The Sun. — 1862-02-19 (London, England)

LOVER.  At the Special Petty Sessions, held at Guil dford, yesterday morning, Alfred Edward Stevens. a. young man aged about eighteen, the son of a tradesman at Chobham, was charged with shooting Eliza, Dewberry, Nith intent to murder her. The circumstances of the case are of an extraordinary character, and great 'excitement prevails in the: neighbourhood wh, ctre tl..e crime was committed. The following is the .subs,,ance of the evidence adduced yesterday, whejt Ir. Humphreys, jun., of Newgate-street, instru.c"'ed by the authorities at Scotland yard, through the, ,instrumentality of Sir Denis Le Merchant, Bart., whose mansion is at Chobham place, conducted ate prosecution. The prisoner was undefended. The' girl, Elize Dewberry, who is 22 year of age, was living last December in the service of Mr. Lake, of Chobham, and the prisoner wished to keep company with her, but his overtures were rejected. This disappointment seems to have worked upon tike young man's mind so much that he is supposed to have made two attempts to take Eliza Dewberry's ht.'. One evening, about a week before Christmas, wen Mr. and Mrs. Lake were sitting in their drawing'-room, the girl had occasion to pass between the lamii and the window, and, almost immediately afterwards a gun was fired through the window, and a bullet, which passed within four inches of Mr. Lake's head, broke the lamp and the looking-glass, and rebounded without injuring any one. The authorities at Seatland-yard were communicated with by Sir Dens Le Merchant, and Detective Whicher went down. to Chobham to make inquiries, and had an interview with Stevens, who was suspected at that time, but nothing resulted from these proceedings, although a reward of £5O As offered by Mr. Lake for the discovery of the offender. At the end of January Eliza Dewberry left her situation and went to reside with her parents at Sutton, near Guildford, where, on the 13th inst., the offence with which the prisoner stands charged was committed. On the 9th of this month Stevens called sh at Dewberry's cottage and asked to see the igirles,, but the mother, knowing her daughter's' W said she was from home. About half-past seven o'clock on Thursday night Mrs. Dewberry and her daughter were Pitting in the kitchen, which feces the high road, when they heard the report of firearms, and two pallets passed immediately over their heads and struck the opposite wall. The escape of both women is most remarkable, for they were sitting in a line, and the daughter, who was between the candle and window, within five feet of the latter, was in the act of stooping the moment the gun was fired, The shadow of the daughter would fall upon the blind, and the cottage is low built, so that a gun might easily be fired from the garden into the kitchen. Several persons saw the prisoner walking in the direction of Sutton, between 6 and 7 on Thursday night, and returning towards Chobham between 8 and 9. Nearly all of them noticed that he carried something under his coat, and one womam swore positively that he had a gun. A girl named' Emma Fricker was walking past Dewberry's house at the hour in question, and saw prisoner standing before it. When he noticed her he walked away, but before she had gone many yards she heard a gun fired, and, turning round, saw some one running away in the direction of Chobham. This witness saw no other person in the neighbourhood of Dewberry's cottage that evening. The young man was arrested next morning at his father's house, where the police found a gun which bore marks of having been recently discharged. The prisoner, who merely said he was innocent of the charge, was committed to take his trial at the next Surrey Assizes.