The Sun.
London, England, 1844-09-06 00:00:00

MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR,

At Queen-square on Tuesday, Martha Boddington,
alias Garrett, Eliza Harris, Eliza Smith, William Lear,
and Edward Collins, were charged with being con-
cerned, with two others not in custody, in stealing a
pianoforte, two chests of drawers, and other articles to a
considerable amount, the property of the late Alfred
Dark.

Mrs. Elizabeth Dark said, my husband died, as I am
informed, yesterday morning. I have not lived with
him for the last eighteen months. He occupied a house
at No. 3, York-place, Pentonville, where he resided with
a girl named Eliza, whom he had met with in the country
shortly after the time he had left me. I frequently
saw my husband, who allowed me a sovereign a week for
my maintenance, and I have seen the furniture in the
house, which was his. I went to the house yesterday
morning, but found it locked up. Yesterday evening I
saw part of the furniture of mylate husband at a beer-
shop, kept by a man named Boucher. I saw that furni-
ture safe in his house on Friday last.
Cross-examined—l saw my husband last on Thursday
afternoon. He said he was going into the country for a
month, and gave me four sovereigns in advance of my
allowance. My husband went into the country at the
time he left me, seventeen months age, for the benefit of
his health, and he brought this girl, with whom he after-
wards lived, to London with him. I visited him at his
house in York-place three times. I never saw the furni-
ture in his possession before. I saw it at that house six
months ago. My husband was badly off when he left.
1 understand he was very ill in the country. He was a
baker, sometimes in work, sometimes out of work. I
can't say that he has had a day's work for the last
.trtve months. leriave called atyb shousc„on

wiTo openeinheitoor in me.
George Towel!, of .55, Baldwin's-gardens—l knew
the late Alfred Dark intimately, and have frequently
been to his house in York-place. Yesterday morning
I heard that he was brought into Westminster dead,
and that he was brought to a house in a very mys-
terious manner. I immediately apprised his wife, and
on finding his house shut up, and that the property
had been removed, we went to the Bank and stopped
some money that he had there. I went to a house in
Orchard-street, where I saw the prisoner Lear and
the female with whom Mr. Dark had been living.
I told Lear that I understood Dark was dead. Lear
told me that it was the body of another man that was
in the house, and if I was a friend of Dark's I should
say nothing about it, as aome person had abused the
female he was living with,. and Dark bad knocked him
on the head, and was keeping' out of the way until it
was all blown over, which would be in a month or two,
when he would come back. In consequence of some
suspicions I immediately went, accompanied by the in-
spector and another offiieer, to the house in Orchard-
street, and on going up. stairs found the body of Mr.
Dark; the prisoner Smith was in the room with it.
Thomas Tunstall, a police-constable—l went last
evening, in company with Inspector Moran, to No, 15,
Orchard-street. In the front room on the first
floor we found the body of a man. Prisoners Lear
and Boddington came into the room, and asked
by what authority I was there. Collins then
joined the party, and they became so boisterous
that I sent down staira for Mr. Moran. By his
directions I took Lear to the station-house, and returned
to the house. At Mr. Maran's request, Boddington pro-
duced a bundle of clothing-, a gun in a case, and some
other articles belonging ~to the deceased. Harris then
came into the room, and'it aid that she had come there
to see a man that had bet 3n shot, and wanted to know
who it was. She was with the other prisoners taken into
custody.
William Boucher, of 4, Pear-street, who described
himself as the conductor of a beer-shop, then proved
that a roomful of goods I iad been brought into his house
before he was up in the zatorning ; there was a piano and
two chests of drawers, at id a sofa, which the room would
not hold, and which the police had taken possession of.
Witness bad been asked on Sunday evening by George
Boddington (not in cushotly) to let him the room to put
some furniture in, and he had done so.
Jane Boucher, the daughter, was called, and said
several people brought; the things on Monday morning.
Boddington and Lear w ere among the numbers.
Mr. Wontner submiated that nothing whatever had
been proved against hit; clients to justify their detention.
There was no evidence' to show that the furniture had
ever been the property of the deceased ; and because
the wife now came forty and and pleased to set up a claim
to it, everybody found cat the house where the lady was
had been taken into can itody.
Mr. BURRELL said the evidence respecting the pro-
perty was slight. He wished to know whether anything
could he iwid of the Dreteious character of the prisoners.
Mr. Moran said Lear and Boddington were well
known.
Mr. BURRELL said he should remand the prisoners
for a week, and, in the meantime, care must be taken of
the property.
On the application of Mr. Wontner, the magistrate
consented to take bail for the appearance of the accused.
In the course of the afternoon the worthy magistrate
liberated four out of thie five prisoners, on their putting
in the necessary securities.
Since the discovery of the dead body of Dark, in Or-
chard-street, Westminster, under circumstances of a sus-
picious character, a aeport has got abroad, and ob-
tained general belief' in the neighbourhood, that a
crime resembling in its leading features the case
of Mr. Weare, who. was murdered by John Thur-
tell, had been committed, and this impression has by
no 'means subsided, although the case has undergone
an investigation. The opinion of that portion of
the detective police, who. have looked into some cir-
cumstances connected with the case, and who are well
acquainted with the cht.racters, and of those who are
unquestionably mixed irp most intimately in the whole
affair, points strongly to the conclusion that a deed of
violence has been comnz'itted, and that a most searching
investigation will only be able to draw the truth to light.
A correspondent has sent us a number of particulars
of Dark's life and pro ceedings, which go to justify the
worst suspicions, but we forbear to publish them till
they are narrated, if there be any foundation for them,
in a court of justice, as they involve serious charges not
only against the late Mr. Dark, but against his associates,

HINTS TO VISITING AND RELIEF SOCIETIES.—
Having entered a poor person's dwelling, behave as if it
were your own. Do not wait to be asked to sit down.
If you are a gentleman, keep your hat on. Address
the male occupant of the house as " My Good Man,"
and his wife as " My Good Woman ;" or if you find
it necessary to assert your dignity, omit the " Good"
altogether. Say, " Boy," and " Girl," to the child-
ren, as the case may be. Your first object is, to im-
press the visited with a duo sense of their distance
from yourself: For this reason, if they remain stand-
ing in your presence, never suggest that they should
sit. Inquire in the most direct and unceremonious
way possible, what their rent is—how they are em-
ployed—what amount they earn—and in what manner
they spend it ? Insist on knowing exactly how much they
give for coals ; what quantity they burn ; and what
becomes of the cinders ? Find out their exact consump-

tion of potatoes, and whether they are economical in
paring them. Interrogate them with similar minuteness
with respect to meat, bread, cheese, butter, tea, coffee,
vinegar, and pepper. Ask if their sugar is sixpenny or
sevenpenny ; whether any of them take tobacco or snuff;
and, especially, if they ever indulge in beer or spirituous
liquors. Reprehend, sternly, the slightest excess or
waste that you may detect in any of the above respects,
and if the expenditure has not been limited to the merest
necessaries, lecture them oa it well. Ask when they go
to bed ; at what time they get up ; at what hour they
breakfast, dine, and sup ? Request to be allowed to look
into their drawers and cupboards, to see what there is in
them. Smell every bottle you find. Take notes of every
pot, pan, kettle, cup, saucer, phial, and gallipot, in the
house. Demand to know what articles of apparel or
furniture they have in pawn, and to see the duplicates for
each. Make them tell you what they do with their rags,
and how they are situate in regard to soap. Insist on
being minutely informed how each of the family spends
every portion of his or her time ; and animadvert strongly
on any application thereof to rest or recreation. Having
read the whole round of them a severe homily on any
imprudence or mismanagement of their household and
affairs that you may have elicited, give them, provided
they appear sufficiently abashed, a ticket for =penny-
worth of relief, accompanied by a penny tract. Let
your gift be made with an air of lofty conthree courses
and dessert.—Punch.
EXPEUIMENTS ON SALMON. Numerous experi-
ments are at present making in various parts of the
kingdom for the purpose of proving unsettled points in
the natural history of the salmon. Several of these
have been made in the Tweed and its tributaries, the
last of which, we believe, was the worsted thread of
different colours inserted in the tail's of salmon fry. The
purpose of the experiments was to ascertain the precise
haverecise
time occupied by the fish passing from the lower stages
of its growth to maturity. Whether any of these
Aglra,cilsqeuee.na.s,
been since captured we have not been able to learn.
on this interesting subject.
About a fortnight ago, however,jamesa
fisherman,
aonn,
r fish caught with the net,
which
col
nihgomrtaehyeS itndeuer
mebv esre Fishery,tnofe
other
lightbt
1)1
be observed a black mark on the tail of one, of h
of a No. 4 shot. On examining it more closely, he size
he
felt
some hard substance, and scraping the flesh to ascertain
the cause, discovered a piece of wire twisted through the
tail. The fish had
and
a very healthy appearance, was
s i,
about alb. weight,resembledlgte recovered in every
specimen
yerespectthe
other grilse. Perhapsthis
may afford the experimenters the information desired.—
Berwick Warder.

LONGEVITY.—Among the inmates of St. Ca-
therine's alms-houses, in this pity (Exeter), is Elizabeth
llountjoy, who completed her hundredth year in Ja-
nuary last. She is a widow, and has been the mother,
we understand, of sixteen children. -By the aid of spec-
tacles, she can read, and with the assistance of a stick
ohe enjoys a walk.— Western Luminary.