The Sun.
London, England, 1829-07-25 00:00:00

EYTRAORDINARY CHARGE OF MURDER

On Wednesday morning last Sir Richard Birnie
received a communication from the office of the Se'
cretary of State for the Home Department, inform'
ing him that a man had been landed at Portsmouth,
from the Thetis transport, arrived from Trinidad,
and lodged in gaol, on the charge of having cos'
mitted a murder in the town of Ayr, in Scotland' to
the year 1825. In consequence of this cormirunicir
tion Sir Richard issued his warrant, and entrusted tt
to Ellis, one of the principal officers, who went oP
at once to Portsmouth, and returned yesterdni
morning with the person accused in custody Hf
-
is a good-looking man of colour, about 30 years °
age, and was dressed in very light apparel, suited t°
the climate from which he had so recently cone'
and a straw or chip hat. He was then taken before
Sir Richard Birnie for examination in the course 0f
the morning. The circumstances which gave rise t°
the accusation against, and apprehension of, the pr''
soner, were as follow :—At the latter end of the
year 1825, a man of colour, supposed to be about
25 years of age, resided in Ayr with his wife, and
passed under the name of John Johnson. In cons°
quence of some jealousy on the part of this Joitn
Johnson as to the conduct of his wife with a farmer'
residing near Ayr, named John Dow, who had been
in the habit of visiting the family, repeated quarrels
took place, and on one of these occasions the On
John Johnson armed himself with a knife, and vac
laying Dow on his road home, ripped his bowels
open, and he was found dead on the following man'
ing. Johnson absconded immediately after the Wirt
der, and eluded all pursuit, although a reward 0,
2001. was offered for his apprehension. lie
then generally understood to be a seafaring man;
and it was ascertained that he had made his wel
over to Leith, and had embarked on board a trading
vessel bound to the West Indies.
In September, 1820, the prisoner was at tile
island of Trinidad, and one morning he was viewil
the soldiers of the garrison drawn out for the usni
parade, when a private of the 54th Regiment °'
Foot stepped from the ranks, and pointed out the
prisoner as the person who had committed the Or
der already described. This private soldier, eP
being questioned as to the ground upon which ,
charged the prisoner with so serious an offence, se
l
he eras a native of Ayr, and was in that town when
the murder of John Dow was committed, and he
knew the prisoner to be the man Johnson who per'
petrated the deed, and immediately afterwards tor
sconded. His statement was so positive that the
prisoner was taken into custody and lodged in
The examination of the private soldier was take
upon oath before the Council, in the presence of the
prisoner, and he swore positively to him as John
Johnson, the murderer of John Dow. Upon this
evidence the prisoner was recommitted to prist
and detained until the arrival of the The!'
Government transport, on board of which Pile
was put in custody, and the vessel having to teoue
at other ports out of the direct passage home,_ 9,Pe
only arrived at Portsmouth in the latter part of the
last week. The prisoner, when apprehended !I
Trinidad, strongly declared his innocence, and sand
that his name was not Johnson, but Stevens, an
that he never was in Scotland in his life. The g 01"
dier, however, was extremely positive as to his idea'
tity, and mentioned so many circumstances corrohcr
rative of the truth of his statement, that the Color
cil had no alternative but to send him to Great lift'
tain for trial.
When before Sir R. Birnie yesterday, the prt'
soner still denied being the man, and made the fol'
lowing statement :—" I never was in Ayrshire !n
my life. lam thirty years of age, and was born in
the Isle of Man, where I have now, as I believe, e
wife and children living. My name is John Stevens I
and not John Johnson. My father and mother'
whose names were also Stevens, were plantersl
the Island of Trinidad, and in 1826 my father die /
and I went out to that island at the earnest requel
of my mother, to assist her in the management °
her estates. I left my wife in the care of my bodge
and business, which was that of a hatter, and during
my residence at Trinidad I made regular remit;
tances of money to my wife, for the support of Pe
and the children. I have the affidavits of two re;
spectable inhabitants of the Isle of Man in my hayd'
declaring that I am the person I have describe°l
that I never was known as a.seafaring man; 011.10
that my wife and children are now residing there
the way I have stated. I again declare that I kon.,vi
nothing of this supposed murder; that I never sc."
in Scotland in my life; and that I have been COW
fined eleven months, and dragged from Trinidad t°
this country most unjustly.
Sir R. BIRNIE said he was very sorry if such ive,9,
the case; but the information before him was n;
positive, that lie must Send him into Scotlal
where the principal witness 'resided, in order that
the charge might be thoroughly investigated befofe
the proper authorities.
The prisoner was then given back into the ens:,
tody of Ellis, who had orders to convey him t"
Ayrshire, there to be subjected to that inquiry be,
fore the Sheriff Depute for the county, usually or
nominated "precognition." •
Ellis left town with the prisoner last eveniofj
and on his departure he was very cheerful, and so'
it would soon be found that he was an iunocent man'