At the examination of Katherine Webster before the Rich. mond
Bench of magistrates, on Thursday, a fresh statement was read, which the prisoner had made,—a statement which changed her version of the date of the murder from the 3rd to the 2nd of March, and which implicated Porter, as well as Church, in the criminal charge. The statement contained no intrinsic evidence of truthfulness, and is supposed by some persons to have been made in order to prevent the evidence of Porter from being taken against the prisoner. Mr. Poland, on behalf of the Crown, declared. that he saw no case against Church which would warrant him in pressing the charge of complicity in the murder further, and the Bench, therefore, discharged him from custody, after which his and Porter's evidence was taken against the accused. This, as our readers are aware, is the result we have for some time expected. Katherine Webster seems to be very fertile in statements, but her statements, unfortunately for her, are neither ingenious, nor consistent with themselves and with each other. Her charge against Church did more than anything else to relieve Church of suspicion, and her charge against Porter has quite failed to bring Porter into suspicion.
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