The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1871-09-02 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

THE CUCKFIELD MURDER.  The excitement caused by the murder at Cuckfield having long ago subsided, has been again revived by the apprehension at Newhaven of two men supposed to have been implicated in it, one giving the name of Trayton Weller, of Easthoathly, painter, and the other that of William Pettitt, of Jevington, excavator. In November, 1869, the body of a man, afterwards proved to be that of James Greenhead, of Croydon, was found in a ditch near the Cuckfield burial ground, and the coroner's inquest having returned a verdict of "Wilful murder against some person or persona unknown." a reward of £2OO was offered for the apprehension and conviction of the murderers. 1 Since then a dark lantern and a burglar's jemmy have been found near the spot where the murder was supposed to have been committed, but no further clue to trace the guilty parties has been obtained. The prisoners were taken before the local magistrates on Monday, and the court was crowded.—James Edwards deposed : I keep the Newhaven Tavern, at Newhaven, and on Sunday, the 20th inst., both prisoners were at my house between seven and eight in the morning. Weller, who goes by the name of " Chickabiddy," said to the other prisoner, "Jack, don't you know me? Do you know where that gold ring is? You know it belongs to me; you have got it, Jack." The other said, he knew nothing about a gold ring, and asked what gold ring he meant when Weller replied, "If you don't give it up I will split and get the £2OO reward," and left. That was all that passed that morning ; but on Saturday evening last, between seven and eight, prisoner Pettitt said to witness, "Jim, I never done the murder, but I saw it done at the back of Cuckfield Church. lie was bit on the head with an iron bar and thrown into a ditch." He afterwards added, "I have told you all I know, Jim, and you are a fool if you don't have the reward," and turning round to me, said, "If I had my swap hook in my hand, I would chop your -- head off; then it would be settled, and couldn't go no further." I know both the prisoners, and have seen them before.—Pettitt denied all this, and said he knew nothing about it, and had no recollection of what he said.— Weller also denied the evidence in tolo.—Superintendent Pocock stated that he apprehended Pettitt at Newhaven, and told him the charge, after asking him if he knew Chickabiddy. He said he did, and had seen him twice, but then added he did not know when it was, but he saw him there. He also said, "I went to the Ship, a little way out of the town, with a man I fell in with at Brighton, and we stayed there until 10-30 at night, when we went to a hovel opposite Cuckfield Park, and lay down." He took him into custody, and charged him with the murder ; but he denied all knowledge of it. He apprehended Weller afterwards at Paddinghoe, and he also denied the charge—Both prisoners pleaded their innocence, and said they were drunk on the Sunday morning, and did not know what passed.—Witness Edwards observed that on Monday and Tuesday morning Pettitt said, when sober, that the other prisoner knew where the place was, and could point it out.—Superintendent Pocock asked for a remand, as he expected to bring forward further evidence, and the prisoners were accordingly remanded for a week.—Weller applied to be admitted to bail, but was refused.