The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-15 00:00:00

THE ROAD CHILD MURDER.

ROAD, Nor. 14.
This afternoon Mr. T. B Saunders resumed his
sittings at the Temperance-hall in this village. The
attendance of spectators was very small. Mr. Pol-
laky, the detective, was again present, and since
the last meeting on Monday has been seen in Frome,
•l,irestbury, and Warminster, prosecuting certain in-
quiries. He returned to town on Monday night,
and after a short stay proceeded to Bath, whence he
started for Road this morning. Mr. Hughes, chief
of the Bath police, is still in London.
The only person who volunteered any statement
to-day was

Charles Lawnsdown, labourer, in the employ of
Mr. Wilkinson, of Tillisford-mills, living near Road-
hill-house, who, in reply to questions from Mr.
Saunders, stated that he saw nothing to attract
his attention on the evening of the 29th June. Got
up at half-past 4 the following morning, and went to
Mr. Wilkins's, a distance of about a mile and a-half
from Road ; called Quance, a fellow-labourer, about
a quarter before five, but whether he was gone before
could not tell. Neither Mrs. Quance nor any one
in the house answered the call. Saw nothing while
waiting about for Quance that morning.
Mr. Saunders---Did you see any man, woman, or
child about between your own house and Quance's ?
Witness—l have no recollection of seeing any
one. I did not go by Roadhill-house to Tillisford
that morning. Sometime we met other labouring
men as we were going to work. Did not look over
into Road-hill-house grounds that morning. lam
quite certain of that. Can't say where I first saw
Quance that morning, and do not recollect whether
I went down with him or not ; if I did not go down
with Quance, I saw him first at Tillisford. I have
never said anything to my master or to any one
else respecting seeing any one OR the morning of
the 30th of June. I have known Mr. Kent ever
since he has been in Road ; have never worked for
him ; none of his servants are related to me. I have
never sold anything to Mr. Kent, and he has never
paid me any money for any purpose. I never had
any connexion at all with him. Mr. Foley never
spoke to me on the subject of what passed on the
morning of the 30th of June.
In reply to Mr. Saunders police-constable Urch
stated that he did not think there was any chance
of Quance attending the inquiry voluntarily.
Mr. Saunders stated that since the last meeting
he had received the following letter from the chief
constable of the county of Bucks :
" Chief Constable's-office, Aylesbury, Nov. 9.
"Dear Sir,—lmmediately I learnt that Mr. Summers's
name had been called in question in reference to the Road
murder case, I wrote to him desiring he would put himself
in communication with you, but it appears he had previously
done so with Superintendent Foley. In consequence of a
letter received by me from your friend, Mr. Ward, I have
driven over to Chesham and fully questioned Superin-
tendent Summers on the matter in question, and trust you
will find there is no reason to doubt the correctness of his
statement ; also that it has arisen from a misunderstanding
on Mr- Grocer's part. " Yours faithfully,
" WILLouGHBY H. CARTER, Chief Constable."
" Mr. T. B. Saunders."

Mr. Saunders then read the following statement,
which had been made by Mr. Summers to Mr.
Carter, chief constable of Bucks, in reference to the
assertions made by Mr. Groser on a former occa-
sion :

" I, George William Summers, of the Buckinghamshire
Constabulary, and formerly superintendent of county police
at Frome, hereby declare that I never told Mr. Groser or
any other person whatever that I had seen blood on the wall
near the front door at Road-hill-house, or anywhere near
the spot. I certainly saw a smear of blood across the privy
door, which I pointed out to Superintendent Foley, but I
do not recollect having told Mr. Groser personally of this
fact, although ho might have overheard me making the
remark to some other person in the course of my duties.
As to Mr. Groser's statement, that I had said that I had
not ?mentioned the fact of my having seen blood on the pas-
sage wall to any one, and that I had a reason for not having
done so, I hereby further declare that no such allusion ever
passed my lips, and that Mr. Groser's assertions must have
arisen out of some misunderstanding of his own. I am
quite prepared to repeat the above statements on oath if re
quired so to do.

" GEORGE WILLIAM SUMMERS,
Inspector of Police, Bucks Constabulary.
" Taken before me, this 9th day of November, 1860, at
Chesham, in the county of Buckingham.
" WILLOUGHBY H. CARTER,
Phiof of Book.
Mr. Saunders proceeded to go through various
letters he had received from different places in
the kingdom, some offering suggestions, others
containing abusive comments on Mr. Saunders's
proceedings, and another enclosing the copy of a
letter addressed to Mr. Kent. One of these com-
munications threw oat the hint that the handwrit-
ing of all anonymous letters, discouraging the in-
quiry should be jealously scrutinised, and Mr.
Saunders stated that it had been intimated to him
that these letters possibly proceeded from parties
not far from Road-hill-house. Mr. Saunders then
threw out some mysterious hints as to a le:.ter said
to have been sent to Elizabeth Gough from Road,
but which he had reason to believe did not pass
through the Road post-office. He believed he had
the means of ascertaining the contents of that let-
ter, but by whom it was written he would not at
present enter on any conjecture. He might, how-
ever, state that some of the relations of Elizabeth
Gough were laost anxious that the whole of this
matter should be thoroughly investigated. Mr.
Saunders proceeded to state that in consequence of
what had happened at Bradford on Saturday last
the surveillance which he had established over
Elizabeth Gough by police-constable Millard had
been withdrawn ; but Mr. Hughes, chief of the
Bath police, was still in London and the neighbour-
hood making inquiries on the subject. Mr. Saun-
ders then proceeded to offer some remarks in reply
to the letter of Mr. Stapleton, surgeon, of Trow-
bridge, which appeared in the limex of yesterday.
He denied that he had indulged in any forensic
medical criticisms at Mr. Stapleton's expense. He
was there as a plain English country gentleman,
and not in any forensic character, and as such he
wanted to know what nightdress or garment it was
that Mr. Stapleton did examine. For his own part,
he thought that a microscopic inspection of that
article would have been highly satisfactory, and
that opinion was concurred in by professional gen-
tlemen in London who wrote M.D. after their
names, while Mr. Stapleton subscribed himself
merely " M R.C.S., Lond." He (Mr. Saunders) had
heard of another dress belonging to one of the
elder members of Mr. Kent's family having been
found after the murder which also had spots of
blood on it. The letter of Mr. Stapleton did not,
in his opinion, in any way exonerate the police, nor
had the examination he (Mr. Stapleton) had made
tended to facilitate the ends of justice. Who were
the authorities ? Who were the magistrates ?
Who were satisfied with Mr. Stapleton's explana-
tion, and with his hopes that this nightdress had
been withdrawn for ever from public observation ?
He (Mr. Saunders) should like to know from Mr.
Stapleton—and he thought it due to the public
that it should be known--how many night dresses
or garments belonging to persons in Road-hill
house had been examined by that gentleman. He
left it for the public to say whether he had dragged
this matter from its obscurity in wanton and useless
violation of public decency and public feeling; but
lie said this openly, that in case of murder, which
was a capital felony, no observations which might
be levelled at him should prevent him from doing
what he believed to be a public duty in a private
character. He had no private feeling, however, in
the matter, but was simply actuated by the desire
to find out the murderer or murderers. After
giving a translation of the quotation with which
Mr. Stapleton's letter concluded, and leaving the
public to say how far it was applicable to him,
Mr. Saunders gave an account of what he had done
since the last meeting. He had been among other
places to Trowbridge, for the purpose of tracing
certain rumours as to an intention to put Miss
Constance Kent into a lunatic asylum. He believed
in the innocence of that young lady, but he under-
stood from a gentleman yesterday that on the
day of the funeral Mr. Parsons, Mr. Stapleton,
and Mr. Rodway, returned to Road-hill-house
from the funeral together. He was told that
one of these gentlemen told his informant--
it was not evidence, he was aware ; but it was for
them to contradict it if they could, and ho dared
then to do so—that Mr. Parsons said to Mr. Rod

way and Mr. Stapleton that Mrs. Kent wished him
to certify as to the state of mind of Miss Constance
Kent. In other words, and he would not pledge
himself to the exact terms, Mr. Parsons was wanted
to give a certificate under which Miss Constance
Kent might be confined in a lunatic asylum, in
order to relieve her from the consequences of the
crime of murder with which she was then charged.
Many other things were told him, some of which
he did not think it proper at the present moment to
divulge. Of course, his informant did not wish his
name to be brought before the public, it being a
most delicate transaction, and one which he would
hesitate .testate publicly. He (Mr. Saunders), how-
ever, had no hesitation of that kind. He stated it
there openly that day, and let those who could con-
tradict it do so. The suggestion came to nothing as
regarded Miss Constance Kent, but still he could