The Sun. — 1840-10-13 (London, England)

MURDER AT NORTHAMPTON.  CONFESSION OF THE MURDERERS. FROM A CORRESPONDENT.) This brutal and cold-blooded murder has caused a greater sensation through the entire of the county than any circumstance that has occurred for a series of years, and it was confidently expected from the vigilance exercised by the local police since the melancholy occurrence, that the perpetrators would speedily be brought to justice.  In consequence of further information obtained by Goddard, chief constable of the county, he was induced to suspect three men named Joseph Bedford, Williant Downing, and James Underwood, and having understood that they were at work at a thrashing machine in Yardley Hastings, he proceeded thither on Friday morning and having apprehended them he placed them in the care of Superintendent Young and three other constables of the county police, directing them to convey the prisoners forthwith, in the police cart, to Castle Ashby, the scat of the Marquis, at the same time strictly ordering them that they should not be allowed to hold any communication with each other until he arrived, as he was obliged to go in another direction to makefurther inquiries, and search their lodgings. On arriving at Bedford's residence he found a pair of corduroy breeches, saturated with several fresh stains of blood ; and at the residence of Downing a fustian shootingcoat, with a quantity of blood smeared over the left arm and shoulder. Having secured them he proceeded to Castle Ashby, and having had a long interview with the prisoner Bedford in the room where he was confined, he desired that he would take off the jacket and shirt which he then had on, when he discovered upwards of thirty gun shot wounds in his back, several of which penetrated no deeper then the skin, and after cautioning him what explanation he could give of the manner in rhich he received such marks (for he appeared anxious to make some communication), as it might be used against him at his trial, he made a full and voluntary disclosure to the following effect : He stated that he and the other prisoners were poaching in the wood, near Yardley, on the Tuesday night previous, and having levelled his piece and fired at the deceased, he immediately returned the lire, and shot his back all to morsels. A desperate struggle ensued, and the prisoner Downing coming up at the moment, ee lodged the contents of his towling-piece in the neck of the deceased under the car, which caused him to tumble forward, and then Underwood rushed forward, kicked him violently on the head and beat him with the butt end of his gun until he broke it to pieces upon him. They then dragged the body of the deceased about twenty yards into the wood, where they left it, and went together to a public-house at the village of Olney, about four miles from the place where they coinmitted the murder, where they drank a quantity of beer and other liquors,and ultimately returned to their homes about ten o'clock at night. The Chief Constable having left the wretched man, proceeded to the apartments where the other prisoners were confined, to ascertain if they were disposed to give any account where they were on the night the murder was committed, in order that he might be enabled to lay all the information he could collect upon the subject before the Bench of Magistrates on Saturday morning. The prisoners, however, did not enter into such minute details as Bedford, but they acknowledged in general terms that the account given by him was correct ; and on being brought before the Magistrates, they repeated their confession. The investigation lasted the entire of Saturday, and after the whole of the depositions had been completed, the prisoners were fully committed to take their trial for the wilful murder of the deceased, at the next Assizes. The promptness of chief constable Goddard and his men to apprehend the perpetrators of this horrid deed, and their success in such a short time, reflects great credit upon them, and they are deservedly the subjects of general conversation, as it is to be hoped that, by making such an example, it will in a great measure help to prevent others following such a course of life as the prisoners have done, which must ultimately end in their ruin and that of their families, where an efficient and active body of police is established.