The Sun.
London, England, 1857-11-12 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING NOVEMBER 12, 1851

THE MURDER 1N EERTFORDSIIIRE.

STEVENAGE, Nov. 11.
This morning Jeremiah Carpenter, a farm la-
bourer in the employment of Mr. Home, of Norton-
green farm, and who has been apprehended on sus-
picion of having murdered John Starkins, one of
the Hertfordshire countyconstabulary, was brought
before the Rev. E. Prodders and Mr. Morris Prior,
magistrates of Hertfordshire, and formally charged
with the offence.
The prisoner, who is It powerful-looking fellow,
about 5 feet 9 inches in height, and apparently
about 40 years of age, was respectably dressed in
the usual clothes worn by the labourers of the dis-
trict, but wore no smockfrock. He seemed to re-
gard the whole proceedings with callous indifference.
He was not handcuffed.
All the exertions of the police to discover the hat
of the policeman and also the smockfrock in which
the prisoner was dressed on the night of the murder
have been hitherto unavailing. Some clothes
seized by the police at Carpenter's house, which
the prisoner stated were his, were sent to Professor
Taylor for examination, and the evidence of that
gentleman will be found below. The case presents
many points of difficulty which require to be
cleared up, and so important is it considered to ob-
tain some additional evidence that Capt. Robert-
son has brought almost all the inspectors to assist
in the search, which has been hitherto unremit-
ting. Mr. Beaver, surveyor, of Hitchin, has been
employed to make a plan of the fields in the neigh-
' bourhood of the murder, which was produced at the
examination.
The depositions to-day were taken byMr. Veasey
the magistrates' clerk. Captain Robertson, assisted
by Superintendent Barnes, conducted the case for
the prosecution, and Mr. Fitzjohn, solicitor, of
Stevenage, watched the proceedings upon the part
of the prisoner.
The followiag is the additional evidence given to-
day :
Inspector Hawkes, having been called, stated
the deceased John Starkins, was stationed at Ste-
venage. Witness saw him last alive on Friday,
the 30th of t 1 o'clock, when he went on his
usual beat. Oct.,Not returning at 9 o'clock, witness
searched the town and made inquiries respecting
him, but without obtaining any information. On
the following day the search was resumed by wit-
ness and a policeman named Wilson, and from in-
formation he received be was induced to search the
neighbouring fields, in company with some of the
neighbours. They bad a dog with them and searched
the woods, but without effect that day. They also
inquired at the deceased's lodgings, but they had
heard nothing of him. On the Sunday he received
information that the deceased had been seen on the
railway bridge on the afternoon of the day on which
the murder was committed, and on Monday wit-
ness summoned all his police force to join in the
search. They commenced searching early in the
morning, and about 11 o'clock police-constable
legate, who was in the next field to witness, called
to him to come to the pond. He went immediately
to him, when Isgate showed him the dead body of
Starkius lying in the pond. By witness's orders
the corpse was taken out of the pond, when it was
discovered that the throat was cut and the head '
nearly severed from the body. There were other
wounds found on the body. The deceased was
dressed in his usual policeman's clothes and had
his greatcoat on. About 20 yards from the pond
witness observed the marks of a dreadful struggle ;
the field was partly in grass and partly in turnips.
The spot at which the scuffle took place was in grass
and it was much beaten down, and was saturated
with blood. Some of it was in a coagulated
state. There appeared to have been between one
and two quarts of blood in that spot. The bloody
appearance was so great that it seemed as if a sheep
or some other animal had been slaughtered. There
was also an appearance as if a heavy body had been
dragged along the grass to the edge of the pond ;
the grass appeared to have been beaten down in
one direction. He saw no footmarks. The grass
was too high to leave any imprints of a man's feet
on the ground. He directed the body to be re-
moved to an inn in the village (the Chequers) and
left some officers to watch the spot. He then pur-
sued his investigation of the field, and about 95
yards from where he discovered the blood and in
a portion of the field covered with wheat stubble
he came upon another spot where there were marks
of a struggle, and on examining the ground be
found a quantity of wheat strewn about. The soil
was disturbed there a good deal and there were
marks of feet on the ground, but not distinct. He
saw no traces of blood there. The wheat appeared
to have been spilt. Between the spot whero the
wheat was spilt and where they found the blood,
nearer to the latter, a pair of handcuffs were picked
up by oge of the police constables. There were
also marks of persons having passed between the
two op As.
Mr. Prior—Was there any blood, or traces of
blood, upon the hands of the deceased ?
The witness replied that there were no such
marks.

Examination resumed—On Saturday following
(
the murder witness called at the house of the pri-
soner, and found that he had a wounded leg. He
asked him how he had hurt his leg, when he told
him that the injury was caused by a piece of wood
falling on it. He showed him the place, and it was
very black and swollen, but the skin was not
broken. In reply to a question he put to him the
prisoner said that he had been working in one of
the fields onMr. Horne's farm, and that he had come
home by the side of Gunwell's wood, and in front of
the 2 cottages standing in the field; he also said that
he got home about half-past five. It was 1 o'clock
when witness called at the house of the prisoner,
and he was surprised to find him home at that
hour. On Monday he went again to the prisoner,
and asked him where his knife was, and ho said
that he had given it to hie son. When they dis-
co►ered that a murder had taken place they sus-
pected the prisoner immediately. He had the pri-
soner stripped and examined by a surgeon, and
also examined his clothes, and saw what seemed to
be traces of blood on his boots.

edr sy—o your asvuespicions ?
youl\
alrt.ghrePo2rl:nsddtgeof October I told Starkins
you any facts
uponTw hietwußehsieie_vh.
that I suspected the prisoner had been stealing corn
from his master's farm, and directed him to keep
his eye on him. I also told him which way he
went home from his work.

By Mr. Veasoy—ile took possession of the pri-
soner's clothes, and subsequently gave them to
Superintendent Barnes.
By the Rev. Mr. Prodgers—The pockets of the
decease 4 were not torn. There was no appearance
of a desperate highway robbery upon Limn.
Evidence was then produced for the purpose of
tracing the deceased to the last moment at which
he was seen alive.

Professor Taylor was then called, and, having
been sworn, made the following statement :—On
Thursday, the sth of November, I received from
Superintendent Barnes at the chymical laboratory
of Guy's Hospital the undermentioned articles—a
knife, a smockfrock, a pair of corduroy trowser3,
a pair of boots, and a pair of gaiters. On Satur-
day, the 7th of November, I also received at the
same place from Superintendent Barnes a shirt, a
quart bottle containing a colourless liquid, a spade
without a handle, and a wicker basket. These
articles have been submitted to a chemical and
microscopical examination. 1. The knife.—The
blade was perfectly clean, and there were no marks
of blood either on the blade or on the handle.
On removing one half of the buckhorn
.handle
from the plate of iron to which it was !wetted
there was a deep red stain mixed with mit
and dirt. It was found to consist of coagu
lated blood in a dry state. The blood must
have penetrated between the buckhorn handle
and the iron plate, and have there coagulated. 2.
The smockfrook.—
This was damp, and felt as if it
had been exposed to wet. It presented no appear-
ance calling for particular notice. A portion which
was stained was examined, but the stain was not
owing to blood. 3. The corduroy trousers.—These
presented many stains, chiefly at the back and on
the sides. Five different portions were examined,
but they yielded no evidence of the presence of
blood. In the groove of a bone button taken from
the left knee there was found a firm coagulum of
blood. It had a bright red colour and was appa-
rently fresh. In one of the holes of this button
through which the thread had passed, there was
also a small coagulum of blood. The appearance
was such as would be produced by the wiping of
blood from the surface of the button. There was a
slight smear of blood on the cotton string con-
nected with this knee. 4. The boots.— These were
much covered with sand, mud, and clay. Portions
of leather presenting the appearance of stains re-
sembling blood were removed and examined. There
was no satisfactory evidence of blood, but in addi-
tion to sand there was found by the aid of the mi-
croscope a number of starch granules, having the
appearance of white starch. 5. The leather gaiters.
—These presented some dark stains, especially on
the left side. A chemical and microscopical ex-
amination showed that these stains wore caused by
coagulated blood. Granules of wheat starch were
also found mixed with blood. The leather near
these stains presented in some parts a rough ap-
pearance as if it had been scraped or rubbed. An
inside loop of the left gaiter presents a smear. of
blood. This has been left undisturbed. 6. A irt.
--Numerous small spots were found on the back,
sides and front of the shirt. Soule of these were, ,
inside, while others were outside, and had not en-
tirely penetrated. One stain on the outside in
front presented the appearance of a smear. Stains
of iron-mould were found in some parts, and a