Celebrated trials of all countries, and remarkable cases of criminal jurisprudence / Selected by a member of the Philadelphia bar [i.e. J.J. Smith].

  • John Jay Smith
Date:
1835
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Celebrated trials of all countries, and remarkable cases of criminal jurisprudence / Selected by a member of the Philadelphia bar [i.e. J.J. Smith]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    22/612 (page 12)
    with the gig after setting down Thomas ThuTtell, and brought John Thurtell and Mr. Noyes in the chaise. Hunt was very dirtily dressed when he came down, and went up-stairs to change. When he came down, he was well dressed—in almost new clothes. Hunt said the clothes belonged to the de- ceased ; he told me he had thrown a new spade over the hedge into my garden; I saw it afterwards ; it was a new spade. John Thurtell and I walked to the pond. He asked me if the body had risen ] I said no, and he said it would lay there for a month. In the afternoon, Hewart called, and I went with him to Mr. Nicholls's. On my return, I told Thurtell and Hunt that Mr. Nicholls had told me that some one had fired a pistol or gun off, in Gill's-hill-lane, on Friday night, and that there were cries of murder, as though some one had been killed. He said it was about eight o'clock, and added, I suppose it was done by some of your friends to frighten each other. John Thurtell said, Then I'm baked. I said, I am afraid it's a bad job, as Mr. Nicholls seems to know all about it; I am sorry it ever happened here, as I fear it will be my ruin. Thurtell said, Never mind, Probert, they can do nothing with you. I said the body must be immediately taken out of my pond again. Thurtell said, I'll tell you what I'll do, Probert; after you are all gone to bed, Joe and I will take up the body and bury it. Hunt was present at this. I told them that would be as bad, if they buried it in the garden. John Thurtell said, I'll bury him where you nor no one else can find him. As John Thurtell was going into the parlour, Hunt said, Probert, they can do nothing with you or me, even if they do find it out, as we were neither of us at the murder. Thurtell and Hunt sat up all that night; I, Noyes, and Thomas Thurtell went to bed. Thomas Thurtell slept with his children. In the morning, John Thurtell and Hunt said they went to dig a grave, but the dogs were barking all night, and they thought some one was about the ground. John Thurtell said, Joe and I will come down to-night and take him quite away, and that will be better for you altogether. Thomas Thurtell and Hunt, and my boy, Addis, went away in one chaise after breakfast, and John Thurtell, Thomas Noyes, and Miss Noyes in another. The boy was sent to town to be out of the way. That evening, John Thurtell and Hunt came again in a gig about nine; they took supper; after supper John Thurtell and I went to the stable, leaving Hunt talking to Mrs. Probert. Thurtell said, Come, let's get the body up ; while Hunt is talking to Mrs. Probert, she will not suspect. We went to the pond, and got the body up ; we took it out of the sack, and cut the clothes all off it. We left the body naked on the grass, and returned to the parlour; we then wrent to the stables, and John Thurtell went to his gig, and took out a new sack and some cord ; we all three return- ed to the pond, and put the body head-foremost into the sack; we all three carried it to the lower garden gate; we left Hunt waiting with the body, while Thurtell and I went round the pond. I carried the bundle of clothes, and threw it into the gig ; we then put the horse too, and Thurtell said, we had better leave the clothes here, Probert, there is not room for them. The clothes were left, and the body was put into the gig. I refused to assist them in settling the body in the gig. They went away. I, next morning, burnt some of the clothes, and threw the rest away in different places. I was taken into custody on the Tuesday evening after they went away— Mrs. Probert, his wife, gave her evidence drop by drop, and not then with- out great squeezing. Every dangerous question overcame her agitated nerves, and she very properly took time to recover before she answered. The following was the sum of her evidence :— I remember the night of the 24th of October, when Mr. John Thurtell and Mr. Hunt came to Gill's-hill Cottage, to have heard the sound of a gig passing my cottage. It was about eight o'clock, I think. The bell of our cottage was rung nearly an hour after. After that ringing nobody came into our house. My husband came home that night nearly at ten. I came down,