The Sun. — 1832-01-18 (London, England)

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.  BOIV-STREET.  Yesterday James Sparrow, a salesman in Coventgarden-market, 'vas brought in custody before Mr. MlNstim, by Mr. Thomas, Superintendent of Pclice, charged, on suspicion, with having been accessory to the death of a woman who had passed as his wife. _ _  Mr. Thomas stated, that one of his sergeants had that morning reported to him that a woman with whom the prisoner had cohabited was found suspended by the neck and quite dead, in the room occupied by the deceased, at No. 23, Great Wildstreet, Lincoln's-inn-fields. In consequence of this information, he (Mr. Thomas) went to the house, and horn circumstances which he there ascertained, he felt it his duty to take the prisoner into custody. The prisoner, who appeared somewhat agitated, had lived with the deceased for the last sixteen years, during which time she was constantly in the habit of absenting herself front home, pawning his propetty, and getting drunk with the produce. She went away an Wednesday last, and he saw no mote of her until Monday night ut ten o'clock, when he was informed by some of the lodgers in the house that she was lying across the landing overhead, so drunk as to be unable to walk. He immediately had her conveyed to her own apartment, and at seven o'clock that morning he got up for the purpose of going to Covent-garden-market, but before he left the room, be asked the deceased whether it was her intention to absent herself again from him. She replied that she was unable to get up then, but he might, if he pleased, lock the room door until he came back to breakfast, and she promised she would get up in the mean time, and prepare some soup and tea for their breakfast. He accordingly locked the door, and went to the market intending to return at nine o'clock. It was one o'clock, however, before he returned, and on entering the room he saw that the bed was made, but not seeing the deceased, he conceived that site might have hid herself under the bed, as she had often done before. He accordingly looked under the bed, and on raising his eyes saw the deceased suspended by a rope in front of the looking-glass, He immediately cut her down, arid found that she was quite dead. The prisoner added, that about a fortnight before he locked her up in the same manner, to keep her from making away with his property and converting it into gin. Mr. Thomas said, it was very odd that the prisoner, if his own account were true, did not immediately on his entering the room see the deceased, as she was suspended nearly opposite the door. Perhaps the prisoner could account for a wound which he perceived on the right side of the head of the deceased.  The pi isoner had no knowledge how the wound was inflicted, unless the knife had done it in cutting her down, or her head had come in contact with the corner of the bedstead as the body fell on the floor. He then repeated that the deceased was a most abandoned drunken woman, and considered it very hard that he should be taken into custody, because she had chosen to commit suicide.  Mr. Thomas said that the appearance of the deceased did not warrant the character she had received from the prisoner. She was a very respectable looking woman, clean, and decent in her dress, and had no appearance, as far as he could judge, of her having been addicted to drink. Mr. MINSHULL asked Mr. Thomas to describe in what manlier the rope was fixed round the neck of the deceased.  Mr. Thomas produced the rope, and pointed the attention of the Magistrate to the peculiar manner in which it was knotted. The cord had been passed three times found the neck of the deceased, who, if the act was done by herself, must have stood upon the side of the bed in order to reach the hook to which the rope was fastened. Mr. MiNsfium, observed, that the circumstances of the case, as related by the defendant himself, were so far suspicious as to warrant him in detaining the prisoner until the result of the Coroner's Jury should be made known.  The prisoner was accordingly directed to be detained in custody at the police station in Coventgarden for the present. An application was made for his liberation in the course of the day, but the Magistrate adhered to his former decision.  A gentleman, named Burgess, who resides in Kentish-town, came in thecourse of the morning, to give information of his having been robbed, on the previous night, of his gold watch, chain, and seals, at the box-entrance of the Covent-garden theatre, by a group of well-dressed thieves, by whom himself and family were surrounded and hustled. The watch was capped and jewelled, and was made at Paris by the celebrated Brequet, whose name was written on the dial. The property was ordered to be described in the Hue and Cry.