The Sun.
London, England, 1828-04-24 00:00:00

MURDER AT" POLSTEAD.

On Tuesday night, William Corder was brought
before MATTHEW WYATT, Esq., at the Lambeth-
street Police-office, in custody of, Lea, the officer,
charged, with the perpetration of the following
murder :

It appeared that the unfortunate woman, 'whose
name was Maria Martin, aged 26, was decoyed, in
male attire, on the 18th of last May, from the house
of her parents at .Polstead, in Suffolk, by the pri-
soner, who desired her to meet him at hifored barn,
whenjie promised her that they should go to Ips-
wich, and be married by license. The unsuspect-
ing girl accordingly attended at the time and place
appointed. From that day to this the girl has not
been heard of. The mother became alarmed, and
the subject preyed so much on her mind, that she
dreamed that her daughter was murdered, and her
body buried under the floor in the barn of the pri-
soner, where he had appointed to meet her on the
18th of May. The corn which was in the barn
having been recently threshed, the mother requested
that the floor might be taken up, which was accord-
ingly done, when, to her horror, she discovered the
remains of a sack, in which was the mangled body
of Maria Martin ! She was dressed in the same
male attire she wore on the fatal night.

The prisoner appears to have been impelled to
the frightful act by fear of the discovery of some
former offence. He was yesterday brought up for a
short examination, prior to his transmission to Suf-
folk. His age he stated to be twenty-four. His
complexion is florid; but during the time he was at
the bar it varied considerably. His dress was
fashionable; and when taken into custody, he, in
conjunction with his wife, kept a boarding-school
for females, at the Gro^e-house, Ealing-lane, Mid-
dlesex.

Information of the murder, which has thrown the
village of ['instead into the greatest excitement, was
at once communicated to W. Wayman, Esq., the
c•oroner at Bury St. Edmund's. Be instituted an
and from the circumstances that: came out
on it,he was induced to despatch Ayres, a constable,
in pursuit of the prisoner. He arrived in town
on Monday, and having applied at the above office
for assistance, the business was placed in the hands
of Lea. With a loose clue afforded him ,by the
country constable, he traced the prisoner first to
Gray's-inn-terrace, and from thence. through a num-
ber of intermediate places to his residence, in Eal-
ing-lane, near Brentford, where he apprehended
him. A degree of stratagem was necessary to obtain
an entrance, and he procured it by represent-
ing that he bad a daughter whom he was anxious
to place under the care of his wife. On going in, he
found him in the parlour with four ladies, at breakfast.
He was in his dressing gown, and had a watch
before him by which he was minuting the boiling of
some eggs. Lea called him on one side, and told
him that be was a London police-officer, and. had to
apprehend him on a most serious charge. He seemed
somewhat alarmed, and at his request they retired
into the drawing-room, but on his being made ac-
quainted with the nature of the offence, he denied all.
knowledge of it, as also of his unfortunate victim.
Lea, after having secured him, proceeded to search
both his person awl drawers, and discovered a
number of letters from a person named 'Gardner,' in
which warnings were held out, and cautions given of
a singular description. He also found a case
of detonating pocket pistols, maker's' name " Hari
court, Ipswich," supposed to haVe been pur-
chased on the day of the murder, together with
a powder flask, and a quantity of balls. It appears
from a document found in his possession, he pur-
posed leaving this country for the Continent, as he
was provided with a paisport; dated the 20th of De-
cember, 1827, from the French Ambassador. • Pre-
vious to his removal to town, his brother-in-law, a
most respectable man (whose name, not wishing to
wound his feelings, we forbear mentioning), hitvinp;
ascertained the serious offence of which he was ac-
cused, questioned his sister as to the length of time
she had known the prisoner before she had married
him. She answered, only for three weeks, and that
she first became acquainted with him •through the
medium of a matrimonial advertisement at a pastry-
cook's shop in Fleet-street, to which he had given a
reference. She married him at the church of St.
Atadrew„Holborn, in November last, and was quite
unaware of his being guilty of any offence.
Yesterday, at three o'clock, the prisoner, in the
keeping of Lea, was transmitted to the county gaol
of Suffolk. His wife, whose impression' that the
charge against him is hat of bigamy, was•with him
in the lock-up room during the greater part of the
forenoon.
.The inquest has not yet terminated ; it will be re-
surned.on Friday next, to which day it adjourned in
order to procure the fullest testimony.