The Express.
London, England, 1853-02-03 00:00:00

SUSPECTED MURDER AT RATCLIFF.

Yesterday morning, about half-past ono o'clock, as
police-con/tibia 3400 K, was going his rounds in Glans
honse-street, ltAtelitf, be stumbled over the apparently life-
less body of a man lying in the roadway, nailer the win-
dows of the Newcastle and Sunderland Arms beer-shop,
at the corner of Broad-street and Glasshouse-street. The

men had only his shirt, drawers, and stockings on there
was blood oozing from one of hi. ears, and from the position
in which the man was found the policeman was at once led to
believe that he had either fallen or been thrown from the
upper floor of the beer-house. The policeman immediately
knocked at the door, and some of the inmates, who lied not
gone to bed, anawered him, and the mutimted and wounded
man was at once identified to be Captaiu Edward Penning-
ton, the master of the ship Pallas, trading between the
north and London, an old frequenter of tiro house, who
was there on Tuesday evening, and went to bed in a room
ou this second fluor, the window of which overlooks
Olambousc-street, at 11 o'clock on Tuesday night.
Mr. Carson, a medical gentleman in Broad-street,
and others of the faculty, were immediately sent
for, and did everything in their power to restore the
unfortunate man, hut he was beyond the reach of human
skill, and expired about in hours aftvvrards. Bayliss, the
budlord of the ceer-house, and his wife, said their opinion
was that the deceased had thrown himself from his bed-

room into the street. Very strong suspicions, however, are
entertained that Captain Pennington has come by his death
by unfair means, and that he was thrown into the street by
some of the inmates. From a minute examination of the pre
mists made by Mr.Pemble, beadle of Rstelaff and summoning
officer to the coroner, it appears that the window of the
bedroom was raised to a height of 1 foot 9 inches, when
Captain Pennington was found in the street. There are
marks of a person's hands on the window-sill, or stone, as
if he had tenaciously clung to it for life as ling as be was
able, and there are also marks on the brick-Mork beneath.
The deceased, in his fall, struck the first floor immediately
under the window of his bedroom, and dislodged two
panes of glass. The frame of the window is also
broken. There can be no question that the deceased
fell in a perpendicular direction, and that he made a
desperate effort te ease himself. Ms body was found close
to the side wall of the house. If he had flung himself from
the window of his bedroom his body would have been in
the middle of the street. It appears that the house in
question is frequented by thieves and prostitutes. Many
robberies have beta committed there, and some of them
have been of a very serious nature. The upper part is re-
gistered as a common lodging-house, and there were sevtral
women of the town, visitors, and others staying there on
Tuesday night. A few of them slept on the same floor as
the deceased. The affair has caused a great sensation in
Rateliff and its vicinity. Very recently Captain Peter Gray
was hocussed and robbed in Garden's-court, in the same
vicinity, and, on a post modem examination, opium in suffi-
cient quantity to destroy life was found in the stomach.