Star.
London, England, 1824-02-09 00:00:00

RUNTS CONFESSION.
-..-

(Conti:reel from the STA* of Meaday hut.)
According to this Arrangement (for entrapping Wood),
I dressed tri•Ennison's (T. Thurtell's servant) clothes—
that is, I wore his fustian jacket and white apron, and
went abOut seven in the morning to Wood's lodgings,
in Castle-street, and told him (as had been previously
settled between me and Thurtell) that a Lady named
Brew wanted to see him, and had sent me to fetch him
to her at a friend's house in Westminster. This Mrs.
Brew is an old Lady who lodges at Cousins', at Ken-
sington, and who has a great friendship for Mr-Wood.
Mr. Wood Asked if I knew why she wished to see him ?
I told him that she had had some words with Mr. Cou-
sins, and she wished to see him before she returned to
Kensington. He accordingly accompanied me, and in
the way he asked the name of the street, which I told
him I did not recollect, hut would lead him to the house.
On reaching No. 10, Manchester-buildings, I said that
was the place, and rapped- at the door. The dcor I
found was a-jar, on which I pushed it open and entered,
expecting that Wood would follow me ; he, however,
stopped on the threshold ; he was no doubt deterred
from going in by observing that it was uninhabited, and,
as I think, from seeing Thurtell, who was standing at
the foot of the stairs, close to the back parlour door,
with his coat and shoes off, a red handkerchief over his
head to disguise him, and a dumb-bell in each hand
ready to strike Wood on the heal. As I 'found Wood
did not follow me, and was gone from the door, I went
to see what had become of him, and I just saw him
running round the corner of the buildings. I then went
to John Thurtell and told him Wood !radian) off; Thur-
tell said, " It was lucky for him he did run, or else he
would never have ran again." In order to prevent any
alarm in Wood's mind as to the real intention, and as
we knew-he was in difficulties, we resolved to write to
him to make him believe it was a stratagem of the She-
riffs' officers to arrest him for debt; we therefore ran
across the Park as fast as we could to Thomas Thur-
tell's, at the Haymarket, and there John Thurtell.wrote
a note to Wood, as if coming from a friend, to advise
him to keep out of the way, as there were several writs
out against him.
Ennison, who is a fadotent of the Thurtells, was sent
to deliver it, and I dare say it was at Castle-street a
very few minutes after Wood got back. In order to
keep up the deception, another letter was written the
same evening by John Thurtell, in the name oi" Clark,"
to say that he had to thank Curtis for the endeavour
that had been made that morning to arrest him. This
letter I delivered ; and to convince Wood that these let-
ters were genuine, and that the object in getting him to
Manchester-buildings was an ingenious decoy of Sheriffs'
officers, J. Thurtell prevailed on to swear a debt
against him of 291. and he was actually arrested the
next day on this false oath.
After the failure of this Extreme, Thurtell said he
would buy a pair of pistols, and shoot him some night
as be went home from the house be used, which was
kept by a man named Thornton, in a street near the
Haymarket. This, however, was afterwards relin-
quished, and Thurtell said he should leave him for a
month or two, and pick out another or his enemies.
was aware of the different plans against
Wood, and frequently, when we were discoursing on the
subject, he used to say " ll—ta and blast Wood ; what
is the use of killing him? Barber Beaumont is the man
we want out of the way; why don't you do for him?"
John Thurtell replied, " Never fear ;he is hooked. We
shall have him safe enough, you may depend on it."
• The reason why they wished Barber Beaumont to be
destroyed was, that they thought he was the only cause
of the money not being paid by the Fire-office, and they
feared he would urge the prosecution to be carried on
for a conspiracy ; Red ior several eights and days John
Thurtell laid in wait for him «ith the air-gun charged,
in the neighbourhood of the Fire-office. He generally
' took his station at the door of Mr. Ward, tile corner
of Sherrard-street ; and he Let me to watch at the office-
door in order to ascertain at what hours Mr. Beaumont
went in and out; if I discovered him, I was to run and
• give notice to Thurtell which way he went, and he was
to follow and shoot him. I, however, could never make
mit which was Mr. Beaumont, for I did net know his
person 'until some one pointed him out to me at the In-
quest. The air-gun resembled a knotted walking stick,
and held no less than 16 charges. It was let off by
merely pressing one of the knots with the finger, and
the only noise was a slight whiz, scarcely perceptible to
any one who might happen to be on the spot.
John Thurtell mentioned to me that some of his
friends were obliged to leave this country for France,
and among others he named Wm. and George
on account of some informations or prosecu-
tions against them for gaming, and he had every rea-
son to think Weare was one of the informers.
I was present at a public-house kept by Mr. Casely,
in Orange-court, when a man named told John
Morten that a young Gentleman named Graham, who
had lost money, and was prosecuting, or informing,
and also a Captain Kelly, were obnoxious to his friends,
and that if he, Thurtell, knew how to get rid of them,
he could undertake to say that 500/. would be of no ob-
ject to those who were at that time obliged to live in
France, on account of those prosecutions.
Thurtell said, " If you can get George to pass
hii word for the Money, it shall be done." re-
plied, "1 will speal to George, and I have no doubt he
Will undertake to pay the money, if they are completely
odt of the way ; and when 1 get his answer, you shall
see me again." After was gone, John Thurtell
said to me, " If George will pass his word for
500/. it is sure to be paid ; the men he wants put out of
the wiry, shall be disposed of in a week, and I will do
it in such a way that the Public shall believe they all;
killed themselves."
The reason why Kelly was to be got rid of was, that
he was terribly violent at the gaming.houses ; for when;
he lost money he insisted on its being restored to him;
and if it was not, or if the proprietors did not lend him
what money he asked for, he assaulted them, and broke
their:glasses and furniture. The way Thurtell proposed
to dispatch him was, by inviting him to meet some
young Gentlemen to play, from whom money was easily
•'• to be won; and be was by this pretence to be drawn into
'the Park, As being in the way to the place appointed.
Martell Was there to shoot him with the air-gun, and
I wits immediately to go up and place a discharged pis-
tol in his hand, and then make an alarm and call out for
assistance. The moment any one came, I was to de-
dare that I had seen him engaged in a duel; that he
had fired without effect at his adversary; that the shot
was returned and he had fallen, whereupon his opponent
ran of John Theme& frequently, zpressed Iris inten-
tion to kill an attorney named Springfield, who lived at
Norwich, because he had sued him ill in his bankruptcy.