The Sun. — 1836-08-01 (London, England)

MURDER. EXTRAORDINARY CASE• —Henry Roper, aged 60, was charged with :having murdered Elizabeth Tebbutt.  The circumstances of this case were most extraordinary, and such as have seldom or never occurred within the memory of man. The crime laid to the prisoner's charge was that of murder, committed as long ago as 1802. Elizabeth Tebbutt, the deceased, was living in 1802 (she being at that time about twenty years of age), as housekeeper to her brother, a mercer, at Kegworth. On the evening of the 10th of December in that year the deceased had gone out for a short walk, and not returning the family were thrown into the greatest distress pos• sible ; howeVer, on the following morning the unfortunate girl was found in a place called Hall-close, near to the canal. She was lying on her back with the greater portion of her person exposed, and her clothes covered with filth and dirt. Deceased was theta alive, but nothing beyond a few inarticulate sounds could be heard, and she died shortly after being removed. It was proved she had been at her mother's on that evenin3., whose house she left about ten, and that her way to her brother's, who lived near at hand, was through the dose where -the body bad been found, there being a f►otpath running through the same. It appeared from the depositions of the witnesses heard before the Coroner at the inquest that on examining the person of the' aeceascd the body was found very much bruised, particularly the back part, as though it had been dragged on the gravel. There were also bruises on the fore part of the person, which left no doubt she had been foully abused. Suspicion fell upon several individuals, but never upon the prisoner ; and finally the whole matter seemed destined to fall into oblivion, when the prisoner, Who is a labourer, living at Kegworth, being taken ill in April last, made a confession of his having violated the person of the deceased, which confession he subsequently deposed to before Mr. Phillips in the following words : " I did not murder Elizabeth Tebbutt. I met her in Tinker's-lane early in the morning. I ravished her. It was near the stile. lam not sure whether it was in the lane or in the orchard. I drank the gin before or after, lam not sure which. I have had good health ever since till lately. I have had it on my mind for two months. I have been ill. My wife has said, What is the matter with you, you don't rest of nights ?' Murdin was called in, and I was more quiet when I had confessed. (This was the Dissenting parson to whom Roper had first made known the circumstances.) But when I thought of my wickedness I was .uneasy. Before I was ill of late I was as happy as most folks, and bore a good character." Independent of this confession the prisoner had also stated to Newbold, a constable, that he had met the deceased in Hall's orchard and violated her person ; that it was about ten at night, a few days before he married his present wife. It was proved he was married ten days after the murder.  The prisoner, on being called on for his defence, said be was terrified by what the ranting parson had said to him when ill, and while under the influence of that terror he had said what had been produced.. Mr. Justice PARK, in summing up the case, took occasion to advert to its singularity, so singular, indeed, that in all likelihood a similar case. or any thing approaching thereto, was not within the recollection of any of the Judges. The man had been living at Kegworth or its neighbourhood all his life, and respected, too, by his neighbourhood for his good conduct ; he had brought up a large family in a respectable and becoming manner, and he put it to the Jury whether it was reasonable to suppose that a man who, before this foul tragedy took place, and afterwards, had conducted himself with the strictest propriety, was a likely person to commit a crime of so deep a die, and whether he might not be the victim of mental delusion.  The Jury returned a verdict of Not Guilty. The case excited the greatest interest in the persons attending the Court throughout the day. The prisoner, who is a fine looking old man, seemed to be the only unconcerned person present.