The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-22 00:00:00

THE MURDER AT RUISLIP, COM-
MITTED EIGHT YEARS AGO.
EXAMINATION OF THE ACCUSED.
Charles Lamb, a prisoner in the Hottse of Correction,
Cold Bath-fields) yesterday underwent an examination
before Mr. Mills, an Uxbridge magistrate, in the board-
room of the prison, on a charge of having murdered John
Brill, a youth of sixteen, who was murdered in a wood
at Ruislip, in February, 1837.
George Sibley, also a prisoner in the House of
Correction, was the first witness called. Ho stated—l
came lately from Harefield. I am now in this House
of Correction. I know Charles Lamb. I have known
him rather better than twelve months. I have been inti-
mate with him. We used to go cut poaching, and
were at hide and seek together. About a fort-
night before Lamb was sent to prison I was
coming from Rickmansworth to Harefield with him, and
when we were in a lane at the bottom of a field we
began to talk about getting into trouble and getting out
again. I said, " It is easy enough to get into trouble, but
not very easy to get out again." Lamb said to me, "You
have been in prison haven't you ? I have heard it is very
bad." I said, "Of course it is ;" and ho then said, "I
would sooner be taken for murder than go to prison
for this." I said, " Murder I Charley ?" and he replied,
" Yes. I was in Churchill's wood getting a bundle of
wood when John Brill came up to me, and I took
and struck him and knocked him down. A few
moments after that I took and picked up his cap, and
hung it upon a bough, and put his bill hook and cap
beside him, to look as if he had fallen out of a tree."
Lamb then said to me, " Nobody else knows of it but
you, and if you tell, I will kill you." He said that when
Brill came up to him, as he was walking along the wood,
he said, " Well, master Lamb, is it you ?" Upon
which he took and struck and knocked him down. I
had heard of the murder some years ago ; and that a
man named Lavender had been had up for it. I have
always been on good terms with the prisoner Lamb.
The reason of my making this statement was that I
had had such queer dreams. I thought something
would happen if I did not tell. I have voluntarily
made this statement, without promise or favour from
any one. I first made it to Mr. Hoare, the chief warden
of the House of Correction, having first told the yards-
man that I wished to do it. I was twenty-five years of
age last August. lam now looking Lamb in the face,
and I state that he told me what I have now said, and it
is the truth, and nothing but the truth.
Mr. Woodbridge (the clerk)—Now, Lamb, have you
any question to ask the witness ? Lamb—No, Sir ; I
can't ask him anything. I never told it to him. If God
Almighty refuses to receive me into heaven I never did
it. You must be a very wicked man to say I told you
so ; you must be worse than the man who did the mur-
der, whoever that was. Thank the Almighty, I have
not to answer for that, let me go where I will, or suffer
what I will for it. You are doing this just on purpose
to get yourself out of prison.
Colonel Chesterton, the governor of the prison, told
Lamb not to make these declarations, but to confine him-
self simply to putting questions to the witness if ho had
any to put.
Lamb repeated he had no questions to put.
James Brill was next called, and stated—l live in
the parish of Ruislip. I once had a son named John
Brill. He was about 16 years old in the year 1837 ; it
will be eight years, come next February, he worked
for and lived with Charles Churchill, a farmer. He
was missing on a Thursday, and his body was found on
the following Sunday, in what is called Young Wood, in
the parish of Ruislip. I saw the dead body in this wood
lying on its back. James Lavender first discovered it,
and called out to me. I was about 300 yards from him
at the time, in the act of searching the woods. His cap
was hung on a little white thorn bush. By the side of
him lay a bill-hook and " hedging cuff," or sort of glove.
I saw the body lifted up, and blood gushed out both
from his nose and mouth.
The Clerk—Do you wish to ask him any question ?
Lamb—No, Sir, I have no question to ask him.
Charles Churchill—l live at Ruislip, and am a farmer.
I recollect as well as if it was but yesterday, that John
Brill was in my employment on 16th Feb., 1837. I
recollect the day on which his body was found. On
that morning, about half-past nine o'clock, I sent him
to take three cows into the meadow. He had a bill-hook
in his hand, and a cuff to stop up the gaps in the hedge,
which the fox-hounds had broken down. I told him
when he had finished the gaps to go into the Young
Wood, and then into the path which leads up through
the Young Wood to my house, and to watch that wood
until towards one o'clock.
By Mr. MILLS—He was to watch it against persons
cutting wood. I had been out before, and I was going
out. I told him if he saw any one cutting not to inter-
fere, but only to get near enough to see who it was. I
was going to Uxbridge market on that day, and when
I got down against the Six Bells, the landlady came out
and asked me to give her a ride. A man named
Meadows came out and asked me if I had heard a gun
go off in my cover ? I said, no ; but got out and went
across to John Brill, whom I found stopping the gaps
according to my direction; that was the last time I saw
him alive. I then told him, when he went home to his
dinner, to stay at home until I returned, which would
be about three. On my return, finding that he did
not come to open the gate, I thought something was
amiss, for he was a lad that was always to his time. If
you told him to be anywhere in the middle of the
night, he was sure to be there. I had heard threats
against the lad, because he was a witness in a charge
of poaching which had been preferred against a man
named Lavender. I then went into the woods to see
if I could find him ; and searched about the woods, but
could not find him. I then sent to his father, who,
with another man, went in search of him, but could
not discover anything of him. Next morning, at
daybreak, the search was renewed; but they did not find
him. Did not search on Saturday, having heard
that he had run away, and had been seen at West
- End. There were one-and-twenty persons search-
ing the wood on Friday. On Sunday the search
was resumed, and had not been continued more than
half an hour, when he was found by James La-
vender, who cried out murder. I went up and saw him
lying on his back dead, by a bush, with his arm hooked
up against a bush ; his cuff and bill lay at his feet.
Some blood ran from his ears. The body was taken
to the Six Bells, Ruislip-common. his head dropped as
if his neck was broken, when they first lifted him up. I
was not present when the surgeons examined him. I
did not see any bruise on the temple or other part of the
head. I saw on the Monday that some underwood had
been cut at about 23 or 30 yards from the place "where
the body was found.
Mary Allday—l am the wife of Thomas Allday and
live at Ruislip-common. My husband is a labourer.
I recollect John Brill being lost on the 16th February,
1837. On that morning I saw the prisoner Lamb at
the Six Bells. I was looking out at an upstairs window
of my father's house, where I then lived. He was
going down the footpath leading to the wood now over-
looked by Churchill, and had a bill in his hand.
I saw him again a little after twelve the same day; I was
up at my grandmother's house at the time. He was then
coming from the direction of the wood with a bundle of
wood on his shoulder—large green bits in the middle,
and the smaller pieces outside. It was green wood, and
apparently freshly cut. He went towards his own home.
Mr. MILLS (to the prisoner)—Have you any question
to ask ? Lamb—No, Sir, what she has stated is perfectly
true.

Henry Woodman—l am a labourer, living at Ruislip.
I knew John Brill. I have lived at Ruislip ever since
the period of his death. On that day I saw Charles
Lamb near the wood, and he asked me if 1 had seen Mr.
Churchill and his wife go by. I said I had about an
hour and a half before, upon which Lamb returned into
the wood. I saw him get over the gate into the wood.
That same evening I heard that the body of John Brill
was missing.
James Lavender deposed to having found the body on
the Sunday, as deposed by the other witnesses.
Rachel Brill, mother of the deceased, saw a large
bruise on the side of his head when the body was taken
to the Six Bells public-house.
Mr. Charles Woodman, farmer, of Ruislip, saw the
deceased on the 16th February, 1837, at work mending
gaps in the hedges. He was then alive and well.
Charles Bray had met Lamb on the 16th of February,
1837, on Ruislip-common, He was out of breath, was
sweating, and said he was not very well. Witness told
him if he would go to the Six Bells he would give him
half a pint of beer. They went together, and had two
pints of beer between them. Heard of the lad's being
lost the same night.
Mr. Robert Burton, late of Uxbridge, and now of
Dorset-street, Portman-square, stated that he assisted
Mr. Patten in examining the body of the lad Brill the
day before the inquest. It was Mr. Patten's case, and
witness assisted him. Mr. Patten was since deceased.
The left ear was very much swollen and livid. Had
no doubt that he died from violence ; on removing the
skull cap found the vessels very much gorged. There
was also a greater effusion of blood on the right side of
the brain than on the left. This would lead to the con-
clusion that the effusion had been caused by a violent
blow on the left side.
The first witness, Sibley, was recalled, and stated that
he recollected hearing of the murder, but did not help to
search for the body, and did not hear any particulars of
it. Only heard of it as a murder. Did not hear of the
body being found, and had never heard of the cuff and
billhook, until told of it by Lamb.
As the witness was leaving the room,
Lamb said to him, " A'n't you ashamed of yourself,
George ? If you are not, you ought to be."
Mr. MILLS—What do you now say to the charge,
Lamb ? Prisoner—All I have got to say, Gentlemen,
is, that I never named it to him if I was to die " mo-
mently."
Mr. MILLS then told the prisoner that it would be his
duty to send him for trial at the next session of the
Central Criminal Court.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.
MARLBOROUGH-STREET.
STEALING A PAIR OF GLOVES.—Henry Alfred Mesnel,
a person of respectable appearance, was charged with
having stolen a pair of gloves.
One of the E division constables, who took the accused
into custody, said there was no prosecutor in attendance
to press the charge.
Mr. Mesnel said his character was so affected by the
proceedings which had been taken against him, that he
begged to be allowed to explain the circumstances which
led to his being taken into custody. lie was at a convivial
party at a public-house the previous evening, when one of
the company, worse for the good cheer of which he had
too freely partaken, began to fight with another of the
party. Ile (defendant) interfered. In revenge for this
interference, the person in question charged him with
stealing his gloves, and actually caPed a policeman and
gave him into custody. The constable received this
charge, and persisted in conveying him to the station-
house, although the landlord of the house came forward
and said the gloves were in his bar. The charge was
booked, and ho was detained to answer it. As he cer-
tainly should bring an action against the party who had