Star.
London, England, 1818-08-17 00:00:00

THE GODALMING MURDERERS.

When the procession was on the road from Guild-
ford to the place of execution at Godalming, Mr.
Mann earnestly intreated Chennel to make a concession,
and told him he had no right to expect mercy, unless
he acknowledged his crimes, if it were only for the
purpose of preventing innocent persons from suffer-
tog for the crimes which they had committed. He
then put the question to Chennel in the most solemn
manner, " Did you or did you not commit the mur-
der, or assist at all in it ?" Chennel lifted up his eyes,
and said, in reply, " I never had any concern in the
murder." Chalcraft turned his head round, and look-
ing at him very expressively, answered, " You do,
George, you know you do."
The anxiety of the Public was great; it was hoped
they would have made a confession of their partici-
pation in the murders of a young man e, near Pe-
tersfield, in Hampshire ; of a farmer f, who lived
in Holt Forest, sear Farnham ; and of a Roman Cr.
tholic Priest, who was murdered at Reading. It is a
fact that Chennel and Chalcraft were at each of the
above places at the time the murders were commit-
ted; and in one case (the murder at Petersfield) very
strong evidence has been adduced against them, and
if they had not been found guilty upon the charge
for which they suffered, they would have been tried
upon that charge at the next Assizes.
After the bodies of Chennel and Chalcraft had been
cut down, they were received into the waggon which
conveyed them to the place of execution, and ex-
tended on the elevated stage which had been con-
structed in the vehicle. The procession of officers
constables, &c. was then reformed, and the remains
of the murderers were conveyed in slow and awful
silence through the town of Godalming, until they
arrived at the house of the late Mr. Chennel. Here
(as we "stated in our last) the procession halted, and
the bodies of Chennel and Chalu•aft were removed
from the waggon into the kitchen of the house, one
of them being placed on the very spot where the
housekeeper, -Elizabeth Wilson, was found murdered.
After this• the surgeons proceeded to perform the
first offices of dissection, and the bnclies in this sta.e
were left exposed to the gaze of thousands, who
throughout the day eagerly rushed in to view them.
The effect of this awful scene may be imagined, but
not described.

CHARACTER OF CHENNEL AND CHALCRAPT PREVIOOS

TO Tilt COMMISSION OF THE MURDER.
Chennel bore a very good character in early life.
Among his playfellows, when a school-boy, he was
remarked for a quiet and even gentle disposition. As
he advanced in life, until some time after his mar-
riagt, he was of a parsimonious disposition, and it
was remarked by the companions whom he occa-
sionally met at places of public amusement, that her
was a person likely to succeed in life. About nine
years back he became acquainted with the daughter'
of a re-i•pectable farmer, residing at Chillingford—
Their intimacy commenced whilst she was on a visit
at Godalming, and a matrimonial connexion was the
consequence. She received 10001. portion from her
father, and Chennel a sum to the same amount, with
which be commenced business as a farmer. It was
remarked soon after, that he got, by degrees, into
habits of extravagance. He became fond of society
at home while circumstances afforded him the means
of entertaining them, and when those failed, he began
to frequent public-houses, to neglect his f-amily, and
to addict himself to the society of the lowest class of
females. The consequence was, that from a cha-
racter of temperance and parsimony, he acquired
that of dissipation and extravagance, and conduc-•
ted himself in such a manner as to induce a suspi-
cion of other crimes previous to the perpetration of
-that for which he suffered. He was never of a
quarrelsome disposition ; on the contrary, though
.pis appearance at the Ws, and during the whole
of the time of his confinement, was intrepid, or
even careless to a degree that seemed to border upon
insensibility. he was always averse to fighting, and
was never known to display feelings of hostility
among his acquaintance.
Chennel's mother having died while he was an in-
fant, Mrs. Wilson, the housekeeper, was taken into
the service of his father about thirty years back, and
remained there until the time of her death. Her con-
duct to young Chennel, both in early life and after
he grew up to manhood, is said to have been moot
affectionate. Her behaviour •to him was marked ra-
ther by the tender and endearing cares of a mother
than the hired attentions of a servant; se that this,
horrid deed, on the part of Chennel, might be can.
sidered as the murder, not of one but of both pancs.,
Chalcraft, in the neighbourhood where he residek
• The name of this man was Z. Soarson; his father was clerk
at the Three Cups Waggon-office, Aldersgme-street; haslet
acquired some property, he had resolved to inmate it by going
to sea • on his way to Portsmouth he stopped to take some no-
fredunent at Petershid, when imprudently making a display
of what he had about him, he was way-laid 'it is supposed by
Chennel and Chalcraft, who had been drinking at the pubis.
house, and murdered.
t The murder here alluded to was that of a Mr. Stillwell, a
small farmer, who resided in Holt Forest, near Farnham. Still-
well was of most penurious habits, did not Suffer a female to
come near him, performed all household offices himself, and,
apprehensive of being robbed, always kept his doors locked and
his windows fastened : having saved £BOO, be made inquiry on
a market-day at Farnham who would give him the highest inte-
rest for his money. A day or two after be was found murdered;
the deed was supposed toAave bees perpetrated with two
floe-
Maker's knives, 'opposed to have been tato from the tilts
Mr. Cheaners hauls.

•
does not appear to have borne a good character. He
was fond of frequenting public-houses, and was nPi-
ther a good husband nor father. He allowed his wife,
for a long time back, to be a burden upon the parish,
giving her only a small part of his earnings. He and
Chennel were constant companions. They for a long
time drank and conversed upon a footing of equality,
though they partly stood in the relation of master
and servant. Some apprehensions are still entertained
in the town of Godalming, that they were not the
only persons concerned in this horrid murder. There
is one in particular, who when conversed with upon
the subject, was always extremely cautious, and
threw out many insinuations which would lead one
naturally to conclude, that, if not actually concerned,
he was at least no stranger to the transaction.
Chalcraft has been often heard to say, that if
George Chennel dared to attempt to say any thing
to him, he could make him tremble in his shoes.—
These, and other such expressions, have rendered
him an object of great suspicion, but, perhaps, with-
out sufficient foundation. The day after Chennel's
arrest, that was the day upon which the murder was
discovered, he sat at the Little George, next door to
his father's house, among the officers who had him in
custody. He smoked his pipe and drank porter with
as much apparent indifference as if nothing extraor-
dinary had occurred. This was remarked to him by
some person present, and surprise expressed that he
should act so while his father lay murdered in the
next house. Chennel replied, what is it to me? I
did not do it. One of the officers, who had been for-
merly a school-fellow of his, demanded a knife which
he usually carried in his pocket, suspecting that it
might have been employed in the murder. Chennel
complied, with some reluctance ; and finding that the
knife would not be teturned, said two or three times
to the officer, that he would mark him for it. It will
be a pleasure to the Public to learn, that both theie
hardened criminals, though they made no confession
of their crime, frequently declared in prison, that they
had a merciful Judge, and a good Jury, and that if
they bad been in the box themselves they could not
have-acted otherwise than to bring in a verdict of
Guilty. It is rather curious that Chalcraft, upon three
,iiffei eat occasions, said to Chennel, Now, George,
you can clear me, if you please."
This language he held when he was first taken inter
custody, when he was conveyed to prison, and also
upon leaving the dock on Wednesday last.