The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-06-02 00:00:00

MURDER NEAR- REGENT'S

PARK.

Eight young men arrested on Sunday were charged
at the Marylebone Police-court on Monday afternoon
with being concerned together in wilfully murdering
Joseph Rumbold, a printers' machinist, late of 9, Brid-
port-street, Blandford-square, by stabbing him in the
back on the 24th inst. at Regent's-park. The names
of the prisoners are George Gellatly, 18, no occupa-
tion, of 13, Whitfield-street, Tottenham-court-road
William Elvis, 16, a porter, of 23, Wybert-street
Kentish-town; Francis Cole, 18, a porter, of 30,
William-street, Hampstead-road; Peter Lee, 19, a
sailor, of 23, Whitfield-street; William Joseph Graefe
19, a cutter, of 29, London-street; William Henshaw,
16, a French polisher, of 2, William-street, Ramp-
stead-road; Charles Henry Govier, 16, a farrier's boy,
of 183, Drummond-street; and Michael Darling.
15, a porter, of 22, Seaton-street. Mr.
Freke Palmer represented Govier, Graefe, and Cole;
and Mr. Wilson the prisoner Henshaw. The first wit-
ness called was a young woman named Elizabeth Lee.
who kept company with Rumbold. She met him on
Thursday night, and they walked together to Regent's-
park. Emily Lee and Alonzo Burns also accompanied
them, and walked some distance behind. A number
of young men came up and stopped witness and
Rumbold, and one of them said, "Are you Macey?"
Rumbold said he did not know what they meant.
The man who spoke stood beside Rumbold, and the
others said, "That's him." One of them caught
Rumbold by the coat, but he ducked his head and
got away, some six of the lads running after him.
Witncss overtook him at the gate, and saw his
mouth was bleeding. He then knelt against the
railings and said, "Call a cab; I am stabbed."
The lads then ran away. A man tried to stop them,
but was knocked down. One of them also knocked
witness down, and she lost sight of them. She
could not identify any of the prisoners. Inspector
George Robson gave evidence of the arrest of Gellatly.
While passing with the prisoner through Colville-
court on the way to the station, one of the crowd said,
"Why, that's Garey." The prisoner said, "Yes, Dave
Cleery and Browny have turned coppers to try and
hang me." An attempt was then made to rescue him
by the crowd, but they did not succeed. Thomas
Bannister, another police-officer, gave evidence of the
arrest of Peter Lee, on Sunday, at his house in Whit-
field-place. When told the charge Lee said, "AU
right; I had better not say anything yet." He then
said to witness, "I hope that you do not think that I
stabbed the man. I know I was with the mob, and
the man who did it had my knife, but I do not know
his name. I never spoke to him until that night, and
I have not had my knife since. Them other two
chaps who was with you were there as well, and they
know the man who stabbed Rumbold." About four
o'clock witness went with the same officers to 29,
London - street, and arrested William Graefe,
who when told the charge said, " All right.
Although I was not there, I think I could
throw some light on it. The only one I know by name
amongst the lads was Franky Cole. He was round
the park with his girl one night when some chaps
paid him. So this night they came to ask me to go
with them to pay this chap. Well, they have stood
up for me, so I went with them as far as Harley-
street, outside the park. But when they began to talk
about using the knife I left them. I should know
the fellow who had the knife, but he is taller than me.
Them two chaps that was with you was there. They
ought to be pinched as well." He then said, "have
you got Frank Cole ? " and witness said, "No." At
6.40 yesterday afternoon Govier, another prisoner,
was brought to the station with his mother, and
volunteered a statement about the murder. Witness
told the lad Govier he would be charged with being
concerned in it. lhe lad then said no more about the
statement. The prisoners Elvis and Darling also
came to the Albany-street Police-station, and
Darling said, "We was with that mob
on Thursday night that stabbed the man in
the park, but we was not there when he was
stabbed." Witness then told the prisoners that they
would be charged. At a quarter-past eleven the
prisoner Cole was brought to Albany-street Police-
court by his father, and was detained there. Arthur
Hare, another police inspector, gave evidence of the
arrest of Henshaw, who admitted that he was in the
park on Thursday last, about 20 yards from the dis-
turbance, but was entirely innocent of the crime. The
prisoner Govier also called at Albany-street to make a
statement with regard to the murder on Sunday night,
and said he stopped Rumbold and remarked to him,
"Do you know Bill Pasete ?" He said, "No." I saw
the others set on him. I never laid my hand on the
man. This concluded the evidence. Mr. Freke
Palmer applied to the magistrate to discharge the
prisoner Graefe on the ground that there was no evi-
dence against him, but this was refused. The hear-
ing was then adjourned.

Dr. Danford Thomas opened the inquest on the
murdered man, Joseph Rumbold, on Monday after-
noon. The girl Lee was called, and gave evidence to
the same effect as she gave at the police-court. The
young man Alonzo Burns, who accompanied Rumbold,
said he asked two of his assailants why they had M-
used him. They explained that they mistook him for
one of a gang from the Dials who had interfered with
them and their girls on a previous occasion. The
house surgeon at Middlesex Hospital described the
injuries which Rumbold had sustained, and said death
was due to syncope from hemorrhage consequent
upon punctured wounds. The injuries must have
been inflicted with a tapering knife between four and
five inches long. The jury returned a verdict of
"Wilful murder" against some person. or persons at
present not identified.

At Marlborough-street Police - court, on Monday
morning, a young man named John Carroll, described
as a French polisher, was charged with attempting to
rescue a prisoner who was in custody for murder,
and with assaulting Detective-sergeant James while
in the execution of his duty. Sergeant James said
that about ten o'clock on Saturday night lie was
assisting Inspector Robson in the arrest of a man
named Gellatly, who with several others was charged
with the murder of Joseph Rumbold in Regent's-
park, and while proceeding through Colville-court,
Fitzroy - square, the prisoner rushed to the
side of Inspector Robson, and struck him. He
had been drinking, but was not drunk, used
abusive language, said they should not take
Gellatly to the station, and tried to rescue
him from their custody. During the struggle the
prisoner struck the witness on the chin. The witness
requested him to be quiet, but he continued his
violence and tried a second time to get the prisoner
away from them. A large crowd assembled, and it
was with great difficulty that they could get along.
Assistance, however, arrived, and he then let go his
hold of Gellatly and seized the accused. It was
believed that the prisoner was a friend of the person
who used the knife on the murdered man. Mr.
Newton remanded him for a week.