The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-11-27 00:00:00

A DEATH-BED CONFESSION OF A MURDER.

About forty years ago, a great sensation was created in
Liverpool by the murder of a gentleman of high respectability
in this town. The body was found by a watchman, in an up-
right position, supported by railings which fenced a ship-
wi ight's yard, on land now forming part of the east quay of
the Prince's Dock. The watchman discerning the figure of
a roan (by the light of one of those paltry oil lamps used at
that time) in such a position, supposed he was in a state of
intoxication, and, on being touched, the body fell. The watch-
man sprung his rattle, and several people coming to his as-
sistance the corpse was removed to the dead house. One of
the watch commissioners, on viewing the body the following
morning, recognized it ; and on examination it was disco-
vered that the deceased had met with his death by a fracture
of the skull, executed with a blunt instrumennt. A reward
was offered by the then mayor, and, in consequence, infor-
formation was given to the police that the deceased gentle-
man was lin the hobit of visiting a female in the neighbour-
hood of the place where the body was found, and on the ap-
prehension of that female a watch was taken from her person
which was proved to be the property of the deceased, and so
satisfactory was this fact, with some corroborant circum-
stances, that the prisoner was committed for trial. A stable-
keeper or groom, who was in the habit of going, by the de-
ceased's orders, to fetch his watch, which he had on some
occasions forgotten or purpoSely left with the prisoner, having
casually read in a newspaper that part of the evidence re-
specting the watch, gave such information to the magistrates
that the prisoner was released. In consequence of the re-
ward being so great the constables were on the continual
look out to discover the murderer, but without effect; and
from that time to this the friends of the deceased, who are
now of the first standing in Liverpool in point of wealth anti
respectability, are ignorant of the cause of the murder and
of the name of the murderer, both of which can be given by
the writer of this article; and if this should meet the eye of
one of the deceased's relatives, that information will be con-
veyed through the medium of the publisher of this paper. The
house in which the murder was committed is still standing,
and can be pointed out.
The person who confessed the murder was the widow of the
murderer, who had then been dead many years. The confes-
sion was to the following effect. That she was standing at
the door of her house, and the deceased passing by, being in
a state of intoxication, caugh hold of her; she ran into the
front parlour, and he with her ; she called out, and her hus-
band, who was a pilot, happening to come in at the moment,
took up the poker and killed the deceased at one blow; when
he saw the dreadful effect of the act he wept most bitterly.
In the course of an hour he and his wife began to thiuk bow
the body should be disposed of, when the wife hit upon the
plan of taking the body out, between-twelve and one at night,
being very dark, and rearing it against the railings, where
it was found by the watchman. She said she took the pre-
caution of first ascertaining that the watchman was at a dis-
tance, which she easily did, in consequence of that stupid
old practice of calling out the hour, and as the neighbourhood
there at that time was thinly populated, and little or no pass-
ing at night, they easily placed the body where it was found
without being observed. She lifted the corpse on her hus-
band's back, and he carried it a distance of 200 or 300 yards.
They put out all the lights in the house immediately, and
went to bed, but from the agitated state of their feelings nei-
ther could sleep on that or for many nights afterwards. The
police examined all the houses about, and on one occasion
their's, but fortunately she-said her husband was out on duty
in the pilot boat, otherwise she thinks, as his terror was so
great, he would have discovered his guilt by his agitated
manner. She often determined after her husband died to
confess all the circumstances to the relations of the deceased,
who was a single man, but she was afraid she would be deemed
a principal in the murder, and put upon her trial. She died
on the same day she related these facts.