The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-03 00:00:00

knocked at the door, I said to him, " You are I
making noise enough to wake all the people in the
house," and he said, " I am locked in and I must
get out." When Mr. Kent came to the door Heri-
tage said he did not know that he was to be locked
in in that kind of way, and Mr. Kent said he had
been walking about ; that was all. We did as Mr.
Kent ordered us ; I can't say whether we were of
any use in the house. After Heritage left I re-
mained in the kitchen till near six o'clock. Mr.
Kent came and looked in twice. I don't know that
I was locked in by myself, or that Mr. Kent has
said that he locked me in. When he came in the
morning he said the servants were getting up, and
it was time for me to go. I don't know whether
the blanket has been compared with the sheet and
blanket to see whether it was shorter. .

William Nutt—l am a shoemaker living at
Road, and have been clerk of the district church
there for 17 years. lam married, and have a family
of five children. On the morning of Saturday the
30th of June I was made acquainted with the fact
of the little boy being missed about eight o'clock.
I went down to make inquiries about it, and
met with Benger. We talked a few words
and then went on Mr. Kent's premises and searched.
We searched about the out premises, and having
gone through the lawn on the left side of the drive,
we went right to the bottom and then came back
direct to the closet where the body was deposited.
When we got to the closet a pool of blood on the
floor was the first thing that attracted our attention.
Benger looked down the closet, and in consequence
of what he said I went into the house for a candle.
I got one and returned to the privy with it. Benger
said, "It is here." He took a blanket up through
the hole of the seat, and then he put his hand down
again and brought up the body of a child, which I
believe to be the body of Francis Saville Kent. I
had known the child in its lifetime. Its throat was
cut, and the head nearly severed from the body ;
the head fell sideway back as he raised the body
through the seat. I spread the blanket and he laid
the body on it, and covered it np and took it into
the kitchen, where he laid it on the table. I saw
the prisoner while the body was there, and remarked
to her that she must have slept very sound for any
one to have taken the child from her room. She
answered me I thought rather harshly. She told
me I knew nothing of the matter.
Cross-examined—l proposed that we should go
to the water-closet, and we went straight to it after
searching the shrubs for two or three minutes.
You predicted that you would find the body there,
did you not P—No, I did not predict that we should
find it there.
Well, what did you predict ?—That if the child
was taken from the house it wa3 taken for some
unfair play.
Is that all you predicted ?—Yes.
Are you sure of that ?—Yes.
You refused to go at first, did you not ?—Yes.
Why P—Because I am one of those who don't like
to trespass on other people's premises ; that was
my reason for refusing to go at first. I predicted
that if we did not find a living child in the house
we should find a dead child out of the house,
because I did not think that any one could take the
child out of the house. I denied my signature
when I was examined at Miss Constance Kent's
examination, or rather I did not know my own
handwriting. The signature to the depositions
now-produced is in my handwriting.
Mr. Ribton—Are not these your words in the
deposition, " I doubt if that is my signature."
Mr. Saunders here objected that this question
could not be put unless Mr. Ribton intended to put
it in the depositions, and some discussion ensued
upon the point.
The Chairman inquired whether Mr. Ribton de-
sired that the depositions already taken should be
sent up annexed to those taken on the present
occasion.
Mr. Ribton hoped and believed that no deposi-
tions would be sent up on the present inquiry, but
he wished to know if the magistrates would take
cognisance of the evidence already taken, in which
case it would not be necessary for him to press the
question which was objected to, or put some others
in reference to the same points.
The Chairman intimated that it seemed to be a
struggle for reply on the part of counsel. All he
could say was, that the magistrates would look at
the former depositions, but would not take them as
evidence unless they were regalarly put in.
Witness's cro3s-examination—l said I doubted it
was my signature to my deposition. I was never
before a magistrate till then. I said so, I suppose,
on account of Mr. Edlia's bantering.
Did you not, while you were on the lawn, and
before you got to the watercioset, predict that you
would find a dead child ?—Yes, I believe I did.
• You used the words, " dead child."—Yes, I believe

I did.
And when the child was found dead, did you
say, " It is as I predicted ?"—I made use of those
words as soon as I saw the pool of blood on the floor.
I was not desired by any one except Ben ger to search.
I stated to Mr. Slack that I thought the nurse
spoke rather harshly to me. I had been examined
twice before on oath, and on neither of those occa-
sions did I mention the circumstance. It was three
weeks ago I was examined at Mr. Slack's. I was
under examination about three-quarters of an hour.
I had mentioned the matter to my neighbours before
I told Mr. Slack. He did not tell me it was very
important. The policeman and Morgan were search-
ing about at the same time as Benger and myself.
Re-examined—l went to bed about 10 o'clock on
Friday night, and got up about 6 the next morning.
I did not leave my bed till I got up the next morning.
Thomas Benger—l am a small farmer, living at
Road, in this county. On Saturday morning, the
30th of June, I was at Road, and I heard of the
missing of Mr. Kent's child ; I saw his boy running
very fast, and afterwards saw Mr. Kent coming
along. He did not speak to me, but Urch, the
policeman, came by and told me the child was lost.
I and Nutt went and searched the streets. Nutt
struck off in the direction of the closet, and I went
after him. I had before seen Morgan and Urch search -
ing about the premises. I heard Mr. Kent tell them
he would not begrudge £lO if the child could be found.
When I and Nutt went into the closet we saw a pool
of blood on the floor. We thought there must be
something wrong there. I looked in and saw some-
thing, but could not make out what. I sent Nutt fora
light to the house and he came back. I went for him
before he did come back. When I got back I looked
down the privy again, and put my arm down and took
a blanket up. The body of the child was underneath
the blanket. I spread the blanket on the floor, and
then took up the body of the child, wrapped it in
the blanket, and carried it into the kitchen. The
throat was cut from side to side. When I got the
child up from the privy I observed a dark mark
round its mouth; its little eyes were shut and it
looked quite pleasant. There was some blood on
the blanket.
Cross-examined by Mr. Ribton—l am not sure
whether Nutt or I went into the closet first. We
went there both together. Nutt made one or two
observations about going to the closet before we
went; he suggested that we should go there after
searching the shrubs. I did not hear Nutt say we
should find a dead child in the closet. I did not
hear him predict anything.
Do you know what a prediction is P—No ; I
have been at work ever since I was seven years old.
John Foley—l am superintendent of the Wilts
constabulary, stationed at Trowbridge. On Satur-
day morning, the 30th of June, Mr, Kent applied
to me on the subject of the loss of this little boy.
I went to the house. The child had then been
found. I inquired for the nurse and saw her. The
drawing-room window was shown me by the house-
maid. When I saw the nurse she was in the
nursery. I made inquiries respecting the loss of
the child ; this was between nine and ten o'clock
in the morning. The nurse pointed out the cot
the child was taken from. The clothes were folded
back on the foot of the bed ; the blanket was taken
out. She said she never missed the blanket till
the child was found. She told me how she had left
tcbthahlkaeilnedekhuweiutldtaasntsbhahreeonight before, tucking him up on both
sides, so that the blanket was invisible. If I mis-
sushageihdtntishaves .wrcrhmailpidpssweeddasutphtaeiknbel it. nnaakwitcyatniil,nit
stt
ah the
gwohneet ha e she could
sr
the clothes
wereave seen
p placed
thate d the h
when
h en I
sawankt blanket was
If the blanket had been placed between the quilt
and the sheet it could not have been seen very well.
showedsamide wsteerewsohlikeeanadhtohnet other
child The prisoner
slept.
she
o'clock and missed the child; but thinking
its mother had taken it into her room, she
laid down again and slept till six. I afterwards
searched the premises and went to the privy.
I first examined the knives, but found they had all
been cleaned that morning. On going to the privy
I found a piece of flannel lying on the surface of
the water and soil at the place from which the body
had been taken.
Mr. Ribton submitted that this piece of flannel to
which Mr. Saunders in his opening had attached
great importance, could not be received in evidence.
The Chairman could not doubt that it might be
received in evidence, because it was part of the facts.
Mr. Ribton contended, on the contrary, that it
formed no part of the facts of the case. There was
no proof
l
at h
wmhiagttte it wasi hrown intoora month
before. the water-
closet.avebe ten there for
The Chairman was not prepared to say what
weight should be attached to the discovery of the
piece of flannel, but he was clearly of opinion that
the article might be produced in evidence.
Mr. Ribton maintained that the prosecution
might as well produce the whole contents of the
privy. (A laugh.) Suppose a great variety of
other things had been found, did the magistrates