The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-06-23 00:00:00

CONFESSION. OF COURVOISIER.

(From the Morning Herald of yesterday.)
After the verdict had been returned it was very generally
reported that the prisoner had made a full confession of his
guilt. During the examination that took place of the house
of Lord William Russell, and the plate and other articles,
the attention of Mr. Hobler, the solicitor to the prosecution,
was called to the table-knives belonging to his lordship.
Among them were four large carving-knives, with Damascus
blades and balance ivory handles ; they were all fresh cleaned
when Mr. Hobler saw them, but on a very minute inspection
of one of them he found on the blade, near the handle, a very
small rusty spot, and that this knife, though recently cleaned,
was much duller in appearance than any of the others. He
examined the blade most minutely, but could not find that it
was notched in any part of it ; but, from its general appear-
ance, he was satisfied that that was the very instrument by
which the deceased nobleman had been deprived of his life.
He, consequently, separated it from the rest, and placed it
in the hands of the bankers of the deceased nobleman, in
whose custody it has ever since remained. On Thursday
last, when the unexpected discovery had been made as to
where the missing plate had been deposited, it was carefully
examined by the deceased nobleman's domestics, Sarah
Mencer and Ellis, who at once identified it as the property
of their late master : but the fact of the finding of the pro-
perty was not made known to the prisoner until the follow-
ing (Friday) morning, when Madame Piolane came to New-
gate, and the prisoner- and some other men being mar-
shalled before her in the press-yard, she immediately
identified him as the man by whom the parcel containing
the plate had been left at her house. The fact of the plate
having been discovered, and his identification as the party
leaving it, was communicated to the prisoner, and on hearing
this unexpected intelligence he turned very pale and was ex-
ceedingly agitated, and before the time when he was to be
again placed at the bar of the Central Criminal Court he sent
for his solicitor, Mr. Flower, and at once made the following
confession of his guilt. He stated that on the night of the
fatal transaction he was in the lower part of his lordship's
house in the act of secreting the different articles of plate,
&c., the property of his lordship, in the several places were
they were afterwards found secreted by the police as stated
by them on the trial, when his lordship, who was suddenly
taken unwell, unexpectedly came down stairs, and caught
him in the act of concealing his propqrty in the manner above
stated. The deceased nobleman immediately charged him
with robbing him, and declared that he would discharge him
from his service on the following morning. Finding himself
thus suddenly and unexpectedly detected in plundering his
master, and receiving notice that he would on the following
day be dismissed from his service, he was roused to a state of
phrenzy, and waiting until his lordship had retired to rest, he
then stole softly into his bed-room, and, finding his lordship
was sound asleep, he cut his throat with the very carving-
knife with which Mr. Hobler so justly suspected that the
dreadful deed had been perpetrated. We presume that this
communication on the part of the prisoner entirely changed
the line of defence which his counsel intended to have adopted
for him, for it was generally rumoured that a severe attack
would be made by him on the prisoner's fellow-servants, and
particularly on the police who were engaged in the investiga-
tion. We must, however, do the learned counsel the justice
to state that, with that honourable feeling which has always
characterised his professional career, he did the best he could
for his unfortunate client, at the same time abstaining from
indulging in insinuations respecting the prisoner's fellow-
servants of the police, which he knew at the time he was
addressing the jury were altogether without foundation. It
must be a source of great satisfaction to the jury, who tried
this most important and, up to almost the last moment,
doubtful case, to know that the conclusion to which they
ultimately came was a just one, and that, by returning a
verdict of guilty, they were only, as it were, confirming by
that verdict a confession which had previously been made by
the prisoner.
The prisoner paid great attention to the proceedings
• throughout the whole of yesterday, and displayed none of
that levity which was noticed on Thursday. The court was
crowded in every part during the whole of the day. On the
bench with the, learned judges were the following distin-
guished personages :
Earl Sheffield, Earl Mansfield, Earl Scarborough, Lord
Rivers, Lord A. Lennox, Lord Edward Russell, Lord A.
Paget, Lord Gardner, Sir W. Lumley, Col. Fox, Col. Wood-
ford, Lord Bentinck, Lord F. Gordon, Sir M. Chapman,
Lord Louth, Lord Sondes, Lord Cadogan„ Lady Burghersh,
Lady Sondes, Lady Anson, Lady Granville Somerset, Lady
Charleville, Lady S. Bayley, Lady Georgiana Russell, Lady
• de Clifford, Lady Julia Lockwood, Earl Lucan, Sir S. Can-
ning, Sir G. Stephens, Baron de Cetto—the Bavarian minis-
ter, &c.

CHURCH OF ENGLAND LIFE AND FIRE AS
SURANCE, TRUST, AND ANNUITY INSTITU
TION.

An association has been formed, and is progressing favour-
ably, which, from the objects peculiarly embraced in it, ap-
pears deserving of the attention and support which it is
receiving in various quarters. The " Church of England
Life and Fire Assurance, Trust, and Annuity Institution"
is referred to, which, exclusive of the sound principles, but
unostentatious parade of promises, more than safely can be
held out with a view to certain realisation, possesses the ad-
ditional claim upon the,public patronage, but more especially
upon the earnest co-olieration of the clergy of the establish-
ment all over the empire, in the fact of the devotion of a con-
siderable portion of the profits which are likely to be derived
from the undertaking to the very laudable purpose'of creating
a " clergy fund" for distressed clergymen or their families ;
to whom moreover, whilst this fund is in gradual course of
accumulation to an amount equal to the more assured and
permanent fulfilment of its object, an additional advantage is
presented in economical facilities afforded for provident par-
ticipation in the benefits of life assurance. The two para-
graphs subjoined will best explain the modus operandi by
which each is to be effected :

" By the constitution of the company. guaranteed by its
deed of settlement, one clear tenth of the entire profits of
the association will be applied to the formation of a fund, to
be called the " Clergy Fund," to be vested in trustees (two-
thirds of such trustees to consist of clergymen of the esta-
blished churches, to be appointed by the general meeting of
the shareholders), to constitute an increasing and perpetual
provision for distressed and deserving clergymen, and their
widows and children, when recommended by the bishops or
the clergy of their respective localities; and generally to meet
such other charitable objects, connected with the clergy, as
may from time to time arise. .

This fund not being immediately available for all those
benevolent purposes, it is contemplated to anticipate one of
its chief objects, by insuring the lives of necessitous clergy.
men, and enabling congregations to do so, or otherwise pro-
viding for them, at a reduced premium."
By such philanthropic arrangements the shareholders, far
from sustaining loss, are likely to derive increase of profit ;
for the beneficial interest thus conceded must operate power-
fully to encourage the exertions of a body of men so influen-
tial and venerated as the clergy, to diffuse a more general
conviction of the importance, the prudence, and the necessity
of life assurance, or contingent provision by deferred or other
annuity for families, by the heads and natural protectors.
In this way a large accession of profitable business will be
brought to the office, and the tithe appropriated to the pur-
poses of benevolence may be returned one hundred fold to
the proprietary. The two professions of the law and medi-
cine are respectably and commendably represented in cor-
responding institutions ; and the clergy of the establishment
have now one also, which they may call their own.—City
Article
_of the Morning Herald.