The Sun.
London, England, 1826-11-08 00:00:00

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HOUSE.— Oates, the man who was charged
with having passed a W. note belonging to the Leicester Bank,
knowing it to be stolen, underwent a final examination.--Theprisoner was ordered to And
good hail to appear, and answer for
the offence of having the note in hie poneSCOni knowing it to be
stolen.

A number of young men were brought up, charged with having
let off fire-works on Tower-hill,
and coovicted in the penalty of
-6s. each. One smartly dressed young man, who was charged
with having been particularly active in the amusement of throw-
ing
squib* anumgat the crowd, said he was a gentleman.
The LORD Itilavoa.....Then I flue you 103. A common per-
son I should only fine 53..
Another mart young man was brought up for the same offence.
The Loan Irtarox--VVeu, are you also a gentleman ?
Defendant—.-Upon my honour I am not, my Lord.
The Loan 14fayoa--1 fear, from your dress and your address,
The defendant assured his Lordship that he did him too much
that you are ; and that 'I must inflict the larger fine upon you.
honour, and that he was by no means a gentleman.
His Lonnsitir therefore inflicted the ignoble penalty upon him.
Five others Were brought up, and they each, so cheap was gen-
tility in their estimation, denied all elaim to it, to save themselves
a few shillings.

THE MURDERS NEAR LEATHERHEAD.

Ever since the perpetration of the murders at Fetcham, con-
siderable suspicion has been attached to a man named William
Page, alias Cobbler Will, the paramour of Mary Ayres, the
grand-daughter of John Akehurst, who was so inhumanly mur-
dered on the night of the 13th of October. Although every ex-
ertion has been made since the murders to discover the retreat of
the above individuals, no intelligence whatever was learnt respect-
ing them until Saturday morning last, when it appears Mary Ayres
went into the shop of a tobacconist at Weybridge, and having asked
to be supplied with half an ounce of tobacco, commenced of her
own accord to converse on the subject of the late murders to the
person who served her. " Why," said she, " I have heard lately,
that John Akehurst and his housekeeper, Elizabeth Haines, have
been murdered at • Fetcham."—" Yes," said the shopkeeper,
" and a dreadful murder it has been." She replied, " Then John
Akehurst was my grandfather, and the man that I live with is
the person who is suspected of having committed the mur-
ders." She then said, "My name is Mary Ayres, and lam
now going towards Oakshot, where my father sad mother live,
to show them and the world that I am innocent." The to-
bacconist allowed her to depart; but soon after she had left
Weybridge she was mat by a constable named Watson, who, it
appears, had gained previous information of the road she bad
taken. When the constable first saw her she was walk-
ing along the road, smoking a pipe of tobacco. He did not
immediately pretend to know who she was at the time. Being
in a gig, he throve the horse up alongside of the footpath
where the was walking, and addressing her, he asked whither
she was going? she replied without hesitation, that she was going
to Oakshot to see her father and mother. The constable then
asked whether she should like to have a lift along the road ?
" Ay," said she, " and thank you too." She then stepped into
the chaise, and the constable, desirous of ascertaining whether she
would give any account of herself during the fair at Leatherhead,
that took place on the 11th of October, asked her whether she
had been there ? she said she had not, but that on the very day
the above fair commenced, she was present at one that took place
in Hampshire, upwards of 60 mile; from Leatherhead. The
constable then inquired her name ? she, without the slightest de-
gree of embarrassment, replied, " My name is Mary Ayres ; and
having heard the report of my grandfather, John Akehurst, and
his housekeeper, Elizabeth Haines, being murdered in their cot-
tage at Fetcham, and that Will Page and I were suspected of
being the murderers, I am now on my way to my father's house,
and intend to go to Fetcham before the Justices to clear myself of
the charge. " Who is Will Page?" asked the constable. "Why
I (said she), he is the man I have been living with, and is as inno-
cent of the charge as I am." Watson then drove ou to Fetcham,
to the residenoe of J. Hankey, Esq., where an examination of this
woman took place before that gentleman, the Rev. J. G. Bollaud,
and the Rev. Mr. Heberden. The examination took place at a
late hour on Saturday night. Mary Ayres is rather
,a well-look-
ing woman, above the middle stature, with an expression of coun-
tenance approaching that of the Lipsey tribe. She was dressed
in a brown cloak, and wore a cottage-shaped black beaver bonnet,
with boots laced up in front.
Mr. BOLLAND then commenced the examination—You are the
grand-daughter of John Akehurst, who was murdered lately at
Fetcham ?—" I am."
Mr. BomaNn then warned her not to answer any questions
which would tend to criminate herself.
Mary Ayres curtseyed, and thanked the Magistrates, intimat-
ing that she had nothing to conceal; she was anxious, she said,
to clear herself of the charge of having any participation in so hor-
rible a crime as the murder of her own flesh and blood, meaning
her grandfather.
Mr. BoLtaxu—Where were you on the 1I th of October, the
day on which Leatherhead fair begoA?
Mary Ayres, having taken a short time to recollect herself,
said, " On the 11th of October I was at Weyhill fair, in Hamp-
shire, along with Will Page."
Mr. BOLLAND—Can you bring forward any persons to prove
they had seen you at the fair you speak of?—Yes, Sir, there is a
man named Bignold, who travelled with Will Page and myself;
he is in the neighbourhood of Fetcham now, and will prove what
I have stated to be correct.

Mr. BOLLAND—When did you hear the report of your grand-
father and his housekeeper having been murdered ?...-We did not
hear of them until the last week or so. • _ .

Mary Ayres accounted for the citcumstance of not hearing of
the murders, by saying that neither herself nor Will Page were in
the habit of having intercourse with the people of the towns which
they passed through ; they gaiued a livelihood by travelling about
the country as " tranipers," and always, slept, ate, and drank in
their own tent, which they pitched at some distance from any
town. As for reading or seeing a newspaper, they scarcely knew
what it meant.
The Magistrate's here sent a messenger over to the Bell public-
house, where the man named Bignold before alluded to was in
waiting. Bignold (on his arrival) swore that he was in com-
pany with Mary Ayres and Wm. Page from the commeneement
to the conclusion of Weyhill fair ; that he afterwards travelled
with them to other fairs on their way back into Surrey, and
added, that none of them, heard of the murders of her grandfather
and Elizabeth Haines until their arrival within a short distance of
Weybridge. He concluded hie evidence by saying, that it was
impossible for any one to assert with truth, that Mary Ayres
had been seen in the neighbourhood of Leatherhead during the
fair at that place. This young mean seemed to give his evidence
with a great deal of candour.
At this stage of the investigation, messengers were dispatched
for the purpose of bringing forward a man named Smith, who, it
will be recollected, had. asserted, noon after the murders were per-
petrated, that he had seen Mary Ayres at Leatherhead fair. This
man, on being confronted with the woman, having elosely exa-
mined her features and dress on the present occasion, replied that
he was still convinced that she was the person whim he had seen
in the fair. On tittering his firm belief as to her identity,
Mary Ayres expressed considerable indignation against the man,
and with a look of anger scowled at him, and said he had as-
serted a gross falsehood, and accused him of uttering that which
he knew was false, for the purpose of 'getting money.
Mr. 13oLLAwn here very closely questioned Smith on the points
which he had asserted. Smith, by his answers, seemed to have had
a very slight knowledge indeed of her, for lie could not positively
swear that he had ever seen her before the time be bad asserted at
the fair.

On the following day (Sunday), a constable having been sent
to take Page into custody, met that individual on the road from
Weybridge, coming towards town, (where, it will be remembered,
according to Mary Ayres 's account, he was to meet her), and ap-
prehend him. Page did not evince any agitation on apprehension;
hut, on the contrary, said, that he was most happy to go any where,
to vindicate his character from the imputation now attached
to it.

Mr. BoLLANn (to Page)—How long ago is it since you were
at Leatherhead fairl—Page said that he had not been there since
last October 12 months.

The bundlee belonging to Page were then ordered to be exa-
mined, but there was nothing found except some of their old
clothes, their bedding, and the shoemakers' tools, which he
used in his business.

The Magistrates consulted together for a short time, and ex-
pressed their opinion that there was no evidence to warrant them
in detaining either of the parties.
Page and Ayres were accordingly discharged, both of them in-
timating that they intended to proceed to Oakshot to see the father
and mother of the latter.