The Sun.
London, England, 1818-10-21 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

The following is the evidence taken before the
oroner, CHARLES JEMMETT,
Mrs. Mary. Halbert, wife of Edmund Halbert,
and mother of the deceased, being sworn, stated,
;aim. a great deal of it relevant evidence, that her
wother Went into the street, and saw the deceased

. _
in Dean's arms at the top of the court in Thomas's-
street ; Dean asked witness's mother if she would
go-to a chandler's shop, and purchase him some
tobacco, which she consented to do ; and while
she was gone, on the errand, something impelled
witness to rise from the chair ; she felt a kind of
internal alarm, and she, without any motive, ran
into the court, and met the deceased near the house
door ; she reeled towards her, and appeared to
have a red handkerchief round her neck. Witness
took the deceased into her arms, and the blood
gasloal from her throat all over her clothes ; the
deceased put out her arms, and then dropped down
as if she had expired or tainted ; witness awoke
her husband, and said " Our child is murdered !"
the husband replied, " You are mad surely."—
He took hold of the deceased, and seeing that she
was dying, he ran into the Court and said " XVII()
did it ?" Witness told her husband that " Dean
had done it, she was sure ;" and she then in-
tortned hint that Dean came in while lie was
asleep, and went out with the deceased, with the
professed intention of buying her an apple. A
surgeon was sent tor, who came and attended the
deceased until she was quite dead.
[At this period the murderer was brought in a
hackney-coach, escorted by a number of officers,
from Union-hall Police office ; several thousands
of persons had collected round the house where
the Jury were sitting, and would have torn the
delinquent to pieces, but for the spirited interven-
tion of the Police. The above witness ran to the
window of the Jury-room, from whence she had
a view of the person of Dean, as he was sitting
in the hackney-coacli ; she screamed most loudly
and terrifically, " That is the murderer of my
dear child ! Oh, the vifiaits ! Oh, the murderer!"
&c. and fell into an hysteric fit : she was removed
into another room by a. surgeon who was pre-
sent. Dean was placed in a room adjoining the
Jury-room.]
Joseph Williams, the brother of the last wit-
ness, being sworn, gave a long statement which
twee no farther upon the questioh than to show
that Dean was in unsettled and distressed- cir-
comstances.
.Mrs. Sarah Williams, the mother of the above
witnesses, and grandmother to the deceased, de.s
posed to the saw_ effect. •
Mr. Ruby Weston, - surgeon. Brighton-place,
New Kent-road, being sworn, stated, that the
woond was sufficient to inflict death.
Joseph Myatt, an officer of St. Andrew's, Hol-
born, sworu.—About a quarter of an hour before
five o'clock that morning, a man, who said his
name was Robert Dean, carne to the watch-house
of St. Andrew'S, Holborn ; he said that " be
came to surrender himself, fin. he was a murderer,
and could not bold out any longer ;" witness ask-
ed him what murder he• had done, and he said,
" He bad murdered a child over in the Borough ;"
he seemed very much agitated, and asked leave
to warm himself ; witness told -him that he
might if he thought proper : witness took him
from thence to 'the Poultry Compter; on the way
witness conversed with Deaff,andasiced him how he
came to commit the dreadful act Deah replied,
"Why, the devil was aVer hint."' Dean begged that
be might be well used in prison ; witness promised
be should ; Dean said that be was, during the
whdle of Monday last, lurking about Bow-street
Police Office, in hopes that some one woold re-
' cogliise him, but as no one'did, he had not cou-
rage to resign himself up : he had been wander-
ing about ever since he committed the crime ; and
he went to a Chapel in Moorfields,' and: -heard
a sermon' preached, a'vhicls so affected hist mind,
that be resolved to stierentler himself up to justice;
he said he was Titre sober whtso he committed the
act ; Dean appeared perfectly composed whiin he
gave the above relation. . .
The Coroner haVing said a few words, the Jury
returned a verdict o(-7-lrilful murder against
Robert Dean..
The witnesses were Bound over, and the -Coro-
ner issued his warrant for hisasomtnittal to Horse-
monger-lane gaol.
Before Dealt was removed.from the Rockingham
Arms, the Coroner ordered the constables to bring
Lint (Dean) into the jury-room. He was brought
in handcuffed to M'ay, the officer, of. Union.hall.
Mr. Jetntnett asked which was Bobert Dean.
Dean burst into tears, and hi great agitation
said, " I ant that unfortunate man.''
Cottotsatz.—l ant sorry to see. yow charged with
such a horrid crime;
Dean. (beating his forehead its great agony with
his right hand) saids." it is a dreadful thing
surely,"
CORONER.-1t is my duty to commit you ; I
have issued my warrant, and I hope von will think
of your awful situation, and may God have mercy
upon you.
Prisoner (writhing with agony).—" I hope-he
will." • - -
The prisoner was theti conveyed in a hackney-
coach to Horsemonger-lane Gaol.
A case-knife was found in the court where the
mnrder was committed„ which is supposed to be
the instrument used by Dean to effect his pur-
pose ; it is about eight inches long, with a white
handle, and is the property of Mr Halbert; it is
in the possession of May the officer.

CONFESSION.
During the time the Inquest was being held at
the Rockingham Arms, Dean was pladed in a pri-
vate room with May, and several other officers.
Dean whispered to May, that if he were left alone
.with him he would _ relate to hint the whole par-
ticulars of the dreadful transaction. May requested
every person present to leave the room, and the
prisoner then matle.the following confession, which
we give verbatim :—" On Friday evening last, 1
met a young,man named Joseph Williams, with
whom I. bad long been intimate at Mrs. Halbert's
house, in Jaques-court, Thomas-street. I had
long been acquainted with a young woman,
named Sarah Longman, daughter of Mr. Long-
man, at the Grapes, Church-row, Aldgate ;
nty aflection,for her was extremely great ; I had
for some time past corresponded with her. A
dispute unhappily arose ; I wrote to her upon the
subject, expressing my regret at the unfortunate
,rupture ; described the very great regard which I
tentertaint4 fOr her ; implored her to consent to a
reconciliation ; and begged-that she would write
me an early answer. She never replied to my
' letter. Her father called upon me, and wished

that the connexion might be discontinued, These
circumstances had an indescribable effect uP('
my mind ; I was miserably unhappy, "116 inceacf
pable of attending to any business, and gave
entirelyup to despair. I endeavoured to prevail te,
her to renew the correspondence. I Celt that lover
could be happy in this world without her, anddeter•
mined to leave it. Thoughts of a dreadfuldescripti°l3
entered my mind, and must have proceeded front
the devil. I felt that I should leave the work'
in a
state of happiness if I could murder her, and.
termined to perpetrate the deed.
.1 had been Troia
home two days, business not being
very brisk
and on Friday evening I called to see llows, at
Mrs. Halberts, and we both came out together,
and walked in company as far as the Surrey
Tfje-
arre ; we did not go in. I told Williams tll6t d
wanted to see a Gentleman in the Borough, fin
should go that way. We parted, and I returned
to Mrs. Halbert's. After talking in a very fric""l
manner with the family, I asked for a knife, an;
they supposing that I wanted to cut some Veal
gave me a case knife. I took an opporuniti
concealing it unperceived in my pocket.
shortly after went out with tite child to buy he
some apples, which having done, I retnrned
the court. A sudden thought came over tol •
Wa
to
mind, that if I murdered the child, who o'Bs in;
Docent, I -should not commit so. great a crime a
in murdering Sarah Longman, who was older;
and as j imagined bad sins to answer for. 19 'Li
moment I pulled the kniie, out of my pocket, re,
the child down out of my arms, held her hes-
back, and cut her throat ; in an instant I tuna;
wined that I was in the midst of flaming fi'e,
the court appeared t,o me like the entrance of
I ran away, not knowing- where I went, or %,'"a
I did : 1 wandered abot;t in a state of distractiPn,:
until 1 surrendered myself up at thewatch-louse: