The Sun.
London, England, 1858-06-25 00:00:00

FRANCE.

PARIS, FRIDAY.
The Moniteur publishes the decree appointing
Prince Napoleon Minister of Algeria and the
Colonies.
BOURSE, June 24.—The following were the closing
quotations :

4i per Cents 93 55
Do. end month._
3 per Cent. ..... 68
Do. end month 67 95
13ank Shares .
Credit Mobilier 625
Do. Account 615

Credit Foncier
Belgian 4
Piedmontese (5)
Roman 9l
Austrian
Spanish Threes
Home Debt
-FoR CASH.

RAILWAYS.-
Orleans
Northern
New Ditto • 7lO
Lyon and Mediteran 7444
New Ditto ••
Geneva

Midi ----- so7}
Western' 575
Strasburg
.630
Grand Central —
Sardinian
Austrian

SPAIN.
MADRID, JUNE 22.
The Archbishop of Saragossa has just died, at the
age of 88. He had been a bishop during a period
of 27 years.

The magnificent Palma Theatre, in the island of
Majorca, has been burnt down. The loss is esti-
mated at 20,0001. sterling.

DISCOVERY 07 THE MURDERERS OF A

POLICEMAN 1N 1846.

Oar readers will probably recollect that in the summer
of 1846 great excitement existed in Dagenham and its
neighbourhood, in consequence of the discovery of the
body of George Clarke, a policeman of the K Division,
%hose body was found amongst some standing corn, in
a field on his beat. His head was nearly severed from
his body, his skull was broken, and there were other
marks and injuries upon his body which left no doubt
of his having been foully and brutally murdered.
Every inquiry was instituted at the time to diecover
the murderers, but without success, and their discovery
was considered hopeless. At the time of the murder
coroner's inquest was held on the body, before Mr.
Lewis, the coroner, at the Cross Keys, Dagenham,
which was adjourned from time to time, and at .the
end of two months the jury returned a verdict of wilful
murder against some person or persons unknown. Since
that time suspicion had rested on certain individuals,
but nothing had transpired since then until within "the
last few weeks, when information was communicated to
Sir Richard Mayne, chief commissioner of police, who
deemed it advisable to institute further inquiries, 'and
take the necessary proceedings for apprehending ahe
party implicated ; and for tbat purpose he placed .the
matter in the bands of Inspector Whicher, of the metro-
politan detective police force, one of the most efficient
members of the force, who has succeeded in apprehend-
ing the murderer, and lodging him in Ilford gaol. The
information referred to recta on the statement of a -ev.o-
man names Smith, wife of a labourer of that name.re-
sie.ing at Dagenham, and the reason assigned by
.her
for making known the facts arises from her being
troubled in mind, and a fear of death without divulging
them. It appears that Mrs. Smith was first married
to a man named Page, -who was impl•cated in the mur-
der ; and her statement is, that at the time of the mur-
dtr she was living with her first husband Page , at
Dagenham. On the evening of the 29th June, the
night of the murder, her husband came home about eight
o'clock, and had his tea. He informed her that he was
going to meet Ned Wilcocks at George Blewett'e, the
man now in custody, fur the purpose of stealing oorn
from Mr. Brittain, a farmer, in whose employ Page and
Blewett were. He, however, afterwards said he would
not join them, and he and his wife went to bed about
10 o'clock. She was, however, awoke about 11 o'clock
by her husband dressing himself, and in reply to some-
thing she said to him, but which she could not then-re-
collect, he said to her, " Now, for your impudence, you
shall get up and go with me," and he made her dress
herself and accompany him to George Blewitt'e cottage,
which was situate near Mr. Brittain's barn. At
Blewett's oettege they found Blewett, Ned Wood,
and George Clarke. They remained in the cot-
tage till near twelve o'clock, when Blewett
said to her husband (Page), " Now, then, Bill,
its time for us to be going," and they rose to leave, bat
before going out one of them said, "if the b---1
policeman interferes we'll settle him." They then Lall
proceeded to the barn, her husband leaving her to watch
outside to give an alarm if a policeman or any other per-
eon came in that direwion. The four men entered the
barn with false keys Blewett had in his possession, and
after they had been there about five minutes she saw *
policeman coming round the corner of the barn ; she ine-
tnediatelyran to the door and gave an alarm,ealling to bar
husband, " Bill, Bill, the policeman is coming." Her -
husband came out of the barn with a stick in his hand,
known among agriculturists in the neighbondhood as at
" loading stick,'' and some of the others had forks is
their hands. Her husband said to the policeman,
" What the b—v 11--1 are you watching us for !
The policeman replied,. '1 Because it is my duty to watch
you." He was then seized by the men, and her hus-
band struck him several severe blows with the stick
on the upper part of the body, and called .
to the others to "come on, the b--y policeman it
here." Mrs. Smith was so frightened at what had oc-
curred that she 'says she ran off to Blewett'e cottages
where there was only a child, and afterwards she ran to
her own house. About 2 o'clock in the morning her
husband came home, and they lit a fire and burned his
smock and trowsere, which were smeared with blood.
He went out again about 4 o'clock that morning, telling
his wife that if any inquiries were made about him to
say that he went to bed at 10 o'clock, where he had
remained till 4 o'clock the following morning. Oe the
Saturday evening following the discovery of the body,
which did not take place till some days after he was •
missed, she, her hu,band Page, and Blewett went to
Rumford, and as they were going along the road Blewett •
said to her husband, " Who would have thought of see-
ing him (the policemen) there—did you Bill ?" He said
No; but we will served him out far his trouble.°
Blewett replied, " Yes, but I never thought it would have
come to that ;" and when about to part, her husband Said
to Blewett, "I have a good mind to serve her
(his wife) the same, to get rid of her." But Blewett
replied, " Don't do that Bill, it will only be making
bad wor=e" Her husband Page was accidentally killed
about 12 months after the murder. It is a singular fact,
in connection with this mysterious affair, that most of
the persons alleged by Mrs. Smith to have participated
in the murder have n.et with violent deaths., She lin-
plicatee five persons. Her husbend, as stated above,
who was accidentally killed ; tleorge Blewett, the man
in custody ; Ned Wood, who afterwards hung himself;
Ralph Page, a small farmer, who was waiting to receive
the stolen corn, who poisoned himself about six years
since; and Chalk, who is trippoied now to be is Australia.
Immediately on the Leta being communicated to In'
specter Whicher, that indefatigable and experienced
'flicer, yesterday proceeded to Romford and laid the
facts before Mr. A. Mashiter, the resident magistrate
for that district, who issued a warrant for Rewettis
apprehension, and he was taken into custody by Inspec-
tor Wbicher the same afternoon, as he was working in
a field in the occupation of Mr. Seabrooke, of Dagen-
ham, and brought before Mr. Mashiter, who remanded
him for further examination till Monday next. Blewett
was last night lodged in Ilford gaol, where he will re- .
main to await his further examination. The murdered
policeman was found amongst some standing oorn in A
field about a quarter of a mile from the barn, and Mr&
Smith estates that Page informed her that after they
had knocked him down and disabled him, they removed
him to the spot where he was found, where Chalk beat
in the deceased's skull with the heel of his boot I:19
stamping on his bud. The apprehension of Blewettf
after HO long a period from the time of the murder, has
caused great excitement at-Dagenham and its neigh'
bourhood.