The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-19 00:00:00

( bordering upon desperation. At length the police
came up, and she was taken to the station-house.
Mr. COMBE sentenced her to a fortnight's imprisoa-
ment in the House of Correction.
HAMMERSMITH.
ROBBERY OF THE WINDSOR COACH.-011 Friday
a respectably dressed young man, named Frederick
Fleming, described as an omnibus conductor, was
brought up before Mr. G. Clive, the sitting Magis-
trate, in the custody of police-constable Puddiford, T
127, charged on suspicion of having been concerned,
with two others not in custody, in stealing a port-
manteau and a box containing jewellery and other
property, to the value of nearly 2001., from Stacey's
Windsor coach, on the Bth instant, at Kensington.
Evidence having been given to show that the pri-
soner was the only outside passenger when the coach
stopped at Kensington, that he was seen in a sus-
picious position there while the coachman was setting
down a lady, and that the portmanteau had dis-
appeared,
The prisoner, in answer to the charge, protested
his entire innocence. He was, he said, the brother of
the proprietor of the Chertsey and Chobham coach,
with which he came up on the day in question to
Kew-bridge, but it there became very heavily loaded,
and he got off and came up by the Windsor coach.
Mr. CLIVE said the case was one of strong sus-
picion. It would be necessary to have the attendance
of Mrs. Batchelor ; for which purpose, and to give
time for further inquiry, he should remand the pri-
soner until Thursday next.

THE ALLEGED MURDER OF THE
AMERICAN CAPTAIN.
The examination ofJohn Kent, the cook of the ship
Thomas Bennett, charged with the murder of Captain
Halsey, master of the said ship, took piece at the Police-
office, Liverpool, on Thursday at noon. The magistrates
on the bench were, Edward Rushton, Esq., R. Houghton,
Esq., Thomas Booth, Esq.. and William Dixon,
Esq. There were besides several gentlemen on the
bench, who appeared to take much interest in the pro-
ceedings. Mr. Davenport, solicitor, attended as advo-
cate fur the prisoner. The case appeared to have excited
the greatest interest, as the court was excessively
crowded. A great number of captains and other sea-
faring men were present. The investigation occupied
the attention of the court for three hours. The follow-
ing is the evidence given :
William Gibbon examined—l am first mate of the
Thomas Bennett. She is an American ship, and belongs
to Charleston. The Captain was E. L. Halsey. We
sailed from Liverpool on Saturday, the 3d of August,
bound for Charleston. We put back, and arrived in
Liverpool on the 14th. The prisoner was employed as
cook on board, and sailed with us from Liverpool. The
reason we put back was the murder of the captain, which
occurred on Thursday, the Bth instant. We were in lat.
46 50, long. 9 57. I produce the log, in which I made
an entry at the time. At three o'clock in the afternoon
the captain went forward to the galley to see after some
cooking. I was standing behind the mainmast. In
about a minute, or two minutes .at farthest, I heard a
noise on deck. One of the boys came to me, and, in con-
sequence of what he said, I ran forward, and found the
captain lying on his back on the deck. I saw a murk
of blood on his left jaw. In less than one minute he
was dead. I had hold of him when he died. He never
spoke. I did not see the wound given. When I went
up, the cook was standing by, quietly looking on. I
cannot say that he had anything in his hand. The cook
did not speak to me. I asked him how he came to do so
horrid a deed ? his reply was, " Had I not done so the
captain would have killed me." The reason. I asked the
question was, that no one but he was near to the captain.
I am not aware there had been any previous quarrel
between the captain and the cook. The cook was sober.
The captain appeared to be under the excitement of
liquor. There had been a previous dispute about the
dinner.

George Houghton Monro examined—l am steward on
board the Thomas Bennett. I remember the morning
the captain was killed. It was the Bth of August. In
the morning, between eight and nine o'clock, the captain
ordered dinner to be on the table at halt-past twelve
o'clock. At a quarter past twelve o'clock the captain
sent the cook to assist to hoist a studding sail. I then
went aft to set the table, and the captain said, " This is
one o'clock ; I told you to get it ready at half past
twelve." I then brought the kettle with the soup. The
day before he had ordered that I was to bring the
soup separate. I told him the soup wa- then ready, and
he said, " Bring the dinner on the table." I then
fetched the dinner, and put it on the table, and told him
it was ready. He walked into the cabin and looked
round, and saw that the dinner was on the table, and
then ordered me to call the mates. The second mate,
Alfred Grinnell, refused to come. The captain went
to him, and asked him the reason he did not come to
dinner. The second mate said he did not know that it
was his (the captain's) orders that he should come. The
captain then came and said, ".God d—n you, you have
cooked for the mates ; go and conk for me." I was
going, and he called me back. Ile said, " You pay a
d—d sight of attention to the mates, but cannot cook
anything for me." I said lam willing to do anything
I can and cook whatever is wanted. I then began to
clear the table and put these things into the pantry.
The captain came into the pantry and told me to go out
of that—l had no business there. I told him the things
were dirty and must be cleaned. We were using white
plates and dishes, and he told me he had given me orders
never to put them on the table again. I. said there
were not sufficient of the others. He said he did not
care a d—n ; they should not go on 'he tab!e any more.
After this he called me into the cabin to draw off some
brandy into a pint decanter. I mixed him some brandy
and water and nutmeg. Ile then appeared to be milder,
and I asked him what I should cook for his dinner. Ile
walked up and down the cabin, and then took another glass
of brandy. Me then said, "Go get my dinner." I then
went into the galley ; there was soup ready, and I went
back and told the captain, and he said " Go and get my
dinner ; you have cooked for the-mates." I asked him
what I should get, and he appeared much excited. I went
and killed a fowl. In almost two minutes after he came
again for his dinner ; drove me from the galley, and said
the cook should do it. I went to the pantry, and he drove
me back again. I then went again to the galley, and asked
the cook what I should do, and whilst talking to the cook
the captain came. I had one foot in the galley. The
cook eras in the galley ; he had brought in potatoes.
The captain said, " Give me my dinner." I told him
everything was ready. I had a large black-handled
carving knife in my hand. The captain seized the knife
from my hand, and made a spring with one foot on the
galley, and told the cook to come out of the galley. He
seized the cook either by the shirt or neck on the left
side. The captain, on going into the galley, pushed me
so that one of my legs got between the spar and the
water cask. The captain said, " God d—n you, come out
of the galley." The cook said "Let me go, Captain
Halsey, and I will come out." The captain had hold of
the cook with the right hand. In pulling him out of
the galley, the cook, I thought, struck him. I cannot
say with which hand the cook struck, from the position
in which I stood. The captain took the knife with his
left hand from me. They both came out of the galley
together, the captain being first, pulling the
cook. I then saw blood on the captain's right
jaw, but I was fast with the spar. They got
on deck, and I liberated myself, and ran round the
galley for the second mate. I did not return to the
galley. I saw the captain dead as they were bringing
him into the cabin. At the time of the affray I think
there were men at work near to the galley. The boy
was there. [Mr. Rushton here ordered that the boy
Thomas Ewens, who was on board the Thomas Bennett,
lying in the river, near Woodside, should be sent for.]
I gave the captain, on that morning, before breakfast, a
wine-glass of brandy and bitters. After breakfast
he had a good deal of brandy—filled over and
over. He was not sober that morning. He was
intoxicated. Ile had not been sober from the Mon-
day before. I had sailed with the captain twenty years
ago, when he was second mate, and also when he was
master of the William Gibson. I had not sailed before
with him in the Thomas Bennett. I shipped with him
in Charleston, and was proceeding with the vessel on
her return. Coming this way we had not so much
liquor. lam an American citizen, and belong to New
York. The quantity of brandy he had drunk that day
was over a pint. The captain, on going from Liverpool,
appeared flighty each day. lie appeared quite a different
man after leaving Liverpool. I did not see the captain
make any blow with the carving knife after taking it
from me.
Albert Grinnell produced the knives. [The one with
which the cook had stabbed the captain is a sailor's ordi-
nary knife, and apparently but in paor order. The one
which the captain took from the steward was a long
carving knife, but exceedingly slender, being nearly worn
away.]