The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-13 00:00:00

CRIMIN,

'his Day.

(Before Mr. Baron Bramwell.)
THE CANNON-STREET MURDER.
This morning William Smith was placed at the bar and
- charged on an indictment with having murdered Sarah
31elson, a servant of the Messrs. Bevington, in Cannon-
street, on tho 11th of April last.
Mr. Metcalfe, who with Mr. Stroight appeared for the
prosecution, in addressing the jury, said there could be no
doubt that a murder of an atrocious character had been
committed in the city of London. On the 11th of April
a man rung the bell, and the housekeeper (Melson) went
down to answer it. Shortly afterwards the dead body of
the unfortunate woman was found by the doorway, great
violence having evidently been used in causing her death.
The deceased, it appeared, had owed some money to a
woman named Webber, and had been paying her off little
by little, through a man named Jerry, for whom the pri-
soner appeared to have acted as an agent. The prisoner
had boon seen going backwards and forwards to the house
of the Messrs. Bevington, and it would be shown by the
evidence that, living at Eton, he was seen walking to the
up train from Slough to London on the evening in which
the murder was committed. The learned counsel pro-
ceeded to give the details of the evidence he proposed to
submit for the consideration of the jury.
A person named Gipps, whose duty it was to see Messrs.
Bevington's house cleared at night, said he fastened the
doors before he went away on the night in question. Mrs.
Melson, he said, very seldom went out at night, and had
very few visitors.
Elizabeth Lowe said she was in the house on the night
Mrs. Melson was murdered. Mrs. Melson went down in
answer to a ring, and afterwards she was found dead.
The police-constable who was called in on the discovery
of the body deposed to finding the body in a pool of blood.
He went at once for Mr. May, the surgeon.
Sergeant Ogden, of the City police force, said he was
called in on the discovery of the murder. He saw the
body of the deceased, and near it a crowbar.
By Sergeant Ballantine—There was no blood upon the
instrument or upon the dress of the deceased.
Dr. May, the surgeon who was called in, said he found
many wounds on the head and face of the deceased. The
body was warm when ho arrived. There was an undis-
turbed pool of blood, and the injuries the deceased had re-
ceived might have been committed by such an instrument
as that produced. There was no blood on it.
Sergeant Moss said he went to the prisoner's residence
at Eton on the 17th of April, and asked him if his name
was William Smith. He acknowledged that it was, and
showed him a letter signed Denton and Terry, and the
prisoner acknowledged that it was in his handwriting,
stating, however, that he had written it for a man named
Andrews. The mother of the prisoner said she could not
remember where he was on the day of the alleged murder,
and that the prisoner had been a great trial to her. He
then charged the prisoner with the murder, and took him
into custody. The prisoner said it was a very serious
charge, that he was as innocent as a baby, and that
he had not been in London since the 10th of February
when he went to Aldermanbury about some money. He
stated that the retter signed Denton and Terry he presented
towards the close of last year. He admitted that he had
signed the words " W. Denton," as he had sometimes gone
by that name. He said he knew Terry was not entitled
to the money, and that was why he signed the wrong
name. The prisoner was then conveyed to London and
charged, in which he again asserted his innocence. (Some
threatening letters addressed to the deceased, and alleged
to have been written by the prisoner, were then put in in
evidence.)
Inspector Foulger said there was such a great mob at
the station in Bow-lane when the prisoner was removed
o the Mansion-house that they were obliged to manacle a
policeman and send him off in a cab to draw off attention
from the real prisoner. They took the prisoner in front of
Messrs. Bovington's in order that he might be recognised.
The learned Judge directed, oa the application of Ser-
geant Ballantine, that no communication should be allowed
between the police and the witnesses.
The Court adjourned at this stage for half an hour.
The evidence for the prosecution having been closed,
Sergeant Ballantine addressed the jury in a speech
which occupied nearly three hours, after which the tria:
was adjourned.

NEW COURT.
(Before Mr. Justice Byles)
CHARGE OF CHILD MURDER.

Ellen Shadbolt, 17, who stood remanded from last ses.
sion, was indicted for the wilful murder of her infant
child. •

Tho evidence, which was not questioned by the defence,
was very clear. The prisoner was sitting near the New
River at Newington in the evening, and the child was
found drowned the next morning. The defence was that
the death of the child was not wilfully caused, the theory
of the defence being that the prisoner might have acci-
dentally dropped the child in the river, as the bridge
near which she was seen was open at the sides, there being
merely a bar at the top and rail in the middle.
(The case was proceeding when we went to press.)

POLICE DTTELLIGENCE.--This Day.

MARLBOROUGH-STREET.

ASSAULT ON A PARK CONSTABLE.— William Calvert, a
warehouseman, living in New North-road, Islington, was
charged before Mr. Tyrwhitt with being drunk and behav-
ing in a disorderly manner in Hyde-park, and assaulting
Park Constable Henry Matthews, No. 24.

Matthews said that on the previous evening he was on
duty near the Queen's-gate, Hyde-park, when he saw the
prisoner lying across the pathway, with two large bundles
of property by his side, and a crowd of persons round him.
lie raised the prisoner up, when he found that he was
drunk, and he became very disorderly and struck him.
Mr. Tyrwhitt said he was determined, as far as ho had
the power to do so, that the parks should be kept for the
purpose they were intended—the recreation of the public.
At the present time the parks were the place of resort of
some of the worst persons in London. He should fine the
prisoner 405., or a month.
W. Jones, a rough-looking fellow, described as a labourer,
of Camden-place, Notting-hill, was charged with being in
an enclosure in Kensington-gardens for an unlawful pur-
pose, and destroying the flowers and shrubs.
Henry Howes, park constable, said that about nine that
morning he saw the prisoner and some others throwing
stones at the birds' nests in the trees. They afterwards
got into an enclosure to look for ducks' eggs, and broke,
several shrubs and damaged some flowers by trampling
on them. There were about 16 persons there, and great
damage was done daily. The prisoner last summer was
convicted for a similar thing.
The prisoner said he was not the one who did the
damage.

Mr. Tyrwhitt said he was resolved to put the law in
force against all persons who did mischief in the parks and
gardens, some of the most mischievous blackguards in Lon-
don frequenting the parks to the annoyance of decent per-
sons. He should fine the prisoner 40s. or a month
every time he came before him, and he only wished that
some of the others had been caught.