Star.
London, England, 1826-12-12 00:00:00

THE FETCHAM MURDERS.

William Page and Mary Ayres have, after a number
of private examinations, been finally committed for the
murders of the unfortunate Akehurst and his house-
keeper. The witnesses against them are Richard Mit-
chell, a Greenwich pensioner, and his wife; Hall,
Grossmith, and Watson ; three Constables, and Mr.
Bright, surgeon. The evidence of the first two wit.
ne:ses goes to establish that Page avowed a desire to
murder the old man at least twenty times, but particu-
larly when their tents were twice pitched in the vicinity
of the cottage, in the month of August ; that Page re.,
peatedly invited him to assist in the murder ; that Mit-
chell's wife repeatedly heard these overtures, and used
her influence to prevent him from joining in it. Mr.
Bright, and Hall, the Officer, deposed that the large
pair of pincers found in Page's kit of working tools,
fits accurately two of the wounds in the females skull.
and one on the forehead of Akehurst; and Hall speaks
very particularly of the agitation shewn by Page on
the said pincers being exhibited to him, and the anxiety
he, chewed to avoid admitting them to be his property.
There was a stain on this instrument, as if from a spot
of blood, which Page said was a rust mark only; or, if
it was blood, must have been put on by the Constable.
Grossmitb describes the finding of a flannel jacket, with
bloody marks on it, the pockets cut out, and the cuts
torn off; and Page's pony trotting eight miles an hour.
The prisoners, in their defence, protested their inno-
cence, and declared that the story told by Mitchell and
his wife was false throughout; although they admitted
they had never quarrelled with them, and therefore
there could be no malice. The blood on the jacket, and
the loss of the cuffs, were said to arise from a fight at
Weyhill between Page and one Murphy. Both prisoners
deny having encamped at any time near the old man's
cottage, which Page says he never saw in his life: and
Ayres declared she had not been at it these three years,
and knew not whether it was in a garden, or had thatch
or tiles upon it. But the main ground on which the pri-
soners rested was, that, they could prove they were at
Weyhill from the Monday before until the Saturday
after the mutder.which occurred on Thursday night.
He said be was in Waybill Fair until five in the evening
of Thursday—that he was alone in his tent, When
Ayres and another female, named Pig, came home that
night, and that his pony would not carry him ten miles
without being done up. The first witness for the defence,
Robert Bignell, however, swore that he saw the pony
trot at the rate of tea miles an hour, and that Page
boasted it was the best in the country. As witness was
going to Weyhill Fair the Wednesday before the mur-
der, he met Page on his pony, coming from that direc-
tion, and never saw him again till the following Tugs-
day. At Marlow, Ayres came crying to them, and
said a red-haired girl at the Six Bells, told her of the
murder. Witness and Page went there, but no such
person had been seen. To the next person who men-
&lied the murder, Page said he had heard of it before.
Witness was at Weyhill Fair the whole of Saturday,
and neither of the prisoners were there.
Serval other witnesses were examined, which spun
the enquiry to an unprecedently tedious length, when
the Magistrates having consulted together for a short
time, Mr. Chambers addressed the prisoners, observing,
that no pains had been spared in order to bring forward
those individuals whom they (the prisoners) wished, but
they had failed completely in proving an alibi, all fail-
ing in the proof of either of you having been seen at
Weyhill on Thursday. The Magistrate then remarked.
that there were such strong and powerful circumstances
of suspicion against them, that he had made up his mind
to commit them for trial, in which determination his
brother Magistrates had perfectly concurredl with him.
The prisoners .were then taken from the Office, and
conveyed to Horsemonger-lane Gaol.

A County Court was held at Penrith on the 7th inst.
at which there was not a single cause—a circumstance
which has not recurred for many years.
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Aftcr a sermon preached on Sunday at Hampstead
Church by Dr. nudge, in aid of the Spanish and Italian
Refugees, the sum of 801. 11 s. lid. was collected.
It is said that trade is considerably better than it was
both at Halifax and Bradford, and that there is a bri3k
demand for caasinets at Huddersfield.

An Inquest was held at Guy's Hospital, on the body
lof John Vs'oodhead, aged 25, who was engaged in one
of the darns ou the north side of the new London l3tidge,
when one of the pieces cut from the ends pf the piles,
nearly lcwt. fell from the skipps by which it was rais-
ing, upon his head, and crushed it to pieces. Verdict—
Accidental death.

The hilll cannot complain of the present price of
whisky, 'Well is not quite so much pr 7s. a gallon, Irish
measure; ar not mote than about Is. tp 16.3 J. an Eng-
lish-siaed battle.
. _

Ye.terday morning a fire was discovered breaking
out in the house of Air. Shaw, io Citades•ureet, Hack-
ney-road, but there being a 4ew of site lirow-sirett pa-
trol is the vicinity, by their activity, and that of the
inmates, the threatened danger was prevented before
the atrival of the engines.