88 



ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. [July. 



in a month. One of them was 

 •at a barn attached to a house 

 lately belonging to the Earl of 

 Yarmouth, in which there was 

 wool to the value of 400^. The 

 parsonage house, and all the 

 premises attached to it, were 

 destroyed- Several cottages 

 have been destroyed ; and at all 

 the fires very little property was 

 saved. The frequent fires created 

 a considerable degree of alarm in 

 that part of the country, and 

 there was very strong suspicion 

 that the fires did not happen by 

 accident. An investigation took 

 place by some of the principal 

 gentlemen of that part of the 

 country, but without effect; they 

 therefore applied to Bow-street 

 for an officer, and Salmon was 

 despatched. On his arrival at 

 Exning, he received every pos- 

 sible assistance and information 

 upon the subject of the recent 

 alarming fires from Mr. Parr, 

 the agent to the Phcenix Fire- 

 office in that part of the country; 

 in a short time he observed such 

 suspicious circumstances against 

 a man and his wife of the name of 

 Webb, as to induce him to take 

 them into custody ; a meeting of 

 magistrates was called in conse- 

 quence, and Webb and his wife 

 wQre examined before them. The 

 examination lasted nine hours, at 

 the close of which, the circum- 

 stances which came out against 

 the prisoners were sufficient to 

 induce the magistrates to commit 

 them to Bury St. Edmunds prison. 

 In a few days after, circumstances 

 transpired which induced Salmon 

 to apprehend John Webb, the 

 son of the prisoners, who, upon 

 being interrogated, confessed his 

 guilt to Salmon, in the presence 



of Mr. Fisin, a respectable far- 

 mer, and that his hand actually 

 set fire to the premises with a 

 candle, by desire of his' mother. 

 He was detained in custody, and 

 was afterwards examined with 

 his father and mother before the 

 magistrates, when a son and 

 brother of the prisoners, only 13 

 years of age, was produced as an 

 evidence, and confirmed the con- 

 fession of his brother John, and 

 said he saw his brother John set 

 fire to the premises, and that he 

 did it by desire of his mother. 

 At the close of the examination, 

 no evidence appearing against 

 Webb, sen., he was discharged, 

 the whole of the infamous crime 

 appearing to have been perpe- 

 trated by Mrs. Webb and her 

 son John, who were both com- 

 mitted to Bury prison for trial, 

 and the parties were bound over 

 to prosecute. John Webb was 

 committed into the custody of 

 Mr. Horwich, the keeper of Bury 

 prison, who was about conveying 

 him there in a single-horse chaise, 

 when just as he had proceeded 

 about a mile on Newmarket heath, 

 John Webb was seized with a fit, 

 and fell out of the chaise. Mr. 

 Horwich thought it right to 

 return with him, and a Doctor 

 was sent for, who advised that he 

 should not be removed on that 

 night, and the prisoner was 

 placed under the care of the 

 parish constable at the poor- 

 house ; here he took an oppor- 

 tunity of eluding the attention 

 of the constable, and escaped out 

 of the poor-house. A number 

 of persons were despatched in 

 different directions in pursuit of 

 him, and it was discovered that 

 the cover of the^well in the y^rd, 



(60 



