The Sun.
London, England, 1846-06-22 00:00:00

LAMBETH.

THE LATE EXTRAORDINARY AND SUSPICIOUS DEATH
OF A BOY AT DuLw 'cu.—lnspector Campbell, of the P
division, attended before the Hon. G. C. Norton, in com-
pliance with a message sent to him to give an explana-
tion to some disclosures made to the Hon. Magistrate
late on Friday evening relative to the extraordinary and
suspicions death of George James Benwell, a lad, aged
fifteen, who had been found dead in a muddy pond at
the back of his master's house on the evening of Tues-
day week last, with a 281 b. metal weight tied round his
neck, and both his hands tied together. The short facts
of the case appeared to be these:—
The deceased had been in the employment of a person
named Evans, a manufacturer of " piqua," or British
tea, as errand boy, since last April twelvemonths, and
on the evening of Tuesday week his master and his
master's son proceeded to Sydenham in a pony-chaise for
the purpose of purchasing some greens, and on their re-
turn they found written on the foot-board of the deceased's
bed in chalk an intimation that his body was in the
pond at the back of the house. A board was also found
floating on the pond, on which was written with chalk,
" The body of George Benwell is in this pond." The
body was found there, and upon being taken out a 281 b.
weight was round his neck, and both his hands were found
tied together. An inquest has since been held on the
body, and, after a lengthened inquiry, the jury returned
a verdict to the effect that the deceased had been the
author of his own death, and had committed suicide,
Subsequent to the inquiry, Mr. Bishop, the half-brother
of the deceased, had received several communications
imputing the death of the deceased to very different
causes ; and one, in particular, from a female, named
Theobald, who had lived as servant with Evans, who
states that there was an exceedingly bad feeling between
the deceased and his master, and that this had recently
become considerably increased on the part of the latter
on account of her (Theobald) communicating to the boy
the secret of the manufacturing in which he (Evans) had
been engaged, and it was on the application of Mr.
Bishop that Mr. Norton required the attendance of Mr.
Campbell to give some explanation of the case.
Mr. Campbell said that he had taken much trouble in
and was still pursuing the inquiry into the case, which
was one of the most suspicious and extraordinary that
he recollected during his lengthened experience as an
officer. When before the coroner and jury, Evans, the
master of the deceased, who is a most eccentric character
and a Socialist, said that he did not observe anything
more than ordinary in the deceased's manner, when him-
self and his son left home for Sydenham, on the evening
of Tuesday week, yet when he had proceeded half his
journey, he said that something struck him that all was
not right at home with George. Upon this he was asked
by a juror why he did not return, if such was his feel-
ing; and his reply was, that he should have done so, but
that the thought that if anything happened, he should be
then too late to prevent it, but the answer to this and
other questions from the coroner and jury was con-
sidered anything but satisfactory to them. There were
several points in the case which he (Mr. Campbell)
could not reconcile to his belief that the de-
ceased had committed suicide, and even to say the
least of them were of a highly suspicious cha-
racter. ' In the first place, the cord by which
the metal weight was suspended on the neck of the youth
was so short, as to be barely sufficient to tie behind, and
it was exceedingly doubtful to him whether the lad him
self would have been enabled to tie it in the manner in
which it had been found. In the next, if even he had so
tied it and his hands, he had then to get over a wooden
paling four feet six inches in height, and such would be
the difficulty of getting over such an impediment with a
quarter of a hundred tied to his neck, that he (15 L
Campbell) should not be able toaccomplish it much more
a boy of 15 years of age. In the third place, he (wl •
Campbell) found in the boxes of the lad eep
a y
ofboo and
the
other papers, papers, which bore the hand-writing
halk writing
k
ceased, and upon comparing them with the c
on the foot of the deceased's bed, alsoi.nrdea actahme
ppaireicaeoonfwwheaotd
they .
found floating on the pond, a
ever, and in his opinion had never been written by the same
hand. The jury were of a similar opinion previous to the
stepmother of the deceased
.being called, batndshuecesdwtohre
the handwritingof thee
point blank that both were
deceased, and this it was. thlhat prineipallyi
jury to come to the decision they had. Since then the
step-moter
h had been most anxious to get possession of
both the writing and the board bearing the chalk marks;
but he (Mr. Campbell) refused to let her have them,par-
ticularly as he had found that Evans had been
stopping
at her house ever since the death of the bo)
of her neighbours did not hesitate to impute a., moreand somethan
ordinary intimacy between the two parties. There was
another circumstance which he (Mr. Campbell) felt it
necessary to mention, and that was, that on a medical
inspection of the body, appearances of an extraordinary
description, and which he could not particularly allude
to, were found, and Evans had acknowledged to him (Mr.
Cgtrnbell) end others, that he had been accused of an

Mr. Bishop, the step-brother of the deceased, here
begged to mention another circumstance, which appeared
to add to the many other suspicious incidents in the
ease. The chalk writing on the footboard of the bed,
and which if did ;lot Niro to bon boa writto by

the &leased, were in these words; —"Please, Sir,
have the kindness to remember me to II2V friends;
George Bs nwell is in the yard at the back of the Louse:
And after the words "Please, Sir," and "my friendgi"
there were comets le:eced. This circumstance s46isfied
him that the writing was 20t, by the deceased, as hd
palpably ignorant of grammac.: and, even if he had ris9t.
been, he doubted at such a mom ant, when on the point
of self-destruction, he would have i3ken the trouble to
write so methodically; and altogether Le was very dis
satisfied with the inquiry, and hoped his 'Worship would
not allow it to rest where it stood.
Mr. NORTON admitted that the circumstances of the
case were exceedingly suspicious, and directed
Campbell to bring all the parties who could throw' ail
light on the inquiry before him on a future day, who; he
should enter on a full investigation of the case.
THAMES. Mr.
Dennis Sullivan, an Irish coal-whipper, of 1, Chuttle-
worth- place. St. George's-in the-East, was cha. ged
before Mr. Broughton with having a.e.zaulted the person
of Mrs. Alderton under the following brutai:thd agg" ated
circumstances, and it is hoped that the partite: may a
housecs
t
as a caution to females generally who enter ti:
of the poor in the vilest neighbourhoods in the Cause °f
religion or charity :—lt appeared from Mrs. Alcit'lfton's
statement, who is the wife of a respectable shoerna'ker,
e
that as she belonged to a society established for the pt:r"
pose of relieving the sick poor, and distributing tracts in
and about the neighbourhood, she went out in companY
with another matron to perform what they considered to
be their duty. After going to other parts they stopped
at the place where Sunivan resided and commenced
distributing tracts, when the prisoner came up and
requested her to visit his wife,
e;dro he said was then lying
on a sick bed, without the slightest:lol)e of recovery. Mrs.
Alderton, believing what he stated
immedi-
ately consented, and accompanied the
nrisoner to the
top room of one of the houses, where she Jiscovered two
O be true,
empty beds and no other person in the plane'
alarmed,
man and herself. On the instant she becan:e
t.he pri-
m:id saw at a glance what was the intention ot.
except the
soner, who immediately made proposals to her ot
proper character, and afterwards attempted to :i!ls."
her person. Fortunately, however, her cries broug
the other matron to her etssistance, and eventually the'
fellow was given into custody.
Sullivan (who is a Catholic) pleaded in excuse that
he only put his hand upon Mrs. Alderton 's shoulder,
labs an:t
and that he did not want any of her hereticaJ tracts de-
livered about his neighbourhood. the
The MAGISTRATE, after severely reprimanding
fellow fellow for his brutal, cruel, and dastardly conduct, I.lled
him 405., or, in default, one month's imprisonment in t:La
House o Correction.

---- ---
COMMISSION of LUNACY at BATH.
A Commission de lunatico inquirendo was recently
opened at the York House, before Francis Barlow, Esq.,
to inquire touching the state of mind of Dame Anne
Hussey Bickerton (commonly called Lady Bickerton),
of No. 15, in the Circus, Bath, widow of Sir Richard
Hussey Bickerton, Baronet, deceased. Mr. rhinn,
barrister, appeared as counsel in support of the com-
0
mission ; Lady Bickerton had no legal assist:lo-
Mr. Phinn stated that Lady Bickerton bad married, ill
1780, Sir R. H. Bickerton, a baronet of an old family:,
possessing an estate in Huna.egdonshire ; that she
was at present in the receipt of an income between
1,5001. and 2,000/. a year ; and the pres
ent inquiry waats
reluctantly instituted at the instance of .her two gre
nephews, Mr. S. A. Turner and Mr. C. Tun for the
safety and protection of herself and her propertY• The
Learned Counsel then alluded to the various delusions
to which the unfortunate lady was subject, One of
which was that her husband (who died in 1831) "El
Mill alive, and she constantly had a cover laid at dinnOr
for him; another was that her late sister, Mrs. Muer6
(who has been dead several years), was also still living,
and what was still more singular was, that Lady B•
mistakes Mr, PairhurA, the wife of a tratisaman in
Bath, for her sister, Mrs. Munro. Another singular
delusion under which she laboured was that her boil
in the Circus was an inn, and she constantly tre.lte"'
her servants as if they belonged to an inn. It 1% .as
also remarkable (and had been a source of sow."
gular
inconvenience to a neighbour) that Lady B. imagined,
that the next house to that in which she liven
was her own house, and she was continually going
the next door and demanding admission. Besides
havethese
acts, which, perhaps, of themselves would scare! con.
she had
been sufficient to justify such an inquiry, d ailing
tracted a habit of wandering about the town,
on all sorts of people uninvited, an.
er Ladyship
a doubt she was deprived of her reason. 11
the
was introduced into the room, and took' a seat beside
her
had provedan beyond
Commissioner, who put a variety of
in rega d
Ladyship, touching her domestic arrangenneels,
to which her impressions and answers seen.' • d extremely
cicestions tor_
vague and indistinct ; and her replies were, 1:91'
of Mr.
part, ramoling and irrelevant. The evidence , , the
Wood, Dr. Spry, and Sarah Fountain, showed thin : _
subject of inquiry did not possess the common reasoo.•'I b
the most
faculties. The jury returned a unanimous verdieN,'
" That Lady Bickerton was of unsound mind, and inca--
pable of managing her affairs, and that she bad been so
since the Ist of March, 1845."—Somerset County Gazette.

STATE OF TRADE.
FOREIGN WOOL TRADE.—LEEDS, JUNE 19. Almost
an average quantity of foreign wools has changed hands
this week, without any apparent variation in prices-
Recent advices from the German wool fairs report
greater activity among buyers, and more eagerness to
purchase than was at first manifested. There was also
a perceptible improvement in prices upon those paid at
the commencement of the Breslau fair.
ENGLISH WOOL MARKET.—LEEDS, JUNE 19.—Sales
during the present week have been small, and last
we€ k's prices are barely maintained.
YORK WOOL MARKET, JUNE 18.—We have had
another large show of wool, and the business done was
very considerable. Prices, however, have declined
about 6d. per stone.
HULL WOOL MARKET, JUNE 16.—The market Was
well supplied, and there was plenty of buyers, but the
dull intelligence from several other proVincial markets
operated strongly upon prices, which here suffered a de-
pression of Is. to Is. 6d. per ton, as compared with last
week, the sales effected being at 255. to 275. 6d. per ton
for hog fleeces ; and, the growers believing that the. de-
pression was in part attributable to the large quantities
which are every where pouring into the markets in con-
sequence of the great and rapid progress made in shear-
ing during the late unsurpassed fine weather, determined
generally to hold back, and a large quantity remained
unsold. We fear, however, that the fall has a more
serious cause, for formerly, under similar circumstances,
with a brisk manufacturing trade, we have seen prices
advance, and we incline to think that a slackness of
orders in the mills for goods composed of British
wools is the chief reason of the fall. Should a
new impetus be given to the woollen trade, there will be
no fear of prices being maintained.
LEEDS.-Our markets at the Cloth Halls have seldom
been duller than they were on Saturday and Tuesday.
There are, however, more goods delivering off the mar.-
ket days, at the merchants' warehouses, than has been
the case for the last few weeks. The stocks on hand
with the manufacturers continue low, and prices are a
trifle lower. June is generally a dull month for busi-
ness, and, as usual. there has been little doing in the
warehouses. The fine warm weather, and the prospects
of an early harvest, have put people in the trade in
spirits, and a good early autumn trade is very confi-
dently expected.
BRADFORD MARKET, THURSDAY, JUNE 18.--:-The
demand for wool still continues comparatively restricted,
and spinners do not yet buy with their accustomed
spirit. There is a large supply of the new clip in the
staplers' hands. One of them informs us he never knew a
better clip. There is more inquiry for yarns, and is
some sorts the demand exceeds the supply, but, strange
to say, the prices do not get up, and till then the
spinners will refuse to increase their production. Our
piece market had a very spirited appearance, and a great
number of goods were sold in many cases at a slight ad-
vance. The piece market exhibits signs of a returning'
brisk trade.
MANCHESTER, FRIDAY.—The demand for goods has
been extremely limited this week, and the few sales
which have been effected were at a slight reduction
in
price. Yarns continue in but moderate demand, at pre-
vious rates. The uncertainties, both political andino-
nytary, appear to be the reasons for the want of anima-
tion now existing.
LEICESTER.—There has not been much business doing'
in the warehouses for the London market ; the whole-
sale houses there being engaged in their half-yearly
stock taking. There is nothing new doing in the ship-
ping demand. Yarns support their late advanc. The
wool trade is somewhat flatter, and good farmers' lots do
•
not obtain above 28s. per tod, but prices will not be
fixed till after the fair.—Leicester Journal.

..............,.,....-..........-••••.r.---_______
HEALTH OF THE CITY.—On Friday a deputation
from the National Philanthropic Association L, consisting of the Dtike
Lord Dudley' Stuart, lly„
of Grafton, Lord Robert Grosvenor, M.P.,
to theatpia,rnesent filthy an
Jordan Lynch, Mr. Cochrane, Mr. B. 13. Cabbell, F.R.S., &e., waited
upon Lord John Russell, M.P.; as one of the representatives of thrt
City of London, to draw his attention d neg.,
lected state of its courts and alleys, and ask his assistance in their
nd mae trtehs
resolution
l umt
ioosnt c:::
improvement. The matter is now taken up with more interest, from
the circumstance of the increasing prevalence of fevers from the in-
tense heat of the weather, and the apprehended visitation of Asiatic
dial approbation of Lord John Russell, who stated that they should
cholera. The object and views of the deput
way have his voice and support,
passed expressive of the necessity for the immediate in every
sweeping and cleansing of an additional employment in
his Lordship promised his assistance in number of hands, ix which
sioners of Sewers. Menaoralising the Commis..

BIRTHS.
On the 16th inst , at Mattel], Lady Blackett, of a son.
On the 16th inst., at the Laws, Forfarshire, the lady of Henry
James, Esq., of a son.
On the 16th inst., at Thetford, Mrs. Shelford Bidwell, of a son
still -born.
00 the 17th inst., in Spencer-street, Northampton-square, Mrs-
Richard Mulleng, of a son.
On the 18th inst., at Fortress-terrace, Kentish-town, Mrs. 5114. d"
ing, of a son.

On the 18th Inst., at Oxford-terrace, Hyde-park, Mrs. Edward
Walker, of a son.
On the 18th inst., at Shaftesbury-crescent, Mrs. Charles Coote, of
a son.

MARRIED.

On the 6th inst., at Christ Church, Marylebone, Mr. Nicholles,
Bruton-street, Berkeley-square, to Ann, eldest daughter of the late
Mr. It. N. Turk.
On the 16th inst., at St. Mary's, Islington, Mr. Richard Green, of
Lewes, to Ellen, the adopted daughter of James Burt, Esq., of Barns-
bury-road, Islington.