Star.
London, England, 1826-11-09 00:00:00

NEW CHARGE AGAINST WILLIAM PAGE.

Some days:prior to the examination of William Page,
alias " Cobbler Will," who was suspected of having
been implicateei the murders recently perpetrated at
Fetchaus, mid the account of whose examination before
the Rev. MT; BOLLAND and .others, appeared in the
STAR of yesterday, information wds received at Union
Hall police-office, that he had bein concerned in-the
crime of horse•stealing to a considerable extent in
Hampshire, besides being implicated in the commission
of various felonies in the county of Sarrey. The Magis-
tratet of the above office, acting upon the alleged facts,
with respect to the charges against Page, immediately
directed one of the officers belonging to that estab-
lishment, to proceed forthwith ,to Fetcham, or whither
he had gone subsequent to the investigation that
had taken place on Sunday before Mr. Bolland,
and take him into custody. . Grassmith, the officer,
accordingly left town on Tuesday morning, and
on his arrival at Fetcham, had an interview with
the above-named Magistrate, to whom he made
known the business upon which he had come.—
Mr. Bolland accompanied the officer to the Bellisublic-
house, where Page and Mary Ayres had taken up their
abode since their arrival in that part of the country.
Grassmith, on seeing the man be wanted, and having
been previously informed that those who apprehended
him had not examined his clothes, in order to discover
whether he had in his possession any article that was
likely to implicate him in the murders, commenced that
task, observing to Page that he must submit to have his
pockets, as well as the whole of his luggage, thoroughly
searched. Page, in an angry tone, said, " that' it was a
hard case that he should be liable to be pulled about,
and have his pockets turned inside out by a police offi-
cer, after having undergone an examination, on a charge
of which be was proved to be innocent, and the result
of which led to his final discharge only a day or two
before." Grassmith, however, insisted upon the per-
formance of that very important part of his duty, and,
at length, after some resistance on the part of Page, took
from his small clothes pocket a . very ancient silver
watch, with the maker's name " Sampson, London,"
engraved on the inside of the case. Mr. Bolland, on
the discovery ofthis watch, asked Page whether he was
inclined to give any account of the manner in which he
had become possessed of the article ? Page, in a morose
tone, at first refused to disclose where he had got it;
but upon Grassmith pressing him, by observing, that it
he had come honestly by it, assuredly he could have no
scruples in answering the question. Page then with an
oath said, "Poll gave it me, and that was the way I
got it." (It may be necessary to state here, that Page
is a most abandoned and profligate character, having
been chiefly supported by Mary Ayres, since they have
cohabited together, by the wages of her prostitution).
The fellow having indulged for some time in language
of the most obscene description before the Magistrate,
Grassmith threatened to place the handcuffs upon him
if he did net desist ; upon which Watson, the constable
of Weybridge, who took him into custody oa Saturday,
and who was in attendance on the present occasion, ob-
served--" This is the way in which he has behaved all
along to me." Watson had no sooner uttered the words,
than Page, who seems to be a most violent fellow,
doubling up his fist and running towards him, notwith-
standing the presence of the Magistrate and several
other persons, gave him a blow in the face that cap-
sizedand laid him at the ft:roof the table. Grassmith,
seeing Page bent upon mischief, was under the neces-
sky of handcuffing him, to preserve any thing like
decorum. On further search of his person, a silver
tea-spoon was taken from his waistcoat pocket, the
initials and marks on whrch appeared to have been
very recently erased. Grassmith, who is a very intel-
ligent officer, finding that there was considerable mys-
tery attached to the prisoner's conduct, he also having
refused to give a satisfactory account of the possession of
the spoon, proceeded to examine one of his bundles, the
remainder having been left behind either at Oakshot or
Weybridge, and in it found a garment belonging to the
woman, which had spots of blood on the upper part of
it. On Page being questioned as to the cause of the
marks, he accounted for them, by saying that they arose
in consequence of its having been thrown over their
donky, whose back was cut and bled a good deal. Some
spots that had a good deal the appearance of blood
were also visible on a waistcoat belonging to him, which
he attributed to the same cause. Under all the circum-
stances, Mr. Bolland remanded the'prisoner for further
examination, and he was accordingly given over into the
custody of Grassmith, who conveyed him to town, and
lodged him in Horsemonger-lane gaol.
It appears that the constable who first apprehended
the suspected persons, omitted that most essential part
of his duty, namely, examining the whole of their per-
sons and luggage, in order to ascertain whether there
was any property or article therein belonging to Ake-
hurst or his housekeeper. Even the tools with which
Page worked at his trade were overlooked. In fact, so
little knowledge of the business of " thief-taking" was
displayed on the present occasion, that Grassmith left
town again yesterday morning for the purpose of mi-
nutely examining avery article in the possession of Page
and Mary Ayres. The Magistrates of Union-hall di-
rected the whole of his tools to be brought up to town
in order to discover whether he bad such a weapon
amongst them that was likely to have inflicted the
wounds which were observable on the skulls of the
murdered person,. The surgeon who examined the
bodies- would be enabled to describe accurately the
weapon with which the blows were inflicted.
In the course of yesterday a letter was received from
Maidstone, addressed to the Magistrates of Union•hall,
stating that a map nick-named " Screw," who it will be
recollected gave some important information to the offi-
cers on the subject of the murders, will be in town im-
mediately. The man will attend at the police office on
the examination of Page, as the Magistrates there con-
ceive there is still considerable suspicion attached to
him respecting the murders.

MA NCR EsTea, Nov. 7.—To.day's has been the flattest
market we have had for several months. Sellers, after
having experienced two very dull market-days in suc-
cession, were disposed to sell at very low prices; but
buyers were not to be tempted, and scarcely anything
was done either in goods or twist.
'The forthcoming New S:ries of O'Hara Tales, con
lists, we understand, of Two Stories: one called the Nowlans,
the other, Peter of the Castle—both are less marked with politi-
cal features than the First Series. The Nowlaitts exhibits the strug-
gles and sufferings, before and after a Breach of his Ordination
Vows, of a young Roman Catholic Priest, and the miseries of a
sister, partly resulting front his fall, partly on account of her being
abandoned after a marriage nut recognized by existing law. Peter
of the Castle details a peculiar case of the moral influence, in Ire-
land. to a religious ordinance, and is also drawn fruni the writings
of human passion, and illustrated by local scenes, Lairs, and real
characters.—Miming Chronicle.