The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 5, 1859

THI111) EDITION.

Closing Business
Paid. Price. Done.

morning previous to the fire he had nine trusses of straw
from me.

Cross-examined—lf he had wanted more he could have
had it. I always considered him an honest man.
Mary Cowell—l am the mother of the prisoner's wife. I
reside at Deptford. I recollect the fire. Previous to the
calamity the servant, Waterfall, brought to my house Some
crockery from Mr. Roper's. On Wednesday before she
came four times. She brought things each time. She brought
a dinner service. I placed the property in a back parlour.
I knew a dessert service and a case of wax flowers
was brought. There was also a sack containing books, two
lamps, and a set of three tea trays. They belonged to my
son-in-law, the prisoner. They were afterwards given up
to the police.
Cross-examined—He has been married seven years. He
was a kind father, and respected by everybody. Tho rea-
son Roper gave for sending the things was, that he had let
the shop. I asked him what he had let it for, and he said
£l5O with the stock. He said Mrs. Roper wished to pack
the crockery, as they were about leaving the neighbour-
hood.

Eliza Cowell, daughter of the last witness, after speak-
ing to crockery being brought, said—A day or two before
the fire Waterfall brought a writing desk. Roper told us
he had let his shop. My father is a tailor. He used to
supply Roper with wearing apparel. He always had a
good stock. Mrs. Roper also kept a good wardrobe.
The Court here adjourned for a quarter of an hour.
Mr. Charles Cowell, father-in-law to the prisoner—On
the Thursday before the fire, I removed the glass-shade and
flowers from the prisoner's house. In August I pledged
for Mr. Roper some silver and plated articles, and some
wearing appareL I also pledged a coat belonging to Mr.
Roper. I got about £3. I handed the money to Mrs.
Roper.

Cross-examined I never received any directions
from the prisoner to pawn the things. He was
never present when I received any of the articles to take
to the pawnbroker's.
Mrs. Cowell was recalled, and said she offered to let Mrs
Roper be confined at her house, but the prisoner said he did
not think she would like to leave her children.
Cornelius Davis—l am a relative of the prisoner. I used
frequently to visit his place and occasionally served in the
shop. It was very lightly constructed. The coiling was
made of canvas, whitewashed over. From this the gas
lamps hung. The sides of the shop were very lightly put
together. The prisoner had spent a good bit of money in
improving the appearance of the premises.
An assistant to Mr. Barr, a pawnbroker, proved that in
August last a maroon velvet mantle, and other articles,
were pledged at his employer's shop, and remained there
ever since.
Henry Bull, another pawnbrokers assistant, gave similar
evidence.
Mr. Burt, pawnbroker, of Woolwich, proved that a quan-
tity of glass and decanters were pawned at his shop belong-
ing to the prisoner.
Inspector Wilson—l received a number of articles from
Mrs. Cowell belonging to Roper. There was among them
a dinner service, and other articles, entered by him as de-
stroyed in the fire.
Mrs. Cook, sister of the prisorrer, proved that he brought
a writing-desk to her husband's house previous to the fire.
It was wrapped in a blue handkerchief. Inspector Wilson,
after the fire, came for the desk. I had removed it to a
neighbour's house. I had previously been examined at the
inquest. In consequence of what the inspector said I went
and got it and delivered it to him. He put a tape round it
and sealed it. I told, my brother about it the next morning.
He was very angry, and said he should open it to see if
there was any papers in it that would assist him in making
out his claim. lie opened the desk, and took some papers
out of it.
Police-constable 92 R produced the writing-desk.
Charles Nash—l supplied the prisoner with a dinner ser-
vice of the pattern produced. The service complete cost
four guineas (charged in the claim £1010s.) It would con-
sist of 124 pieces. I also sold him a tea service. I charged
him four pounds for it.
Elizabeth Waterfell, the female servant of the prisoner,
said—l have been in prisoner's service about two years.
Shortly before the fire I removed the articles spoken to. I
went several times to Mrs. Cowell's. I first took a dozen
plates. I took a few things at a time. It was in the evening
time. The prisoner told me when I took the things I was not to
say anything to anybody. Roper took the large dishes
himself. The wax flowers was removed on the Wednesday
before the fire. I recollect a lot of glass on the sideboard.
I missed it from its place before the fire. In dusting the
wardrobe I noticed a number of her dresses were gone. I
found a pawnbroker's duplicate. Before the fire two sacks
of books were removed. I held the, sacks while the
books were put in. Mr. Roper filled the sacks. I removed
the writing-desk on the Saturday before the fire to Mrs.
Cowell's, by order of Mr. Roper. It was rather heavy, and
was wrapped in a blue cotton handkerchief. On the
Saturday before the fire, about 11 o'clock, the prisoner
sent me for some turps. He told me to get sixpennyworth.
He gave me a white bottle to get it in. I had got turps
before, but never in that bottle. I got half a pint at an
oil shop in London-street, Greenwich. Marie Harding
served me. I gave the turps to the prisoner, but I don't
know what he did with it. I told him how much there
was. I used usually to get the turps in the bottle pro-
duced, a two ounce phial. The turps I got the night in
question was in a much larger bottle. He told me it was
to clean a bookcase. I went to bed the night of the fire
about 12 o'clock. Tho prisoner went• to his room at the
same time. Before he went up stairs he turned the gas
three-parts off in both the sitting room and shop. I had
not been down in the cellar for three or four days. There
was no gas in the cellar. When I went to bed everything
appeared safe. I was woke up by the prisoner calling
" Lizzy " twice. T got out of bed and went to the door.
When I opened the door I saw the flames at the bottom of
the stairs. 1 got out of the window on to the roof of the
house, and was taken from thence by the fire-escape. The
articles produced in court—the china, glass, &c.—be-
longed to Mr. Roper.
Cross-examined by Sergeant Ballantine—Twopenyworth
would about three-parts fill the bottle. The reason I got
more than the usual quantity was that I thought the book-
case would require it. I did not know in the morning
that the book-case was to be cleaned. I don't recollect it
had been ordered to be cleaned. I was examined before
the magistrate four or lye times before I recollected
about the turps. I don't recollect being directed to clean
the furniture. I got out of bed as soon as I could. I
did not try to save the baby sleeping in the same bed
with me. If I had attempted to do so I should have
lost my own life.
Maria Harding proved the purchasing the tarpentine by
the last witness on the Saturday previous to the fire, about
11 o'clock in the evening.

Robert Morris, a lad In the employ of the prisoner, proved
moving several articles from his residence by his direction.
On the 10th of September (Friday) I brought nine trusses
of straw from Murrell's. I put it near the back door.
There is a place to go down to the cellar close by. After
the fire I saw the trusses of straw lying underneath the
steps in the cellar. The cellar, I think, would hold two or
threeloads of straw. There was only about half a sack of
flour and a few lots in bags when I left the shop on Satur-
day. On the afternoon of the fire I saw Mr. Roper. He

told me to say, if anybody asked me questions, to say I
knew nothing. He told me to call upon him the next morn-
ing at ten o'clock to go round to his customers.

Cross-examined—l don't know that the straw had been
removed from the usual part of the cellar in consequence of
the damp. I don't know what Roper meant when he told
me not to mention anything. I didn't know anything ex-
cept the amount of stock he had in the shop. I don't know
whether the ledger was burnt. I now recollect it was, and
that was the reason I was sent round to the customers. I
will not swear that Mrs. Roper did not tell me to take away
some of the things. I know there were several applications
made respecting the letting of the shop. I did not sleep on
the premises. I swept up the shop by Mr. Roper's orders,
before I left to go home to bed.
Re-examined—l had had no quarrel with Roper. If the
fire had not taken place I should have gone to my work as
usual on the Monday.
George Lilly, fireman, London-bridge, attached to the
Southwark division, said—l took charge of the ruins after
the fire. I was in charge a week. I then handed it over
to another brigade-man. Nothing was removed whilst I
was there.

Thomas Smart—l am a fireman stationed at Greenwich.
On the 21st I was placed in charge of the ruins of the
house. I have been used to such business for 20 years.
On Friday, the 22d of October, I went down into the cellar
after the rubbish had been removed. I found the steps
nearly consumed. I produce the bottom. There was no
staircase in the cellar, merely a step ladder.
The part of the ladder was hero brought into court, and
also a quantity of the burnt straw found in the cellar, and
the witness placed it in the position he found it.
_

Examination resumed—The roof of the cellarwas charred
by the action of fire. The fire, according to my opinion,
must have commenced below. If the fire had occurred in
the shop, and some of the wood had fallen into the cellar,
the straw would not have been so much burnt as it was, as
the falling rubbish would have smothered it and pre-
vented it burning. There were three holes burnt in the
shop floor. My decided opinion is that the fire began in
the cellar.

Cross-examined---I have made no inquiry where the gas
was fixed in the house. I don't think it at all
important to ascertain where the gas was situated.
I made up my mind the fire occurred in the cellar, and
I made no further inquiry about the matter. I don't know
positively what the ceiling of the shop was made of, but I
was told it was made of canvas. I tried whether canvas
whitewashed over would burn briskly, and I found it would
not. I procured the canvas for my experiment from the
wall of the shop. I merely tried whether it would burn
from pure curiosity. The fire, if it began in the cellar,
would run upstairs and fire the shop. Mr. Henderson, the
fireman, saw the holes in the shop floor as .well as myself.
When I first went into the cellar a portion of the sifted rub-
bish had been thrown there, but not in the part of the cellar
I have been speaking of.
Re-examined--I feel confident the part of the cellar I
have been speaking of was in precisely the same state when
I went into it in October as it was left by the fire.
Richard Henderson—l am foreman in the London Fire