Star.
London, England, 1823-06-12 00:00:00

THE MUIIDER KT CLAP,KAA

. .
CONFINSION OF ANOTUSR.OF TO" iwapglPilts•
•
UNION.BALLPOLICSOMPtCE. ' '
The prisoners who are in oestody on the cite=
having murdered the late Mrs, Rickard* of Cla
have beta so separated as ce prevent their having any
communication with each other - and the confession
which has been • made by Stoffel was, till Tuesday,
unknown to theothernth/alters. it however happened -;
that Themes Sear, another of she men implicated in
the murder, shortly after he had been imprisoned, was
desirous of entering into a vokintary confession of his ,
Iguilt; and having been permitted to do so, it Was I
found that the statements of the two criminals comes-
ponded with each other instil the principal facts. The
following is the substance of Scott's confession: •
About a fortnight before the Sib of April, I was In company
with Stoffel and Smith, when Stottt mot into the public-house
to call out James Gardhiee and William Slonnoos, who came
me to us. Stied, told them, he had an old aunt at Clapham,
who had a great deal of money, which he thought they could get
with ease. They agreed to go wilth• him the following night.
About a fortnight after this, I met Smith and Stoffel walking on
the London Road, who told me they had been to Mrs. Richarda'a,
at Clapham, on the night appointed; that Smith went in with a
letter; that he taw Mts. Richards; that Gardiner was to follow,
but his heart failed him; that he went back—and so theydid no- ,
;thing: we agreed to meet that night at elle Prince of Wales, and to
!rob the home. Sunda wasto take its the letter as before. Stoffel
was tu lay hold of Mrs. Richards; he said she was so old he was t
;sure she %mold faint ; that he would hold her down, when Smith '
land I were to frisk this place. tie said there were fifteen table-
ispbeno and some tea-spoons ; there was money, hut he dial not
:know where it was. He said there- was another old woman
tie the house, who waste the habit of going to chapel (Ups. Bell),
and they should be in time if they went about eight. Stoffel end I
• accordingly met at the Prince of Wales, but Smith did net come ;
we then walked stitcher towards Camberwell, and I went to
Smith's house, in Edward-street. His wife told me he was gone
out to look fora bricklayer's lob.. I told Stoffel what I had heard,
when we agreed to meet again in a day or swe. On the Monday •
following I met Stade] in the evening. when we agreed to meet t
the same place the next night, which we accordinglydid. Stoffel
opened the plan to Pritchard and Keppel, ander, set taut together.
On our way, I expressed& hope that they did not mean to mut-
der the old woman, observing, if such was their intention, 16
would proceed no further; bat the they all strenuously dis-
' dallied. lie then details their made of entry, as described in
lasie.i's confession; and adds Stuffel said to Mrs. Richards--
ltly old lady, we don't want to hurt you ; we only whit
Tinto be quiet." byte eaciairoad--" Oh, Lord! oh, demi"
when Staled put his hand upon her mouth, and said, " I, will
not hurt the poor creature." She appeared at this time to hate
fainted. He deco beckoned to 'Koppel, awl said, " Come and
bold her while 1 go up stairs: but don't hart het;" then Stoff.:l
abd Pritchard went up stairs, and I fastened the spring-lock. • I
took a nada from the moaner-pieceausd put it into any coat,n %kat.
Den I went up stairs to Stolle' and Pritchard. 1 hey took some
Wens out of a box, and I took two or three-siik handkerchiefs.
inert were other 11:aes lathe room, but they were locked, and
WO did not open them for fear of disturbing the people in the
delft house. We all three then came down stairs. and went into
the fronrrems, where we found Koeppel holding Mrs. ',Behar*
on the floor, with a handkerchief over her face. Stoffel then un-
locked the closet door, and found seven silver spoons and a tea-
caddy, which was locked. . He 'book the coley, and said be
could hear money rattle in it. Koppel then took from hire.
Itirhards's pockets a bunch of keys, one of which unlocked the
caddy, in which were three sovereigns,. and eight or nine shil-
lings. Stoffel then looked again into the cupboard after the
large spoons, and said there must be. fifteen of them; but he
found nothing more, and said it was se good to stop longer. AR
this time Mrs. Richards never moved, but I had no suspicion
she was dead. We each of us took a part of the gowns and
handkerdnefs, aid went nut of the hoese together. As we
were gulag along Stolid remarked„ " I hope the poor old cree-
-1 tute is not dead," when Keppel replied, "b— her, what
!odds is it.". He then spa of to detail the anode of '
the property, its division, and their conduct at the public-house
'in the Mint, as stated in Stn l's etineetsioit,- and adds, we
lived INcibur the remaining part of the -milt, wish some coal-
men prostitutes, in the neighbourhood of the ,Loridon-road.—
bn Stulday morning we heard that' Storel had been taken, when
, iiritchare said he had a great mind to give himself trap. but Yap-
! pet dissuaded him, adding, he did not mean to do so; and that
he did not think si.e was dead.% Pritchard reminded hint of the
langtsage'ke used on /oh .returtt to town, when X.eppal replied,
When one is in a fury, one knows not what to say." On Sa-
turday night we slept in Westminster, and en Sunday went to-
gether to whet Pratt:hard went to his father's.
Wnhad agreed to go together to Bristol, and set nut on foot on
Sunday, at two tido& Wetrtlved there on Wednesday, in
the afternoon, and staid there till. obetaaturakay, when we re-
turned to town. We endeavoured to get work at Marlborough,
but conkl not do so. We arrlted In town on the Monday night.
We left Prituard at Ilyde.Part Omer; andiCeppel and I cans
to WalwOrth, where I left him, and 'went home to my father's. •
'knee that time i have not seen Pritchard.
Keppel, after he found lie had been impeached,
accused his companions of herbs& " no'bearts ;" and
the girl, Smith, with whom Keppel bad lived, ex-
'honed him, 'after the examination, to. keep up his
spirits, as be could die but once," and begged him
.'to leave her his old shoes! Keppel, on speaking of
Pritchard, said, "he was no more, and that they
may depend upoott that be wottlsi 'Reser come out at
the top." (Ily this qs.ineant to.say, that Pritchard
w,as dead, and tliet therefore he' could never appear
'bit die. at'the top of -the prison.) His be.
haviOo'vtai'hardenea to the extreme. At-a subse.
ittteritiispe, in aruding to Pritchard, he said, 'she was
tahe id-tht Ease' rniiiesr and there may be some
thls,- as Hall and Gtainnon, by whose *hi
eriions the prisoners well apprehended, received Itt3
'fbilhttiori• vrtircli Induced them —to suspect that
tkilitea; but althougil those active
.
ollicets"Wave teen' ottcrtionth, and other ports,
-itid•ettittutnid the shippitYg, they have mot yet been
' stitkessful in apothenaineltito: •

.~1:

•
PRI VATg WILICATRE- t eferen o clock on Tuess
•
day
.night, as John Lisibrick, one of the officers ofl
the. Huron-tar Jen seas passing by the end of
pool's-pfrasant, Gray's Inn-lane he.
heard the sound of musical lust:rut:rents, and Of
bois-
terous, merriment, iisiti4TiOrk4 *itile in-the rear of
I.the houses: dn, milinnog einse froni some• of
the neighbours; •Vlho felt theroselves much annoyed.
at theaepightlf Meetings, Was inforlbed that it"
wap a pliceivUere Private Theatricals were nightly
perfoknief..Licabrieltprociared a One efyisttehrnes,
and entered the Theatre, where they were perfbrming
the last Scene in thi-Tift,edi of Romeo 4vnd Jnlret, RI
ilrary oolitic 'flimsier. The appearance of the offices:
creeeed the greatest cantiosiont all Ott; pianos ef-
tfd Ifni; exapa.., To describe thesceacry, 9r the
dresses of the performers would* impossible. The
officers succeeded in securing siren; whom they dm-
.seyed in their theatrical dresser, and pabited, to the
watch-house. The, ions esimined yesterday aktiat-
,tan4Csaadia Officer tandi after reseiviag a were let.
tot. if0r1f4i,101145.4L-,,:
xafgtrhess picpw living in Drosi a little'
is age of ta Aka,' a, sitittign Mibse age is
ott'S'years;
nd' irsi hi' tilt* kliehrent yenta 'es. lithe
!Noy, ill her tin:dies, as vaalliaoral u physieakand
*bat renders her age the more egriraorsjinary Is, the
-fact, that tbe:air of the village has been long consi-
dered unhealthy.. She was mart* four times:-ler
..fst Marriage took place 105 years ago.* - •