fome of her cloaths. On Monday night Pelfey again enquired after Mrs. King, and Gardelle told him fhe was at Bath or Briftol, he knew not where; he always differed at times in his account of her, yet no fufpicion of murder was yet entertained. On Tuesday morning, Pelfey, who was going up to his mafter's room, fmelt an offenfive fmell, and afked Gardelle, who was fhoving up the fath of the window on the ftair-cafe, what it was; Gardelle replied, fomebody had put a bone in the fire; the truth however was, that while Walker was employed in mending and making fome linen in the parlour, he had been burning fome of Mrs. King's bones in the garret. At night, Pelfey renewed his enquiries after Mrs. King, and Gardelle answered with a feeming impatience, Me know not of Mrs. King, he give me a great deal of trouble, but me shall hear of her Wednesday or Thursday; yet he ftill talked of fitting up for her, and all this while nobody feems to have fufpected a murder.

On Tuesday night he told Mrs. Walker he would fit up till Mrs. King came home, though he had before told her she was out of town, and defired her to go to bed, to which the confented; as foon as she was in bed, he renewed his horrid employment of cutting the body to pieces, and difpofing of it in different places; the bowels he threw. down the neceffary, and the flesh of the body and limbs cut to pieces, he fcattered about in the cock-loft, where he fuppofed they would dry and perish without putrefaction; about two o'clock in the morning, however, he was interrupted, for Walker having waked and not finding him, fhe went down ftairs, and

found him ftanding upon the stairs; he then, at her folicitation, went up with her to bed.

Wednesday pafled like the preceding days, and on Thursday he told his female companion, that he expected Mrs. King home in the evening, and therefore defired that fhe would provide herself a lodging, giving her, at the fame time, two of Mrs. King's fhifts, and being thus difmiffed, the went away.

Pritchard, the chair-woman, ftill continued in her office. The water having failed in the cistern on the Tuesday, fhe had recourfe to that in the water-tub in the backkitchen; upon pulling out the fpiggot a little water run out, but, as there appeared to be more in, fhe got upon a ledge, and putting her hand in the felt fomething foft; the then fetched a poker, and preffing down the contents of the tub, the got water in a pail. This circumftance fhe told Pelfey, and they agreed the firft opportunity to fee what the things in the water-tub were; yet fo languid was their curiofity, and fo careless were they of the event, that it was Thursday before this tub was examined: they found in it the blankets, fheets, and coverlet that Gardelle had put in it to foak: after spreading, shaking, and looking at them, they put them again into the tub; and the next morning when Pelfey came down, he faw the curtain hanging on the banisters of the kitchen stairs; upon looking down, he faw Gardelle juft come out at the wash-house door, where the tub ftood. When Pritchard the chair-woman came, he afked her if fhe had been taking the curtain out of the turb, and fhe faid, no; fhe then went and looked in the tub, and found the fheets had

been

been wrung out. Upon this the first step was taken towards enquiring after the unhappy woman, who had now lain dead more than a week in the house. Pelfey found out the maid whom Gardelle had difmiffed, and asked her if she had put any bed-cloaths into the water; The faid, No, and feemed frighted; Pelfey was then alfo alarmed, and told his mafter.

These particulars alfo came to the knowledge of Mr. Barron an apothecary in the neighbourhood, who went the fame day to Mrs. King's houfe, and enquired of Gardelle where he was. He trembled, and told him with great confufion that fhe was gone to Bath. The next day therefore, Saturday, he carried the maid before Mr. Fielding, the justice, to make her depofition, and obtained a warrant to take Gardelle into cuftody. When the warrant was obtained, Mr. Barron, with the conftable, and fome others, went to the house, where they found Gardelle, and charged him with the murder; he denied it, but foon after dropped down in a fwoon. When he recovered, they demanded the key of Mrs. King's chamber; but he faid fhe had got it with her in the country; the conftable therefore got in at the window, and opened the door that communicated with the parlour, and they all went in. They found upon the bed a pair of blankets wet, and a pair of Theets that appeared not to have been lain in; and the curtain alfo which Pelfey and the chair-women had seen firft in the water-tub, and then on the banifters, was found put up in its place wet. Upon taking off the cloaths, the bed appeared bloody, the blankets alfo were bloody, and marks of blood appeared in

other places; having taken his keys, they went up into his room, where they found the bloody fhift

and shirt.

The prifoner, with all thefe tokens of his guilt, was then carried before Fielding, and, though he ftifly denied the fact, was committed. On the Monday, a carpenter and bricklayer were fent to fearch the house for the body, and Mr. Barron went with them. In the neceffary they found what he calls the contents of the bowels of a human body, but what were certainly the bowels themselves; and in the cock-loft they found the parts of generation, one of the breasts, some other mufcular parts, and fome bones. They perceived also that there had been a fire in the garret, and fome fragments of bones, half confumed, were found in the chimney, fo large as to be known to be human. On the Thursday before he had carried an oval chip-box to one Perronneau, a painter in enamel, who had employed him in copying, and pretending it contained colours of great value, defired him to keep it, faying, he was uneafy to leave it at Mrs. King's while fhe was abfent at Bath. Perronneau, when he heard Gardelle was taken up, opened the box, and found in it a gold watch and chain, a pair of bracelets, and a pair of ear-rings, which were known to be Mrs. King's. To this force of evidence Gardelle at length gave way, and confeffed the fact, but figned no confeffion. He was fent to New Prifon, where he attempted to destroy himself by fwallowing fome opium, which he had kept feveral years by him as a remedy for the tooth-ach. He took at one dofe 40 grains, which was fo

far

Some account of fall, Percht Bank rupt, who battly banged in Smithfield, for concealing part of bis effects.

John

hn Perrott was born at Newport Pagnel, in Buckinghamfhire, about fixty miles north of London, in the year 1723, being about 38 years of age at his death. His father died when he was feven years old, and his mother about two years afterwards, leaving him a fortune of about 1500l. After the death of his parents, he was, by the direction of a guardian, placed in the foundation fchool of Gilfborough in Northamptonshire, where he continued five years: he was then, being about 15 years old, put apprentice to his half brother at Hampstead in Hertfordshire, where he served out his time. In the year 1747, he came up to London, and began to trade for himself in foreign white lace, but kept no fhop. In the beginning of the year 1749, he took a house, and opened a warehoufe in Blow-bladder-ftreet. A bout the year 1752, he removed from Blow-bladder-street to Ludgate-hill, where he opened a linendraper's fhop, and dealt in various other articles, filing himself merchant. From the time of his opening this fhop, till the year 1759, he returned annually about two thoufand pounds; and was remarkably punctual in his payments. Having thus established his reputation, and finding that no credit which he fhould afk, would be refufed him, he formed a scheme of abufing this confidence, which he began to put in execution by contracting for goods of different forts, to the value of 30,000l. the greatest part of

which, amounting to the value of 25,000l. he actually got into his poffeffion. In pursuance of his project, it was neceffary to convert thefe goods into ready money as foon as poffible; he therefore employed one Henry Thompfon (wha had for three or four years acted as his agent, or broker) to fell them for ready money. Thompfon, at this time, kept a little house in Monkwell-ftreet, near Wood-street, whither the goods were fent in the dusk of the evening, and whither he invited fome of the principal traders to look at them, as goods configned to him from the places where they were manufactured. Perrott always fet a price upon them, which Thompfon fhewed to his chapmen, who ufually fixed another price at which they would buy; at this price Thompson was always ordered to fell, though it was frequently 15 and 20 per cent. below prime coft.

When he had thus converted the goods he obtained upon credit into money, and before the time when he was to pay for them arrived, he fummoned his creditors together, who accordingly met on the 17th of January 1760, at the Half-moon tavern, in Cheapfide; where he acquainted them that he was unable to pay the whole of what he owed, referring himself intirely to their pleafure, and promifing to acquiefce in all fuch measures as they should propofe, to purfue their own benefit and fecurity.

This conduct, and thefe profeffions, had fo plaufible an appear. ance, that Perrott's creditors conceived a favourable opinion of him, notwithstanding the lofs they were likely to fuffer: it was however determined, that a commiffion of

bank

bankruptcy fhould be fued out a gainft him, and Perrott having agreed, to cause himself to be denied the next day, to a perfon whom his creditors were to fend to demand money, as the common and moft ready foundation of commiffions of bankruptcy; fuch a commiffion was iffued against him on the 19th of January, the fecond day after meeting, and Perrott being found and declared a bankrupt, surrendered himfelf as fuch.

The 26th of the fame month, the 4th of February, and the 4th of March, were appointed for his appearance before the commiffioners, to make a full disclosure of his eftate and effects.

On the 26th of January, he did not appear, and though he appeared on the 4th of February, and was fworn, yet he declared that he was not prepared to make a full discovery of his effects, and requested to have the time limited for that purpofe enlarged, which request was granted.

But two of Perrott's creditors, having been at this meeting chofen affignees of his eftate, they found upon an infpection of his accounts and affairs, fuch a deficiency and confufion, as gave them just reason to fufpect his integrity; and it was now thought neceffary to examine him as foon as poffible. He was accordingly fummoned before the commiffioners on the 26th of February, and then being hard preffed, he acknowledged that he had bought goods fince the year 1758, to the amount of 20,000l. and fold them himself, or by Thompfon, for ready money, at 15 or 20 per cent. under prime coft; and that about five years before, he hired a house in

Hide-ftreet, near Bloomsbury-fquare, at 30 1. per ann. rent, and furnished it at the expence of about 1301. that it was for a lady, and that he lived in it for about a year and a half, and then quitted it, and fold the furniture. And he fwore alfo, that he had not fince that time, any other houfe or lodging, or paid for the lodging of any other perfon.

An examination which produced fuch proof of the bankrupt's misconduct, greatly increafed the fufpicions of his creditors, that more knavery was intended; and, it appeared, that though he had kept regular books from 1752 to 1757, yet that at the end of that time they were in fome confufion, and afterwards in total diforder. Neither were any traces to be difcovered of accounts between him and Thomp fon, notwithstanding the very large tranfactions between them, which was another reasonable caufe to fufpect fraudulent defigns.

Thefe tranfactions between Perrott and Thompson, were thought a fufficient reason to fummon Thompfon before the commiffioners; and, on the rft of March he appeared, and depofed that he had fold goods for Perrott to a great value, at 15 20 per cent. under prime coft, and that he was ordered by Perrott not to declare the goods were his.

or

It was also discovered, during this examination of Thompson, that on the third day after the commiffion was iffued, Perrott fent to him by his apprentice a PAPER PARCEL, feal ed with three feals, defiring he would take care of it; that he ac cordingly locked it up in his bureau; and feeing Perrott a day or two afterwards, was told by him, that it contained papers relating to pri

vate