Star. — 1830-08-28 (London, England)

HALL.—Yesterday one of the police constables of the M. di. vision, brought up a man to the offi,x, who voluntarily surrendered himself u the =minder of an individual some years ago, at or near Man. cheater. . . _  The magistrate (Mr. Swabey) on being apprised of the nature of the self-accusation made by the man in custody, directed that he might be placed at the bar. The man was accordingly placed at the bar, he was meanly dressed, and his manner and looks indicated that he ,was labouring under excessive agitation of mind. The magistrate desired the policeman to describe the manner in which the accused had delivered himself up into custody. The policeman stated, that while on duty that day about twelve', o'clock, near St. George's church, the man came up to him and said, " 1 am unhappy In my mind, and I wish to divulge before a magistrate the circumstances of a murder which I committed in the neighbourhood of Manchester, in the year 1822," he added that the dread. ful act preyed so much upon his mind, that he was wretched, and that he had now resolved to deliver himself into the hands of justice, in order that he might meet with the punishment he deserved. The po. lineman then inquired his name, and he replied that it was Joseph Pratt, and as he still persisted in declaring himself a murderer, he was accordingly taken into custody. Mr. Swabey asked Pratt if he wished to disclose any thing, remark. ing, at the same time, that he was under no compulsion to make any statement that might tend to criminate him ? Pratt, with great solemnity of manner, said, " Can 1 be furnished with half a pint of beer before I unfold this dreadful tale ? I feel faint as well as thirsty, and should feel thankful for that little indulgence before I commence." _ .  The Magistrate smiled at the request, but at the same time permitted him to have the quantity he asked tor, and no more. Pratt soon dispatched the half pint of beer, and after he had swallowed it a deep al. fence reigned throughout the office, in the expectation that he would then relate the " dreadful tale." He, however, remained as silent as the rest, until at length the Magistrate asked him if he was desirous of say. in g any thing upon the subject he had voluntarily surrendered him. self upon ? Pratt muttered, " I am mute from obstinacy !" The office being excessively full of people, the Magistrate desired that Pratt might be taken into the private room, as he seemed averse to disclose the particulars of the murder which be confessed to the Policeman having committed. In the private room he said that be had murdered a Mr. Wood, at Manchester, but refused to disclose more. the Magistrate diricted that he should he kept in custody until in. quiries were made at Manchester relative to the murder of the in. dividual named by Pratt, and was accordingly remanded until a future day.  Early on Tuesday morning last the premises of Mr. Deacon, of Skinner-street, were entered by the thieves removing one of the bars of the cellar window facing Holborn-hill, by which means they ascended into the coffee-room and broke through into the coffee-mart adjoining, where they opened a cheat of tea and packed up 401 b. but were disturbed by the early rising of one of Mr. Deacon's servants, and escaped with 25a. left in the till the over night. The public situation of the premises leads us to conclude the neglect on the part of the watch. men must have been very great ; three of them were near at hand when the man came down and found the door open, at half-past four, and the tea near it, but they appeared to know nothing about it. One of them has been discharged in consequence. A fire broke out about ten o'clock on the 25th inst. at a farm-house belonging to Sir William Rowley, Bart. in the occupation of Mr. law Jackson, at Stoke-by-Nayland, Suftolk. The fire first originated in a shed, where a traveller had slept the night before, and is supposed to have set it on fire, by which a long range of sheds, and a cart stable for eight horses, with a large barn filled with wheat, &c. was entirely consumed ; providentially the dwelling-house was preserved, although within 20 feet of the barn, the wind blowing very strong from it, so that by assistance of water the the was prevented from spreading that way. So great was the heat, that a house 100 feet distant, and two' others at the distance of 200 feet from that, all belonging to Sir William Rowley, was burnt to the ground, and had it not been for a plantation, many more house. must have been consumed ! The inhabitants, in forming a line of more than a quarter of a mile in length, got a sup. ply of water from Sir W. Rowley'a canal. A man is in custody and committed to Bury gaol, for further examination this day week. Wednesday night a young man named Price, the son of a respectable tradesman in the Strand, committed suicide by cutting his throat, at his lodgings in Cock.court, near the new Post-office. The deceased some time since had a dispute with his father concerning family affairs, which caused a separation, since which he hu resided in the above place. The circumstances preyed so on his mind as to lead to the cont. initial of the rash act. He had been for some days previous in a low and desponding state of mind. The deceased was a young man of anti. able manners, and was in no way to blame for the circumstances which caused (he melancholy event.