The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1842-10-18 00:00:00

THE MURDER AT STANLEY, DERBYSHIRE.

(From the Derby Reporter.)
In the account of the capture of Bonsall and Bland it is
stated that a third person connected with the burglary and
murder had absconded to Leek, whither Hawkins, the con-
stable, had pursued him. On arriving at Leek Hawkins
went to the house of Holmes's parents, and desired to know
where their son was. At first the father denied all know-
ledge of him. Hawkins, however, searched the house, and
found what is called a sweep's budget (or wallet), contain-
ing some articles supposed to have been stolen from Miss
Goddard's, whereupon he took Holmes' father into custody.
The father then became more communicative, and told
Hawkins that his son had gone back to Heage for his brush
and other things ; and after Hawkins had satisfied himself of
the truth of this statement, he left the articles found in the
budget in charge of the Leek constable, and immediately
returned to Heage. Here he learnt that Holmes had indeed
been in the neighbourhood of Heage, but that he had sent
his lad to his lodgings for the articles be wanted. Informa-
tion was conveyed to Hawkins that Holmes had gone in the
direction of Castle Donington, or Loughborough, and on
Friday morning he went in pursuit ; but it turns out, that
as soon as Holmes had secured his brushes, &c., he returned
to the neighbourhood of Leek, and secreted himself in a
wood about a mile from that town. In the meantime hand-
bills were issued, offering a reward of £5O for his detection.
Some time in the course of Friday a sweep, well acquainted
with Holmes, saw him in this wood, and communicated with
Keetes, the Leek constable. A trap was then set for him.
A stranger was sent to Holmes's mother, who told her that
the Heap constables were after her son. The mother, in a
state of great trepidation, immediately posted off to Keetes,
and asked him confidentially, "as a friend," what her son
had better do under the circumstances. Keetes told her that
he had better fetch his budget, and be off out of the country.
The bait took : Holmes left the wood and went to his father's
on Friday night for his budget, and the constable (who was
lying in wait for him) followed him into the house and took
him into custody,
On the following morning he expressed a wish to be taken
before a magistrate, and when there, after having been cau-
tioned in the usual manner, he made a full confession, licking
himself clean of any participation in the murder. His state-
ment, in brief, was this :—About eight o'clock on the night
of the burglary and murder, Bonsall came to his house and
wished him to accompany him to Stanley, stating there was
plenty of money to be obtained at Miss Goddard's. Holmes
agreed to do so, and Bonsall then went to Bland's, in whose
company he shortly afterwards returned, and all three then
went to Stanley, where they arrived towards 11 or 12 o'clock.
On arriving at the house, they observed a light in the house-
place, and they remained some time before they attempted
an entrance. Between 12 and 1 Bonsai! removed the slate
from the roof of the coal-house, and then got through the
aperture, Holmes himself following. Bland they let in at the
back door. As soon as they got into the coal-house, they
saw Miss Sarah Goddard approaching them. Bonsall
struck her down" and beat and kicked her, but she es-
caped from them and ran up stairs into her own room, the
door of which she bolted, Bonsai! followed her, broke open
the door, and again beat and kicked her, demanding a £5
note, which, he said, she had. She gave Bonsai! two sove-
reigns and some silver. Bonsai'. lighted a lucifer-match, and
pulled out his knife to cut her throat, but Holmes said,
" Nay, we'll have no murder, however." Bonsall then
went to the bedroom of Miss Goddard (the deceased), which,
being fastened, he broke open. Miss Goddard was just in
the act of getting out of bed in great fright, and on seeing
them enter she screamed, whereupon Bonsall struck her over
the head several times with an iron "jemmy," and she fell
as if dead. After ransacking the house they left it. Holmes
had 14s. of the money as his share, This, in substance, is
his confession. He says Bland did not accompany them to
either of the two former robberies at Miss Goddard's, and
that he took no part in the murder, although he was present
as well as himself, One " Phil Donaghan," who resides at
Wirksworth, was, he says, a party in the former robberies,
and has a pair of trousers made out of some cloth they stole
on one of those occasions. He denies striking a blow at all
himself.
On Monday, Holmes was taken to Stanley, and identified
by Miss Sarah Goddard as one of the two persons she saw in
the coal-house. She did not see a third person. She says
Holmes struck her first ; and then Bonsall shook his fists at
her " in a stern savage manner," and knocked her down and
beat her with an iron bar.
Bland's statement, as far as we yet know it, is to the effect
that Holmes struck Miss Sarah Goddard first, and that
Bonsail followed up the blow; and that Holmes was strug-
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tthhee
jemmy. Hew Hweheanayßa,onasftaellr
Bstarauscakilhaeardoliveerhntteies
had been upstairs, they came down again, and threatened to
knock his brains out if he did not "go up with them." He
also states, that after the murder had been committed he re-
fused to assist in packing up the stolen articles ; but they
again threatened, and compelled him.
Bonsall, we understand, gives something like this as his
version :
Between seven and eight o'clock on the night of the mur-
der, Holmes and he were together at his house. Holmes,
he says, proposed to go and rob Miss Goddard's house ; but
he (Bonsall) wished to go and rob a tan-yard at Chesterfield,
there being no house within a hundred yards of it. Holmes
demurred • and they subsequently agreed to go to Stanley,
whither Bland accompanied them. They reached Stanley
between ten and eleven o'clock, and observed a light in the
house. After lingering about, Miss Sarah Goddard suddenly
emerged from the house, and went into the garden. They
waited until she had returned, and had (as they thought)
sufficient time to go to bed, when they removed the slates,
and Holmes and he got through. Miss Sarah Goddard,
however, met them near the coal-house, and Holmes imme-
diately knocked her down and then drove her up stairs.
They followed her up stairs and demanded money ; and after-
wards went into the bedroom of the deceased Miss Goddard,
who was getting out of bed. She screamed, and exclaimed,
" Men, men, what do you want ?" To this they replied,
" Money." She said she had not any ; and he (Bonsai')
called her a , and told her she had money, and money
they would have. She made a rush towards the door, and
Holmes knocked her back again and then murdered her.
Bonsall says he made the " jemmy" out of an old poker,
and has hid it,- together with most of the articles stolen, in a
garden, but he does not say where.
The prisoners will be finally examined on Saturday.
The two persons named Keeling and Green, who were
taken into custody on suspicion, were set at liberty on Thurs-
day evening.