Star.
London, England, 1817-01-06 00:00:00

MURDER OF LIEUTENANT JOHNSON.

THAttES POLICE OFFIC6.---Saturday Raiaa and
Hatton were again brought op for examination. B
fore they appeared at the bar, Mr. 11.1NNA!:1) ordered
into the Office the King's evid.mci!, Gidlons, and
addressed him in the following cianticr:--.. Giddons,
when you brought forward this tremendous accusa-
tion against Hatton and Raines at Cle!kenwell,
admonished you upon the importance of the erctim-
stance. 1 again call upon you to consider the etern..l
responsihility which you take upon yourself, and en-
treat you, not to add to the other crimes of which you
have been guilty, that of attempting to destroy inno-
cent men. At the same time, I call upon you, if
the:e is troth in what you have deciared, not to suffix
tear to influence you to the concealment of any tact
connected with so atroci ,us a case. It your evidence
is false, it is not too late to retract. Do you or do
you not persevere in saying that these two meu,
Raices and Hatton, were the murderers of Lieute-
nant Johnson ?"

Giddons—,. I do certainly."
Mr. KlNNtnb--.You, on your oath, charge those
two m:n with the robbery and murder of Lieutenant
Johns•ln ?"
Giticlons" I declare it before G^•n."

Mr. KlNNann—., How many were concerned "
Giddons--,, Four men and one woman ; we met
the woman at the Bricklayers' Arms."
Raines and Hatton wile then conducted into the
Office, and Mr. Kinnard continued tiie examination.
Mr. KINNAtcn Have you any reason to suppose,
Giddons, that the woman WAS acquainted with the
premeditated plan ?"
Giddons-6, I do not think she was ; she was pick-
ed up by the man whose name we did not know, at
the Bricklayers' Arms, at about eleven o'clock ; she
accompanied us to the Swan, in the Kent road, where
we had a glass of rum, and was with us when the
thing was proposed and adopted. I have never been
at the Swan since that night. I remember we met a
person or two after we lett the Swan, near Peckham-
lane, but we did not speak to them."
Mr. KINNARD—i I shall now ask you a question
of the greatest importance. Was the night on which
'the murder took place dark or motmloqiit?"
Giddons —" The time is so distant, and the cir-
cumstances are so dr.:ailful, I cannot charge my me-
mory with that 1.1c,.11

Mr. SININIONS, 11Z chief Clerk, here observed.
that that fact had b !en ascertained at the period of
the inquest.
Gittdoits then described the agreement between
him and his ass)ciates. to rob the person whom they
heard coming behind them; repeated the laoguage
of Raines. and said, tnere Witi no hesitation on the
part of any of them to commit the robbery. I, The
place," said he, .‘ where we stopped Lieutenant
Johnson, was at the left-hand sid of the road, near
whith was a ditch. at the ter side of the ditch we. 9
a hedge. and inside was a field. I remember i;
I. dirknot ace a gate to the field, 1)::t there might
nave been one; and I believe there is stot:e new t: c
spot where the murder was committed. 11.::eu I *as
in the ditch, into which I had been knocked ny Lieu-
tenant Johnson, 1 heard the rest running, I r:Unit to-
, wards Deptford. In about a quarter of An hour they
returned; I mean Raines and Hatton, and the other
man whose name I did not know. The woman was
not With them; and I never saw het since."

The prisoner Hatton—.. 1 don't think you ever
saw her."

Gichions continued-14 I was lying in the ditch
when they came to me, and could not rise, from die
blows I had received. Finding that I was helpless,
they pulled me over the hank into the field, when
they left me. It was past twelve o'clock, I think,
and I must have staid in the field about two hours.
When they left 'me, which was soon after they pulled
me into the field, I heard no person pass along the
read; my wrist was eery bad, but when I was at all
able to move, I made an effort, and got over the
hedge down the bank into the road. I then went
straight lionie, but did not see the body of Lieutenant
Johnson in my way. My wife let me in, she had no
light, sod I washed my eye with water, and my
wrist with vinegar, and dent to bed. The only reply
I gave to her question Where 1 had been?' was.
' that I bad been drinking.' When I arose I told
her I had been in a row, and had hurt my wrist ; my
wife ptocored some stuff for my wrist from a drug.
gist, after which I went to the Lower Water-
gate, and sat on a bench. The day before the mur-
der I was not at any work, but I cannot "say how long
I had been unemployed. I worked about the time
of which I speak occasionally in company with Hat-
ton, but I cannot say where Raines worked. I made
a mistake in saying that I saw the two prisoners the
night after the murder, it was two nights, or pc! !labs
three, afterwards. They carne to me, as I said he-
fore, accompanied by the thitd man, anu gave me
the AZ. saying they were going :,. Nortiille;.t to 1. c k
for work. I repeatedly asked Hatton what r:,.:ncy
had been taken from Lieutenant Joliiison? but ihi.. only
answer I received was, that ' I had get my share.'"
Giddons then described the public-house cn L ciden..
hall-street, 'attire they had been dritir.in6, adding,
" It is not now in existence." . .

1-111•NAIW.-" Had you any knives amongst
you r'
G:ddons...." I had no Inife, and I cannot say Whe-
ther any of the rest had any."
Mr. KINNARD-•-" Had you nothing to eat from the
time that you went to Leadenhall-street i"
Giddons—"
Mr. Kts:sAno—g, Have you heard of a little silver
instrument amongst those concerned in the murder?''
Giddons--4, 1 did hear of such a thing, but 1 know
nothing of it."
Mr. KiNNAttn--'s Do you know vehtther any one
of yc ur associates wits wounded in the conflict ?"
GiJdcns--44 Not one of those construed in de
murder was wounded but myself."
Mr. Simmons—" How did you learn any thing
respecting the silver tube
Giddons—" In a general conversation amongst
thirty or forty people i heard it spoken of; but I
never heard either of the prisoners say any thing
about it."
In answer to several other questions from Mr. KIN-
YARD, GidJuns said, that, to the best of his recol.
lection, the day of the murder was either Thursday
or Friday. He was dressed in a blue jacket ad 4

e,ovas trowsers at the time, being employed as a
His ACCiMpIiCIS, I latton, Haines, And the
5.;...rige man, were dressed iu the sati,e manner.
I r this rtiod B.t the inwstiwttion Raines WAS re-
trosett ti our: Oilice, and the Magistrate ..ske.l
Hatton wi zt-irr he had any question to ask the wit-
n..ns ? Ilattcn noere;y (.61;44 ,h,:t he boon ci,:k-
cerned in the murder ; said Oe WAS At V+
at the time GotAilAl:9 SWOIC he was hy,king :or wet k,
and that l-e could prove Ins ;n.tucalt:.!.
Mr. KINNARD —" C3ll rot ;Hove where you were
at the, time dm r was committed r
. Mr. P:ice. Su;icitor to the two prisoners, objected
to this ques,ion, t:bs-tviag, that Hatton was an ig-
D3rant man, and rr.i;l:t say something calculated
prejudice Isis CASE.
Mr. KINNARD said, he was anxious to trace all the
eitcurnitances of this case, and would adhere to the
the pt isomers, as well as to that of the pro-
se. :vim). His object was to fix upon the guilty per.
turns, and on a charge of a murder ceremony would
not be very excusable.
11.4tfin....." &foie I can prove what you ask fur,
1 must send kir my landlord and my club. Giddons
is A Vlll4lll in grain, and it will be seen."
Mr. KIIIWARD Were you working at Deptford
about the time of the murder V'
Havon...." I can't recollect where I was, nor even
how niany years it is since the murder took place."
Mr. KINSARD" Next February it will be eight

years."
Hatton—sr Th it man before your Worship swears
false, as sere as there is a Goo above, and I hope
Gun will reward him for it yet. I did not know
where the East Indi i-;ioese was at that time. I did
not know Giddons at that time."
Giddefrisa 1 can prove this moment that yon
knew me well• lung beiore that time ; you worke
with me for a Geatteman, now in this Office, ten
years ago and upwards; Mi. Hamrock, who sits
near us, can tell whether this is the case."
M. Hamrock, upon being questioned by the Ma-
Magistrate, confirmed this contradiction given by
Giddons.
Hatton was then removed into another room, and
Raines was brought in. The Magistrate asked whe-
ther he had any question to put to Giddons Raines
replied, that he had nothing to say, bat that he ass
innocent, and that he trusted .he could bring proof
of an alibi, if the time was pointed out to him. Mt.
Kinnard having told him it was the first week of
February, 18.09, Raines said he believed he was at
Chatham at that titue.—Hatton was again put to the
bar, next to Raines.
Mr. KINNARD said, " Once more, Giddons, I ask
you, is all this Due ? Is there no reservation ! It
is not too late to retract, and the safety of your
im-
mortal soul is concerned."
Giddons answered as before. The prisoners both
cried out, We are innocent; that villain will
suffer."
Mrs. Giddonl received a similar admonition from
the Magistrate. She deposed, that she heard her
husband say, that a silver instrument, of which there
was some talk &calm time of the murder, had been
pledged at a pawnbroker's at Greenwich ; her bus.
band and'Hatton were very istimate ; she had gone
down to Ports-mouth with (tough and Edwards, for
the purpose of idelitifjing Raines, who she heard
was at work there. The instant she saw him, she
knew him. She remembered her husband leiving
told her that he had broken his wrist, but could not
say whether it was the day after. or two days after
the murder ; she did not remember that Raines bad
callid soon after that, and asked her husband whether
be had any news, but had a strong recollection that
Hatton did so ; she had no suspicion that they were
concerned in the murder, but from what she had
beard from her husband•long before Hatton and her
. husband were apprehended for the robberies; her
husband spewed a wish to tell her more, but she
would not listen w it.
Mr. Johnson, brother to the deceased, was then
called upon by Mr. KINNARD, and he stated, that
the idea concerning die silver tube was quite errone-
ous. The murder of his brother took place on the
first Friday night in Pebruary. He went dawn to
the spot in wheh the body lay on Sunday morning.
• Here a Gentleman named Willats, who resides in
Brewer-street, Golden-square, stepped forward and
said, that Lieutenant Jelitison had dined with him on
that Friday, and left him at four o'clock, with the
intention of going in, the coach to Gravesend. The
witness heard nothing of the Lieutenant until he heard
of his death. He supposed that the Lieutenant was
too late.for the coash, and that he walked towards
Woolwich, for the purpose of taking leave 4C:opt.
Ellison, who was his intimate friend. When he left'
Mr. Willats he was perfectly sober.
Mr. Johnson then resumed his statement. He heard
from a hair-dresser, whose bill was found in the
pocket of the deceased, that his brother bad been
murdered. Upon King where the body lay he found
it naked in an old out-house. The body was greatly
mangled, upwards of halt a dozen gashes in the
throat ; the thumb of one hand was nearly cut off,
and the other hand was almost cut to pieces.
Mr. Brown, Elder of the East India Pepper ware.
house, Blackwall, stated, that Raines was, about the
time of the murder, a punctual workman there. The
hours of work were from eight to three, and the
• name of Raines was marked in attendance until three
o'clock in the afternoon on the day of the night of
the murder.—Mr. Johnson being a professional man
was requested to examine the wrist of Giddons. He
did so, and reported that the joint appeared to have
been much injured, but he did not think the arm
had been broken.
The Magistrate asked Giddons (who was not pre-
sent when Mr. Brown gave his evidence) at what
hour Raines and Hatton went to him, at the Lower
watergate, previously to their going to London to
look for work at the India-house. Giddons replied
that it was after four o'clock.—As soon as both the
prisoners were sent back to prison, Mr. KINNARD
questiOned Giddons uponthe subject of an extensive
robbery in Dartford; but Giddons assured the Ma-
, gistrate.that he had no concern in it. Before Gid.
dons left the office he solemnly repeated that every
word he had said was true. He said Thar Hatton's
denial of the Epsom robbery was like his denial of
tile murder; but an acknowledgment of the former
',weal what credit should be given to his perstve-
tante in deoziag the law. Hatton has already


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