This statement was read in the presence of the prisoner Holloway, in the jail at Horsham, in the presence of us, and signed by him. 6 H. TREDCROFT. 'R. H. HURST.' On the following day, the 6th of September, Holloway made the following addition to his previous statement, in the presence of the same magistrates: "The reason why I write in such a myste"rious manner, is because I think it probable "the body might have been removed; and if "that is the case, and no body can be found, I ἐσ will not promise to say any more that can throw 66 any further light on the business, for it will "then be beyond even explaining; that is all. (Signed) "JOHN WILLIAM HOLLOWAY." As a contrast to the foregoing tissue of falsehood, subtlety, and subterfuge, we will now give the confession which Holloway has transmitted to us, and which in its essential points fully agrees with the statement which he made in Horsham jail, on the 5th of September, in the presence of Sir David Scott, Bart., H. Tredcroft and W. Seymour, Esqrs., the Rev. Mr. Witherby, Chaplain to the jail, D. M. Folkard, High-constable of Brighton, Mr. Dodswell, Governor of the jail, one of the assistant matrons, and Ann Kennett, then a prisoner in the same jail. It may be almost needless to call the attention of our readers to the circumstance of Ann Kennett being present during the whole of the time that Holloway made his confession in Horsham jail, and therefore we cannot refrain from expressing our opinion, that the magistrates must have either disbelieved the statement of Holloway, or they have been guilty of great remissness of duty, in not having provided that Ann Kennett, who by that statement is actually an assistant in the murder, should not have suffered the punishment due to her, for the commission of so heinous a crime. There was evidence sufficient to convict her of being an accomplice in the murder ; for her person was sworn to as leaving Donkey-row with Holloway when the body of Celia was taken away: her person was also sworn to by two witnesses, as having seen her come out of the copse where the remains were buried, in company with Holloway; and we further hesitate not to affirm, that many an individual has expiated his crime upon the scaffold on the strength of far less powerful circumstantial evidence than that which could have been brought forward against Ann Kennett. We are fully aware that no remarks of our own can at this moment be in the least prejudicial to her. She has been declared by a jury of her country innocent of the crime with which she was charged, and from the manner in which the law was laid down to them, they were bound to return the verdict which they did; but it should have been the aim and study of the prosecutors to take care that she should not have had the chance given to her of escaping through one of the meshes of the intricate net of the law, especially when it was in their power, from the confession of Holloway himself, to have traced out that evidence which would have brought home to her an actual participation in the crime. In page 132 we broke off the narrative of Holloway abruptly, for reasons which we have there stated; and he is there represented as going from the house in Donkey-row to fetch Celia, for the express purpose of murdering her. "I desired Ann Kennett," continues Holloway, "to stop in the house; to that she "agreed; but where was the best place for her "to be, when I returned, was the next thing to "be thought of; I at last proposed, for her "to get into the cupboard under the stairs, "that she might be ready, if in case I should "want her assistance." We here insert an engraving of the interior of the house in Donkey-row, where the fatal act was committed, and the cupboard in which Ann Kennett was concealed, is that under the stairs, where the chaff on the floor and the head on the shelf are represented. "The plan being thus laid, I went away for "Celia, and got some beer on the road. "When I got to her lodgings, I found her quite ready; and for dinner she had got a kind of "batter-pudding baked. I ate some, but not "with a good appetite. I had made up my "mind how I intended to murder her, but had "not provided any thing for the purpose, and "I was resolved to strangle her. I went down "stairs and found the children at play with "some small cord, that apparently came out of "the sacking-bottom of a bedstead. I asked "the child if she would give it to me; she gave it me gladly, and said, that she could get some more if I wanted it, and then went 66 66 "and got another small bit. I tied them toge"ther, and then went up stairs for Celia, and "shortly after we left the house together. We "went through the streets with scarcely a word passing between us, until we came to the "bottom of Edward-street. I desired her to stop there until I returned, saying, I was going to call a mate of mine that lived there, " and he was going with us to the house where we were going to live. I further told her, "that we were going to live in a lodging-house, "to take care of it for a gentleman; and with "that I ran along to the house in Donkey-row, " and when I saw Ann Kennett in the cupboard, 66 I laid the small bit of cord on the window, "and then went to the door, and waved my "hand for Celia. She came along, and looked 66 . so innocent, that I was ready to drop before "she got to the door. When she got there, "I said my mate was not up yet, and desired "her to step in, for that we would not wait for "him; and I shut too the door, and then went 66 66 up stairs, pretending to hurry him. When "I came down, she, poor dear girl, was standing against the window where the fatal cord was lying. I went to her, and placed my arm round her neck, at the same time taking "the cord in my hand, I fondled over her as if "I loved her. I kissed her several times; at "the same time I tried to pass the cord round "her neck, unobserved by her, as she stood at "the window, but I could not succeed. I then "asked her to go and sit down on the stairs, "which she did. I kept my arm round her neck, to prevent her seeing the cord as we " removed from the window to the stairs. She sat down, and I sat down beside her. My < "heart once or twice was ready to fail; but I 66 66 minutes, pretending to love her, and was on "the point of giving up my purpose many "times, and then again took courage many "times, in the course of a minute. At last I "found I must either do it, or give it up alto 66 66 66 66 66 66 gether. But the devil said, Do it; it will "not be discovered.' My keeping her there so long caused her, however, to suspect something not right. She looked at me very innocently, and said, 'How-how much longer "will he be?' meaning the mate who, she thought, was above stairs. The last words "she ever spoke were, Come, my dear, let us go.' These words were scarcely from her lips when, watching my opportunity, I, un"known to her, passed the cord round her "neck. It was then some minutes before I pulled it tight. At last I lost all natural feelings, and pulled the cord with all my might. She never spoke nor groaned, but immediately sprang upon her feet; but the "attack was so sudden, she appeared not to "have power so much as to lift her hands to "her neck. I held her myself a few seconds; "but the appearance of her face shocked me, "and my arm beginning to ache, I called Ann "Kennett; and when she came out of the cup"board, I desired her to come and assist me, 66 66 which, God knows, she did, by taking hold "of each end of the rope with me; and she "held the rope with me until the poor girl dropped on the stairs, and in doing which, "her head struck against the edge of one of the steps, and her nose sprang a-bleeding. We 66 66 |