MURDER OF MRS. STEPHENS.

7. Mrs. Stephens, an elderly widow woman, who kept a chandler's shop within 200 yards of the Castle inn at Woodford, was found mur dered this morning. The murder must have been committed late on Saturday night the 5th inst. Her skull was dreadfully fractured, and her throat cut; her pockets emptied, a quantity of money taken from the till, and her watch missing. A man of the name of W. Cornwell, who had been employed as an ostler at Woodford, was taken into custody on the 16th, in consequence of his having given the watch to a publican as satis faction for a debt. On being taken into custody, he acknowledged that it had been in his possession, that he found it on Sunday morning after the murder, at four o'clock, close to the pond near the Castleinn, where he went to get water for his horses. He confessed that he had been at Mrs. Stephens's shop on Saturday, the evening of the murder, and had seen her in her shop about nine o'clock previously to her shutters being put up. Several other suspicious circumstances being brought to light before the magistrates, the prisoner was fully committed for trial.

8. An inquisition was held at Upton-upon-Severn, on the bodies

2d foot, Joseph Taylor, George George, and William Heming, recruits in the same regiment, and Wm. Pumphrey jun. a waterman. It appeared that eight young men, of whom the five already named formed a part, took a fisherman's boat for the purpose of going to Hanley quay and back by water. They were returning from this excursion, when Pumphrey rocked it, in order, as he observed, to frighten the recruits. In consequence of this folly, the boat filled with water and sunk. Two of the party swam to shore, procured an other boat, and rowed with their hats in search of their companions, who had been carried a considerable distance by the force of the current. Only one was preserved by this assistance. It appears to be clearly ascertained, that Pumphrey was alone to blame. He was a good swimmer, and would have saved himself, had not the corporal held him fast by the collar, in the convulsions of death, and thereby prevented him from using the necessary exertion. The jury returned their verdict-Accidental death, occasioned by Pumphrey rocking the boat.

9. In the evening the eastern part of the county of Glamorgan was visited by a storm of rain, hail, and thunder, more destructive in its effects than any within recollection. The torrents of rain washed down the banks in many places on the high roads; the hailstones measured three inches round. The rev. Dr. Lisle, of St. Fagan's, is a very considerable sufferer, five walls having been levelled with the ground, and up wards of 10,000 squares of glass broken in his extensive hot-houses and graperies. A neighbouring

brook

brook rose about six feet in a quarter of an hour, and the water made a breach through his house, although situated on an eminence. Duffryn-house, the seat of the hon. W. B. Grey, was completely filled with water, and two or three men were nearly drowned in one of the cellars, the water having rushed in upon them with such rapidity, that they were immediately up to their chins before they could reach the stairs. At Court-ar-alla, the seat of T. B. Rous, esq. every window was broken; and at many other places considerable injury was done bridges and trees were washed down, the garden crops in the direction of the storm are every where nearly destroyed, and the growing corn much damaged.

QUEEN OF SICILY.

10. The following has been published as the copy of a letter writ ten by the queen of Sicily to lord Bentinck, in consequence of the failure of the late attempt to recover her influence in the island, under pretence of re-establishing her husband on the throne :

"Lord Bentinck,-Notwithstanding the present extraordinary and irregular proceeding of your court to force me, the queen of the Two Sicilies, by birth archduchess of Austria, to abandon, after an union of forty-five years, the king my spouse, and my family, and to retire into my native country, under the specious but false pretexts,-sometimes of my pretended correspondence with the common enemy, (an enormous calumny! of which I defy any one to bring the slightest valid proof,) and sometimes the violent propen sity I betrayed, as it is said, to create obstacles to the projects of the English government to change the constitution under which Sicily

has existed so many ages; notwithstanding I am very far from acknowledging the authority of the British government, of which God has rendered me quite independent by birth, I do not feel less the necessity of submitting to the order it prescribes; since this submission appears the only means of preserving the interests of my family, to which having devoted myself during the whole of my toilsome career, I do not hesitate to make this last sacrifice, though it may, perhaps, cost me my life. I declare then to you, my lord, and through you to your court, that to this consideration only, and not to any other, I yield, and I am ready to set out towards the end of this present month, to return to the dominions of the emperor of Austria, my august kinsman and nephew. I must decline going to Sardinia, as I do not choose to be separated from every branch of my family, and as at my time of life the separation must be expected to be final: I wish likewise to avoid dying in a foreign land.

"I wish that, in making the arrangements for my return to my native country, the voyage may be rendered as short and as little toilsome as possible: my age, and my health destroyed by twenty years of pains, of chagrins, and of persecutions of every kind, do not leave me even the hope of terminating this jour ney. In submitting to this act of violence, as I cannot nor ought not to forget what is due to my birth and rank, I demand, I claim the previous execution of the following conditions; and I am persuaded, my lord, that you will both consent to and hasten the fulfilment of them.

"1. That an arrangement shall be made to secure to my creditors payment of their demands, not be

appointed for that purpose, and no lunatics could be received without the certificate from a physician. He thought the public much in debted to the college, for having commenced this action, It was their duty to bring it; and he did not doubt but the jury would be happy in enforcing this salutary act by their verdict. This action was not brought by a common informer, who, generally a depraved and idle man, merely brought an action for private advantage; but it was brought by the learned body, for the public good, and the penalty would go to the funds of that body, and not to any individual. It might be said that defendant had not the means of paying so large a penalty: but so salutary a law ought not to become a dead letter, and it was at this period most necessary to enforce it; for he was sorry to say, that the keeping of unlicensed houses for the reception of lunatics had become quiteatrade in the environs of the metropolis, and in them he feared that many persons were locked up who ought not. He had been told that a person at the head of our public hospitals owned the house, recommended the patients, and received the profits. No person could lawfully keep a house for the reception of lunatics, without a license. He would prove, by a witness who had been called in to take care of a lady in an unsound mind, that three unfortunate lunatics were confined in defendant's house. And how were they treated? Not as in the great public institutions supported by the hand of charity, where,those unfortunate beings were supplied with every comfort compatible with their situation; but, as might be expected in a habitation where the only object was to make as much money by their re

1813.

sidence as possible, these three unfortunate ladies were fastened to a table with strait waistcoats upon them, unable to lift their hands to wipe their mouths, whenever the mistress was engaged in the business of her house, or whenever she might choose to go out to take the air. How many persons might be placed in the same dreadful situation, it was impossible to say. Unless the jury would do their duty," in vain had the legislature enacted the safeguard of visitors,-in vain might that court grant a writ of habeas corpus,in vain was a cer tificate required, if any troublesome relation might be dragged to an unlicensed house, which, from being unknown, could not be the object of any of those restraints.

A verdict was given for the plaintiff.

BOW-STREET.

June 15.-It having been ascertained that Mrs, Stephens, who had been murdered at Woodford, had been robbed of nearly a new silver watch, and that the maker was Thomas Ridley, of Woodford, No. 1544, and this description having been pretty generally adver tised, it has been the cause of tracing it out, and of leading to the detection of the murderer.

On Wednesday a man of the name of William Cornwell, who some time since worked as an ostler at the Red Lion in yard in Holborn, but had left that neighbour hood about two months since in consequence of being in debt, called in at the Sun public-house in Gatestreet, Lincoln's-inn-fields. landlady, Mrs. Davis, upbraided him for leaving the neighbourhood without paying his score he owed her. He replied, she need "ot be surprised if he paid her before he (E)

The

left

left the house; and in a short time after he proposed to Mr. Davis, the landlord, to give him his watch for a 11. bank-note, and to clear off his score of fourteen shillings. Mr. Davis declined the proposition, saying, he had not got a one-pound note to spare. Cornwell after wards proposed to give his watch, which is worth 57. to take Mr. Davis's old metal watch, which proves only to be worth about twelve shillings, and clear his score, provided he would give him half a crown; which Mr. Davis agreed to, and they exchanged watches. Mr. Davis told a customer of the exchange he had made, and showed him the watch. The latter, on Monday morning early, having read the advertisement describing the watch Mrs.Ste. phens had been robbed of at the time of the murder, called again upon Mr. Davis, and found the watch exactly to answer the description. Mr. Davis, in consequence, gave information at the above office of the discovery. Inquiries were then made respecting Cornwell; and it was ascertained that on Wednes. day morning, previous to his going to Mr. Davis's house, he had been at the Red Lion and Axe and Gate inn-yards, in Holborn, and had offered the watch for sale, or to exchange it, but could not succeed. Vickery was dispatched in a chaise to Woodford, attended by Westbrook, one of the patrole, it being understood that Cornwell was at work there. In the evening Vickery returned, to town with Cornwell in his custody, when the business underwent an investigation of three hours, from eight o'clock till eleven. The officer learned that Cornwell was in the employ of Mr. Pattingale, the proprietor of the Woodford stage coaches, as an ostler, and had worked for him during the last

five or six weeks. Cornwell was then at work in a hay-field, about a mile and a half from Woodford. Vickery proceeded after him, and found him on a cart, loading it. Vickery told him he had a warrant against him, and desired him to come down; which he very readily did. The patrole proceeded to handcuff him, and Vickery mentioned the watch. watch. Cornwell acknowledged that it had been in his possession, but stated, that he found it on Sunday morning after the murder, at four o'clock, close to the pond, near the Castle inn, when he went to get water for his horses. He acknowledged, however, that he did not tell any body of his prize during the Sunday, nor on the Monday, although he had then as certained that it was Mrs. Stephens's watch. He confessed that he had been at Mrs. Stephens's shop on the Saturday evening of the murder, and had seen her in her shop about nine o'clock, previous to her shutters being put up.-Vickery left him in the custody of the patrole, while he went and searched hislodgings and stables. He lodged at a cottager's but a short distance from the house of Mrs. Stephens, where he found he slept with a man of the name of Winter flood. He ascertained the clothes and other things belonging to Cornwell, and seized them. Vickery then proceeded to the stables which Cornwell had the care of. On a corn-bin he found a pair of corded breeches which had evidently been stained with a consider. able quantity of blood, particularly on one of the thighs, and had since been washed without soap, they being but partially cleansed. In another part of the stable he found a jacket, which had been washed in a similar way. He took all the things to Cornwell, at the Castle.