It being now very late, and there being several witnesses to be examined, some of whom were not present, the magistrates remanded the prisoners to the following day. Previous to their being taken from the bar, they were asked if they had anything to state. The male prisoner declined saying anything at present; but the female with the most solemn imprecations declared her innocence, and said that the whole of the statement of her son was from beginning of to end a lie. She added that on the morning of Saturday, she had left the old lady and her husband (the other prisoner) after breakfast smoking their pipes at the fire when she went out, and from that time to the present she had not heard of her. They were then taken from the bar, and the magistrates gave directions that they should be kept separate as before.
On the following evening, Edward Cook, and the female Eliza Cook, alias Ross, were again brought up to Lambeth-street police-office, and placed within the bar, before the Hon. G. C. Norton, and J. Hardwick, Esq., for final examination. When brought into the office, the female, who appeared as ferocious as a tigress, on perceiving her son, exclaimed, 'Oh Ned, I hope you are not going to hang your mother,' and seemed at the moment almost ready to dart at the boy, and tear him to pieces. He, however, was removed to a distance from her by the officers.
Previous to the examination being entered on, Mr. Norton said he understood that there were two gentlemen belonging to the London Hospital present, who wished to say something; and if so, the magistrates were ready to hear them.
Dr. Luke, who as well as Dr. Hamilton, was in attendance, said, that in the report of the proceedings at this office on the day before, in the morning journals, it was stated that the body of the missing woman had been taken to the London Hospital. He (Dr. Luke) wished to deny the truth of such statement, and to say that no such body had been received at that institution. At the time at which it was stated that it had been brought there, on the 20th of August, the lecturing and dissecting rooms were under repair, and none but the tradesmen employed in doing such repairs entered them. He had besides made inquiries, and found that during the whole month of August not a single body had been received at the London Hospital.
Mr. Norton observed, that so far as the Hospital was concerned, the statement of Dr. Luke was perfectly satisfactory; at the same time the representations in the newspapers as to the statement of the boy respecting his mother saying that she had taken the body to the London Hospital, were perfectly correct.
Lydia Basey, the wife of Thomas Basey, a boot-closer, residing in Long-lane, Smithfield, stated that she was granddaughter to the missing woman, whose name was Caroline, and not Elizabeth Walsh. On Friday, the 19th of August last, she went with her to the residence of the prisoners, in Goodman's-yard, Minories. She did not go into the room of the prisoners at the time; but she heard the voice of the female prisoner as the old lady went up stairs. It was between five and six o'clock in the afternoon. She understood her grandmother was going to stop there. She had nothing with her at the time but a small basket; and she had never seen her since.
Anne Buton, sister to the last witness, stated that her grandmother, Mrs. Walsh, had lived with her for six years, previous to August last. The last place at which she resided with her was in Red Lion-court, in the Minories. The prisoners at the time lived next door to her in the same court. Having given up her room in the beginning of July, the old woman stopped for some time with the prisoners, who took it; and she (witness) subsequently took lodgings for her at a Mrs. Shaw's, in Playhouse-yard, Houndsditch. Her invariable practice was never to go out before ten or eleven o'clock in the forenoon, and return at three or four o'clock in the afternoon, and sometimes much earlier. She was in the habit of selling tapes, threads, and other articles. The last time she saw her was about four o'clock in the afternoon of Friday, the 19th of August, at the house of Mrs. Shaw. She (witness) then told her that she understood she was going to Cook's to lodge, as she had seen her bed there in the course of the morning. The old woman said she was; upon which she remarked, that if she went to Cook's, they would cook her; that they were body-snatchers, and would put a pitch-plaster on her, and sell her body at some of the hospitals. The old woman seemed displeased and angry at her remarks, said that the Cooks were not so bad, and requested that she, witness, would accompany her to their house. This witness refused, but went part of the way; and on their parting at the end of Cutler-street, she told her that she was sure she should never see her more. She, however, told her not to stir out the next morning until she called on her, and that she would bring her some stockings, and other articles which she required. The old lady said she would not, and they parted. During the whole Friday night the witness could scarcely get any rest, such were her apprehensions about her grandmother; and on the following morning she went to the house of the prisoners, at about a quarter before nine o'clock. On reaching it, she found no one at home but the female. She asked her for the old lady, and she said she was just gone out. She appeared a good deal confused at the time. Witness expressed some surprise that she should go out so early, contrary to her usual habit, and more particularly as she must have expected her, and promised to wait at home until she called; on which the female prisoner said, that she was gone out early, in order that she might return early; and added, that whatever things she (witness) might have for her, she might leave them. The female prisoner was washing something at the time, which she said was a butcher's jacket. She said that her husband, Cook, was very partial to the old lady; that they had a jolly good supper on the night before; and that Cook had treated the old lady to 'something short.' She next pointed to a sack which lay on the bed, and said that Cook had doubled it up on the night before, to put the old woman in it. Witness asked her what she meant by putting the old woman in a sack; and she replied, that he had doubled it up to place it under her on the bed. She also said that the old woman had no linen on. This witness thought somewhat extraordinary that she should have examined her so closely, and asked her how she came to do so; but she made no reply. Witness again expressed much uneasiness about her grandmother, on which the female prisoner told her that she had left her and her husband sitting by the fire when she went out to collect some cinders, and on her return she was gone. She (witness) asked the female prisoner to go out with her to have something to drink. She did so, and they went to two public-houses. While in one of them she earnestly inquired about the old woman, when the female prisoner observed, 'You speak as if you thought we had murdered or made away with her.' Witness observed that she had her suspicions that such was the case, but she did not wish then to express what her feelings were. Mrs. Cook pressed her (witness) afterwards to go home with her to have something to eat, but she refused to do so, and gave her some halfpence to get some bread and cheese with, but she did not return. Witness, after searching about for the old lady, went again to the residence of the prisoners. They were both at home, and Cook appeared in a most savage temper, and the female appeared to be dreadfully beaten. Her face was one mass of contusions. Cook shortly afterwards left the room, and the female told her, that he had given her a desperate beating because she had been out with her, and lest she should let anything drop about the old woman. Witness expressed some surprise that so quiet-looking a man as Cook appeared to be, should act so; on which the female observed, that he 'was the greatest murderer in Europe if the truth was known.' She (witness) had subsequently made inquiries at all the gaols, poor-houses, and hospitals in the metropolis, about her grandmother, but was not able to obtain the slightest intelligence about her. She had never recollected her stopping a night from home. Mrs. Cook had frequently solicited the old woman to go to lodge with her, and appeared most anxious to know if she (witness) was her daughter or any relation of hers. She, however, never told her that she was more than a friend, who had known her from her childhood, and as such she respected her. She had repeatedly warned her grandmother against going to the house of the prisoners, by telling her what they were, and that they would be sure to put a black plaster on her, and dispose of her body, but she still had a good opinion of them. On the Monday night after the old woman was first missed, she went to the house of the prisoners: it was late in the evening, and Cook was in bed. Mrs. Cook pressed her very much to stop there all night, as she appeared tired, saying, that her husband would have no objection to her doing so. She refused to do so; and Cook desired her not to be so uneasy about the old woman, as in all probability she would hear from her at the end of the month. 'At this instant,' said the witness, 'I thought I heard the voice of my grandmother, as plain as ever I heard her in the course of my life, say, "Nancy, where is the use of your looking for me, when I have been suffocated in that bed of Cook's, by him and his wife?" The circumstance, as well as her own fears to get out of the place, had such an effect upon her, that she was scarcely able to walk down stairs.
John Shields, a lad of about fourteen years of age, who lodged in August last in the same house with the prisoners, recollected one Friday night, about nine weeks since, having some words with his father, and being turned out of the room; he in consequence sat on the stairs. It was between ten and eleven o'clock at the time. Mrs. Cook came down stairs, and asked him if he had been again turned out through that wretch (meaning a woman who used to wash and clean for himself and his father). She said, that if she served her boy so, she would rip her from top to toe. She then requested him to go in; but his father not being in bed he could not, and he went into a dark corner of the stairs. Mrs. Cook passed, without seeing him, and remained for about half an hour at the street door, and then went up to her room. While he was in the corner, Cook was coming down stairs; but before he reached him, somebody called him back, and witness being called into his father's room, went to bed. As he was coming down stairs at five o'clock the next morning, he saw Mrs. Cook come from the cellar, and heard the cellar flap fall, and she asked him where he was going so early. He returned about six o'clock, and went into the cellar to get some eggs, as he kept some ducks and hens there. He felt about for some time for the eggs, and after getting them, brought them up stairs. The cellar was very dark, and he could not see the body if it was in a sack under the stairs. It might be there, without his observing it.
