142 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. [Oct. 



tingford going up into her own 

 room, with a lighted candle. She 

 appeared alarmed, shook much, 

 and, on his speaking to her, she 

 dropped her candle, which went 

 out, and she exclaimed, " I am 

 murdered and robbed." Bately 

 took up the candle, and went 

 into the land-lady's (Mrs. Jen- 

 nings's) room, the front room on 

 the first floor, where he lighted 

 the candle. Mrs. Jennings and 

 Mrs. Huntingford went up stairs; 

 Bately followed so soon as he 

 had dressed himself, and also 

 went into the room, when the 

 deceased was discovered lying in 

 the bed, covered with clotted 

 blood ; a great profusion of blood 

 was upon the bed, and blood was 

 also spattered on the wall at the 

 head of the bed, and on the floor. 

 Bately immediately called some 

 neighbours, and went for a Sur- 

 geon, who on seeing the deceas- 

 ed, pronounced be had died from 

 bursting a blood vessel — the idea 

 of his having been murdered not 

 at all being then presumed ; but 

 before he went away, he desired 

 that a handkerchief, which was 

 tied round the deceased's throat 

 and head, might be removed, to 

 ascertain if he might not have 

 been strangled ; on removing 

 which five wounds were found in 

 the forehead, four of which had 

 fractured the skull ; several other 

 wounds were also found on the 

 head, particularly one on the left 

 temple, where the bone was so 

 depressed, that a finger could 

 reach the brain, all of which ap- 

 peared to have been made with a 

 heavy cutting instrument. When 

 Mrs. Jennings and Bately went 

 into the room, and discovering 

 the dead body, Mrs. Hunting- 



ford said, that two men had been 

 there and murdered her husband. 

 The truth of this assertion was 

 instantly denied by all the in- 

 mates of the house, who had 

 heard no noise whatever, and who 

 found no violence had been used 

 on the doors. In reply, Mrs. 

 Huntingford said, her husband 

 had been down the yard before 

 he v/ent to bed, and had forufotten 

 to fasten the door on his return. 

 She was asked why she had not 

 made a noise ; she replied, they 

 had threatened her with death 

 if she did so ; that one was tall, 

 and had a tomahawk in his hand, 

 and one a short man, who had a 

 lanthern ; and both their faces 

 were blacked. She also said, that 

 she was in bed at the time ; that 

 they asked for money, and on her 

 husband's making resistance, the 

 tall man struck him and killed 

 him : that they made no noise, 

 because, she said, they had no 

 shoes on. Upon being asked why 

 she should have gone into the 

 yard without giving alarm, she 

 denied she had been into the 

 yard ; but Bately swore posi- 

 tively to her being in the yard, 

 and to his having met her in the 

 way going up stairs from the 

 yard to her own room ; that she 

 remained on the second step 

 from the first landing-place, 

 while Bately lit the candle she 

 had dropped, by the candle which 

 was in Mrs. Jennings's possession; 

 who also saw her at the same 

 time. An instrument, of the 

 shape of a common bill-hook, but 

 heavier and more sharp, was 

 found in the coal-hole at the foot 

 of the stairs ; and past which spot 

 Mrs. Huntingford went on her 

 going and returning from her 



garret 



