The Sun. — 1845-11-18 (London, England)

TYEEIDAY EVENING. NOVEMBER le, 1845  parish clerk, in which the writer declares his intention to set tire to St. George's Church, if the clerk did not repeat some slanderous words respecting a lady living in the parish, during divine service. At first very little notice was taken of the annonymous letters, but when it was found that poison had been enclosed to some of the parties, the circumstance raised no little apprehension in the minds of the inhabitants at large, and the result was an application fur the aid of the police in the discovery of the offender. Soon afterwards the prisoner was taken into custody on suspicion of being the guilty person, and specimens of his handwriting having been produced, and compared with the anonymous letters, a remarkable similarity was perceptible in the style and character of the writing. Two witnesses, one of them an inspector in the General Post-office, and the other holding the situation of foreman in the printing-office where the accused worked, were of opinion that the letters were in the prisoner's hand-writing. Mr. Heritage, the solicitor, attended on the present occasion for the prisoner, and Mr. Corrisonim having given him an outline of the evidence as it at present stood, observed that the circumstance of the similarity of the writing, combined with other facts which have come out in the course of the examination, certainly threw a degree of suspicion on the prisoner, although, at the same time, he did not mean to say that the testimony adduced was by any means conclusive against him. It was scarcely possible to conceive what could have been the motives by which the writer of such infamous letters was instigated, for he could have had no ill feelings against all the persons whom he had addressed, to many of whom he had threatened murder, and to others enclosed poison with a recommendation for them to try its efficacy, and extolling its virtues. Whether the offender, whoever be was, could have adopted such a course out of sport, or what could be his real motive, there was no telling. At all events, he (the Magistrate) thought there was sufficient.evidence to go before a jury. Mr. Heritage urged the want of motive of the prisoner in writing such letters to the parties, against whom it was impossible he could have the slightest ill feeling, the majority of whom were perfect strangers to him. The accused was a young man of excellent character up to the present period, and lived on the most affectionate terms with his family, who were all respectable, and who would have discarded him altogether, if they thought him capable of acting in such a base manner as that ascribed to him. In reply to Mr. Cottingham, Sergeant Kendall, of the A division, said that since the prisoner's first examination no letters of an anonymous description bad been received by any of the parties who had been previously inundated with them. Mr. Heritage said, that if he had been instructed rightly, there were strong grounds for suspecting other parties, but at present he would not wish to disclose what had been communicated to him. At all events he would suggest that a further postponement might be permitted until inquiries were instituted. Mr. CorrINGHAm said that ample time had been given already ; that the case was a most painful one, and had excited a very considerable sensation in the parish where the circumstance had taken place; that it was of the last importance on the prisoner's account that the matter should be sifted to the bottom, and for that purpose he should commit him for trial, but should accept of sureties for his appearance to answer the charge. The Magistrate ,added, that the prisoner should be brought up again on Wednesday, to have the depositions taken. W