The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-18 00:00:00

THE LATE MURDER AT THE

GUILDHALL COFFEE-HOUSE.

MANSION-HOUSE.—(THIS DAY.)
John Vincent Smith, late cook at the Guildhall Coffee-
house, was this morning brought up before the Lord Mayor
for re-examination, charged with the murder of Susan
Tolloday, his fellow-servant. The Court was crowded, and
hundreds of persons who could not obtain admittance were
constrained (however impatiently) to remain outside, in the
expectation of seeing the unfortunate criminal as he would
arrive at the Mansion-house.
The Lord Msyor took his seat at ten minutes before
prone
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one o'clock.
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He looked lovrasthii
sensible of the awful position in which he stood.
The girl, Fanny Wetenhall, was first examined by Mr.
Goodman, chief clerk—She resided in Halfmoon-alley, and
had been employed in the Guildhall Coffee-house for the last
eight weeks. She knew the prisoner at the bar, who had been
cook, and also the deceased, Susan, who acted as kitchen-
maid She heard some quarrelling between prisoner
and deceased on Friday last. She did not know what it was
about, but it continued almost all day. She saw no blows
given. Witness got there on Saturday: at nine o'clock in the
morning, and after that time was principally employed in the
kitchen, up to twelve o'clock. The prisoner and deceased
were quarrelling on that morning, but she did not know what
it was about. She thought they were quarrelling about
Mrs. Riley, the charwoman. Mrs. Riley was there. He said
that Mrs. Riley had got some things that she had never paid
for. Susan took Mrs. Riley's part. She said "the cook was
not acting like a man for grumbling at the poor woman."
She could not tell what hour it was, but it might be half' an
hour before " this affair took place." Mrs. Riley
was sent away, and atter she bad gone, witness heard
no more quarrelling between the prisoner and deceased.
Susan was then sitting down, cutting beans. She had been
doing so about half an hour. She was then sitting at the
kitchen table. Prisoner was picking ducks at the other
corner of the table. lie was picking them with a knife in
his hand. He was using the knife to pick the feathers off.
They were thus engaged when she (witness) was sent out of
the kitchen. She was sent by the cook, about half-pest
twelve, to the bar to Miss Green, to get some lard and egg-,
but she said that he was to come himself, as she was busy.
Witness then went back and delivered the message to cook.
The prisoner and Susan were in the same place that she had
left them in. The prisoner had by that time trussed the
ducks, and they were lying on the table. The table was six
or seven feet beteg. They were not quite the length
of the table separated from each other. She
did not hear any conversation between them.
The prisoner then gave witness a bacon. He brought it
from near the larder, and said she was to get some milk and
eggs. She was not sure that he had the knife in his hand,
at that time. Witness went back again to the bar and saw
Miss Green again. Miss Green gave her the milk and eggs.
The kitchen cannot be all seen from the bar, and it is
distant about ten or twelve feet from the bar. She
had been absent about five minutes while she fetched
the milk. On returning, she met the deceased coming to-
wards the bar, on the stairs. She saw her throat was cut,
and she fell at the foot of the stairs. Aliss Green began to
"holloa" and cry out. She heard Susan say nothing. Shelled
a small white-h-andled knife (the one she was cutting the
beans with) in her hand. She (witness) did not
see the prisoner at the time that Susan fell, nor till
she saw the policeman take him away afterwards. While
she stood at the bar she heard no noise as of quarrelling in
the kitchen. Witness afterwards went home.
In answer to questions from Mr. Goodman, the witness
added that deceased said, when she and the cook were quar-
relling about /Web that " lie was not acting like a