The Sun. — 1870-05-25 (London, England)

LATEST PARTICULARS.  Since the holding of the inquest yesterday, some additional evidence of an extraordinary character has been brought under the notice of the police. It would appear from the statements of several persons who will be called by the coroner to give evidence before him at the adjourned inquest that last Friday evening a poorly-clad man, believed to be the man now in custody, called at a small shop in Bell-yard, Uxbridge, kept by the wife of a cab-driver, named Bullen, and said that he was a tramping blacksmith, and was in the habit of of visiting Uxbridge. He wished a lodging at her house. She allowed him to sleep in one of her rooms. He appeared to be possessed of but very little money. On Saturday he said to Mrs. Bullen, " I am going to call upon my brother, for I want to get some money from him ;" and shortly afterwards he left. When the landlady next saw him his entire dress was altered. He was attired in a black cloth coat that was too large for him, a waistcoat that was so small that he could only fasten two buttons across his chest, a pair of black cloth trousers instead of his old corduroys, and a white straw hat with a piece of black riband tied round the brim. She said to him, " You have jumped into a new suit of clothes 1" He replied, "Yes, I have ; I told you I was going to my brother's. I went to him this afternoon, and he has given me them." He then left the woman's house, and other inquiries proved that he entered a public-house in the neighbourhood. The landlord of the Bell Tavern, Bell-yard, observed the man, who only gave the name of Jack, enter his house, at five o'clock on Sunday evening. The manner and appearance of the man were singular. He ordered a quantity of ale, not only for himself, but for every other person at the bar. Shortly bef or the house closed he called in three young women, the names of two of whom were Elizabeth Selwood and Susan Burton. After he had treated the young women to a quantity of ale he accompanied them to a house in the Chequers-yard. All the other inmates of the house had retired to rest, but before they could get to sleep they were alarmed by hearing the strange man slipping down the stairs in his stockings and trying their room doors. When asked what he wanted, he replied, " She won't get me a pot of ale." One of the young women lodging in the house then said that she would go and beg a pot from a landlord in the neighbourhood. She dressed, went out, and shortly afterwards returned with the ale. She handed the can to the strange man, who took it from her ; he then drew a new bright steel-barrelled pistol from the side pocket of his coat, and, holding it in front of her forehead, said, " I can now do for the whole lot of you. I can do for every one in the house." The man then turned upon his heels and went upstairs. All again tried to go to sleep, but about a dozen times during the night they were again and again alarmed by hearing him slipping down stairs in his stockings, and trying each of their doors. The scene in the room with one of the women and the man during the night appears to have been a dreadful one. He frequently stood over her with the pistol, and threatened to shoot her. She states that she was afraid that he would carry his threat into execution, and it is altogether surprising why she did not try to escape when he left the room for the purpose of entering those of her fellow-lodgers. In the morning the man, who said his name was Jack, and gave no other, left the house, and returned to Mrs. Bullen's, where he took breakfast. To-day the prisoner gives the name of John Jones. On being spoken to this morning the prisoner asked for " more grub," and said if it was not given him he would have none all day. He told Mrs. Dunham that two other men had committed the murder, and had given him the clothes of the murdered man, and he said with an oath that people would now believe he did it because he had the clothes on. The police have changed his clothes, and have got those of the murdered man, and those which the murderer wore when the murder was committed. The latter are spotted with blood. The prisoner carries himself with much bravado.