The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-15 00:00:00

THE MURDER OF MR. LITTLE.

It is hardly premature to state as a general im
pression that the case for the Crown was materially
strengthened on Monday by the production at the
police-office 'as a witness of Joseph Spolien, an in-
telligent boy of 14 years of age, the second son of
the prisoner. His direct examination elicited seve-
ral important disclosures, which, if not disproved
hereater, would go far towards completing the
link of circumstantial evidence already in •proof
against the accused, and in his cross-examination by
the prisoner's counsel his testimony was but little
shaken—at least, as regarded the more striking ror-
tions of his evidence. He was examined by Mr.
Fitzgibbon, the Queen's counsel, who upon this
occasion led for the Crown. The witness, after
stating that he remembered the night when. Mr.
Little lost his life, said—l was at the window of
the room in which I took my tea, when I first saw
my father that evening. I was standing at the win-
dow looking out. I saw him through the window
—he was on the roof of the old forge. That was
the first time I saw him after he went out from
dinner. Lucy was at the window with me when I
saw my father on the roof of the forge. There was
no one with my faller. Ido not know where my
mother was at that time. She was not in the room
in which I was. James was in the room. I don't
remember how long she was out of the room. I
remember her going out of the room into the hall.
I saw her again ; I did not see her going out of the
hall. I did not see mymother anywhere at thetime
I saw my father on the roof of the old forge. It
was about 8 o'clock when I saw him there. It was
a moonlight night. He looked like as if he was put-
tng stones down into the chimney belonging to
the o'..d forge. There are four or five chimneys
there. The chimney he was at is not the nearest to
our own house, looking out of the window. It is
second n- arast. He was as if he hid a ladder
or a plank act o-s from the roof of the forge to the
set off on the chimney. He was standing on ei-
ther a ladder or a plank. His head was higher
tian the top of the chimney. I did not see
him getting dawn. He was like as if lie was

putting stoney down the chimney. I did not see
my father any more that evening. I saw my mother
again that evening in the room. I think I went
t bed after that. Ido not know what became of
Lucy. I went to bed in the room next to wh-re I
got tea. I have no recollection whether Lucy
went in:o that room or not. I did not see any-
thing more of my father and mother that night.
We generally sleep in the same room- James,
George, and Lucy sleep in the same room. I of en
saw the razors my father used to shave with. The
handles were white. I should know them. (Three
razors, two of them in a flat, red-coloured case,
were shown to the witness.)
Witne-s identified tgio of the razors as his father's.
(One of the two razors identified by the witness
as belonging to his father is the razor last found in
the canal, and on which the name "Spollen" is
written. The razor found in November was not one
of the three shown. The other two shown have not
b Jen produced before.)
(A. piece of calico found with the money con.,
cealed was here produced.)
Where did you see the cloth before Saturday
?.-
Out in the house where he kept the sticks.
When ?—About a week before Mr. Little's death.
My sister used to make a duster of it. It was not
at that time in the same state as it is now. (Cloth
again produced.) That hole was not in it. It was
nearly in the shape of a sun bonnet. My father
had a putty knife and a hacking hammer for taking
out glass. He had a large hammer in the house.
I often saw it. I should know it. I did not see it
since Mr. Little's death. The razor and the piece
of cloth were shown to me on Saturday by Mr.
Kemmis and Mr. Rae. They also showed me three
hammers. Oue of them was the hammer I saw at
our own house before Mr. Li tic's death. One of
them was the hammer I said a while ago I did not
see since Mr. Little's death. (Three hammers pro-
duced to witness, including the one found in the
canal ; identifies a hammer—not that found in the
canal.) I did not see that (that identified) since Mr.
Lit: le's death. Before that I saw it in the workshop
where the sticks were. it was clean then. There
was no putty on it as there is now. My father
used to have the hacking hammer over in the paint
shop near the locomotives. I remember the day
the people were making a rout about Mr. Little's
death. I remember the police being about the
place searching. I think they came to our hong!:
I heard of Mr. Little's death on a Friday night. I
saw my father at the chimney on Thursday night.
I heard of Li fe's death the evening after, about 5
o'clock. He said if I was asked by any of theca
anything to say I did nut know. This was after
it wis found wilful murder.
After this witness had bcen cross-examined at
great length,
James Spollen, a lad about 18 or 19 years old,
was examined, but, upon the whole, his evidence,
which seemed to be given with great reluctance,
was not very material for the prosecution. At its
close,
Mr. Curran, for the prisoner, submitted that,
notwithstanding the mass of evidence that had been
adduced, a case had not been made out for a legal
tribunal.
After a Tew remarks from Mr. Fitzgibbon, ill
reply, the prisoner was again remanded.