us should be of one mind;
there ought to be no splitting. " Sooner,"he added, " than
split on little Jack, I'll hang like a pound of candles." I was
sent to Kirkdale that day. After being there some days,
I met with Williams and the Hardwicks. I and Williams
were talking, and Samuel Hardwicke got behind us.
I was talking about the man being shot. I said "Itis a
very awkward concern, and it is most likely some person
may suffer for it innocently." " Oh," said Williams,
" it's of no use talking about that. There is not a man
upon earth knows about it, only me and little Jack." Sa-
muel Hardwick found us while we were talking this way.
I repeated the same words over again in Samuel Hard-
wick's hearing. He said again there was no danger of its
coming out. No one outside knew of it, only Jack. "Jack
I will never split on," he said, " and I'm not afraid he'll
split on me." He said he should not like Jack to be hurt;
he was a little good one. He spoke to me of the money
attar. As we were walking, he said, " Jack has done his
duty this time; lie ought to have a pound for it."
The prisoner Holme commenced a very long but wholly
pointless cross.exaininetion of the last witness, except in-
deed in points in which he criminated himself and Wil-
liams. Ile asked him, for instance, was he not present
with them at Whitfield sow-mill when the murder took
P •
lace 9 And when the witness replied in the I creative, he
applied to the Bench to be allowed to call Williams as a
witness in support of his accusation, which, of course, the
Magistrates refused.
The Court continued to sit without interruption until
five o'clock, when it adjourned.

THE MANCHESTER CHARTER OF INCORPO-
RATION.—At a meeting of the Judges in the Exchequer
Chamber on Tuesday List, the day for taking writs of
,rror in the Court of Exchequer was fixed for Monday
the 22d of February ; when, of course, something will be
said about the cause of Rutter v. Chapman, and most
probably judgment will be given. As many parties have
supposed that this arrangement amounts to a postpone-
ment of the judgment, we think it right to state, that we
believe such is not the fact. It is customary to allot the
first Monday after term to writs of error in the Queen's
Bench, the a, cord Monday to writs of error in
he Common Pleas, and the third Monday to writs in the
Exchequer ; and this alit/hi:eat has been adhered to on
the present occasion.