The Sun. — 1812-11-26 (London, England)

LIEUTENANT JOHNS ON.—Ro'berts and Mellon, the two men in custody on suspicion of having been concerned in the murder of of Lieutenant Johnson, .were again examined.— Mellon repeated his assertions, that he was totally ignorant of the transaction ;'and that th? pre— tended Confession of Roberts, accusing hint of being a principal, was a string Of diabolical fake- hoods. It will he recollected, that Embers in his confession stated, that he had preserved the knife with which Lientanant Johnson's throat was cut, and that he bad marked it with names of both. Mellon and Butler; not knowing to which of theta it had belonged. He was now'called on to state where it was; when he stated that it was concealed in a tin kettle hid under- some brambles, in a ditch near Shooter's Hill. Upon this statement, Coilingbourn anti Glennon were directed by the Magis, tratcs to take the prisoner in a' chaise to Shooter's that he might point out the •spot where the -knife Would be found. Front some instances O prevarication; however, of which the prisoner had been guilty, a degree of suspicion list arisen .in the minds of tilt na.rist-rates„ that his conles§ion, was a mere fabrication, and the officers were directed to be particularly attentive to his actions. The prisoner was accordingly taken in a chaise to Shooter's-hill, and when they-had arrived near the .pot- which he had mentioned, they girt out of the chaise to walk.— Previous to their quitting it, Colliughourn observed the prisoner busily shuffling about his pockets, upon -Which he gave the signal to Glenuon ; and on observing him more closely, they perceived he had got a knife in his hand ; they took no notice of having perceived. it, and when he had come to the spot where he had represented the kettle as being deposited, he pointed out a bramble bush, which, on being removed by the officers, the kettle was discovered ; the prisoner ran his hand underneath it, and after keeping it a short time there, produced a knife, which he handed to the officers,-pretending•to have taken it out of the kettle, but which the 'officers immediately knew to be the same that they had previously seem' in his hand. On one side the handle the word " Mellon" was written, and on the other side,the letters P.ll. 89. When handed over to Collinglootn•n, the knife was covered with fresh soil, and had riot at all the appearance of having kid for any length of time in the damp. The prisoner also produced a brooch, vhih'h he asserted to have formerly belonged to Lieutenant Johnson ; by the activity of the officers, however, it has been clearly proved that Lieutenant Johnson did not wear a brooch of any sort. The hat produced by the prisoner, and also stated to be that which was worn by the deceased at time he met with his unfortunate fate, has been sliewn to the relations of the -deceased, who all declared their opinion, that it had never belonged to hint, nor did they believe, that at the time of his death, he had so large a sum of money about 11;:n, as was stated by Roberts, in his confession, to have been taken front him. Prom these, and several other circumstances no room was left for doubt in the minds of the Magistrates, that the pretended confession of fli'e prisoner, was a most diabolical attempt to attach the guilt of murder to two men innocent of the crime', for the pur7 pose.of obtaining his own pardon for other ofknees with which himself was charged, and w;th a, view to the obtaining' the reward to, be paid on the cOnviction of any one concerned in this most atrocious mutter; and his diabolical attempt would most likely have succeeded, • had it not been for the zeal and, activity of the officers„ who, much to their credit, displayed more anxiety to promote • the ends of public justice than to possess thent selves of the sum of 2001., to which they would have been entitled, had Roberts's confession been corroborated by collateral evidence. No doubt, however, remaining on the minds of the Magistrates, they ordered Mellon to be discharged, and fully committed Roberts, for trial, for the burglary with whichltewas charged, and on his_ own confession.  GuiLbit