The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-28 00:00:00

DELIBERATE MURDER.

On Thursday evening, at about a quarter past five-o'clock,
one of the most cool and deliberate acts of. murder that has
been 'committed in the metropolis far many years, was ver-
petrated in Peacock-street, Newington.
At that time a Daniel Fitzgerald, a labourer in the employ-
ment of Mr. Quennell, a respectable builder in Kennington-
lane, and a countryman of his, named Owen M'Carthy, were
proceeding home after the labours of the day, and they
turned into Peacock-street they were met, at rather a dark
Spot, by a person who came in front of them, 'and who, With-
out the slightest parly or uttering a sentence, deliberately
presented a pistol to the breast of poor Fitzgerald and dis-
charged its contents into his body. M'Carthy was so affected
with the suddenness of the act and the flash of powder in his
face, that he became powerless for the moment', and the as-.
sassin woald have. escaped but for the promptithde of two'
gentlemen named Cotton and Allem, who, witnessing the
murder, immediately pursued the murderer,who, on committing
the act, instantly took to his heels. His pursuers, however,
gained ground so fast upon him that they succeeded iii eltp-t-
-turing him before he had got far down Renningtorillene,
after running about 500 yards or little better. On securing
him those gentlemen took'him on to the police station-house
in Kennington-lane„ and gave him over to 'Cockier, the
gaoler, saying that he had been Shooting somebody, but they
did not know whether the man, he shot at was dead of not.
The prisoner all this time never . uttered a syllable, end'
was taken into the reserve room at the station by LoCkier,
where he sat down apparently quite composed. In a few
Minutes intelligence had reached the station that the unfor-
tunate man Fitzgerald was no more, and that Iso deliberate
was the act of assassination that the poor man ikeiti. (rig?
.uttered a groan. The body having fallen, close to the Pea-
cock public-house, at the corner of Peacock-street and Ken-
nington-road, Was carried into that house, and Mr. Smith, a
sergeon' in the neighbourhood, was in immediate attendance,
but the instant lie,saw the deceased he .pronottuced Thin dead.
On examining the- hody he found that thehall had entered
the left breast, passed through (he . had not the slightest
'doubt) the heart, and come out at the left side of the 'back,
Se that his death must have been instantaneous; and one of
the policemen picked up the ball which had caused the fatal,
wound at the bOttom of the staircase of the Peacock, it hays
big fallen from the body while the deceased was being moved;
. The murderer, upon the charge, being about to be.entered
against him, gave the name of Samuel' Quennell, and it was
then ascertained that he was brother to Mr. Quennell, the
builder, and, as well as the deceased, had been employed by
him. While _the, charge was being taken .Mr. Inspector.
Carter asked the, prisoner if he had the pistol about him, and
his
rpenPisYen was,er that he had not. Immediately after, however,
the was in the act of takinglidmethiug out of his
pocket, When Lockier seized •his arm, arid found that he had
got a pistol in his hand, which was' immediately secured.
.'
it vp, a good sized- pocket-pistol, single barrel, percussion
lock, an! it was evident that it had been but lust discharged
ag wa
Upone thse pfigrier being further searched, somestrong cord
found in his pocket, with twopence in copper, and
some trifling articles. Before the charge was fully taken,
Mr. Rutt, the inspector-of the L division, arrived .at the
station-house, and- having been made acquainted with its.,
serious natu're? and perceiving also that' the prisoner, had,
himself, he gave' 'orders that two men
quantity ,of cordage about him, as if he intended:to
got a cp. peremptory
destroy
with a light ,shouhl remain in the cell with him all night,
some
Cause
in
ogr
which order was complied with. On making, inquiries as to
tl
an act of murder, it ap
Par-
-other the prisoner
had been discharged fiOm his, employment by his
brothel: 'on Saturday last, and conceiving that ,Fitz•
gerald had been the cause of his had
the
causes which
iliorl'ect to
been heard during, the week
,to make use of . violent
threats towards Fitzgerald, and Some "go so far'as to saythat
he had declared he should shoot him and that witnesses can,
be produced to prove the' fact ;, at all events nothing could be
more determined thiin the manner in which he has-dispatched
his unfortunate victim. Poor Fitzgerald resided at No.:11, -1
Peacock-street, and' his assassin resided close by, co That the
unfortunate man met his death within a few yards of his
home; indeed, sufficiently near for his wife and five children
to hear the report
.of the shot which deprived them of * bus-.
band and ;a father, and in an instant hurried him into the pre-
sence of his Maker. The prisoner, who is an unmarried man;
and 22 yew 8, of eget maintained a perfect silence, and remained
cl until called on by Mr. Games,
perfectly calm, sad unmove
b
retained y fiends to defend
the solicitor, who 112 a been
following (this) day. He then,
him at his examination 0:11-ta6.
for the first time, appeared id reflect upon the,dreadful deed
b d tl y. He soon,
he had committed, and shed tearsaun an
at half
howevei, recovered kis self-possession, an
hd. h -past erg
d and WWl', w lc had been sent
took some coffee and, bread
to him from his brother's house.
At a later hour Mr. Carter had ascertained from the,pri-
soner's landlord that the murderer, during the day, had been
to see the deceased at work, and having returned home. re-
mained there until about five minutes before the murder _was
,committed.. He also. says (that the prisoner was perfectly
sober akthe time.

THE • LATE MURDER NEAR
COVENTRY, .;
COVENTRY, THURSDAY , NlGlq.—The inquiry,.: into,., the
circumstances attending the, death of the unfortunate.man
Tranter, who was murdered in his own house, on the 17th
inst., took place on 'Wednesday, and. was adjourned until
to-day, when, amongst others, the following iniportant fatts,
were elicited : •
The boy Satchellf who, it will be remembered, had accom-
panied the old man over some land on the morning of the
murder, said—When I was in my master's house, on the.
morning previous to my going out to work, a man. named
Roberts, a shoemaker, came in and held a short ,cunversa-,.
thin with him. • He did not remain long, and we went out
into the. field... About a quarter of an hour altar my master
had returned to the house, I observed that the shatters
were closed. • Half an hour after that saw a young man
come out of the front door. He locked it after him,.and put.
the key in his pocket. At twelve I endeavoured to get into.
the house, but could not. I tried again in the evening,
and on the following morning, but the house was stilLahut
up. On Wednesday I gave information to. some persons in,
the village. .
Mr. William Iliffe, a farmer residing at Berkswell, said
that on Monday, the 17th, about midday , he saw' a Alan.
named Read in the road, near to•Tranter's house. ..:He was.
talking to a man 'in my employ, named Wright, and wore
corduroy trousers. He had resided in the naigbboulbood.
•three years, working as a day labourer. He usually wore 4.„
cap. ,
the next witness was Mrs. Ann Hyatt, who said—l reside
a little way from the place where the murder was committed.
The man (Read) has lodged at my house ever since the ant
Monday in July. He left last Saturday week, the 15th
instant, and did not say where he was going, ifs ba4 pp a,.
'dark green waistcoat, uncle-jack boots, striped ,corduroy
trousers of a drab colour. There were tips on the. beets of