The Express.
London, England, 1867-10-25 00:00:00

THE BLOOMSBURY MURDER.

THE ADJOURNED INQUEST.
At the close of the evidence yesterday,
The Coroner observed that if the jury were not eatiefied
that there was not • particle of truth in Mrs. Janman's
evidence, Mr. Sleigh should be allowed to call further evi-
dence in refutation of her statements. It was possible for the
inquiry to be adjourned from time to time in order to have
Groves present if the jury thought that desirable, or they
might at once deliver an open verdict, or a verdict
accusing Groves of the crime. In his opinion there was •
deficiency of anything like evidence that Groves really
fired the shot. Groves himself admitted that he wu at
the Turk's Head between 12 and 1 o'clock on the night of
the murder, but as to the direction he took after leaving
there was mot the slightest evidence. Even the evidence
of Mrs. Janman did not point to the way he went, nor
would it, if worthy of belief, prove that he was the
person who fired the shot. They had also evidence that
the bullet by which M'l)onnell was murdered would no:
fit the pistol found at Groves' lodgings. But Mrs. Janman,
by her contradictory statements, and by writing letters in
which there was not a particle of truth, had, in his
opinion, placed herself entirely out of court. (Applause.)
Many of her statements did not at all harmonise, and there
was something so worderful upon the doctrine of chances
in the circumstance that she should not only have seen the
men before the murder, but that she should have heard
them threatening murder, and then that she should have
met them again in Oxford-street as they came out of Hart-
street, and that at thatmoment one cf them should be
speaking to the other of what he had done, that her story
was altogether improbable. It was exoeedinglyimprobable,
in the first place, that one of the men should put on a
beard to disguise himself, and that the other should imme-
diately afterwards address him by name in the street, but
it was still more difficult of belief that Providence should
so arrange that she should some days afterwards meet the
dark man in Oxford-street, and that he should then be
talking to some others about the murder. The evident.)
of this woman was not worthy of the attention of the
jury. If any of them were inclined to give ere.
denoe to any portion of it further inquiry would be
necessary in order that it might be more thoroughly
sifted, but his own impression was that in so important a
case the jury ought not to deliver a verdict according to
such evidence, and even if they believed her statement it
would not establish the fact that the pistol was fired by
Groves. Then it was a question whether the inquiry
should be adjourned in the hope that they might get
further evidence. It was no doubt very shocking that
with such a police force as the metropolis possessed, it
should be neoesaary to abandon an inquiry aa to a murder
committed in the streets of London, and if the jury
arrived at any decision, their investigation would be
brought to an end. At the same time, if they delivered
an open verdict and further evidence afterwards name to
light, Groves might again be brought before a police
magistrate and committed upon the charge of murder.
Another point to be borne in mind was that if the jury
now returned a verdict against Groves, be would pro-
bably be acquitted by the criminal court, in consequence
of the insufficiency of the evidence, and he could not in
that case be again tried for the murder.

The jury then retired, and upon their return into court,
after an absence of a quarter of an hour,
The Foreman said by a majority of 15 to 2we have
agreed to the following verdict—" That Edwin M'Donnell
met his death by a pistol shot fired on the night of the
27th of September or the morning of the tith by some per-
son unknown ; and the jury further desire to express their
opinion that Mrs. Denman has been guilty of conspiracy
and perjury, and to recommend that she be prosecuted."
The Coroner—l have no power to prosecute. The latter
part of your finding must therefore appear u a separate
resolution, to be forwarded upon the responsibility of the
jury to the Home Secretary. Of course the jury wish it
to be understood that M'Donnell was murdered.

The Foreman—We have no doubt that be was wilfully
murdered.

The Coroner—Then your verdict is in fact " Wilful mur-
der against some person or persons unknown."

TEE RITUALISTIC SERVICES AT Sr. LAWRENCE
JEWRY.—Yestordsy afternoon • numerously attends:l
meeting of the inhabitants of the parishes of St. Lawrence,
Jewry, and St. Mary Magdalen, Milk-street, was held in
the vestry-room of the church, to consider two notices of
motion which were given at the last meeting, strongly con-
demnatory of the ritualistic practices which have lately
taken place in the church. The chair was occupied by the
senior churchwarden Mr. R. Kynaston. The object of
the meeting having been briefly opened by the chairman,
Mr. Churchwarden Burr read a correspondence which had
taken place between the vicar, the Rev. B. M. Collie, and
himself with respect to the proceedings which had lately
taken place in the pariah, and respecting which he had
unhesitatingly expressed great surprise. The vie= stated
that he did not see that he had done anything that could
' give offence. He (Mr. Churchwarden Burr) bad
then pointed out certain of the proceedings, such as
the wearing of orders and crosses at the tonnes which had
taken place, and other ritualistic practices of which he and
a large number of the parishioners complained. The chair-
man read • letter from the vicar, explaining the reason of
his absence from the meeting upon the ground that be could
not act as chairman at a vestry, which position it was his
right to occupy, at which his conduct was called into ques-
tion. Mr. C. Lowry then proposed the following motion,
of which he had given notice, viz..—" That whilst this
vestry heartily approves of special efforts being made by
the church for the spread of the gospel in our colonies and
in foreign lands, and also considers the circumstance of the
visit of numerous colonial and other Anglican bishops
to this metropolis a fitting opportunity for such an
effort being made in the church of St. Lawrence,
Jewry, it nevertheless desires tc record its unqualified
disapproval of the processional and other ritualistic or
popish innovations made during the week of such special
services held in this church from the 14th to the 22nd of
September last, as being repugnant to the feelings of the
protestant inhabitants of the parish, contrary to the uni.
form practice of Divine worship as performed in the
church, ai.d in no sense sanctioned by the Book of Common
Prayer. This vestry regards it moreover an an immediate
attempt to a further development of the popish or ritual-
istic practices introduced into the protestant reformed
church of this realm, and pledges itself to do all in its
power to prevent a repetition of such practices," which
was declared to be carried, an amendment to it meeting
with but little support. Mr. Lowry then moved • reso-
lution instructing the beadle to remove ell placards or
notices placed ou the notice board of the church favour-
able to the ritualistic or Rontish movement, and that
under no circumstances should any notices be affixed on
the notice board without the consent of the church-
wardens. This proposition was also carried almost unani-
mously, and after passing a cordial rota of thanks to the
chairman, the meeting broke up.
SALE OF A CITY CHURCH. —Tho old church of
St. Benet'', Gracechurch, which stands at the corner of
Gracechurch-street and Fenchurch-street, was sold yester-
day, but who is the purchaser has not yet transpired.
Under the Bishop of London's " Union of /knefices Act "
the parish of St. Benet has been amalgamated for eccle-
siastical purposes with the parish of All Hallows, Thames-
street. and St. Benet's church is to be removed. With that
view the Rev. W. F. Erskine Knollys, the Bishop of Lon-
don's chaplain, performed last year what has been not
inaptly termed a "deconsecrating service" in the old
building, and it has been shut up since that time. It was
originally intended that the materials of churches
destroyed under this act should be sold by auction,
but this was stoutly opposed by Archdeacon Hale, a
sturdy churchman of the old school, without whose con-
sent no sale of any kind, or, indeed, any union of benefices
could have taken place. A compromise was consequently
agreed to, and persons willing to buy the church sent in
their tenders yesterday to Messrs. Fuller and Horsey, of
Billiter.square. It is • large church, and the bricks, lead,
Sc., are likely to bring in a considerable sum. There are
also in the church antique oak carvings, believed to be of
the aeventeenth century. With the endowments of St.
Benet's and the produce of the sale it is intended to found
a district church, with schools, in the populous parish of
Stepney. This new church, in memory of its predecessor,
will be dedicated to St. Benet.

A FRIENDLY SOCIETY AND ITS BEER MONEY.—
A man named Houghton Walsh was on Wednesday sum-
moned before the Blackburn magistrates on the charge of
misapplying the sum of 16e. belonging to the Amicable
Friendly Society, Blackburn. The evidence for the pro-
secution was to the effect that the society had existed for
sixty or seventy years, and during the whole of that pe-
riod it had been the custom to pay for beer out of the so-
ciety's funds (at the rate of 2d. a member for the total
number connected with it, there now being 140), the beer
being drunk at every meeting, and the customary expeuili-
ture onto( the subscriptions being about 19s. at each sit-
ting. Mr.Pemberton, the secretary, thereupon wroteto Mr.
Tidd Pratt, informing him that he had refused to enter an
account of that description in the books, and asking his
advice as to the course to be adopted. Mr. Pratt replied :
—" The misapplication of the funds in the way stated is
punishable under the 18th and 19th Vie., c. 63, s. 24." It
was proved that on the 24th September last, at the quar-
terly meeting, the defendant, who is also a member of the
society, took out of • basin containing the subscriptions
the sum of 165., which was spent in beer. The defence was
that as Walsh bad acted under instructions he had not
committed the offence wilfully within the meaning of the
act, but simply as a servant under orders. The bench con-
sidered the law clear, and ordered defendant to pay 15s.
and costs.

THE WEST AFRICAN MAIL ,—Yesterday the
African Royal Mail steamer Calabar, Captain Corbett,
sailed from the Mersey with the mail■ for Madeira,
Teneriffe, and the West African Coast. The Calabar car-
ries out a full cargo, and m passengers, amongst the latter
being (hi• Excellency Governor Blacken, of Sierr► Leone,
the Count and Countess Holek-Winterfeldt, 3ldlle. Hoick-
Winterfeldt, the Princess Pepple, and a number of staff-
assistrt surgeons..

[AdTeTtilleMerit.]—HOLLOWAY'S OINTMENT AND
PtEt.,.—With autumn come many diseases el the skin, which de-
mand instant attention, if the patient wish to be spared mach
annoyance thmuell the whiter. These remedies will he found
most effectual in repressing m7sipelas and inflammations gene-
r“lly, and in healing up soreegs. wounds, and cicerst' in
the kindest manner, without exciting pain or tending to weaken
the patient. which would intsllngy Increase his angering. and re-
tard his cure. Holloway's pills should be taken during this
course of treatment, which they will make easier and worg sae-
ce‘oful, at the same time they will improve the appetite and ma-
terially aid digestion—a natter of UN most material importance
when lowering infirmities affect the week, delicate, or med.