The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-08 00:00:00

THE PARLIAMENT-STREET MURDER.

Since the condemnation of the wretched man, Robert
Marley, for the murder of Ric ' Cope, in Parliament-
street, he has conducted him in a very satisfactory
manner; and appears quite resi ed to his fate, which he
seems all along to have considered inevitable. The
culprit appears to have received a good education, and
to have been eonnected with a family of very great re-
spectability, but in consequence of his wild habits they
vrere compelled to discard him, and he enlisted in the
7th Hussars, served with that regiment in the Kaffir
war, and evinced great bravery upon several occasions
when before the enemy. He was visited on Tuesday by
a female relative, a married sister. The interview was
very short, and for obvious reasons need not be further
alluded to. Marley was long known to the police. He
was originally convicted summarily by a magistrate at
one of the police courts, and was subsequently tried for
housebreaking, and sentenced to be transported, but sub-
sequently obtained his liberty under the ticket-of-leave-
system, but he states he had no chance of obtaining any
employment, even if he had been disposed to work, and
he was compelled again to resort to his evil courses to
obtain a subsistence.

In all the conversations Marley has had with the offi-
cials of the gaol of Newgate, he has on every ocrasion
expressed his satisfaction with the manner in which his
trial was conducted, and also that Mr. Sleigh, the gen-
tleman who was assigned to act as his counsel by the
humanity of the Sheriffs, did everything that was pos-
sible for him, but he says that he felt his oase was hope-
less, and that he was not at all surprised at the verdict
that was delivered by the jury, and that as he had been
the means of destroying life he was prepared to sacri•
five his own in return. It should not be inferred that
there is any bravado exhibited by the culprit ; on the
contrary, his demeanour is very decorous, but he is
evidently a determined man, who has calmly weighed
all the circumstances, and who is prepared for the
worst. It has been stated that immediately after the
sentence the prisoner's clothes were taken off him,
and the prison dress substituted, but there is no truth in
this statement. The gaol authorities have the power to
take this step if they consider it necessary but it is never
resorted to unless, as in the case of Palmer, there is a
suspicion that poison may be secreted about the gar-
ments, and Marley still retains the same dress he wore at
the trial. During the da4 one officer is in the cell with
him, and at night there are two. He converses freely,
and from his tone- and demeanour no one would imagine
that he was under sentence of death, and that his days
were numbered.

It is almost needless to state that the prisoner, not-
withstanding the ingenious manner in which his learned
counsel argued the question at the trial, has never for a
single moment since his conviction attempted to deny
that his was the hand that inflicted the deadly injuries
upon the poor man Cope, but he persists in asserting
that he had no accomplices whatever in the matter, the
whole affair was entirely unpremeditated, and that he
had no thought of being concerned in such an affair a
quarter of an hour before the occurrence took place. It
will be remembered that the principal witness, Lerigo,
while passing the shop, heard groans from the inside,
and saw two or three men standing close by, and when
he inquired what was the matter, they told him it was
only a man and wife quarrelling, apparently to throw
him off his guard and induce him not to interfere ; and
these men subsequently rendered no assistance to appre-
hend the prisoner, and from these circumstances it was
very naturally inferred that they were concerned with
the prisoner in the outrage. Marley, however, declares
positively that this was not the case, and states that he
alone was concerned in the affair, and that accidentally
passing by and seeing that it was a small shop
with no one in
.it but the deceased, who was appa-
rently a weak and diminutive man, the thought
struck him that it was a good opportunity to com-
mit a robbery, and he went in with that intention,
but he declares most solemnly that he never intended to
use any more ♦iolence than would be necessary to render
Cope helpless, and to enable him to escape with his ex-
pected booty. He admits that having made some inquiry
of the unfortunate deceased to take off his attention, he
suddenly struck him with the life-preserver ; but the
blow did not have the intended effect, and as he was
fearful that the alarm raised by Cope would cause his
detection, he was induced to give him several other vio-
lent blows before his victim was reduced to unconscious-
ness, and there is no doubt that it was the last blow so
inflicted that fractured the skull and depressed the bone,
and was the cause of the fatal result. The culprit states
that in the excitement of the moment., he had no oppor-
tunity of making very close observation, and seeing the
basket—which, it will be remembered, contained a cod-
fish, and which had been placed in a blue bag—he sup-
posed it to contain some valuable property, and snatched
it up and made off with it ; but finding it impeded his
flight, he threw it away shortly before he arrived at
Bridge-street and he asserts that there is no foundation
for the supposition that it was handed by him to an ac-
co►nplice. With regard to the fact of the possession of
such an instrument as a life preserver, the prisoner says
that it is no indication of an intention to destroy life, as
such weapons are constantly carried by persons who are
in the habit of committing offences of this class, that he
had it always about him, and that the only use for it was
to stun the person intended to be robbed.
The execution will take place on Monday next, the
15th instant.

INSOLVENT DEBTORS' COURT.—Dec. 6.

IN THE MATTER OF EDWARD WILSON.

This insolvent, the keeper of a coffee-house in New
Charles-Areet, Goswell-street, applied under the Protec-
tion Act.

Mr. Reed opposed for the holder of a bill of ex-
'change given for a bet lost on the turf.
The insolvent, in his examination, stated that he
had lost considerably on the Doncaster St. Leger, on
which he gave the bill in question. He was agent for
making bets, and had been connected with the turf
since he was a boy in the stables. He had betted on
commission for various gentlemen, and left off the
business when he became a " defaulter," which hap-
pened on the 21st Sept., which was the settling day
for the St. Leger. He had done a little since, and
was now keeping a small coffee-shop. He was a bet-
ting agent. He had put down all the bets he owed
that could be " legally recovered," because he had given
security in bills and acknowledgments. He bad not
put down other bets, and the reason was not
that they would make his debts beyond 3001., as an
applicant under the Protection Act. His debts on the
tick dule were about 1301. He did not figure at Den-
caster now, as he was a defaulter. The bets he had
not inserted were "debts of honour."

Mr. Commissioner Phillips—What is a " debt of
honour"

Insolvent—lt is this here, your honour. A " debt of
honour" is a debt between two gentlemen without any
acknowledgment. He had not filed his betting books ;
they had been destroyed, and used to wrap up " ham
and beef " when he kept an eating-house. He described
that persons on the turf who did not pay were scratched.
They were defaulters, and their bets were off.
Mr. Commissioner Phillips—l should think the turf
is full of "scratches." (Laughter.)
The Insolvent said it had been very bad with them
of late.

Mr. Commissioner Phillips—I ara very glad of it.
Mr. Reed asked the Court whether the act was meant
for such cases !

Mr. Commissioner Phillips adjourned the case to in-
sert the " debts of honour." It wag probable the debts
would exceed 3001. Protection was renewed.