The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-16 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY MORNING, JULY 16, 1846.

tended a lecture on astronomy. He left Steeple Aston at
eleven o'clock the same evening to return home with Mr.
Goodman, a maltster, of North Aston, and they rode toge-
ther as far as a public-house, called the Fox Inn, which is
situate on the turnpike-road, where the road from Dunstan to
North Aston crosses it. Here Mr. Goodman's road lay to the
right, and that of the deceased straight on. Mr. Whetton, a
butcher, of Feddington, had paid the deceased Cl. the day
before, and had walked with him to his house that night be-
tween twelve and one. Whetton, in returning from Dunstan,
where he had been visiting, going towards the Fox Inn,
came to a hollow, when his pony shied, and looking round
him he saw a man lying on a heap of stones, and he
also saw a grey horse without a rider on the road. At five
the next morning, Josepa Butler, a labourer, discovered the
body of the deceased on the heap of stones mentioned by
Whetton. He was quite dead. There was blood on his
hands and face. Butler not knowing who he was, went to
the Fox, called up Mr. Rogers, the landlord, and they went
together to where the body lay. A surgeon was immediately
sent for, who examined the body. A coroner's inquest wax
held on the same day, and a verdict, " Found dead," re-
turned. No suspicion of having caused the death of George
Mobbs attached to any one. indeed it seems to have been
supposed that it was accidental. On the 9th of March, in
the present year, a man named Jacob Skerry, a travelling
tinker, having been advertised in the Police Gazette, was ap-
prehended by George Morgan, a constable of Kingston. on a
charge of robbing a farm-yard. lie said iturnediatela on
being apprehended that he would tell the constable some-
thing about a murder. He was taken to Banbury gaol, and
while there he showed great uneasiness, and told the gaoler
he had something to say to him. The gaoler, atter caution-
ing him, heard his statement, which was taken down in
writing. Skerrry was taken before the magistrates, where
he repeated the-statement. He was made to repeat it on dif-
fereut occasions, and although he varied it, yet he adhered to
the main points. In consequence of what he said, the pri-
soners, who are also travelling tinkers, leading a predatory
life, were apprehended; but they denied it, and on a future
occasion they made statements inculpating themselves, and
charging Skerry as a principal party. The first statement
made by Skerry, on the 18th March, was substantially as
follows :—I came to Deddington barn that night to sleep and
roam the 3-ant There was James Biddle and Sheriff with
their camps. They said, will you go with us to South
Newington and fetch some meat? I said I do not
like such meat as that. They went and I followed them. I
kept sight of them. There was a gentleman who came along
the lane from the Fox on horseback ; he said, " Oh, I see
who you are." Biddle said, "Ah I d—n you, I see who you
are." Sheriff said to Biddle, "D— his eves, kill the —."
The gentleman was off his horse, and I saw Biddle strike him
with something which he held in his hand. I heard the
blow and saw the gentleman fall. Before the blow Biddle
said, "1) your eyes, you shall never dawn another day-
light." Biddle and Sheriff both heard me coining up; they
ran away, and I followed them. When I came up to the
stile or rails, about a mile from Deddington, I f-eand them
sitting on it ; when I came up, Biddle sai 1, "Oa, it's you,
you —is it? If ever you splits on rue, and says anything
about me, I'll be the death of you." He then struck and
stunned me. I saw them the next clay at Deddington-
burge, but I never saw either of them from that time for
nearly twelvemonths. I did not say anything about it. I
did not for a month know the man was dead. I saw Biddle
about a year afterwards, near Oxford. He sail, " You re-
member that night against the Fox." I said, "Yes, I re-
member." He said, " Well, I finished him, and served him
right."

On the 27th of March Skerry was again brought before
the magistrates, and there sworn to his statement, as the
magistrates had determined to make him a witness against
the prisoners. Sherry then made very much the same state-
ment, varying, however, in those particulars about what took
place the morning after the murder.
The prisoners Biddle and Sheriff on this occasion positively
denied their guilt, and they were remanded until the 11th of
April, when Sherry made a third statement, which, however,
was principally a more detailed account of what he had pre-
viously said.
The prisoners were fully committed for trial, and as' Mr.
Morgan and Mr. Walker were taking Sherry and the
pti-
soners to the county gaol, a conversation occurred which bore
strongly on the case, in fact, firmed the most conclusive por-
tion of the evidence against the prisoners. They, together
with the constables, were proceeding in art open carriage with
two seats; on the front seat were Skerry and Sheriff, with
Mr. Walker, and Mr. Morgan was sitting on the back seat
with Biddle. As they passed through Deddington they came
opposite the farm where the deceased lived ; previous to this,
the prisoners had been talking about the copper which had
been stolen, and Biddle had be.'n taxing Sherry with telling
lies, but when they came in sight of the house of the deceased,
Biddle said, " Now we be coming to the place where truth
should come out ; Mr. Morgan, you please tell the gentlemen,
if I should be brought before them again, this is truth. Us
are all three alike, and it was us as killed Mr. Mobbs, and no
one else, and I will show the limekiln where we were warm-
ing ourselves; when he came on to the gate we were sitting
on the kiln and warming ourselves, and he said,' What are
you scamps after?' Jacob (Skerry) made use of a gross ex-
pression, whereon Mr Mobbs flew into a passion and told us to
be off. We went into the turnpike road; he followed us to the
Fox. Jacob said he would go no further; they had words, but
Isaac (Sheriff) could not hear, as he went down Dunstan-
lane. When we got to the hollow Mobbs overtook us, and
said, Do you thilik I am afraid of such scamps as you?'
Jacob came up and .truck him on the head; I struck him.
Mobbs said," So help me. Lard, for I know all three of them ;"
and he cried out" murder" three times. He fought for lite
with a whip which he had in his hand. He cut this hole in
my face (pointing to a mark he had in his left cheek), and
loosed one of my teeth, which I pulled out in Painter's hovel
the next day, and hid in the wall. He also hit Jacob with
his whip on the head. -Us should net have killed him if he
had not followed us and been in such a passion. Isaac had
got hold of his coat on the right side. Jacob hit the horse
behind, to make him kick up, before I caught hold of the
man's collar to kill him on the ground Jaeob struck him,
and I struck him, and fell on him, 1 don't know which. I
have been many times on my knees to pray to be forgiven
since that day. Biddle then said, " This is truth,
,if I be
hanged for it, and I dare say I shall, and I'll tell the gentle-
men so at Oxford." Sheriff said, " I hope I shall not be
hanged, I don't mind being transported."
Mr. J. J. IVILLEAMS addressed the jury for the prisoners.
The Learned JUDGE summed up, and the jury retired; in
about half an hour they re-entered the Court, and returned a
verdict of Guilty against both prisoners.
The prisoners entered into rambling statements, asserting
their innocence, aid denying all they had said before the
magistrates, and Biddle asserting he did not know what he
was saying when he made the confession to Morgan in the
presence of the other prisoner and Sherry.
The Learned JUDGE then passed sentence of death in the
usual form.

Jacob Skerry, of whom so much mention is made, is him-
self a prisoner at Oxford, and will take his trial at the present
assizes on a charge of shecp-stealing.

MIDDLESEX SESSIONS.

(Before Mr. Sergeant ADAMS, the Assistant-Judge, and a

Bench:,f.Al4gistrates,)

The July adjourned Middle Sex Sessions commenced on
Tuesday, at Hicks's Hall, Clerkenwell-green. The calendar
contained the names of only thirty-nine prisoners, of whom
thirty-six were committed charged with felony.
Thomas Gaines was indicted for stealing a bayonet and
scabbard, value 7s. 6d., the property of our Sovereign Lady
the Queen.
The prisoner, who was evidently Insane. upon being placed
at the bar, loooked up to the Learned Judge, and exclaimed,
with great familiarity, " How do you do, Mr. Sergeant
Adams ?"—(Laughter.)
The Learned JUDGE asked him whether he had not been
at Hanwell. The prisoner replied that he and the Learned
Judge were both there together, soon after Sir William Ellis;
and assuming an air of considerable consequence, he added,
he (the Judge) must recollect that well.
The Learned JUDGE observed, with much good humour,
that he had not forgotten it. He had been for many
years a visitiag justice of the Hanwell Lunatic Asylum, and
during that time many persons thought him as mad as the
patients themselves, because he so strenuously advoca' ed
the introduction of a mild and humane system of treat-
ment into the asylum for the insane poor at Hanwell, in
the place of the barbarous system that had prevailed for
ages. His labours and the anxiety which he then expe-
rienced from the attacks made upon the friends of humanity,
and the incessant prognostications of failure, had nearly cost
him his health and his life; but he rejoiced to live to see the
day when their efforts were successful, and the principle was
recogniled and adopted in every asylum throughout Eng-
land.

The evidence against the prisoner was that of a Chelsea
pensioner, who deposed that he had come into his place at
the hospital and asked whether he kept firearms. upon which
he took down a belt and pouch. and bayonet and scabbard,
and showed them to the prisoner, who, after looking at
them, went away. Upon searching for the bayonet he found
it was gone.

The jury, under the direction of the Court, returned a ver-
dict of Not Guilty, upon the ground of insanity.
The Court directed him to be taken care of, and that ap-
plication should be made in the proper quarter for his admis-
sion to a proper asylum.
The prisoner's history is somewhat curious. Ha was an
old Bow-street officer, and accompanied the late Sir Richard
Birnie, with a body of constables, upon the evening of the
23d of February, 1820, to seize the Cato-street conspirators,
who, with the notorious Arthur Thistletrod at their head,
were making preparations to assassinate the Cabinet Mi-
nisters, who were dining with Lord Harrowby, at Grosvenor-
square. Tile conspirators were assembled in a loft in Cato-
street, discussing the intended plan of operations, when the
premises were suddenly surrounded by the constabulary, and
upon endeavouring to mount the loft by a lalder, the lights
were extinguished, and Smithers, one of the officers, was run
through the body by Thistlewood, and poor Gains, who was
near him, received a sword's thrust through the upper part
of his skull, since which time he has had occasional attacks
of insanity, and has been more than once in custody for
assaults or other offmces. In those fits he still fancies him-
self a Bow-street officer, an,, was, we believe, before the
Court some time ago, for striking a man a terrible blow over
the head for refusing to recognise the authority of this
pseudo Bow-street officer.
The other trials presented no features of general interest.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
THAN? ES.