The Sun. — 1853-05-19 (London, England)

THE MURDER AT BACTON RECTORY.  The police have at length succeeded in apprehending a man who is supposed to have been the perpetrator of the horrible murder of Maria Steggles, the aged housekeeper of the Rev. E. B. Barker, at Bacton Rectory, on the morning of Sunday, the Bth instant. He is a labourer, named Wm. Flatt, about twenty years of age, and lived in the village of Bacton. His character is a very indifferent one, and he appears to have been several times summarily convicted by the magistrates—once for stealing lead from the parish church. He generally went about in a very reduced state, his clothes were ragged, and he had the usual look of an idle tramp. The circumstances which gave rise to his arrest are these. During the latter part of last week Flatt was found in Bury, regaling himself in rather a profuse manner, at the Shoulder of Mutton beer-shop, Long Brackland. He spent a considerable sum in drink, and expended as much as 1/. ss. for some new clothes. In the course of Thursday night he gave one of the men who were carousing with him into custody for robbing hini of a canvass bag containing Bs. 6d. The party was detained, but Flatt did not appear on the following morning to support the charge. He seems to have returned to the neighbourhood of Bacton. The police were subsequently apprised of his doings at Bury, and the unusual circumstance of his having so much money about him. His explanations were very vague and contradictory as to how he became possessed of it, and how he happened to go to Bury. In order to ascertain the correctness or otherwise of his representations, the police accompanied him to that town on Monday, and inquiries were instituted as to his movements. His story was not confirmed, and the police then deemed it prudent to arrest him on suspicion of being concerned in some way with the dreadful crime. He was removed back to Bacton for examination before the magistrates, and more minute inquiries led to a greater clue being obtained, which, it is thought, will connect him more strongly with the crime. It will be remembered that the old lady was left alone in the house at about half-past ten, and circumstances have led to the belief that the murder was committed shortly after eleven, her reverend master and the servant girl having, doubtless, been watched out by the guilty party, in order to accomplish his dreadful object. Flatt had a tolerably good knowledge of the character of the premises of the rectory, and it appears that only a few days previous to the murder he had been there inquiring for employment. On the Sunday morning the deed was committed Flatt was seen in the vicinity of the rectory at about half-past ten o'clock, and between half-past eleven and twelve o'clock was met some five fields off the rectory, in a direction from the back of it towards the cottage where he lived. Some footsteps were traced at the rear of the house, which corresponded with the marks upon some soil which was found on the floor of the kitchen neaa where the tragedy was perpetrated. This gave rise to the supposition that the murderer had taken flight from the back of the rectory. The accused has undergone an examination before the magistrates, the Rev. D. Day, Rev. G. E. Frere, and the Rev. R. Alderson, but it was conducted quite in private, nothing being allowed to transpire. It is understood that Flatt was remanded, in order to allow the police time to sift other suspicious facts against him, when the whole matter will be gone into. As yet, all search has failed in discovering the weapon which was used in destroying the deceased. A number of labourers are' engaged in dragging the moat which surrounds the house, in the hope of finding it, it being thought very probable that the murderer threw it in there on making his escape.