The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-25 00:00:00

CONFESSION OF A MURDER.
A person giving the name of William Squires, was
charged, upon his own confession, at Bow-street Police-
a
court, with murdering Emma Jackson, six years .ago, in
brothel in George-street, St. Giles's.—This is about the
seventh person who has given himself into custody upon
this charge. Police-constable, 143 E, stated that
he saw the prisoner in Clarke's-buildings. He
said he wanted to give himself up for the
murder of Emma Jackson. Witness asked him if
he meant what he said and he replied with an oath that
he did—be had met her in a public-house in Charles-
street, and proceeded with her to a room in George-street,
where he gave her 2s. After that she attempted to rob
him, and he stabbed her with a knife, but did not mean
to murder her. Witness took him to the police-station,
where he was questioned by Inspector Harnett, but he
(prisoner) did not seem inclined to answer. He was drunk.- -
Superintendent Thomson stated thAt a woman named
Emma Jackson was murdered on the 9th of April, 1863.
She had been stabbed in the neck, and the man escaped.—
The Prisoner :It is not true I murdered her. I know I
told the constable so, but I did not do it.—The mother of
the prisoner said that when he was in liquor he was quite
mad. —Mr. Vaughan remanded the prisoner for a week.

CONFESSIONS OF A. SCOUNDREL.
An individual who at present it appears goes under the
name of "T. D. Roundell of York," besides many other
designations, has been preying upon society at large for
some time past. A London legal firm have undertaken
the laudable task of exposing this imposter, but it would
seem with very little success. His specialite consists in
getting up charitable movements, with the view of pocket-
ing the contributions. The circularupon which he is at pre-
I sent trading is headed "Fund for the Benefit of Mrs. Gordon
Widow of the late G. W. Gordon, of Jamaica," then
follows an alleged committee, with Sir Charles Dilke as
chairman, and many well-known names, including Mr.
Jacob Bright, Mr. Charles Buxton, Mr. George Dixon,
Professor Fawcett, Mr. Edward Miall, Mr. John Stuart
Mill, Mr. Samuel Morley, Mr. T. B. Potter, and Mr.
Charles Saville Roundell, as members ; with Mr. P. A.
Taylor, as treasurer, and Mr. William Morgan, as hono-
rary secretary ; then comes his own name, under one of
his aliases, as " assistant-secretary and collector."
The list is followed by a well-written circular which is sent
to his selected victims, and concludes with an intimation
that he will have the pleasure of waiting upon them with
a subscription list, to the whole being affixed the name of
a respectable gentleman in Birmingham. The legal firm
in question some time ago sent a letter to the newspaper,
exposing his cheats. It had the effect of eliciting a reply
from the scoundrel himself, the letter being so remarkable
that we subjoin the whole :

" London, November 30th, 1870.

"Messrs. Shaen and Roscoe.—Gentlemen,—With re
ference to your letter in the Times of this mornin,, allow
me as the person wanted,' to inform you that you
need not put yourselves to any, further trouble. It
will be quite useless. You may send letters to the
London and provincial daily newspapers (most of
which of Liberal politics, and the weeklies too includ-
ing the Manchester Examiner and Guardian, Leeds
Mercury, Birmingham Post, and others, are de-
livered at my residence immediately after publication),
but the only effect of it is to put me on my guard, and
warn me that it is time I changed the and the
subject. You may give whatever information you like
to the detectives, it will be useless. They are wooden
heads, and' never succeed in detecting anybody,
unless they can meet with a confederate to split'
upon his mate,' and I have no confede-
rate.' I was once in danger from informa-
tion' thus received ;' bnt being able to anoint
the itching palms of the detective—' active and
intelligent officer '--with some golden salve, I escaped.
In this particular instance (of Mrs. Gordon's circular),
I unguardedly, having taken too much champagne when
giving the order, gave the printer my proper address, that
he might send the proof by post ; but, recollecting this;
I changed my lodgings without delay. So 'even should
the printers (a most respectable firm) see your or Mr.
Chesson's letter, and send you my address as they have
it, the information will be useless. And now,
gentlemen, in conclusion, do not suppose from the tone of
this letter that I glory in my shame.' Far from it. I
loathe and detest myself. But having, while in a
respectable position lost fortune and character by folly
and extravagance, 1 have been led into doing things which
had I been charged with at one time, I should have
indignantly answered, Is thy servant dog, that he
should do this ?' But I have not injured the funds of
any society much ; for though I have received an enor-
mous sum of money, it was got because a personal
appeal was made, and but a very small percentage would
have been sent 9n (lamer to any advertisement or
circular, without a personal request. If you wish for any
communicat'on with me, advertise in the Times to the
initials of my assumed cognomen.

T. D. ROUNDELL.
" Excuse this hurried note. I have not time to-day to
re-write it."

LAW AND POLICE.
PAYMENT OF INTEREST.—The case of Rodger and others
v. the Comptoir D'Escompte De Paris and others, was
before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. It was
an appeal from the Supreme Court of Hongkong. An
action for trover, tried at Hongkong, resulted in a verdict
for the plaintiffs for the sum in question, and the Supreme.
Court declined to give interest on the money returned, on
the ground that the Court had no such power. The rate
of interest at Hongkong was at the rate of 12 per cent.,
and was claimed from the 12th September, 1867,
to the day of payment. It amounted to between
£3,000 and £4,000. Lord Cairns, in giving
judgment, said their Lordships were of opinion that the
Court below had power to carry out the order as to the
payment of interest on the principal and interest, exclu-
sive of the costs, which, for obvious reasons, would be
omitted. There was, however, a novelty in the matter,
and as the Judge of the Court below was of opinion that
he had no power to order interest, their Lordships would
make no order on that subject, so that each side would
bear its own costs. The interest to be at the usual rate
allowed by the Court at Hong Kong.
IMPORTANT ECCLESIASTICAL CASE.—On Tuesday the
special case of Regina v. Cha,mpneys was argued in the
Court of Common Pleas. The question at issue was the
right of the very Rev. Mr. Champneys, Dean of Lichfield,
to hold the rectory of a village some fifteen miles from the
cathedral city. The emoluments, which amounted to
nearly £2,000 per annum, were claimed by the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners, under a statue of Victoria, which pro-
hibited deans from accepting livings outside of their cathe-
dral city. The Dean held by succession, under a statute of
Anne, which annexed the rectory to the deanery, and the
case was, according to the Solicitor-General, unique. The
court held that the recent statute had not repealed that
of Anne, nor had it provided for the severance of the rec-
tory from the deanery. The Dean had not the option of
accepting or refusing the rectory, as by virtue of his office
of dean he was created rector of Tattenhill by statute.
Judgment, therefore, must be for the defendant.
IMPORTANT TO BANKERS.—In the Court of Bankruptcy,
before the Chief Judge, the case of "Ex-parte, Adair and
others in re Gross," was heard,which involved an issue as to
the right of the justices of the eastern division of the county
of Suffolk, to a balance which stood to the credit of the
bankrupt, Mr. B. L. Gross, a solicitor of Ipswich, who
was appointed to the office of treasurer of the rates, and
as such had opened certain special accounts with the
National Provincial Bank of England at Ipswich. The
bankrupt has since absconded. The Chief Judge was of
opinion that if the banker knew the money deposited with
him by a customer did not belong to that customer, he
could not apply it in payment of his own debt. In this
case it was proved that the bank had full and
distinct notice that all money paid into the account
were moneys which had been entrusted to the bankrupt
as county treasurer. The sums of £362 13s. 10d. and of
£2,609 16s. Bd., standing respectively to the credit of the
superannuation fund account and of the police account,
and 'which the bank sought to appropriate in satisfaction
of the amount due on the bankrupt's own private accounts,
must therefore be paid over to the appellants, and the
trustee must return the securities, which would be mar-
shalled in favour of the bank upon presentation of the
usual mortgagee's petition.
PURCHASING SOLDIERS' CLOTHING.—A case of purchase
unlawfully of soldiers' necessaries has been brought before
the Rochester city magistrates, a clothier named Barrall
being charged with having in his possession a tunic and
a number of great coats, soldiers' necessaries. The plea
of the defendant was, that the clothes were purchased
as those of discharged soldiers from a woman who
attends the barracks on business. Some of the articles
were identified, and the defendant was fined £5, and also
ordered to pay £9, three times the value of the things
identified.

KINAHAN'S LL WHisicv.---This celebrated and most
delicious old mellow spirit is the very cream of Irish
Whiskies, in quality unrivalled, perfectly pure, and more
wholesome than the finest Cognac Brandy. Note the
red seal, pink label, and cork branded " Kinahan's LL
Whisky. New \holesole Depot, 6A, Great Titchfield-
street, Oxford-street, W.

THE WAR,

THE GREAT SORTIE.
[BY BALLOON MAIL.—FROM THE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
OF THE CENTRAL PRESS.]
RUEIL, NEAR PARIS, January 19 (Evening).
The long talked of sortie took place this morning, which
has been so anxiously expected, and for which so many
preparations have been made. Yesterday, a proolamation
was issued by the Government, declaring that the enemy
was killing our women and our children, and pouring
shells into our hospitals. The cry "To arms," resounded
on all sides, and those who could gives their lives would
march on the 'enemy. Those who remained in the city
would aocept, if necessary, the severest sacrifices to shew
themselves worthy of their brothers. An order
invested General Flo, the Minister of War,
with the temporary command of the National
Guard, the Gavle Mobile, and the army within Paris,
during the absence of General Trochu, also of tke forts
and advanced works. During the night there were one
child, one woman, and four men killed by the bombard-
ment, and two children, seven women, and five men
wounded. All this intensified the eagerness of the people.
At midnight the troops were still traversing Paris, though
more than 100,000 men had left by Porte Maillot.
This morning the troops, under Generals Trochu, Ducrot,
and Vinoy, attacked the Prussian positions in the neigh-
bourhood of Mont Val6rien. There was sharp fighting
near the heights of Montretout which were carried by the
French under General Vinoy. The Mobiles and National
Guards behaved very well here, and never yielded for a
moment. They took two barricades, and fought on in the
streets of St. Cloud until they reached the Church, where
they remained. In the houses near they made some fifty
prisoners, who were miserable looking enough, and -dis-
played not the smallest unwillingness to be taken. In
fact, they seemed to regard it as a joke, asking, in good
French, which was the way to Paris. Two houses were
on the highroad, the Maison Pozzo di Borgo and Maison
Zimmerman. The National Guards and some Mobiles
from the Lower Loire, barricaded these, under the com-
mand of a very able officer, M. Lareinty. The artillery,
however, could not be brought up from the state of the
ground.
So far the movement on the left was entirely successful.
Unhappily there was a break-down, as there always is, in
the rest of the arrangements. The right column, under
Ducrot, was two hours late in making the attack. This
is attributed by some to the darkness of the night, and the
difficulty of concentrating the troops, by others to the
fact that Ducrot's and Bellemare's artillery both took the
same road by mistake, and it thus became impassable for
the infantry. However this may be, the fighting
when the troops did get up was very heavy.
Ducrot on the right mo ied towards the heights
of La Jonciere. The centre was occupied by General
Bellemare's force, which passed into the park of Buzenval
by breaches in the wall. During the morning the mist
was very heavy, and the fighting in the woods was severe.
The French fought well, and with gr,ater tenacity than I
have yet seen - during this campaign. Later in the
afternoon, the enemy, who had been surprised
in the morning, by the suddenness and vigour of the
attack, brought up powerful reserves both of infantry and
artillery. The French left gave way, and the troops were
forced to retire from the heights. As La Bergerie had not
been taken (at which point General Bellemare's attack had
been directed), nothing of much importance had been
gained, but the French had certainly stood their ground
valiantly in several places. When the Prussians came up
at dusk at Montretout, and poured their shells upon the
district, the Guards gave way, but Lareinty, the com-
mander mentioned above, defended himself in his
house, and refused to give up. He is still holding
out. The war battalions of the National Guard fought
well all through the day, and the loss on both sides must
have been very severe. There is every sign that we shall
return to quarters during the night, and that to-morrow
my despatch will be dated Nam Paris. I send this to be
posted in Paris in case a balloon should leave.
PARIS, January 20.
The troops have returned to their cantonments, and the
war battalions of the National Guard to Paris. A flag of
truce was sent this afternoon to the farm called La
Fouilleuse to ask from the Prussian authorities for
a suspension of two days to bury the dead,
but the request is said to have been refused.
The members of the Government have met to consider
what course to adopt under the present serious aspect of
affairs. Several of the Mayors have been sent for by the
Minister of the Interior.
There has been no engagement to-day, so we have leisure
to speak of social subjects. The bakers, acoording to a
notice issued by the Mayor a dry or two since, now only
distribute bread to persons provided with a card for food.
The ration for an adult is 300 grammes, price 10 centimee
for a child, 150 grammes, price 5 centimes. Up till now
the ration has been 500 gitmmes (11b.) All frauds con-
nected with the cards will be punished under the
penal code. Cultivators having wheat in reserve
for sowing, and all holders of corn, have been
ordered to declare it, under penalty of confiscation
of the corn, fine, and 3 months' imprisonment. The corn
will be paid for at the rate of 50f. per cwt. Any person
giving information of corn, barley, or rye not declared
will receive a reward of 26f. per cwt.
The fires occasioned by the bombardment have given
some trouble. The slaughter-houses at Grenelle caught
fire, and so did the Wine Depot. The latter excited great
apprehension, but the firemen subdued it with much
ability. Several public buildings have been struck by
shells.

OFFICIAL REPORT.

The Journal Officiel has published the military report
of the 19th. The reports of the different commanders
have not all been delivered, but a general summary of the
operations can be given. The army was divided into
three columns composed of troops of the line,
Gardes Mobile, and National Guards. That of
the left, under General Vinoy -was to carry
the redoubts of Montretout, and the houses of Beam
Pozzo di Borgo, and Zimmermann, that of the centre
under General Bellemare, was to direct its attention
to the eastern portion of the plateau of la Bergerie.
The right division, commanded by General Ducrot,
was to operate on the west part of the park
of Buzenval, and at the same time to attack
Longboyau. All the ways of communication to Genne-
villiers comprising railways were used for the concentra-
tion of these considerable forces, and as the attack took
place early in the morning, the right division, which had
the long distance of twelve kilometres to get over in the
middle of the night, only reached its destina-
tion after the left division and the centre
had begun the attack. At eleven o'clock in
the morning the redoubt of Montretout and the houses
fixed upon had been taken from the enemy, who left us
sixty prisoners. General Bellemare reached the height of
La Bergerie, but was obliged to employ a part of his reserve
to maintain his position. During this time the column of
Gen Ducrot entered the lines. His right established
as Paten was attacked by formidable batteries on the
other side of the Seine, which were responded to by his
artillery and by Mont Valerien. The fighting was fierce
at Longboyau, where great resistance was made from
behind walls and the embattled houses which border the
park. Several times the General brought up his
troops to the attack without gaining any ground. At
four o'clock the enemy made an offensive movement
between the centre and right divisions of our troops, and
executed it with so much violence that our men gave way.
But they again came forward at the end of the day. The
height was again carried, but night approached, and our
efforts were stopped by the imp,ssibility of bringing up the
artillery to take a fixed position. Under these circum-
stances it was dangerous to remain on the positions which
had been so dearly purchased, because the enemy would
have come up with troops in all directions the next
morning. The men were weary with twelve hours'
fighting and the night marching. We therefore re-
tired in the trenches between Mont Valftien and the
Croch trd houses. Our losses are serious, but according
to the Prussian prisoners the enemy has also sustained
considerable loss. It could not be otherwise, after such a
severe struggle, which, beginning at the dawn of day, was
not over when night fell. It was the first time that on
the same field of battle groups Df citizens were joined to
troops of the line marching against an enemy
entrenched in such difficult positions. The National Guard
of Paris shares with the army the credit of having assailed
these strongholds with great bravery at the cost of sacrifices
which their country will appreciate. If the battle of the
Nineteenth of January has not had all the results which
Paris may have looked for, it has been one of the most
important events of the siege, and one of those which
speaks most highly as to the spirit of the defenders of the
capital.