The Sun.
London, England, 1851-09-22 00:00:00

22, 1851

Acquittals—Mary Ann Marks, Henry Usher, Mark
Benjamin Miller, John Mack, William Cook, Mary
Sammons, Amos Slater, John Imrie, Charles Cross,
Isaac Cardon, Richard Collison, Thomas liarison
Greatorex.
Nolle Prosequi—John Parsons.
Remanded—Joseph Drinnett, John Simpson, Se-
nior, Gordon John Bishop.
Judgment respited—Philip Fiachell, Caroline Gertrude
Rogers, Thomas Potter, Ann Mackey.

CHARGE of MURDER at GREENWICH.
Oa Saturday, William Cressy, aged 41, living at
Bexley-heath, was again brought before Mr. Traill,
the police-magistrate at Greenwich, charged on sus-
picion with being the person who caused the death of
James Hastie, a police-constable of the R division, by
cutting and wounding him, i❑ a place called Tinder-
box-alley, New King-street, Deptford, so long ago as
the night of the 20th of February, 1846. The pri-
soner was dressed in a smock-frock, and appeared to
be an agricultural labourer.
It will be recollected that when the prisoner was
before the police-court on Monday last, Mary Anne
Davey, a woman with whom he is alleged to have co-
habited at and subsequent to the time in question, de-
posed that on the night of the supposed murder the
prisoner left his house in Griffin-street, Deptford, be-
tween nine and ten o'clock, to buy some nails for his
shoes ; that on his return, about one o'clock in the
morning, his right hand and his waistcoat were stained
with blood ; that he was pale, and trembled ; and
that on asking him what was the matter, he replied
that "he had finished the -- policeman." She also
stated that next morning the prisoner told her that the
policeman told him to go on—that he got in front
of the policeman and struck him with " the iron
foot" on his nose and forehead—that she subse-
quently washed the blood off the iron foot with
which it was covered—that he made her swear that
she would not divulge what she had seen and heard
—and that if she ever did he would murder her.
The witness, Mary Ann Davey, a woman about 45
years of age, was recalled on Saturday, and, in answer
to questions put to her by Mr. Traill, said, I first
became acquainted with the prisoner six years ago in
Hackney. Ido not know what year it was, nor the
day of the month. I was then working with a Mrs.
Holday, a laundress, in Wells-street, Hackney. I
worked for her above a month, and then, on her re-
commendation, I went to work for her sister, Mrs.
Williams, the wife of a shoemaker in Hackney. In
the summer of that year, whilst I was working for
Mrs. Williams, I became acquainted with the pri-
soner. I think it is six years this summer since that
time. The prisoner was then working in the country,
about three miles from Hackney, where he had a wife
living, but I did not know then that his wife was alive.
He used to come back and forward from his work to
Hackney. I met him one day in the park, and he
asked me to go and live with him. He told me he
was a widower and had three children. We did not
live together in any house in Hackney. I lived
first with him in a house in Deptford, about half a
year after I first became acquainted with him.
We lived together at the house of Mrs.
Ward, Griffin-street, Deptford, for about a month.
We left Deptford, stayed one night in a lodging-
house in London, and then returned to Hackney,
where we lived together in the house of an old lady,
whose name I don't remember. I cannot exactly say
how long we lived there—perhaps about a fortnight
or a month. We then went together to Jersey to
live, where the prisoner worked for a Frenchman. I
don't know in what town in Jersey we lived. We
went in a steam-vessel from London-bridge to South-
ampton, whence we proceeded in a vessel to Jersey.
Whilst we were living there the prisoner on one occa-
sion struck me a severe blow on the forehead with a
pair of bellows, from the effects of which I suffered
for a long time. I had a medical man to see me, and
before he came the prisoner told me that I was not to
say that he (the prisoner) had caused the wound. We
stayed at Jersey six or eight months, and then re-
turned to London by water. Ido not know where-
abouts in London we landed. We walked to Vaux-
hall, which was distant about two miles from the
landing place. On our arrival in London we lodged
at a house near Tooley-street for about a week, the
rent of which the prisoner went off without paying.
We next went to live together in the house of Mrs.
Driscoll, in Deptford. After remaining there a month
or five weeks we left, and took a room in New-town,
Deptford, where we lived about six months. I then
took a house for myself in the Rope-walk, Deptford.
Mr. G. Hilton, superintendent of the rural police at
West Mailing, Kent, and who first took the prisoner
into custody, and who, with Sergeant Carpenter, had,
since Monday last, been making inquiries, with a
view to ascertain how far the statement of the woman
Davey was correct, handed up to the bench a letter
written from Hackney on the 3d August, 1847, by a
daughter of the prisoner to her sister at Waltham-
stow, to the effect that their father (the prisoner) had
three weeks before gone away with an Irishwoman,
and that she supposed they would never see him again.
Sergeant Carpenter, of the It division, deposed that,
from inquiries he had made, he had ascertained the
witness Mary Ann Davey, six years ago, had lived at
Hackney with the persons whose names she had men-
tioned, and by whom she was lost sight of altogether
about five years ago. When the prisoner was taken
into custody he stated that at the time of the murder
he was working for a Mr. Burrell, at Low Hall farm,
Walthamstow, in Essex. Witness had ascertained
that the prisoner worked for Mr. Burrell from Nov.,
1845, until the 10th of March, 1846, the supposed
murder having been committed on the 20th of
February, 1846. From the 10th of March, 1846,
until the 10th of July in that year, the prisoner
worked occasionally for Mr. Burrell, during which
interval he went back and forward from Walthamstow
to Homerton or Hackney. On the 10th of July he
left Walthamstow, and had not since been seen or
heard of there. When leaving the latter place he told
his brother Charles and others he was going to Scot-
land. From that time until now his friends had not
seen or heard of him. Witness had also learnt that
prior to his leaving Walthamstow the prisoner had
the reputation of being a very violent man ; that
about twelve or fourteen years ago he was tried for
the murder of his first wife at Chelmsford, and that
his second wife had left him on account of his ill-
treatment of her. Witness had ascertained that it
was a fact that a Mrs. Ward, with whom the witness
Davey said she had lived with the prisoner at one
time, had resided in Griffin-street, Deptford, men-
tioned by Davey, and in the particular part of the
street referred to by her ; but Mrs. Ward had left
the place, and was now nowhere to be found. Wit-
ness had sought in vain in the neighbourhood for any
person who could identify the prisoner or the woman
Davey as having lived there.
Mary Ann Davey was recalled, and declared upon
her oath that the prisoner told her he had committed
violence upon the police-constable Hastie, and that if
she ever divulged the circumstance he would net be
hung for one but for two.
Mr. Traill ordered the prisoner to be remanded, to
enable the police-constable to make further inquiries
touching so serious a charge.