The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1853-11-03 00:00:00

MURDER OF

A LIVERPOOL POLICE
OFFICER.

Yesterday, an inquest was held before Mr. P. F. Curry,
the borough coroner, on the body of Richard Sunderland,
police officer, No. 732, who was stabbed on the previous day
by a young man named Thomas Copeland, in Cavendish-
street, under the circumstances detailed in the NORTHERN
DAILY TIMILS of yesterday. After the jury was sworn they
Proceeded to view the body, and immediately after the follow-
ing witnesses were examined. Copeland, who was in cus-
tody at the time he stabbed Sunderland, is a youth apparently
not more than 18 years of age, of small stature, and exceed-
ingly repulsive appearance. Some time since he was tried and
convicted for stabbing his brother with a shoemaker's knife,
and sentenced to three months imprisonment. He was present
during the proceedings, in the custody of the police,
Jonathan Evans, publican, Cavendish-street, said he knew the
deceased, Richard Sunderland. The municipal election took
place yesterday. Was in the neighbourhood of Cavendish-
street, in Shaw's public-house, Scotland-road, about three
o'clock. Three of us went into the house, one afterwards
went away, (we were to wait there for a voter.) Alter being
there some time, a great many persons, about ten or a
dozen, assembled about the door. Thomas Copeland, the pri-
soner, came into the house, and asked the witness for some
drink. The others had gathered round the tap outside. When
he walked in, he called witness by name, and threatened him if
he did not give him drink. Witness remonstrated with the
prisoner,
and begged of him to leave the house, but to no pur-
pose, and, apprehending a disturbance, he advised Mrs. Shaw
to send for the police. He went himself to fetch them through
a side door, as he feared to go by the front door, the men being
around it. He met an officer on the road, who told him he
had better go to Marybone for more, and proceeding there he
brought two officers with him to the house ; the same lot of
rough lads were still about the door, and the prisoner amongst
them, taking a prominent part in the proceedings. The police
told them to disperse, and then drove them on towards the
town. They went, but prisoner hung back very much, Wit-
ness turned his back to come away, and whilst he did so, the
crowd went up an entry, and witness heard a noise. He went
to see what was the matter, when he saw the prisoner brought
down the entry by the officer struggling very hard. He saw
him from the bottom of the street strike one of the officers
several times, and soon after there was a cry that one of the
police was killed. He then went away.
Mr. Corner, of Chisenhall-street, corroborated the first wit-
ness' statement, with respect to the threatening language to
Mr. Evans, by prisoner. He saw that officers, 63, and 94,
whom he identified in the Court, were the two Mr. Evans
brought up from Whitechapel.
William Thornton, inspector of scavengers, was in Scotland-
road on yesterday evening. Some parties said they were going
to the corner of Edgar-street. Witness followed them quietly.
Saw a number of people standing at the corner of Edgar-street.
Saw officers bringing prisoners front the corner of Edward-street
to Cavendish street. Another party of officers were engaged in
dispersing the party at the corner of Edgar-street. Saw the pri-
soner there. Most of the others went away quietly when ordered
by the officers to do so, with the exception of prisoner. They
cameto Cavendish-street. Prisoner after striking Walsh ran up
No. 8 Court, Cavendish street. Witness assisted Walsh in ap-
prehending the prisoner. A struggle took place between Walsh
and prisoner at the bottom of the stairs in the house where they
apprehended him, and then Walsh called the deceased, Sun-
derland,out of the street to his assistance. The deceased took
hold of prisoner by the collar, and 'Walsh, on the left side, held
him by the hand and collar, so that prisoner's right hand was at
liberty. Witness walked behind them, and deceased's brother
walked behind, advising his brother to go , quietly. They
walked on in this way till they came to the parapet. No one else
was near them. When they reached tire bottom of the entry,
witness turned round to put back the crowd that was standing
there and heard some one cry "Oh !" He turned to look, and
saw the blood running out of deceased's trowsers bottom. Saw
prisoner struggle, and jumped and got hold of him. Deceased
let go prisoner, and staggered three or four yards back on the
edge of the path. Witness went along with Walsh to Bridewell
with prisoner. Saw the deceased afterwards at the Dispensary.
From the position the parties were in it would be impossible
that deceased's brother could have given the blow.
Patrick 'Walsh, (officer 63,) gave evidence to the , same
effect.

James Byrnes, (office 94,) corroborated all the principal
statements of the last two witnesses, but he, no more that
andhthi
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e Aedebsilinsotweadb
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pensary. -He never spoke after they raised him up.
Elizabeth Atkinson, examined.---Was in Cavendish-street
about 2 o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, saw two policemen
bring a man out of a court there. [ldentified prisoner as the
man.] He was struggling with the officers; the policeman who
is dead and another, had hold of prisouer one on each side, and
he had one hand at liberty. Observed him put the hand

which he had at liberty into his pocket, and afterwards made

thrust at the deceased ; observed blood immediately gush down
deceased's trowsers. He said something which witness could
not; hear; and he immediately let loose his hold of the prisoner".
She ran and offered to staunch the blood. He said " the Lord
bless my soul," and fell back against the shutter. Witness
said it was with the lett hand that prisoner struck the deceased.
Mary Ann Yorke, a very intelligent little girl eight years
old, was examined as to the nature of an oath, and then related
she knew the prisoner, Tom Copeland, ho lodges in the same
house with her, in a court off Cavendish-street. He came run-
ing into the house in a great hurry abont 2 o'clock on Tuesday
afternoon. One of the " blues " came in after him. Saw a
knife lying on the table just before he came in. [ldentifies
the knife on the table.] It belonged to the woman
doWn stairs. The prisoner took hold of the knife and put it in
his pocket. A second officer came in and they took him out of the
house, and witnesss followed into the court, While the police
took him in the conrt she saw the prisoner stab the deceased
with. a knife which he held in his hand, and he fell.
Ann Turner, anothor chid, deposed to seeing the beginning
of the affair, and to being witness to the prisoner sticking the
knife into the deceased's side; she described the manner in
which the stab was made, by taking up a pen in her hand.
The blow was a back-handed one.

Sarah Walters deposed that she saw prisoner in the hands of
the police, and saw the prisoner draw the knife from his pocket
and throw it away.

_
Ann Evans, was in Cavendish-street yesterday, and saw a
man take a knife out of his pocket and stab the officer. She
would not know that man again.

James. Williams, is an inspector of police, he got the knife
now produced in the house where Copeland lived ; a person,
who said she was his sister, was washing it. She threw the knife
away as soon as she saw witness ; there were no marks of blood
on it when witness took charge of it.

John C. Somers.—ls house-surgeon to the St. Ann's_dispen-
sary, Rose-hill. Was there soon after the deceased w•as bronght

in. Ho was dead when witness saw him. He discovered an
incised wound in the upper part of his left thigh, upwards of
three inches in depth, and nearly three inches long. Has
since made a port-mortem examination, and has found his
death had been caused by hemorrhage, from the femoral artery

—of The
the
which was nearly divided. The wound was inflicted by a
wshaasrpa
healthyd imnsatnr.
B name njmien c e aRs Ride,
divisional
ument. In all other respects the deceased
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police force.
Prisoner examined his sister Mary Copeland as to what she
oafd aR e ar
was doing when Inspector Williams came in at 3 o'clock. She
swore he searched the prisoner's house wtih others, and got
the knife and threw it behind the fire, then he took it up again
and laid it on the table. The witness was taken herself.
She can prove that it is not the knife, and other people living
in the house can do the same.

The coroner in summing up the evidence, took occasion to
say that he was sorry to find that the crime of stabbing with
the knife was becoming very frequent in this country. It was
very frightful to find a civilized country becoming subject to a
practice which shonld only exist in a barbarous nation. For
his part he could never wish to see people going out to fight a
pitched battle, but he would rather see a hundred persons
engaged in pitched battles, and one half that hundred killed, in
what a learned judge called a fair stand up fight, than one case
of assassination by the knife.
The jury, almost without any hesitation, returned a verdict
of wilful murder against Thomas Copeland.
Inspector Ride mentioned that a sister of one of the young
female witnesses, a Mrs. Rolinsons, had complained of a mob
of low characters assembling at her house in Bent-street, near
the scene of the murder, and threatened to take her life
if she suffered her sister to give evidence. In consequence of
thil it was with difficulty that the police brought forward the
child to-day. The Inspector said that the police would affored
her every protection, and the coroner ordered that the child
should he sent to the workhouse till the time of the trial,
He warned the public that any person making such threats,
put themselves in the position of the prisoner himself; and
became accessories after the fact. Thomas Copeland was
committed to Kirkdale jail.