The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-09-15 00:00:00

MURDER OF JOHN DI'FFY.

(rCRTRER PARTICI:MARX.)
tFrom the Dublin Frceman's Joistroll Mondat•
After a long investigation on Friday, and the examination of
number of witnessen, by Mr. Alderman Fleming and Mr
• Gab bett,
at CollegnAtrect Office, these Magistrates were fully of opinion that
this unfortunate man had been murdered ; the affair, however, snit
continue, involved in much mystery; nothing is known of the map.
posed perpetrator, except that he was a sailor, but no one his yd
been found to give information who he was, or whet vessel he be,
longed to. The circumstances, In far as they are known at prenett,
are thesethee:—
About twelve o'clock on IVednesday night, a sailor came ain7e
the quays from the directicn of Ringsend, and going up to Fit:
geraid, a watchman that was s'ationed near the Marine Schein!.
asked him, why he, the widchiran, did not do his duty, and shp
those men that went down the Quay with rope; the watchmal
went to look in the direction Feinted out, but could not see any per.
son. In a few minutes after Duffy and this man were heard en,
gaged in a quarrel' the sailor then went en board the Elizabeth,
and challenged Duffy to follow him, which the letter did' the man
on watch ran down into the cabin to acquaint the mate, and whila
below they heard the cries of" murder, murder, blood, blood ;" oa
Ireturning to the deck almost immediately afterwuda, he heard a
splash in the water, when he found Duffy overboard between
the
Elizabeth and the Lune, a vessel which lay alongside of her. Every
excl.:ion was made by Mr. Longridge. the master of the Elizabeth,
and his crew, to extricate Duffy, but his mm 11 which the, held
him and kept him to the surface, having slipped off, he sunk. pa
I the body being found on the following morning, several deep Rem
" were visible on the face and head, which had the appearance of
being inflicted with a knife.

At the same moment that the cries of murder were heard. the
man with whom Duffy had been engaged jumped from the Eliza,
beth on board the Lune, where he was instantly seized by a late
watch-dog, which held him fast until the mate Came upon deck;
the animal then released his hold, and the mate observed that de
man's face was bloody. At this instant he heard the spluh in the
water, and went to the ataistance of Duffy. The nun, on heiey
fried from the fangs of the dog, van down into the cabin, bat intuits
diately returning, he jumped Into a lighter that was lying Wen
of the Lune, and from her succeeded in getting on shore. We
stated on Friday that Alderman Archer, (me of the city Comm,
had been engaged the entire day, and until a late hour at night,
investigating the circumstance, and we gave the verdict of the
Jury, This verdict, however, was deficient in the most maid
point ; it did not stare whether the deceased came by his death from
the Wounds lie had received, or by drowning. Thin omiasiosiscon,
sequent upon the state of the law, which makes no provision for
procuring surgical opinion in each cases. There was no vorgtou
examined on the Inquest to ascertain how Duffy came by his death,
. and to this circumstance may be attributed much of the doubt in
which the &lair is involved. There is a possibility that Duffy
might have received those wounds by fallinic between the two
vessels when in pursuit of his antagonist ; and it is quits uncertain
. whether the wounds were the cause of his death, or whether he was
drowned. it must be obvious how important such a distinction
would be, if the man with whom Duffy was engaged were brow
to trial.

On Friday night Alderman Archer, the Coroner, took into tzu
tody a man of the name of Roland Jones, belonging to the brig
Venus, of North Wales. This matt underwent a long investige.
tion on Saturday. before Mr. Oabbett, which was protracted twit
ten o'clock at night, but there did not appear the dightestgroonde
to warrant hie detention. and he was accordingly discharged. It
may be worthy of remark, that, about a fortnight back, Duffy
took into custody two bows, whom he observed with a bundle
of clothes, which they had stolen from one of the vessels in the
river, and he was bound over to prosetwe them at the mum
Sessions.