The Express.
London, England, 1849-12-26 00:00:00

THE MURDER AT BRISTOL

On Monday afternoon the coroner for Bristol, J.
B. Orineon, Esq., commenced an inquest at the Hops and
Anchor ion, RedclifThill, in that city, on the body of Wil-
liam Braund, the young man who on Sunday evening was
shot by s boy named Disney, and of whose melancholy mur-
der paeiculan appeared in the Exprou. The inquiry
excited considerable interest, and a large number of persons
crowded the inquest room to hear the promedingc.
The tiny Dancey was brought from the station by the po-
lice, and was defended by Mr. Ayre, solicitor.
The coroner having opened the proceedings by detailing
the facts of the murder se they bad been detailed to him,
and by esplaining to the jury the nature of the enquiry
upon shah they were about to enter, the jury proceeded to
the Brie= General Hospital, in Guinea-street, where they
viewed the body of the deceased man, and had pointed out
to them the pistol wound. Upon their return to the inquest
room several WiUll4lOll were examined.
Hoary Coggan deposed that he knew the deceased, who
worked in the employ of Mr. Gillet, wine and spirit mer-
chant, of Radcliff street. He was about 19 years old. Wit-
ness woe labia company all day yesterday, together with a '
young maa named Horgan. At half-past al o'clock, when
crossing Bedminster-bridge, they saw the prisoner Hussy,
and ahoy tamed Collies,leaping an iron post at the corner
by the SOISOISttAOII6II beer-bOUSO. As they passed them
Horgan mid to Hammy, " Over it;" upon which the boy
turned reuad, and began calling Horgan bluhberhead,"
and other offensive names. Braund, witness, and Horgan
went along the eat, the boys still following them, and
calling them different abusive names. As they were
going along the New Cut, by li.dloy's-crement, Collins
pulled out a life preserver and shook it at deceased, who
said if he did ant be quiet he would tell his
mother of him. With that Collins shook the life-preserver
in a threatening manner, and as Braund went to seize hold
of it, he made a sweep round with it and " 'cragged " his
mouth with it. Braund then tried to take the life-preserver
from Collins, and &struggle ensued between them. Denney I
then pulled cut a pist )1 from his bosom, and threatened I
three or four times that if Braund did not let Collins go he
would sheet him. Collins and Braund at this time were es
the ground, and es soon as the latter had got up and stood
upright, Macey presented the pistol at him and shot him.
IHe then ran away, and witness, pursued him. A gentleman
tiled to stop him, and he flung the pistol at him, and kept
en tanning. Witness still pursued, end overtook and
mewed him et the corner of Mr. Brown's tie-yer3. Wit-
sass then returned to assist the deceased, who was in the
arms of Horgan and some other parties, bleeding very
mach and quite speechless. They carried him to the
General Hospital, where he was pronounced to be dead.
Braund, witness, and Horgan were quite sober at the time.
S. Browne, a mmistrate, of Bristol, in front of whom
Ileum, in Deverashirebuildings, the murder was perpetrated,
deposed that his rttention was called to the struggle, which
be saw from his window, and he gave a similar account of the
menznittal of the dreadful crime. When Heaney fired the
pistol, he was not more than a foot or two from the de-
ceased. Did not we deceased make any offensive gesture
or attempt to strike the boy. He walked up to the de.
mimed and shot him instantly. The pistol did not go off
by &widest, but was fired by the boy.
Mr. Thos. Charles Cornish, brother-in-law of the last wit-
ness, at whose house he happened to be dining, similarly
described the fatal occurrence. Whea the deceased rose
from the ground he appeared anxious to disengage himself
from the struggle, and turned away his face from her oppo-
neat. Witness joined in the pursuit of the prisoner, and
assisted in taking him to the station-hones. While he was
on the way to it the prisoner said " I suppose I shall be
'cragged." Witness, upon coming up to him, had remarked
that he would be keened. He further said, in the station-
house, that he did not know that the pistol would go off.
He also said something about it being half cocked. Ho also
said he hoped that a surgeon had been sent for. In the
struggle no hostility was manifested towards the boy by
deceased.
Mr. Samuel Browne, jun., also described, in similar terms
to the other witneeses, the strugglo with the boy Collins,
and subsequent death of Braund. .1 ust before he fired the
prisoner put his hands down between his knees, but whether
to cock his pistol, or for what purpose he could not say.
Edward Horgan said—H• was in company of Braund
and Coggan when they saw the prismer and Collins leaping
the post. Witness said " Over it," as the prisoner was
about to Imp it, upon which the prisoner and Collins be-
came very abusive, and followed witness's party, using in-
sulting expressions. Witness ran atter them, and upon
Collins beginning to spar at him, gave him a couple of slaps.
Dewey thee came behind witness and struck him in the
face, and Collins pulled out a life preserver, and Dancey a
brass barrelled pistol, andjassumed a menacing attitude, as
if they were going to attack him. At this time Braund and
Cs ggan tad walked on. Daum presentekhis pistol at wit.
ass, and said, " Now, then, come on ; I'm ready for
you. I'll have you." Witness replied, " I'll talk to
you tomorrow, and not liking to be seen in a
broil on a Sunday. left them and raj -fined his companions.
Dancey sod Collins followed them, abusing them and
jeering at them, till the corner of Brown's.rtw, when they
all halted. Collins again flourished the life-preserver, and
upon Braund threatening to tell his mother, and trying to
taas It flea him, the fetal struggle ensued. Dancey pulled
out his pistol and threatened to shoot Brained, and witness
tried all he could to intercept him, but in vain. Decay
wet on one side, put the pistol between his legs, and cocked
it, and then rushed up to the deceased and immediately
fired. Deceased immediately staggered and the blood rushed
from his mouth. During the whole time nothing of an
offensive or irritating kind was said or done by deceased
towards the prisoner, who seemed determined to shoot him,
and, had it not been for witness, would have dont so before.
The inquiry was now adjourned till Wednesday.

CHRISTMAS FARE AT THE ROYAL FREE HOSPITAL,
°RAT'S Iww-noaD.—The cenvaleecent patients in this excel
lent institution were regaled yesterday with neut beef, plum
pudding, and porter, by order of the weekly bcard.
A STRANGE HISTORY OP A LONATIC.—About
three years ago, a man, 35 years of age, of week intellect,
and in a destitute state, was found wandering in the
neighbourhood of Hashoiden. lie was incapable of giving
rely aesoant of himself, and was ordered into the work-
house, and every meats wee at the time employed ley ad-
vertisement and otherwise to find out where he came
fees. Me remained in the workhouse about two years,
when the relieving officer, having reason to believe he
woe from Manchester, went over Were with him, and by
some emus or other they became separated, and the
cam was obliged is return to Haelingden without him.
In about three weeks afterwards the man igen made hie ap-
pearance in the neighbourhood of Haeliagden, but bow or by
what means he got there was again inexplicable. He was re
eoguleed by some person, and was again brought to the Hr
workhouse. It is surprising that when he left the
workhouse he had threepence to vopper, wrapped lc in
some rags is his pulivt, and on living eninined on Ws
Men, the same amount of money, wrapped in the same
me, wee again found upon him. During this last week a
servant F 1, who has lately come to reside at Beelingden,
saw the man, and at once identified him. and gave informs-
ti is to the authorities that hiansole was Shire Greenwood.
ant his father lived at Sowerby-bridge, Yorkshire. A
letter was written to his father, which he received oa Satur-
day lut, and on the following day he arrived at Haslingdosten.
Toe father states that it is three years since his son was l,
eat that, after advertising his ab.enoe and travelling some
hundreds of miles in search of him, he had long since given
up all especeation of ever meeting with him again. The son
did not recognise his father for some time. On the same day
the father and son set off on foot from Hashogdon, to take
the train at Todmordta for tilowatry-bridaa—Bkeekbwre
Standard.