The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-17 00:00:00

rE LATE MILITARY MURDERS.

The Recorder of London, in charging the grand jury at
the opening of the sessions at the Central Criminal Court
on Monday, referred to the two military murders
recently committed at Devonport and Aldershot. He
observed that two cases of wilful murder would
be brought before the jury, and in neither of
them did the circumstances come within the
ordinary jurisdiction of the court. By an Act of Parlia-
ment passed some years ago, it was provided that persons
guilty of certain offences in the army might be removed
from the place where the alleged offence was committed
and brought within the jurisdiction of the Central Criminal
Court, in order that they might be tried the more speedily.
The first case was that against a soldier named
Dickson, and in that case a person could not see
what provocation led to the commission of the offence.
It seemed from the depositions that the accused was in a
room with two other men, and their attention was
attracted by the click of a rifle. One of them turned
round, and observed that the prisoner was loading the
gun. Apprehending that all was not right, he said to the
prisoner, " Don't make a fool of yourself." The
accused said, " Keep off." Just at that moment the
deceased was passing, and the prisoner levelled
his rifle and shot him dead. In the next case the
prisoner's name was William Taylor, and the offence was
committed at Devonport ; but in this instance the circum-
stances which led to the crime were disclosed. The
prisoner was at drill, and some fault had been found with
his "kit," and he was sent away, and he must then and
there have taken the opportunity to have loaded his rifle.
He came back and finished his drill, which he said was
very hard. As they were marching away, the accused
shot the deceased, who was walking in front. The learned
Recorder then proceeded to refer to other cases in the
calendar.

THE OUTRAGE IN THE OLD KENT-ROAD.

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A man, giving the name of Thomas Paull, 36, and
describing himself as a shoemaker, but refusing his
address, was brought up at the Lambeth Police-court, on
Monday, charged with feloniously breaking into the
house of Mr. Peake, Trafalgar-road, Old Kent-road, and
also with brutally assaulting Mrs. Peake, on the 9th
inst. A woman, named Eliza Lewis, was also taken into
custody with the prisoner. The first witness called was
Louisa Peake, who said she was in the second floor bed-
room last Monday afternoon when she thought she heard
a man's footsteps on the stairs. Shortly afterwards she
heard her mother scream, and ran out, when she saw the
prisoner on the landing below in the act of shutting the
door of the back first floor bedroom in which her
mother was. He looked up, saw her, and went down and
out of the front door. On going downstairs she found
her mother at the top of the back stairs, bleeding pro-
fusely from the head. Witness stated that she had been
to the police station, and singled out the prisoner from
among twelve or fourteen other men. She had no doubt
prisoner was the man she saw in her house. On examina-
tion it was found that about ten silver teaspoons, a pair
of sugar tongs, a cigar-holder, and two salt spoons were
missing. The house had been entered by the back door,
which was broken open.—Sarah Jane Reed said she
lived two doors from the house of last witness. She was
cleaning the front windows at about a quarter to three
on Monday afternoon, When she saw a man go
down the area steps of Mr. Peake's house. That
man was the prisoner. lie came back shortly and
beckoned to a man who was standing about four houses
away. They joined, and both went down the area steps.
About ten minutes afterwards the prisoner came out of
the front door, and the other man came up the area steps
shortly afterwards. They walked away, until they got a
few doors off, and then they ran. She could swear
prisoner was one of those men. She picked him out from
a number of others at the Carter-street Station.—George
Ranger, detective officer of the R division, said that he had
seen the two last witnesses, and from the information he
received from them be had been on the look out for
prisoner. He took him that morning near the Elephant
and Castle. When taken to the station he refused to give
his name or address.—James Dunn, inspector P division,
said he had placed the prisoner among ten or twelve
others, at the police-station, and Miss Peake and
Miss Reed singled out the man without any hesita-
tion.—After the prisoner had put a number of very
shrewd questions to the witnesses he was remanded.—
Eliza Lewis, 25, who gave her address as Tower-street,
Waterloo-road, was charged with having in her possession
ten pawnbrokers' duplicates supposed to relate to stolen
property. Detective Ranger said the woman was in com-
pany with the male prisoner when taken. She wag
searched, and pawnbrokers' duplicates were found upon
her, se ieral of them relating to gold rings, &c. Mr.
Woolrych ordered a remand in this case also.