The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-05 00:00:00

'SUPPOSED THIRD
ATTEMPT ON THE LIFE
OF.HER MAJESTY

(lions our cuing Edition of Yesterday.)
EXA.M.INATION OF' THE AV ETNEsslis.
About half-past six o'clock, sir Frederick Pollock, the At-
t arneY-General, arrived at the Home-office in a carriage with
pst horses, from his residence at Ilanworth, beyond Hounslow;
vaither a mounted express had been dispatched for him. He
sots aecompunied by Mr. Coleman, his secretary, and imme-
diately joined the Council.
The inquiry woe commenced at half-past four o'clock, much
delay being occasioned by the absence from town of Mr. Bur-
naby, the chief clerk of Bow-street Police Court, and it was
not. until the arrival of Mr. 'Taylor, m►e of the clerks of Union
Hall Police Court, that the inquiry could be proceeded with.
The following evidence may be relied upon as being the major
Fart of the statements of the witnesses examined by the
Privy Council, it having been obtained from a source the
mutt awhentic •

The first witness examined was police-condable John
Partridge, A who deposed as follows :—Ahout twelve
o'c!ock at 11::011 this day I :vas on duty in the Green-park,
i•tut rrocceded down t the mall ;lc tit. ,I-ms's-park, on
seeing the loyal carriages leaving Buckingham Palace to
go toilik Chapel u sal. Ai'ter the entrance of the carriage,
:;tto the garden gate of St. .laines's Palace, be which her
p.oceml, to the (:hand, 1 returned towards
the Green Park, when my attention was a:tracted to a crowd

b!!10, 31ttt peronis near tit, Duke of Sutherland's residvnee,
and on proceetiing to the spot 1 s ta- a young man, whose name
I !rive rinet! understood to be Dassett, standing with a pistol in
hi• hattd. I asked him what he wat &Mil.; with the pistol,
N!, hen he rt..olied that he Ibui taken it from a boy with a humped
hattk, bc!,,,,,e he 1,4,1 presented it at the last carriage of the
ti,tit cat r:a2?_! stir Queen wa, sitting. 1 immediately
to,rk pt.,,,,0t: 01 and ahot took Da-sett with me to
Gar hi::.2r.4,.1„;;1,. ,t a! 17:e told Me that his brother and
uncle.v.er, pre,eitt ,ith hint when he srixo the boy and took
Irtml him the 1 -It.oked down the barrul .of the pistol
and ttottil &Attic:lly :•,c, sonic paper and grains of coarse gun-
powder,

. -
Charle: Ede aid Das,elt, aged sixteen years, was the next
witness e,,aminett, and being ,tarn, said-LI reside with my
father, who is an oil :Wei colourman, at .12, New Church-street,
Portinaii-inarket. At about ten mintnes before twelve o'clock
I was standing in the mall, St. James's-park, about hall way
between B;l,l:lngham Palace and the lAlilkhouse-gate, when a
It:imp-backed youth, about sixteen years of ital., dressed in a
long brown .surtout :•oat, elbowed his way to the front.
bore was at. this time a great titklxr of persons collected,
and the line of spectators were two or three deep. The second
Voral carriage had passed, and the third, which contained her
I•ije+tv, was cmotog up, when I sax hint pull a pistol front the
hs „•s.t:PoCket of his coat. I saw him present it at the carriage,
I :hutted ,a-; at the back of the carriage, because it was
rks.siog Ipickly at the time. I distinctly heard the click, and
hammer go down. These was no dash in the pan,
AII,I 114 CXVIE,NiOII. I immediately seized bin by the wrist, of
the baud which held the I at the time tnade the re •
mark tO in ither Frederick, who was standing near m.e.
••• here's a !ming gentleman go* to have a pop at. the Queen."
-ring tteu policemen walking along on the opposite side of
th ntall. I took the youth wills nie over to them. I shtiwed
them the pistol, and said tothem, `• This lad has.been attempt-
gto ,hoist the Queen." They laughed at me, and 'learn,
oti A, ,attl that it did not amount. Si a charge. The greatest
p,rt:on of the poptilice sided with the humped backed youth,
and shed out, •• Dive the pi..tol back to the boy." Others
•• Give it to the policeman ;" and some said to•the
'• Put it in your pocket, and run away with it." I still con-
tinue 1-my hoid of the humped-backed youth, and had pro-
ceeded ..o.no ih,'an•!,. down the mdl, whet, the pressure Irons
the croNd beeassp• ,st great that 1 was obliged ro let him go,
mberwke my ,ot won d h3vs• hceu brokon. Soon after this,
l'artridg-e., 17.36 A, seeing, site with a pistol its my hand, took me
into custody. Jos:. before this, I .a.ss the youth go into the
Grecti=park, -and 1 Tidiest! he went through that give bysitif_
r,ra IfottA, whielt leads into Cieyeland-row. The policeman
took me to tlot sta'ion-liowq., and told the Inspector on slots
that he hod found nos ie the Park with the pistol in any bald,
aro trying- to excite the mob I then said to the Inspector that
I 11.'4 ta".eri the pistol lima a deformed boy, utio had at-
tempted to shoot the Queen. I afterwards gave a description
a hits.

Cres-exantined—l think the I) iv was two or three yards
iron the carriage at the time he Wien:pled to tire the ptatol.
I am eertani he •,vas not in in- than three 3ards off.

. .
The withess, at the conclusion of his evidence, was compli-
mented by Sir James Graham, On behalf of the Council assem-
bled, for the meritorious mannt.r in which he had acted.
he next witness was an officer attached to the recruiting de-
vilment, who proved .that he !sad attended at the station-
henna and examined the pistol,
,which was an old flint.lork outs,
t.rerk- and rifle barrel. Upon detaching the barrel, which wes
il,me with Anne difficulty, owing t, the screw having become
exceedingly rusty, from it.s long disuse, he found in it a portion
very coarse po‘vder, a piece of tobacco -pipe, and some paper
tradding.' The pistol was decidedly in such a sta'e that it
could have been discharge 1.

William Jones, an obi mail of impoverished appearance, was
next examined—lle said, I ant a wood-turner, living in Paul-
street, Finsbury, I was in the Park about ten minute 4 to
twelve o'clock to-day. and I saw the young man, Chad°, Das-
sett, take a pistol trout the hind of a deformed boy. When I
saw Dassett taken into custody by a constable, and heard the
people tell the constable that he ( Dass.ett) had been attempting
so shoot the Queen, I followed him to the station-house to ro-
tate that statement.

Cress.examineif:--I did not see the attempt made . by the
deformed boy, nor do I know how he got away ; but it was
very easy for, him to do so, as there were 50:) or 600 persons
colleeteti.

Fredtriek I.)esett sworn—l am in my lath year, and am
brother to Da.ssett. 1 INas in the. Park with him to-day,
and sttinchrig-ini his right-hand si4c,
,when I saw him suddenly
Is' hold of a deforrned youth's wrist, who I saw had got a
pistol in his hand. Ile addre;sra Inc, saying, " Look here,
Frfd., this chap is going to haye.a pop at the Qu..en. I think
he wants to be provided for for life." 3ly brother took the
pistol out of his hand, and said, " We'll go over to these two
pu .
Fe " went over. The remainder of this wit-
amen•
nesa's evidence was confirmatory of his brother's. He added
that hr had also given a description of the accused at the
station-hoise.

)Ir. W. .Altermomby, an independent gentleman, being
*Aunt, said-71 %witnessed the taking, by Charles Dassett, of a
deco: turd bey to two policemen. I heard him charge that bay
in their preseneo with having attempted to' shoot the Queen,
and I heard them refuse the charge. When I found Dassett
was taken into custody, I accompanied him to the station-
house, and told the inspector on duty what I had seen. I left
nty name and address there, and was afterwards sent for to give
evidence here.

11r. John Janes, sworn—l am uncle to the witnesses Charles
and Froderi,k Dassett. I was with them in the Park this
1 stood rather behind them. My attention was at-
tracted by Charles laying ho.d of a pistol in a deformed youth's
hand. I then saw him cross over to the police, and heard him
r-Tllrg! the deformed youth with shooting at the Queen. The
Pelee ret.use4 to take the charge, and treated the matter with
the greatest possible contempt.
This witness vas questioned most minutely as to the distance
the bdy might have been front the carriage when it pasted
by him.

The witness said certainly not more than three yards.
Theltulice constables Ilearn, sti A, and Claxton, 134 A,
sage afterwards called in, and having been severely rept imanded
by the Council far their conddeton the occasion, were informed
that they must consider themselves suspended for the present
from further duty.
The Council eonclUded the inquiry at eight o'clock last
.kt thi's'time Sir Jante. (.raham, the Secretary fur the Rome
Department, throie,h .Ur. Taylor, the office-keeper, desiredour
feporter to state from authority, that the Council had most fully
investigateiPall the eiretim.tanceg of ' the case, that the pistol
IlYitkci only with a small portion of coarse powder and
paper widing, and that the offender was not yet in custody,
but that there was every probability of his being speedily taken.
The priSoner, John Bean, who was apprehended last
eight, was taken to the Gardinet's-lane station-house,
where he has heen.kept is confinement until half alter two this
afternoon, when he wasconreyed to the Home-office through
the hack gate opening into the. Park. He is a diminutive creature,
nit more than ;I, feet high, with an enormous hump. Ilis
general appearanee it hideout and unprepossessing in the ex
tre,rne. Ills father, a working jeweller,,residing in Clerkenwell,
\A as at. the ttatien-house last evening. and at the Home-office
this morning ; but he was not permitted to have an interview
16,1 i hi, sun. The prisoner's sister accotnpanied the father.
All the Cabinet Ministers were assembled at the Home•
dace. The street and the Park were both crowded.
1.15051 A CORRESPONDENT.)

The young miscreant, John Bean, who is now in custody as
the party suspected of having snapped a pistol at her Majesty
in the Park yesterday, and who was apprehended by Inspector
Penny last night, was recently •the. employ of Mr. Hilton.
newsvender, Penton-street, Pentonville. Some particulars re-
specting his late conduct will not he uninteresting, as it indi-
csted a foregone intention of perpetrating some criminal act.
Dating the week he was in the service of a silversmith at the
wt end of the town, and to whom his father was anxious to
ha a him hound apprentice. But for sonic weeks past his con-
duct has given the greatest uneasiness to his parents, as he had
al'isk'nted h'mself from home, and they were unable to trace his
hatuus. It was only on Sundays that he was employed by Mr.
Hilton, when he served a number of persons with newspapers
in the neighbourhood of Rarnsbure Park. He attended as
ta,TJ on Sunday week, but on Thu:; day last a letter was re.
oeived from him, in the following words:— -
" Sir;.:.lnehmed is a list of my customers that has been
owing for papers which,if not. quite correct in point of Exact-
t4.bwok, is quite so in sum total.—( Here follows a list
" hch it is "nee,ary to copy.) With these few lines I re-
yours, &e., " J. BEAN.
Addressed, Air. Hilton, No. 8, Penteu-
, street, Pentonville."
Yesterday morning, abort twelve O'clock,
a respectable man, a chaser his father, who is
by trade, called at, Mr.
stated that in consequentie. of a letter he had re-
t,,ived from his on he had been round to the different station-
.hnn,es, ' inquiries, as his son had not been home since
the. preceding Monday. He had also heft an accurate destrip..
t ion of his person. 'I he letter above alluded to stated that he
(the writer) was in search of employment, and that if he could
cot obtain it, he should do something desperate.' The rather
added from information he had received, he believed his
pistol and powder ; but that the
sett was hi possession of a
had been out of order, and he wanted it repaired.
The father evinced great anxiety under • the circumstances, but
little in:agined that his son was at the same motuent almost
er4aged.iii another atrocious attack upon our beloved Queen,
for tittle doubt eao exist that he was the actual traitor. He
remarkably find of reading, and was consequently indolent
in Other respects. From the above circumstances, all of as hfch
re,t. upon ungnostionable authority, it will be soar satisfactory
know that the young miscreant had no accomplices, and that
its was _prompted to the deed by his own spontaneous depravity
'end. It is proper to add, that Mr. David Hilton, as soon
55 he vets aware of the description of the person, went to Rock-
ies:limns Palace, on Sunday night, and gave Mr. Russell, the
inspeuter on duty, all the information in his power, with a view
to the' apprehenslon of the criminal.

•
HOME-OFFICE, TETHEE O'CLOCK.
;',7;r 1ohor! 1 eel ha;
(just kit the Council, so there
is every probahilitv that the examination of Ale
orir,,oper, William Bean, is near its crwlusion.
Th., pistol was loaded with coarse powder, wudding, and
soon' pieces of tobacco-pipe. it was .presented by the
r:,,uer ae carrage
P ' t the iin which her Majesty was Sitthq,
allul he attempted to discharge it, but it snapp
At the concluielt ed. ThiS
we state from nit lonbted authority. .
the prisoner's examinatiol,
. hiS
father had an Interview wall him, and besought him
to
declare; if he Hid any confederates, and ‘eliere he ,)1.)-
tained the pistol. prisoieT burst into tears, ;Ind
stated that he had purchased it of Mr. Putt, (4.Extliouth.
street, Spa-fields, and had given threirfour
. s►lihjugs
for it. This feet was:eonuntinie?Wllt) -In,e
confir nod
sPe(„,(Or Nbttbri;
f.‘•
whii-Troceeded at oneelo. Mr. . 1t )
in
thy .stAtcnout.-uf-the amused.
The aet'ided a'as remanded bv.the rivy outicil until
Wednesday next, at half-past tii-64:4V010ck, ailiti ho was
conveyed in a cab to Tothill-fields prison. where he was