The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — 1840-06-26 (Liverpool, Merseyside, England)

FRANCOIS BENJAMIN COURVOISIER.” " Prison of Newgate, June 23." " This declaration was made before me this 23d June, 1840. "WILLIAM EVANS, Sheriff." In the conversation which sheriff Evans had on the day this declaration was made, and which lasted for an hour, the murderer assured the sheriff that there was no truth in the statement that Lord William Russell had gone down stairs,. and, after charging him with dishonesty, threatened to discharge him next day without a character. Nothing at all of the kind had occurred. His lordship never went down stairs in the night at all, and never threatened anything of the sort. His Lordship had certainly spoken to him in a cross tone, and told him to be more attentive to his business, but that was all. There was no further provocation. The Sheriff having expre:=sed some surprise at the variance between the two accounts, `,the murderer said that his uncle had entreated him most solemnly to tell the facts exactly as they occurred, and he determined to state nothing but what was accurately correct. He therefore acknowledged, not only that he had committed the murder under the circumstances just described, but that he had contemplated the murder and robbery for a week previously. _ The Sheriff questioned him a good deal upon the acknow ledgment that rie had so long contemplated the murder, as well as the robbery, and he persisted in stating that the murder was premeditated, and not as had been previously stated, the suggestion of despair at losing his character. He declared, and he wished the Sheriff to let it be known to the world, that the idea was first suggested to him by reading and seeing the performance of Jack Sheppard. The book containing the history, of jack -Shegpard had been lent him by one of the servants of the. Duke of Bedford, and he lamented that he had ever seen it.  Upon being asked by the Sheriff whether he had committed any other atrocities ; he replied that he had merely stolen two books belonging to Mr. Fector, when in that gentleman's  service.  " I am most anxious," said the Sheriff, " to know whether there is any foundation in the report which has got abroad that you had something to do with the death of Eliza Grimwood, who was murdered in the Waterloo-road. Have you anything to say upon that subject ?" Courvoisier assured the sheriff that he knew nothing in the world about that or any other murder, except the murder of Lord William Russell. He knew, he said, that he must die, and if he had committed any other dreadful offence, he would not hesitate to mention the fact to the sheriff. He  expressed much regret that any imputation should, for a moment, have been cast upon either of the poor unoffending female servants, who had been so unfortunate as to have been in the house with him. The sheriff then asked him how Lord William Russell's finger happened to be cut? The murderer replied, that when he drew the knife across the throat, his lordship's hand started up as if by a convulsion, and must at the moment have come in contact with the knife, and immediately fell back again, for death was instantaneous : his lordship never waked. " How," said the sheriff, " did you get rid of the blood, for your hand must have been bloody ?" Courvoisier replied that his hand was bloody, but he wiped  it on the towel, 'which he immediately afterards placed on his lordship's face. He then, he said, went up to bed, but did not sleep. These were the strongest features of the conversation between the sheriff and Courvoiser. The murderer frequently in the course of it stated that Lord William Russell never walked down stairs, as seemed to be the general opinion, but was taken off exactly as he (Courvoisier) described to the sheriff, and he frequently, too, declared that he was indebted for the idea of committing this atrocious crime to Jach Sheppard.