S2 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1814. 



lace-maker of that village, he was 

 stopped till the arrival of Bishop, 

 from London, and then delivered 

 into his custody. When searched, 

 there was found on him a canvas 

 bag, containing- twenty shillings, 

 also five shillings which Matthews 

 appeared desirous to conceal : they 

 had the appearance of being bad, 

 but this proved only to be the ef- 

 fect of being hoarded. On being 

 questioned as to how he became 

 possessed of this money, and also 

 the bad shillings, he conceiving 

 the five shillings to be bad at tiiat 

 time, replied, that he had taken 

 them in ciiange of the deceased 

 about a fortnight previous to the 

 murder. The prisoner had been 

 out of work for the three months 

 previous, and his being about to 

 get married was considered a very 

 extraordinary thing by all who 

 knew him, as it was known that 

 he had no means of supporting a 

 wife. He had not purchased the 

 wedding ring till the morning af- 

 ter the murder, which he did at a 

 very early hour, of Mr. Dumville, 

 at Fenny Stratford, and for wliich 

 be was to pay 10s. ; in part of 

 payment he gave eight sixpences, 

 all of which appeared to be bad, 

 but, on examination, proved mere- 

 ly to have been hoarded. 'i1ie 

 same day he paid 12s. for six gal- 

 lons of beer to make merry with 

 at his wedding. He had ordered 

 clothes of a tailor residing at 

 Leighton Buzzard, which were to 

 cotue to 71. without any visible 

 means of paying for them. 



A son-in-law of the deceased, 

 who keeps a sliop in the same vil- 

 lage, declared his belief that he 

 had seen silver in the possession of 

 the deceased simdar to that which 

 had the appearance of being hoard- 



ed, and also spoke to a bad shilling 

 and sixpence, found on the pri- 

 soner as being similar to what he 

 had seen in the deceased's posses- 

 sion. 



Bishop searched the house of the 

 deceased, and found, concealed iu 

 different and very unlikely places, 

 147 seven shilling pieces, 72 half- 

 guineas, 8 guineas, 1241. in bank 

 notes, and silver to the amount of 

 several pounds. A tin tea-canister, 

 however, is missing, which con- 

 tained a 201. note, and 301. in small 

 notes. The instrument that per- 

 petrated the horrid deed has not 

 bet n found yet. 



Blatthews was lodged in Ayles- 

 bury gaol, to take his trial at the 

 ensuiny; assizes. 



Lady Frances Wilson, daugh- 

 ter of the Earl of Aylesbury, has 

 lately had a valuable estate left 

 her in Hampshire, under very ex- 

 traordinary circumstances, and 

 from a very eccentric person of the 

 name of Wright, who died in an 

 obscure lodging in Pimlico, on 

 Monday, the 14th instant. On 

 her ladyship being informed of the 

 legacy, and of the name of the tes- 

 tator, she replied, it must be a mis- 

 take, and ridiculed the intelligence, 

 as she did not know any gentle- 

 man of the name. Mr. Archdea- 

 con Pott, however, called upon her 

 ladyship, assuring her of the cor- 

 rectness of the stateaient. The 

 person of the deceased was then 

 described to her, and she at last 

 recollected that it answered that of 

 a gentleman whom she considered 

 to be a foreigner, who was a con- 

 stant frequenter of the opera, and 

 who annoyed her extremely there 

 by constantly staring at her. 'I"o 

 satisfy herself as to Mr. VWight's 

 being the same person, on learning 



