The Sun.
London, England, 1866-09-12 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 12, 1863.

THE MURDER IN ST. GILES'S.

Examination of Jeffreys—This Day.

BOW-STREET.

The report of the apprehension of Jeffreys, the supposed
murderer of the little boy in St. Giles's, which appeared
exclusively in a late edition of The Sun on Mon-
day evening, caused a very great concourse of spectators
this morning before the station of the F Division of police
in Bow-street in the expectation of catching a momentary
glance of the man who had been apprehended, on his own
confession, of being the murderer of his son, a child aged
eight years, in a cellar in Neal's-passage, Seven Dials. The
prisoner is a person of short, slim stature, with a, very sallow
countenance, black hair, and beard. Ho wore an old black
frock-coat, a dirty yel! ow cotton waistcoat, and tweed
trousers ; he was devoid of necktie, and the soiled description
of his garments gave him the appearance of a man of the
most reckless description. On being taken into custody
he described himself as John Richard Jeffreys, Rippingale,
in the West Morlay division of the West Riding of
Yorkshire, and of 111, Half-paved-yard, Salisbury-square,
Fleet-street, and of 15, Great White Lion-street, Seven
Dials, tailor, the charge against him being wiliully
murdering his son, Arthur Richard Jeffreys, on the
30th of July last, by hanging him in a cellar, at No. 1,
Neale's-passage, Great Earl-street, in the parish of St.

Giles.
Mr. Vaughan was the sitting magistrate at Bow-street,
before whom the following evidence was given :
Mr. Humpheries (the second clerk), addressing the pri-
soner—ls your name John Richard Jeffreys ?
Prisoner—Yes. Spell the name " ys," not " ies."
Sergeant Kay, 13 F, said—On Monday morning, the 30th
of July, at a quarter past seven, I went to a cellar in N eal's
Passage, 15, Great Earl-street, Seven-dials, and found
there the body of a boy hanging to a post, apparently about
eight years old. I measured him, and his length was
3 feet 7 inches.

Mr. Vaughan—Was he dead?
Witness —Yes, your worship.
Mr. Vaughan—Was there warmth in the body ?
Witness—lt was slightly warm. He was hanging with
his head about 5 feet from the ground, and his feet about
15 inches. The rope was round his neck, but very loosely.
Not having a knife, I caught hold of the body, and told
one of the men standing near to cut the rope.
Mr. Vaughan—What was the name of the person ?
Witness—He is not here that I know of ; the rope, how-
ever, was cut above the knot.
Mr. Vaughan—Did you observe how many times tho
cord was round the boy's neck ?

Witness—Only once.
Mr. Vaughan—Was it tight round the neck ?
Witness—No, your worship, I could have got my two
ringers between the cord and the boy's neck. The boy's
hands were tied loosely behind him with the strip of
pocket-handkerchief I now produce
Mr. Vaughan—Were they securely fastened ?
Witness—Yes, your worship.
Mr. Vaughan—Was the boy dressed?
Witness—Yes, your worship, he had all his clothes on,
but they were very old.
Mr. Vaughan--Had he his boots and cap on ?
Witness.—He had his boots on, but his cap was on the
ground.
Mr. Vaughan.—You say the boy was hanging to the
post. How was the rope attached ?
Witness.—The post is a piece of timber running up one
side of the cistern in the cellar. His face was towards the
post. There was a cut in the post, and from that the
rope was suspended.
Mr. Vaughau.—Was there a chair in the cellar upon
which any person could have stood.
Witness.—There was nothing of the sort, except an old
market basket, but that was in an out-of-the-way place,
and it bore no marks of any person having stood upon it.

Mr. Vaughan.—How is access obtained to the cellar ?
Witness.—You go down somo steps and there is a cellar;
but when there, there is another further on. The entrance
to the cellar is in the street. There being no door to it,
it is always open.
Mr. Vaughan—ls there any light in the cellar ?
Witness—There is, I have since 1 was first there dis-
covered a slight opening in the cellar whore the body was
found, but the door of the water closet being thrown back
when I entered, I did not observe it the first time I went

7fli }

in.
Mr. ,Vaughan—ls 15, Earl-street a common-lodging
house ?
Witness—No, your worship. It is in Neal's-passage and
let out in tenements.
Mr. Vaughan—Then I understand you to say the door
of the house is open day and night.
Witness—lt is never shut, your worship.
Mr. Vaughan—So that any person, whether an inmate
or not of the house, could go down into the cellar whore
the body of the boy was found.
Witness —Yes, your worship.
Mr. Vaughan—Go on and describe what you did.
Witness —I sent for Dr. Harvey, and on his arrival he
pronounced the boy dead, and by his direction the body
was taken to the dead-house of St. Giles's Workhouse, as
the place in which it was found was so filthy.
Mr. Vaughan to prisoner—Do you wish to ask the wit-
ness any questions ?
Prisoner—No. I've nothing to ask; but I should like
all the witnesses to be out of court.
Mr. Vaughan—They are so already.
Dr. Alfred Harvey, of No. 3, Southampton-street,
Strand, said—On the 30th of July I arrived at the house
at the corner of Neal's-passage, Great Earl-street, and
found the body of the boy lying on the back in the cellar.
I ordered its removal to the dead-house, and on undressing
the body and examining it particularly, I found a mark
round the neck, and an.indentation.
Mr. Vaughan—All round the neck ?
Witness—No, sir. The mark went round about two
thirds of the neck.
Mr. Vaughan—What part of the neck ?
Witness—On the front, and running round to the back.
Mr. Vaughan—What was the nature of that mark ?
Witness—As if it had been produced by a cord.
Mr. Vaughan—Was the skin discoloured ?
Witness—Yes.
Mr. Vaughan—Did it appear to you of such a size as
that it might have been produced by the piece of cord now
before you ?
Witness—Yes.
Mr. Vaughan—Looking at the appearance,of the body
before the post mortem examination, could you state the
Cause of death ?
Witness—From the mark of the cord it appeared as if
death had been produced by pressure on the windpipe, the
other appearances were not such as might have been pro-
duced by hanging.
Mr. Vaughan— Was there anything else you observed
externally ?
Witness—No sir. On making the post mortem I found
the lungs congested, the eyes were natural, the pupils
dilated. The stomach contain food, and otherwise the
organs were healthy.
Mr. Vaughan—To what cause, having made the post
mortem, do you attribute the death of the child ?
Witness—To suffocation.
Mr. Vaughan—And would the pressure on the windpipe
which you have before mentioned be sufficient to cause
that ?

Witness—Yes.
Mr. Vaughan—What was the probable ago of the child
Witnes—Between 7 and 8.
Jane Edwards said—l am a widow, and reside at No. 5
Eagle .street, Holborn, and was living there on the 30th o;
July.
Mr. Vaughan—Do you know the prisoner at the bar ?
Witness- Too well, your worship. Ho married my
daughter.
Mr. Vaughan—ls she alive ?
Witness—l believe so, though I hare not seen her these
two months. Ou the 29th of July, a Sunday night, the
prisoner came to my lodgings about half-past 8. I had
had for about five months previous to that time the pri-
soner's son residing with me. The child was in bed, but
the prisoner desired me to dress the child. He said "Dress
that child" three times. The child said " Don't, granny,
dress me ; I don't want to go with him." The prisoner
gave no reason for his directing me to dress the child. I
said to him "Don't take the child away; leave him till
to-morrow morning, and then come for him." I, howe'ver,
dressed the child, and the prisoner took him away. He did
not say where he was going to take him, but I followed
him, and lost sight of him in a court in Holborn. I told a
policeman of the circumstance. The next morning I re-
cognised the dead body of the child in St. Giles's dead-
house. I did not know where the prisoner was living
when he called upon me. The names of the deceased child
were Richard Arthur Jeffrey. The prisoner never paid me
one farthing for keeping the child, and for the five
months the child was with me he never gave me
one farthing. I had applied to him for money when
he was at GI avesond, but he sent me up a letter
telling me he would pay mo nothing, and that I might do
my best and worst. I sent for money at the expiration of
the first week it had been with me, and then it was that I
received the letter I have spoken of. The child bad told
me that his father had treated him very shamefully, and
that if he told anything to anybody ho would kill him. I
don't, of my own knowledge, know how he treated the
boy. I was very fond of the child, and I never should
have asked him for any moue y for the keep of it.
Prisoner—When •I came for the child did I ask for his
black clothes?
Witness—Oh, dear, no ! The child had on the same
clothes he woro when you first left him. The child did
not say in my presence that I had pawned his hat.
Prisoner—Didn't you say that his aunt had pawned his
jacket ?
Witness—The boy might have said so.
Prisoner—Did'ut we all go into a public-house, the child
and all, that same Sunday night when I left?
Witness—No, certainly not.
Prisoner—Did'nt I come from Gravesend one night and
give you three shillings and a pint of shrimps.
Witness—No, not to my recollection.
Prisoner—l shall prOve that I did, although you have
sworn that I did not. Did'nt I say that I had been told that

you had been given 14s. in one week, and that as you
neglected the child I should take it away.
Witness—l don't recollect your saying one word of such
a thing.

The Late Fearful Collision cff the Suffolk

Coast.

BOARD OF TRADE INQUIRY—Tnas DAY.

This day an investigation was held at the Green-
wich police-court, before Mr. Traill, the magistrate,
and Captains llarris and Baker, respecting the late
fearful collision off the Suffolk coast, between the
Bruiser steamer and the llasweli,, a screw collier.

Mr. llargreave Ilamel appeared. to conduct the
proceedings for the Board of Trade. Mr. Cohen
and Mr. Pearse attended for the owners of the
Bruiser, and Mr. Cooper for the Haswell.
It will be remembered that early on the morning of

;hel9th ult. the Bruiser, which was onher way from
[lull to London came in collision with the

__aswell, which was bound to the north from the
Thames, a few miles off Aldborough, on the Suffolk
The Bruiser sunk in about 10 minutes, and
several of the passengers and 300 of the crew pe-
rished. The remainder on board the Bruiser, 93 in
all, got on board the Haswell, which brought them
on to the Victoria Dock, where they were landed.
Mr. Hamel having opened the case in a speech
debating the main facts,
Captain Chase, the master of the Haswell was
examined at great length, but the inquiry will
occupy several days.