The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-12 00:00:00

SUPPOSED MURDERS.

OxFox% A uctisT 10.—The neighbourhoods of Wood-
stock, Sturdy's Castle, and Jaekley, have been thrown
into a considerable state of alarm in consequence of the
pitial
ri Is, cloonvwetirht:.
within fifty
righttfihf handsk
yards
al skeletons
ts,ooto.i f:thhee threeßsat
nu humanbntr.
yturnpike
j abo-i s,
in
road,a
public•
house, and which there is every reason to fear are the
remains of some unfortunate fellow-creatures who have
been basely courered and then buried there by a gang
of gipsies who used to infest that part of Oxford-
shire, three of whom are now in Oxford Castle,
two under a conviction of murder, and the
other of sheep-stealing. Our readers will at
once know to whom we allude, viz., to James
Biddle and Isaac Sheriff, who were condemned at the
recent assizes for the murder of \lr. MolAs, but whose
sentence has since been commuted to that of transporta-
tion for life, and Skerry, who turned Queen's evidence
but was afterwards trAnsported tor fifteen years f',,;
shet•pstealitig. The discovery of the human skeletons
arose under the foilowitL.- tireumstances :--When Mr.
Walkkr, the governor of Banbury Gaol, and Morgiln,
the constable of King Sutton, were bringing Biddle,
Skerry, and Sheriff to Oxford Castle, and on- arriving
within a short distance of the public house called
Sturdy's Castle, Biddle suddenly exefaimed (pointing to
the side of the road as wit as his handcuff, wouldlet him). " There lays dead men's hones." Mr.
Walker asked him what he meant—how dead MPTi'S
bones came there ? Biddle appeared somewhat con-
fused, but replied, in a jesting manner, ‘; Oh, they :v.-re
killed in the war," and said no more. rlie eltia,rs, on
their r, turn from Oxford, repeated the c•inversation to
the landlady at Sturdy's Ca4be, who remembered that,
about eight years ago, a
,person
.disapp,areil from that
neighbourhood under very peculiar cir.cunistances, and
had never been seems or heard of by hiss friends since—
the person's name was flick=, the run of a small farmer
residing at Jackley (a village about a se
and a half
from Sturdy's ea,tle, and that he W4S the ow,ier of some
that place. Ile was - a
cottages and land at
very eccentric character, ""1 preferred a r.'am-
a ,settled ~no. . Ile at
ins life to that of
last took up a regular vagabond s ll:e, Wludermg about,
trb", 01 witch
.B (file awl
the count!) with a •gipsy
Skerry formed a portion. Es ef:., h ::f) e "" ti!e), were to
n-ighniu hoof. i-1 .>' I','s
be seen encamped in 1 Le
Castle, an:i it was on thoie 0,,c,,n Ms . !O V I 110kS ;I:id to
pay his 'wive village a visit, !or ,Ile ;•urpe ,e of r4-c, iv-
,!!.=2; hi, r ..t , l'or t,,,,.. 1:,,,,41,,1,• •tr.,,•..-. So.o,,thi,:n
like eight years ttgo he paid his hsit ..) early visit as
Usual, but since that time he has never been seen or

heard of, and his brother has taken to the property.
The circumstance under which be disappeared, and the
company he was known to keep, coupled with Biddle's
declaration on his way to Oxford Castle, led to the
opinion that he had been basely murdered for the sake
of the rents he had been receiving. No steps were
taken to ascertain the truth of Biddle's declaration until
Friday last, when some persons w( re employed to dig
aoout the spot pointed to by Biddle, when, horrible to
relate, the sk-letons of three human beings were dis-
covered im a hollow place, which was many years ago
used as a saw pit, on the side of the road, about a foot
and a half under ground. Many of the bones are quite
perfect. A medical gentleman residing in the neigh-
bourhood has pronounc,d thorn to be those of a woman
and two men, an 4 from the state they were in they must
have .h• en there several years. They were carefully
collected together and placed in a box; which is now
under lock and seal, waiting the issue of a coroner's
inquest, when, it is to he hoped, that some further light
will be thrown on the affair.