The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1838-11-27 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

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 upright position, supported by railings which fenced a shipwi 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 watchman sprung his rattle, and several people coming to his assistance 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 discovered 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, inforformation was given to the police that the deceased gentleman was lin the hobit of visiting a female in the neighbourhood of the place where the body was found, and on the apprehension 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 circumstances, that the prisoner was committed for trial. A stablekeeper or groom, who was in the habit of going, by the deceased'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 respecting the watch, gave such information to the magistrates that the prisoner was released. In consequence of the reward 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 conveyed 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 confession 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 husband, 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 precaution of first ascertaining that the watchman was at a distance, 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 passing at night, they easily placed the body where it was found without being observed. She lifted the corpse on her husband'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 neither 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.