Star.
London, England, 1824-02-02 00:00:00

HUNTS CONFESSION.

About three years ago, when I kept the Army and
Navy Coffee-house, in St. Martin's-lane, I first became
acquainted with William Probert ; I had seen him be-.
fOre in company with Mr. Noyes, his brother-4,4:w, at
the houseof my wife's sister, Mrs. Mountain. While I
was keeping the Army and Navy Coffee-house, Mr.
Noyes called on me several times to solicit my custom.
tor wine, and I was at last induced to give an order for
Port and Sherry to the amount of tenor twelve pounds.
A few days after this order was executed, Noyes
brought Piobert to my house, and introduced him to
me as his wife's brother. After being three months in
busine*s I found the house did not ans‘ser my ex-
pectations, besides, I had a warrant of attorney to
Richard Thomas, from whom I had taken the house,
for nearly 8001. to be paid by monthly instalments.
These payments not being kept up, the warrant of attor-
ney was put in force, and I was obliged to surrender to
the Fleet Prison, where I was confined for seven months
and then took the benefit of the Insolvent Act.

I met Probert accidentally at the west end of the
town, and he introduced me to Tetsall's, where, by his
request, I sung several songs ; and at parting, be in-
vited me to meet him the next morning of the Cock,
saying he could be of service to me. I went accord.
ingly, was introduced by Probert to John and Thomas
Thurtell, and stopped to dine with them. As Probert
omitted to explain in what way he could serve me, I
went the Bert day to the Cock, and was invited up
stairs by John Thurtell, where I found Probert; and
they pressed me to dine with them, which I did ; and
afterwards Probert asked me to walk over the water
with him, saying he wanted to speak to me on particular
business, I agreed to go with him, and on our way,
Probert said to nie—" Hunt, I will tell you something
in confidence, but I beg of you never to divulge it, as I
am the only person Thurtell has made acquainted with
what I am about to tell you."
[Here a plan was opened to him, in which the Thurtelk were
to be the principal actors; but as it does not imply any intention
od murder, and as it might materially prejudice 'l'. Thurtell on the
eve of his trial, we deem it improper to disclose the particulars.]
horn this time I became a frequent visitor at Thur.
tell's; Probert and Noyes were almost constantly there,
and no charge was made for whatever I ate or drank.
There was to be a great dinner at the Cock ; and,
about ten days before the dinner, John Thurtell went to
Probert's cottage, on a shooting-party, for a few days,
to shoot on the grounds of Major Woods; he returned
the day before the dinner, and at the dinner he took the
deputy chair. On the same day that J. 'Thurtell re-
turned from the cottage, he told me, that he had be-
come desperately in love with Miss Caroline Noyes, the
sister of Probert's wife; but that she had promised her
hand to a man named Wood; he said, however, that
he did not care for that, he would continue his visits,
and endeavour to supplant him ; and I understood
from him, that he frequently went to the cottage, until
one Saturday, when he was going down there, he met
Mr. Wood and Miss Noyes coming to town in company
together. This very much vexed and mortified him,
and he then commenced writing letters to her, which
were either unnoticed, or returned under cover ; this
only served to irritate him still more, and he inveighed
most bitterly against Wood; Probert also joined in the
abuse of Wood, and said—" You know, John, I hate
the fellow, and there is no man ()Inv acquaintance that
I should like to have the girl but yourself." • Thurtell
said no man in this world should ever stand between
him and his happiness, if he lost his own life in the
cause; and that he should go to Norwich the then next
week, and get his friend Harper to lend him his air-1
gun, to settle some of the gentlemen who had ill-used
him. He said there were three or four on the list, but
Wood first, because be was in the way of his happiness.
The plan of shooting Mr. Wood, in Castle-street, was
determined upon as follows: Wood, Probert, and
Noyes, had lodgings in the same house together, at
No. 35 or 36, Castle-street, Leicester-square; and it was
agreed that some night, when Noyes was down at Pro-
bert's cottage, Probert was to go home early at night,
and keep the landlady and her daughter drinking below
stairs after Wood was gone to bed; and when he was
supposed to be asleep, John Thurtell, disguised in a
boat cloak, was to enter the house by means of Pro-
bert's key of the street door, proceed to Wood's room,
and shoot him thiough the heart with the air-gun. He
was then to place a small pistol that had been discharged
in Wood's right hand, so that it might appear as if he
had shot himself, and he was then to leave the house and
sleep in the City. Probert was afterwards to have gone
up stairs, and find Wood in this situation, and give
the alarm, or the landlady was tathave found him dead
the next morning. An Inquest thlitid of course be held
on the body, and it was to be made appear that, in a fit
of despair or despondency, he had shot himself. Pro-
bert said he would attend before the Inquest, and swear
that Wood was much embarrassed in his circumstances,'
and depressed in his spirits, and that was the reason, he
had no doubt, why he had destroyed himself. John
Thurtell asked a man, named Wolf, who keeps a sale
shop, and who was in the habit of using his brother's
house, the price of a boat cloak for the purpose; but I
do not know whether he bought one or not.
The night Wood's murder was to have been perpe-
trated, he did not sleeplat home,and some circumstances
afterwards caused it ttobe put off, and the idea of shoot-
ing him in Castle-street, altogether abandoned, although
Probert was continually urging Thurtell to commit the
murder, saying there could not be a better time to rerv.e
him:, as the landlady had no other lodgers in the house.
Probert often said, a If you mean to do it, why don't
you do it at once; you know I can keep the women ea-
gaged." Thurtell replied, " ll—n your great eyes,
if you want it done, why don't you do it yourself; you
are big enough and ugly enough, and there is the air-
gun at your service." On which Probert used to turn
it off with a laugh, and say " You know, Jack, I
want you to have the woman, and should not like
Wood to get her:'
The house in Manchester-buildings was taken for the
express purpose of destroying Wood, and making it a
warehouse for whatever goods could be obtained from
tradesmen by fraudulen; bills. John Thurtell took it
from a Solicitor in Bemer's-street, and gave a reference
to Cou ,ins, a linen-draper at Kensington, to whom also a
great quantity of Thurtell's valuable property was sent.
he nest plan against Mr. Wood was, to entice him
to the house in Manchester-buildings, and there destroy
him; John Thurtell borrowed a pair of heavy dumb-
bells, bibs. each, from a Mr. Hancock, and it was set-
. tled that I should get him to accompany me to. and
enter the house, and when he was withinside, I was
to shut the door upon him, and go to Charing-cross,
where Thurtell was to meet me, after dispatching
him. And, in order to account for his absence, a let-
ter was to be sent to his lodging, to say that several
writs were out against hint.