Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1861-12-27 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

THE BILSTON MURDER-CONFESSION OF ONE OF THE CULPRITS.  On Saturday morning last the culprit Maddox made a confession to the principal turnkey in the Stafford County Gaol, in which he is confined with the other two condemned men. Jones and Brandrick--each one, however, in a separate cell. Maddox's is a "familiar face" in the cells of the gaol, and the turnkey visited him with the regular warder to evidence the interest which he took in him on that account. Maddox availed himself of the opportunity to say that the right men had been convicted. inasmuch as only he himself and Jones and Brandrick were concerned either in the burglary or in the murder. He said that it was Brmidrick who cut away a portion of the cellar door, by which the bolt was drawn back, and access obtained to the interior of the house. Brandrick, he said, then rushed across the passage and into the room where the deceased was sitting, and, clutching him by the throat as he sat in his chair, forced him to the ground. Jones then assisted by picking up the tire-shovel, and he thought pressing the bottom edge of the pan beneath their victim's chin. Of the use which Jones made of the shovel he was not, however, he said, quite clear, as he did not enter the room where the murder was perpetrated, and saw what he described only through the partly °riled door. Whilst Brandrick and Jones were thus engaged on the ground flour he (Maddox) went upstairs with a view to get the money; but he c iuld not succeed, and came down again and said so. Brandrick then' went up armed with the small hatchet obtained from the cellar, where it had been used to break the coal. With this instrument he succeeded in forcing the locks of the chest of drawers, and of the cash-box, which was kept in that piece of furniture, and thus obtained possession of, he (Maddox) thought, about £lOO. But he (Maddox) and Tones did not get their share of that money, for Brandrick had said that he lust it in " running the policeman," but he (Maddox) thought that he left it in his father's house when he went in there on the morning of the murder. Maddox added that they went into the house twice, and said that generally the evidence given amongst them was correct, and especially that of the woman who saw him leaning on a wall near Brandrick's father's house waiting for his (Brandrick'N) coming out—all after they had " run" the policeman Harrison, who intercepted them as they were leaving the house of the murdered mau, and nearing that of Brandrick, carrying with them a portion of their booty. It will be remembered that it was Maddox who made a voluminous statement to the magistrates at lidston, which proved him to be au accessary to the burglary, but in which he denied that he entered the house with Jones and Brandrick, although lie ran away with them after they left the house. Although this second statemert makes him a part trips criminis in the murder, yet its comparatively lenient tone towards himself may leave it to be fairly inferred that it will not be before Jones and Brandrick have unburdened their bosoms that all the truth will be known. The convicted men do not display much emotion in prospect of their terrible death, which it is at present understood will take place at eight o'clock on the morning of Saturday, the sth of next month.  It is stated that the excitement for information through the various telegraph companies since the unfortunate calamity of the Prince Consort's death and the American difficulty, has never been exceeded, the wires being in constant operation night and day. During the respective periods of the Russian war and the Indian mutiny there was a great desire to ascertain „:ews, hut the present agitation and anxiety appear to he much greater than that which was then witnessed.