The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-12 00:00:00

remember at the Mansion-house standing at the bottom
of the stairs to see the prisoners go by. I did not
point out Griffin to my father. I did not point out
any one to him. He asked me if I knew
any of them, and I said I believed I knew
the tall one. I think my father believed I meant
Griffin. I saw the prisoners at the bar, and pointed out
Barber, without knowing any of their names. When
my father came out, he said, I thought you meant
Griffin. I might have said I meant the tallest. I will
not undertake to swear that Barber was ever in Rath-
bone-place. I speak of my belief.
Mrs. Dixon—l am the wife of Seth Dixon, and live in
Crown-court, Dean-street. I was engaged on the 10th
April, 1841, with a Mrs. Elliott, as charwomen, at 24,
Dean-street. I have been in the habit of acting there in
that capacity ever since. When I first went there the
prisoner Dorey and her mother were lodging there. A
niece was living with them—a Miss Saunders.
Mrs. Dorey said they had only come a month before I
came. I assisted as charwoman to them also. The old
lady died in that house in the latter end of June in the
same year. Mrs. Dorey left at Christmas, 1842. I only
assisted an hour or so now and then before the old lady's
death. I assisted the prisoner more frequently after.
She used to go out of town after her mother's death, she
said to Bristol. She went away three times, and stayed
a month or six weeks. She used to visit at Camberwell.
She told me she visited a physician of the name of
Fletcher there. I saw the prisoner Fletcher at 24,
Dean-street. I answered the door to him. I knew
William Saunders and his wife. They occasionally came
there. Mrs. Saunders once came on a visit for a month.
Saunders came while the old lady lay dead in the house.
Fletcher asked for Miss Richards when he came. She
was not at home, and he left a message for her and her
niece to come and dine with him next day. The old
lady appeared about seventy-three or seventy-four years
old, and rather infirm. She was subject to the
gout in her hand. She used always to wear
black. I saw her once in a cotton dress.
After her death Mrs. Dorey gave me a gown of her
mother's. This (the gown produced by Forrester) is
what remains of it. I gave it to Forrester.
Cross-examined by Mr. GREAVES—I was not ex-
amined before the Lord Mayor. I was applied to to give
evidence in March.
Cross-examined by Mr. JANES.—The Saunders live in
Bristol.
Mr. D. M‘Pherson—l am a schoolmaster at Cal-
lendar, in Scotland, and was session clerk there
in the year 1840. I remember receiving a letter
purporting to come from a person named Stewart. I
think I received three letters, but only retained one. I
think I must have destroyed the others. The letter
produced is the one I have kept.
Mr. Grattan was re-called, and stated that he be-
lieved the letter to be in Fletcher's handwriting, but he
could not be certain. Had he received such a letter he
should have acted upon it. It appeared there was some
disguise about it, but it was the character of Joshua
Fletcher's writing.
The letter was then put in and read. It was signed
" E. Stewart," and was dated Nov. 10, 1840, 1, South-
ampton. row, Camberwell, and alluded to a previous letter
dated Nov. 3, requiring the marriage certificate of John
and Elizabeth Stewart, 1756, inclosing a Post-office
order for V.
Mr. M'Pherson recalled—That was the third letter I
had received.
Mr. GREAVES —What did you do with the others ?
Witness—l believe I must have burned them.
Mr. GREAVES—Do you recollect what you did then at
all ? Witness—No. I received the first about a fortnight
before this letter came. My attention was directed to
the subject last January. I searched all the places
where I usually keep papers.
By the ATTORNEY-GENERAL-1 searched all places
thoroughly where the session papers are kept. The
paper produced is my answer to one of those prior let-
ters. It is the answer to the second letter. It is di-
rected, Mrs. Stewart, 1, Southampton-terrace, Southamp-
ton. row, Camberwell, and the post mark is 9th Octo-
ber, 1840.
Mr. Parkes—l am solicitor to the Registrar-General
for Births, Marriages, and Deaths. In consequence of
these cases I went to Mr. Barber's offices with Mr.
I3ircham on the first day of the examination at the
Mansion-house. I went to the office of Barber and
Bircham, and was present when this letter was found.
It was in a tin box up stairs with the parchment letters of
administration in the case of Stewart. The statement
of Mrs. Stew art was one of the papers ; also a letter of
Aug. 15, 1840, from Mr. Pott, Doctors'-commons, and the
proctor's bill of costs in the administration of J. Stewart.
They were all delivered to Mr. Preshfield. (The letter
of M.Pherson was then put in and rear]. It was dated
the 2d of October. It acknowledged the receipt of the
letter, and inclosed a certificate of the marriage of John
and Janet Stewart. The letter stated that the writer
could not comply with the request which had been made
to him to alter the documents, as by the laws of Scot-
land he should be liable to punishment, and to be de-
nuded of his office.)
Mr. Parkes. cross-examined by Mr. WILKINS—I
found these documents tied up in the usual manner in
which they would be tied up in an attorney's office.
Mr. M‘Pherson recalled—The desire of the writer of
the second letter was that, in the certificate of the mar-
riage of John and Janet Stewart, I should change the
name Janet into Jane, and the reason given
was, that Jane was the word used in England
for Janet. On receiving the first letter, I
had written to state that I had found the entry of the
marriage of John and Janet Stewart, and then came the
letter asking for the certificate, and suggesting that I
should make the alteration. The name of Stewart is
common in the parish of Callendar, and several parishes
around. It is the name of the family of the Earl of

Moray.
Cross-examined by Mr. GREAVES—The date of the
certificate was January, 1756. Ido not recollect the
words of the letter.
By Mr. Baron GURNEY—Applications are frequently
made to me for certificates. I never on any former oc-
casion recieved 21. for one.
Edmund Keine—l am clerk to Mr. Potts the proctor.
I remember Fletcher coming to our office in July or
August, 1840. He was accompanied by an old lady.
He gave instructions for letters of administra-
tion for the effects of John Stewart deceased.
I asked him who he was recommended by. He said he
knew Mr. Potts. He did not mention his own name.
He said the female was the sister of deceased. There
is a printed affidavit entered at the Stamp-office, in
which there are blanks for the name of the person
deceased. I made inquiries of him to fill up
the blanks. This was done in the presence of
the elderly female. She took no part in it. I
prepared the usual document showing the relationship
of the proposed administratrix to the deceased. The
document produced is the one which I filled up from the
instructions of Fletcher.
Cross-examined by Mr. GREAVES—i never saw Flet-
cher before, but I saw him three times afterwards. I
have been at the Mansion-house, but I was not ex-
aminod. Mr. Potts, my employer, was.
(The Stamp-office affidavit was then put in and read.
It purported to be the affidavit of Elizabeth Stewart,
sister of John Stewart, deceased. The property was
sworn as under 1,5001.)
Examination resumed—l told Mr. Fletcher that a
bond must be entered into, and that sureties would be
required. He gave me the name of Thomas Griffin as one
of the sureties. Fletcher was told an affidavit would be
required to account for the delay. I accordingly pre-
pared this affidavit from Fletcher's instructions. (The
affidavit which purported to be the affidavit of Elizabeth
Stewart was read. It stated that deponent had been
residing in New York, and had not heard of her brother's
death until the month of May preceding.)
Examination resumed—Mr. Fletcher asked me if I
could procure another surety, and, as I thought there
was no risk, I consented to procure a surety to join with
Miss Stewart and Griffin. The duty paid was 451. I
prepared the bond. I afterwards prepared another affi-
davit, the first one being insufficient. I prepared the
second one from instructions received from Mr. Fletcher,
and afterwards from Mr. Barber. I accompanied Mr.
Pott, with the administratrix and !Fletcher, to the Sur-
rogate. I afterwards accompanied Fletcher and the lady
to the Prerogative office. My brother-in-law was to be
the joint surety. The lady signed the bond. Griffin
was not there. On the 3d of August I paid the duty,
and therefore should say the bond must have been com-
pletely executed before that date. I brought my brother-
en-law to the office, and saw him execute it. I lodged
the documents with the clerk of the seal. He then sent
to me, and objected to the sufficiency of the affidavit.
The registrar declined to receive the first affidavit. A
letter was written to the administratrix on the subject,
and requiring further instructions. I again saw Fletcher,
and received instructions to prepare the second affidavit.
Fletcher said he understood there was a box in the pos-
session of the clergyman of Great Marlow, and the
clerk of the semi directed that application should be
made, to ascertain if the box contained any will.
Fletcher said he understood there was no will. The affi-
davit was drawn and again objected to, and Mr. Fletcher
sent Mr. Barber. He was informed what was required,
and from him we received instructions. This is a draft
of the affidavit objected to by the registrar, and after-
wards perfected in red ink. These are the written in-
structions I received from Mr. Barber. The draft of the
affidavit is signed by Elizabeth Stewart and Thomas
Griffin. I required the signatures to be placed to the
draft because it was a peculiar case, and in order that
the parties might be cognizant of the facts, and because
the registrars will not in general look at draft affidavits.
Fletcher brought back the affidavit signed as approved.
I submitted it to the clerk of the seal and the registrar.
I received it back with the objections from time to time,
and at length it was perfected. Application was made
to the administratrix to apply to the clergyman of Great
Marlow in order to ascertain if there was any will. (The
letter of Mr. Pott to Mrs. Stewart on this subject, which
was found at Barber's, was put in and read.) Fletcher
called again, and was informed of the circumstances, and
promised that application should be made. On a pre-
vious occasion he had said he would s‘.eid his solicitor,
Mr. Barber, a very shrewd clever man. After that Mr.
Barber called. The circumstances were explained to
him, and he said he would furnish us with the necessary
instructions. Mr. Pott said be was happy to
see a professional man, and asked who Mr.
Fletcher was. Mr. Barber said he was a man of
high respectability and large prospects. Mr. Barber
called a second time and brought the written instructions
and the letter, with the burial certificate. The affidavit
was then prepared, laid before the registrar, and sworn.
This is the affidavit. There were also some certificates
of baptism brought by Mr. Barber, and annexed to the
affidavit. (The certificates of baptism were put in and
read. One was the baptism of James, the son of Robert
and Jane Stewart, 1761, and the other of Elizabeth,
daughter of Robert and Jane Stewart, born 1765. Both
were f..0ul the parish of Marylebone. The affidavit of
Elizabeth Stewart was then put in and read. It stated
that Elizabeth Stewart had not heard of her brother's
death until she heard of it from a Mr. Jones, who had
come home with him from America.) I never heard
Fletcher mentioned by an, other rue than that of