Star.
London, England, 1826-10-24 00:00:00

THE MURDERS NEAR LEATHERHEAD.

On Friday last, Bennett, the man residing in the
next honse to that recently inhabited by John Akehurst
and his housekeeper, at Fetcham, underwent an exami•
nation before the Rev. Mr. Bolland, in consequence of
his daughter, a little girl between 12 and 13 years of
age, having, in the course of a conversation with an
individual named Jefferies, who was formerly butler in
the service of Mr. Justice Park, dropped several hints
respecting.the conduct of her father and mother on the
night of the murders, that were of such a nature as to
cut considerable suspicion against her parents of having
some knowledge of the dreadful events that took place
in the next cottage to the one in which they reside.—.-
The result of the inquiry on the occasion was, the dis-
charge of the man, the Magistrate conceiving that he
was not implicated in the murders. It has been ascer-
tained since, and is now considered at Fetcham a very
extraordinary fact, that- Bennett, who is reported to
baste been at work some little distance from his resi•
dente in the fields, on the Friday morning, upon hearing
that Akehurst and his housekeeper had been murdered,
did not quit his employment, or betray any surprise
or horror on being apprised of the dreadful circum-
stances. On his return home, however, in the evening,
notwithstanding his having been assured of the per-
petration of the murders of his old neighbours and ac •
quaintances, he did not evince a desire to see the bodies,
or visit the cottage, and actually, as the writer has been
given to understand, kept away from a scene that every
other person within five miles visited, in consequence of
the diabolical murders that had so recently taken place
, there. On the morning of the interment, however,
Bennett proceeded, for the first time, to the cottage since
the perpetration of the murders, and assisted in carrying
the bodies to the grave. Since the last examination, it
appears that so much suspicion attaches itself to his
whole conduct subsequent to the murders, that several
of the Magistrates resident in the neighbourhood, not
satisfied•of his innocence, have determined that a more
strict investigation should take place into the whole of
the circumstances, and yesterday was accordingly ap-
pointed for that purpose.
Yesterday the Bev. Mt. Rolland was at Union Hall police-office,
and bad along interview, in the private room, with the sitting Ma-
gistrate, on the subject of the late murders at Fetcham. The
retreat of Mary Aytes and William Page, the man with whom she
cohabits, has not yet been discovered, notwithstanding the exertions
of the officers during the past week.

Tuesday, a rumour got abroad that a woman, wife
of John Kerr, rigger, residing in Stirling Close, open
shore, had just been found dead in bed, under circum-
stances which led to the suspicion that she had come to
her death by unnatural means. In consequence a pro-
fessional Gentleman was called in, and the first inspec-
tion of the body having strongly confirmed the above
suspicion, the husband of the unfortunate woman was
taken into custody, in a short time thereafter, by the
Procurator Fiscal, and a party of officers. On Wednes-
day and yesterday a precognition was gone into by the
Sheriff substitute. It appears that Kerr and his
wife, though married about thirty years, lived on
indifferent terms with each other, and both being
of irregular habits, their quarrels, which generally
ended in blows, were frequent. Early on the morn.
ing of Tuesday, they were known to have bad an
altercation, and Kerr says, that during the forenoon, he
reproved his wife for being intoxic iced, and threw her
upon the bed ; and afterwards, having no work, laid
down himself. It however appears, that his wife was
seen out of doors subsequently to this period. About
two o'clock in the afternoon, a boy belonging to the
neighbourhood, attracted by some noise, looked in at
the wicket of the window in Kerr's house, and saw him
beating his wife, who lay prostrate on the floor, appa-
rently incapable of resistance. The weapon he used
was a barrel stave, which was afterwards found in
the house. A young woman, to whom the boy men.
tioned what he had seen, looked in also, and afterwards
made a noise at the door, to intimidate the husband
from his barbarous proceedings. Shortly afterwards,
it would appear that Kerr went out, and returned with
a sister of the deceased, to whom he communicated that
he was afraid his wife, then lying extended in bed,
was dead, which proved in fact to be the case. On the
surgical examination of thedeceased, several wounds,
chiefly on the head, were discovered, and of these one
on the right temple, sufficient to occasion death. Kerr,
since his apprehension, stoutly persists in denying that
he was accessory to the melancholy fate of his wife
Greenock Advertiser, Oct. 20.
A child at Dundee, whose gums were scarified to aid
the teething, died horn loss of blood on the seventh day
after the operation.
Wednesday being the titular day of St. Luke, was
selected as the appropriate day for the new Gothic
Church, of the parish of Frimley, near Blackwater
Military College, to be opened for Divine Service, and
a sermon was preached on the occasion by the Rev.
H. T. AUSTIN, M.A. the perpetual Curate of Bentley,
and Minister of Farnham and a more impressive see
mon was never delivered on any similar occasion by any
divine, with greater eloquence or animation.
Sr. MARYS CHURCH.—Thursday se'nnight the foun-
dation stone of the intended edifice was laid by the
Countess of Surrey, in the commodious piece of ground
on the south side of Sheffield, and which, including the
site of the Church and cemetery, was the munificent do-
nation of his Grace the Duke of Norfolk. The con-
course of spectators was immense—there being probably
15 or 20,000 persons on the spot. Besides the Earl and
Countess of Surrey, there were present at the ceremony
Lord Fitzalan, and his brother Lord E. Howard, Earl
Fitzwilliam, Lord and Lady Wharncliffe, Lord Dundas,
Hugh Parker, Esq. &c.
SCARBOROUGH.—Monday se'nnight an assemblage of
the Subscribers to the proposed New Church, in that
town, took place at the Town Hall. They walked in
procession to the parish church of St. Mary, where an
appropriate sermon was preached by the Vicar; after
which they proceeded to the site of the intended build-
ing, when the ceremony of laying the first stone was
per lot med by the Rev. Jona Klee, M.A. Vicar of
Scarborough. A vast concourse of persons attended,
all anxious to gain a sight of the interesting spectacle.
A Schoolmaster, who resides within ten miles of
Taunton, having by his exertions in the school-room, last Wednes-
day afternoon, made himself rather thirsty, opened his desk to
refresh himself with an apple which be bad not long before deposited
there. To his disappointment it was `one; conjecturing that his
wife, who had jut been there, bad purloined it, he instantly
dis-
patched to her the following ;
Your mother Eve an apple stole,
But ate it not alone ;
She gave a part to that dear soul,
Of whom she was the bone.
I'd have sny Eve at least as kind,
I therefore beg, dear madam,
You wiU another apple find,
And wad it to your Adam.