The Sun.
London, England, 1823-11-03 00:00:00

where the clothes of the deceased were put ? Not of my own
knowledge, I wish I did, but I considered near the pond.—Had
he any
an
dcloptuhtes intooit
t?heNo
No, Sir,
gig.—Thenthey)owaere
docut
notokfin:
know
eonciloytohuers
were taken off; for he was naked when lie was brought into the
lane
own knowledge, or from information, what became of the de-
ceased's clothes ? I have not the slightest knowledge.—Had
you ever any of the clothes of the deceased on your own back?
Never.--What became of them after lie was dead ? That 1
don't know.—How do you know they were cut off? Because I
was told so by John Thurtell. On Sunday evening had you any
other person's clothes on except our own ? On Sundareven-
ing I had a suit of black clothes on of John Thurtell's ?—For
what purpose did you exchange your dross ? As it was Sunday
I wished to appear decent and respectable.—What dress had
John Thurtell on ? A blue coat, light waistcoat, light amen-
clothes, and gaiters.—Where did you change your clothes ? In
a little room by Mr. Probert's bed-room.—Were you given to
understand the clothes you put on in Probert's house on the
Sunday were the property of the murdered man ? Why yes,
',have since been given to understand so, for I told the officer
where to find them—When did . you give the information ?
When I was at Watford. After you were in custody ? Yes,
on Wednesday last.--Had, you any reason to believe that
the property belonged, to John Thurtell ? Yes.—Did you go
up with John Thurtell, when he went to 'London ? Yes,
sir,—Was there not a carpet-bag put in the gig ; When we
left Probert's there was a carpet-hag put into the gig, and
a box-coat and a gun, and a powder-horn, with a shooting
jacket ?—Was there any other things in the gig when he left the
Coach and Horses on the Friday night ? No, Sir.—lf you did
not know what these things were, how did you know how to
give a description of them when you ordered them to be given
up ? I did-not say I had not seen them.—Then you knew the
contents of the carpet bag ? Yes ; John Thurtell sorted them
up, and put them into my drawers, and desired them to be taken
care of ? —The bag was left in the gig all night; and was brought
to my house in the Morning. I and John Thurtell walked on
Saturday morning through a plough field, and broke through
a hedge into a lane; it was not so late as seven o'clock.—
We saw two men in the lane. to whoM J. Thtirtell said be had
'lost a handkerchief and a knife : the lane was a quarter of a
mile from Probert's house. Nothing was said about being
capsized. After leaving the lane we, went to breakfast. I
saw no handkerchief. I did not sponge my clothes ; but I
brushed John Thurtell's clothes at his request. I took a spade
clown in the chaise with me. I was requested to do so, but
don't know for what purpose. Thomas Thurtell threw it over
a hedge near the gate where tae body was brought out by him
naked. I did not see it used; I suppose it was brought for
Mr. Probert's , use. On that day I had black whiskers and
mustachios; you may lee, they are now cut off; I have a hard
' beard, and cut them off for my own pleasure ; I have been in
the habit of doing so ; I cut them off at my lodgings in London;
I have no objection to sign this statement.
Probert was brought before the Jury, and he entered into a
full statement of his connexion with the Thuitell's and
Hunt. He admitted that he dined with them on the Fri-
day the murder took place, and conveyed Hunt down to
his house in his chaise, at the request of John Thurtell ;
that he put Hunt down a short distance from his house,
who said he had promised to meet John Thurtell there ;
that when he . arrived at his gate, John. Thurtell met him,
and said, " that he had killed his friend ; and done the
trick;" that he exclaimed, " Good God ! you have not com-
mitted murder ?" that. the body was afterwards removed by'
Hunt and John Thurtell to the pond; that he lent John Thur-
tell six pounds in Loudon, where they dined in Conduit-street,
and received six pounds from him in his parlour on the night
of the murder, when John Thurtell produced a rade case, con.
taining three five pound notes, and a purse containing sovereigns,
and said " This is all I got by the job ;" that the body was
subsequently removed by John Thurtell from his pond to
another place ; that he found a spade on his grounds, and that
Hunt assisted in removing the body. lie then made a general
declaration of his innocence of the murder, and protested that
he did not know the man's name, or who or what he was, and
never had seen him in his life.
James Haddis sworn.—(This witness wen examined on the
first day.).—ls the servant boy of 111 r. Probert ;he said that
Mr. Probert, Hunt, and John Thurtell, went out on Friday
night about tea o'clock, and were absent about ' three"
quarters of an hour,,with a candle and lantern, they'all return-
ed together. It was a little before ten o'clock when he saw
John Thurtell sponging his coat. Wa* not aware if Probers,
Hunt, and John Thurtell went towards the pond on Friday
night at ten o'clock. '(A mahogany box, u double-barrelled
gun, and a carpet bag used for travelling, the property of the
deceased, were shown to witness ;) witness saw the gun and the
mahogany case at Mr. Probert's on last Saturday morning, but
also saw a bag resembling the one produced. Saw John Thur.
tell on Saturday moaning when he went away with Hunt abOut
seven o'clock ; then wore Wellington boots very dirty all over,
his trOwsers were very dirty about the legs, his coat was dirty on
the back and arms, and he appeared to have been on the ground.
The same morning John Thurtell had his blue dress coat off,
and' Hunt wassponging it as it hung on the door been: kitchen ;
there was no blood on the blue coat, but there were spots of
blood on his light great coat.--I.A coat found by Ruthven in
Hunt's lodgings was produced.] ,Witness could not identify
it; a large piece of sponge produced was identified by .him
to be that need by John 'Thurtell and Hunt, in sponging the
bloody clot:es. On Sunday, John Thurtell, Thos. Thum'',
Hunt, Probert, Mr. Noyes, 'Mr. Heward, and Mr. Nicholls.
were at Probert's; Mr. Noyes came alone in a chaise, and
Mr. Heward and Mr, Nicholls came about business.. On Mon-
day. morning, Probert told him to clean himself, to go to town
with Mr. Hunt and Themes Thurtell; he did so, and accom--
panied them to London,; Hunt drove them to St. Clement's
Church, and then got out, and went into a house, but did not
take any thing out of the chaise ; from thence they went to the
Coach and Horses; Conduit. street ; left witness there, and told
him Mr. Probert would come to him in two hours; Mr. J.
Thurtell got out of the chaise, and Hunt drove away ; he did
not see Mr. Probert on the Monday or Tuesday ;. a. police-
officer took him away on. Wednesday ; witness had never .before
been taken to town.
COltoNSit.—The body was removed out of the way by the
parties to avoid accidents.
---

Thomas Abel IVartl, of Watford, surgeon, sworn.— Was pre.
sent at the examination of the body of the deceased person,
Mr. William Wesre, this evening. I believe the immediate
cause of the death was a wound on the anterior angle of the
parietal bone, given by some instrument, which, from the marks,
lam inclined to believe was the barrel of a pistol. Part of the
skull was beat into the brains. There was another wound un-
der the protuberance of the right cheek bone, which had the
appearance of a common gun or pistol-shot wound, and the
ball repelled by the cheek bone. lam of *pinion that the
wound in the right cheek was not of a nature, to cause death;
but that the deceased died from the beating on the Ann with
the pistol barrel. The injury was of that nature, that I con-
ceive the pistol barrel must have been " punched" with
desperate violence into the skull of the unfortunate num.—
( Witness here produced a piece of deceased's skull bone,
which he had extracted from the brains of the deceased on
opening the head.). I also observed a wound cut by a sharp
instrument on each side of the throat ; the jugular on the left
side was divided, and the wound was sufficieneto occasion
death ; the wound on the right side of the throat did not injure
any parts of vitality, but merely severed the flesh under the ear.
Conoto: it—lt seems that atter the deceased was shot he was
able.to struggle with his murderer, and that he received the
blows on the -head when resisting, and to make sure, as " dead
men tell no tales," his murderers . completed their horrid work
by cutting his throat.
The Coroner addressed the Jury at some length, and they
returned a verdict of

Wilful Murder against John Tliurtell, as a principal, and
against hunt and Probert as aceessaries before the fact. The
prisoners were conveyed to liertterti gaol.
The Coroner and Jury expressed their conviction of T.
Thurtell's innocence of the murder, and actpitted him ; but he
was detained on a warrant brought down from. London, on a
charge of conspiring to set fire to his • hotise, to defraud the
County Fire Office.
The prisoners are all well known as men of the town.—
Hunt is the brother of Mr. Hunt, the vocal performer at
Covent Uarden, and was in the habit himselt of singing
in public. His, mother formerly lived in Bride-lane, and
now lives in Mary-le-bone. lie married the sister to Mrs.
Mountain, who kept the Naval Coffee-house In St. Martin's-
lane, and afterwards kept that house himself: presiding
frequently as chairman to a Free and. Easy Club. His ways
of life soon led to his destruction. The two Thurtell are
sons of Alderman Thurtell, of Norwich, a man of the
highest respectability. They have recently become now-
lions from the action brought by them against the County
Fire Office, for the destruction of their premises in Wet-
ling-street. The defence was, that the tire was wilfully
occasionetll but they recovered. The County Fire Ot-
lice have since found a bill'against them on the evidence of one
of their female companions, of whom they made a confidant.—
John Thurtell mixed with. the lowest sporting characters, anti
was knoWn in the prize ring. 'On one occasion he backed and
seconded the Birmingham Youth, or Martin, we forget which.
Probert was formerly a wine-merchant, and has taken the be-
nefit of the Insolvent Act. He always maintained an appear.
ince of respectability, and kept his horse and gig. Be has it
wife and children.
It was on Saturday stated, on authority, in the Jury-room,
for a series of murders. A house was taken in
that one of the prisoners had said that an atrocious plan had
gs for the purpose, to which the victims
which was never to be the case, unless it
bil‘veEcia:orersatbner
dbd2,3iedo
was known they had money about them. One person named