The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1826-09-14 00:00:00

CORO.VER'S INQUEST'.

CHA ROE OF MURDER.
Yesterday, an inquest was taken at the llog-in-Armour public-
house, Great Saffron-11111, before Thomas Stirling, Esq. Coroner
for Middlesex, and a highly respectable Jury, to inquire into the
death of Anne Perry, otnerwise Ambrose, who was tound dead at
the house, No. 4, Lily-meet, on Tuesday morning, and who, from
certain marks of violence traced on the body, was supposed to hare
been murdered by a Man, minted John Ambrose, a shoemaker,
with whom deceased has cohabited for a considerable time.

Several witnesses were in attendance, and the whole neighbour-
hood, which is chiefly inhabited by the lower older; of the Irish,
Italian linage-makers, Jew clothes-dealers, and cosier-mongers,
has bccn in a strong state of excitement, ever since the discovery
took place.

The police arc in pursuit of Ambrose, who absconded ftotn his
lodgings un Tuesday morning, but though he was traced to
Kentish-town, on the evening of that day, the officers were too late
to elect his apprehension, as he had lett that pluce about an hour
before their arrival.
After the Jury were empanelled they proceeded to view the body,
which exhibited a shocking spectacle, and the stench proceeding
from it was intolerable.

Charles Thomas, a bookbinder, lives at the house, No. 4, Lily.
street, in the room adjoining to the one occupied by the el. ceased
and a shoemaker, named John Ambrose, who cohabited together
as man and wife. On Saturday night, witness came home about
half-past ten o'clock, and went to bed ; beard Ambrose and de.
ceased quarrelling, which, however, was by no means uncommon
with them. Ambrose made use of several foul and abusive
epithets to deceased, and told her she might go home to her
brother, and never come back to hint again. There was then
a push or a blow given, which was repeated at intervals
several times. Witness heard deceased bay to Ainbrote, " Vett
have got a good dinner for to-morrow, Lut I suppose you wish
to get your woman home to cook it for you." Ambrose then
either struck or pushed deceased again, and she appeared to fall
against the door, after which she did not speak any more. Am-
brose had been in the habit of talking to himself, and he continued
doing so for about half an hour, and then seemed to have gone
to bed. NI-itness presumed, from deceased not having made any
reply, that she was stunned by the fall. About half-past six
o'clock in the morning, witness heard Ambrose talking to him.
pelf in the next room, but no reply was made to him by his wife.
Ambrose went out soon after. At ten o'clock, witness asked the
woman of the house if she had seen Mrs. Ambrose, and was
answered in the negative. Witness then mentioned that ho had
heard them quarrelling, and as be was aware that the deceased had
once before quitted Ambrose to go to her brother's, he concluded
that she had done so on the present occasion. NVitness went out,
and at his return !nite, about eight o'clock the same evening, the
landlady (Ilre. Jay) told him that Ambrose hat come home quite
drunk, and that he was gone up stairs to his room. Witness heard
hint during the night, but had not seen him since. When Am.
brose went out on Monday momiug be locked the door, and ap-
peared to be communing within himself as to where he should go;
and on going down the stairs, witness heard him say, "I shall go
over the water." The room was always locked from the Saturday,
and Ambrose sedulously avoided admitting any person into it.
On Tuesday morning, as witness lay in bed, he heard one of the
first-floor lodgers, a man named Roberson, come up stairs ; and
being joined by Jay, the landlord of the house, they went into the
room, and witness heard Robertson say. " Oh, my Ood ! here lies
the unfortunate woman, murdered." Wiutess got out of bed, and
went into the room, where he saw dectaaed lying on the floor,
against the wall. There was a good dent of congealed blood on the
floor, which had trickled from the left ear, as she reclined on that
side. The body was concealed by some chairs,drawn in a line between
the window, and a piece of cauvasa or a sack was so placed on the
backs of die chairs as effectually to screen it from the observation
of die persons in the opposite bowie. There were several bruises
about the head, and a wound in the fleshy part of the left arm,
somewhat about the size of a walnut ; it seemed as though it had
been torn or bitten out, but no blood had issued therefrom. Wit-
ness had frequently heard Ambrose and his wile quarrelling before,
and was not surprised at her absence, as he remembered Ice having
left him before for a couple of days, during which time Ambrose
had cohabited with another woman ; but when deceased came hack,
that won.an said to Ambrose, " If this woman is really your wife,
I shall stay with y‘su no longer," and she went away. Witness ac-
compani. d Head, sen. the chief peace-ollieer of Batton-garden
police-office, into the room nn Tuesday, and they examined the
tire-irons andl the tools that Ambrose used in his trade, but :here
were no traces of blood upon them. There were a few spots on the
wail and on the lied-clothes. Deceased was very much uddicted to
drinking in general, but he could, not say that ;he was intoxicated
on Saturday night. She was about fifty years old, Ambrose be-
tween sixty and seventy. The latter frequently upbraided deceased
lisr her propensity to drinking, being rather a sober man himself
The deceased never called out for assistance during the disturbance'.

Robertson, bookbinder, lives on the first floor, i time-
dintely under the room oc:upied by Ambrose and the deceased.
Came home from his work at nine o'clock on Saturday evening,
and went to bed in about half an hour after: heard no disturbance
during the night iu the room above. In consequence of a conversa-
tion that he had with the last witness (Thomas) end the landlord
(Jay) he suspected that all was not right, and when he saw Am-
brose about ten o'clock on Sunday morning, he naked him where
his wile was. The reply was, that she had not been home all night,
and he (Ambrose) concluded that she had gone to her brother's.
Witness made an excuse, in order to ascertain whether the woman
was really out, and Rent his son up to get a flat iron, that deceased
had borrowed through the week, but Ambrose shot the door in the
boy's face, and brought the iron down stairs When he
did so, witness repeated the question to him, and received the same
answer. lie then asked witness to purchase the dinner he had pro-
vided, some pork and French beans, as he should not want them ;
which being declined, Ambrose threw the beans on the drawers,
saying, that witness was welcome to them, if he chose to accept
them, as he was going out for the day. On Sunday night he cattle
home very drunk, and went to his mom. Next morning witness
heard a noise as if some person was cleaning or scraping the floor
he did not see Ambrose the whole of that day, but his suspicions
being strengthened, he revolved to try and get into the room on
Tuesday morning, and having got up early for the purpose of go-
ing nut to his work, he wcnt up stairs, and putting his hand against
the door, lie found it open, the bolt being shot, but not within the
staple; on looking into the room, he saw the deceased's bonnet and
shawl hanging up, but not seeing her, he conceived that she was
concealed in the cupboard, and calling up the landlord of the house,
they both went into the room, and found the body behind the chairs
as already described. The blood which flowed from the head had
penetrated through the floor, and stained the ceiling of witness's
room immediately under the place where the body was found. bbe
appeared to have been dead a considerable time.

Air. John Shepherd, of No. 24, Hatton-garden, surgeon, was
called to examine the body of the deceased on Tuesday. The
head was very much bruised externally ; both the temples and the
back part of the skull exhibited marks of violence ; the neck and
chest, and almost every other part of the body, displayed frightful
evidence of ill usage ; some of the bruises were old, and others
were snore recently inflicted. There WAS a wound in the lett arm
of an oval shape, the flesh being completely scraped out, which
there could be no doubt had been made after death, no blood hay-
ing followed, and it is supposed that it had been gnawed by rats or
other vermin. The head, when opened, exhibited innumerable
marks of bruises, but no fracture of the bone had taken place ; a
large quantity of blood was lodged between the scalp and the
pertcranium, on the membrane that adheres to the bone et the head,
and in the interior exuavasated blood was likewise found in con-
siderable quantities. Finding sufficient cause to account far her
death, no examination of the chest was madeoltough there were
several marks of violence about it. The rupture of the blood-vessel
was certainly produced either by the infliction of some severe blows,
or by concussion from a fall agait•.st some hard substance; the in.
strument employed must have been a Wont one, as there was no
external cut, and from the state of the li.tad and face, it was pro-
bable, that after the wretched woman bad fallen on the floor. she
had been beaten with a clenched fist, until life was destroyed, as
no single blow or fall could have reduced the head to such a con.
tused state.

Mr. Henry Milburne, surgeon, corroborated dm previous state-
ment.

Sarah Jay, the woman who keeps the house, SAW deceased, about
six o'clock on Saturday night, thr the last time; she was then sober.
tWitness sleeps in the lower part of the house, anti did not hear any
disturbance during the night; saw Ambrose on Sunday, a short
time before dinner hour, and asked him where his wife was, as she
(witness) had heard of a cursing that would suit her. Ambrose
said he supposed she was gone to het brother's, as she had not been
home all night. About an hour after, he came down stairs, and
asked witness if she had seen his wite since ? Witness said she
had not ; saw him again the same night, when he brought down a
geranium whizh he said he was going to give to a friend ; saw him
on Monday about one o'clock, when he again inquired for his wife ;
at flee the same evening, he repeated the same question, anti being
told that the deceased had not been seen since S,:turday night by
any person in the house, lie said, " I)—n her, she shall never
come back to me again." He then went out. Ambrose had been
in the constant practice of beating the deceased.

The CORONER, in summing up, told the Jury, that if they
could find any palliative circumstance on the part of the ac-
cused, or any appearance of force opposed to force, they would
be justified in returning a verdict of Manslaughter, but according
to the evidence, it appeared that no such plea could be adduced;
on the contrary, the unhappy woman appeared to have uncom.
plainingly submitted to the violence that had been employed against
her.
The Jury. upon a few minutes deliberwion, returned a verdict
of—" Willed Murder" against John Ambrose.

lOn Saturday last a little girl named Castles, whose pa-
rents reside at Bermondsey, mct with her death in consequence of
drinkiNg a small portion of vitriol. The mother, it appeared. had
' .41 the v. ' in question for the purpose of
She had been using it in the
.led nut of the room, she left the
absence, the deceased took up
burning liquid, and putting it to Its
The distraeted parent, on her
...ed her child in dreadful agony,
ascertained the cause of ft, the poor
of which it bad drank the
was of ao avail, and the

•

'

- - -- --- ----
v.
..'v ..15‘...... vv"..r. ." .2"'11"" or porches-ell the rhiiii on the morning in
opinion that the poor pitman is the lineal descendant—lt is
polighieg tip some o the lire-places. h
possible we may be mistaken, but at any rate newspaper parlour and barialaboen hastily illed
f
controversy is not the way to settle who has the best title child am' d the mother's abse
to the Earldom of Perth. We are happy to add, that every the "P laudsetirtitiaed the horning li
tooth swolleind off gra cootests. Ti
exertion is making to awaken the sympathy of the public, ill„, 'bate go dhe iseau.. diwesseed her in order that by subscriptions this friendless minor may be lying on dm rises Asti mai issarrah‘ed
enabled to assert his claims and have them established, if little swilrouticttrawswart out i
they should be shown to be founded ba jusice,nme vitriol.. AI AIN weld do
• ' . -' • • 1644 dal saaa aftlitardie 4
, ' .Ai ' .1. . 4' ' ••••
, • ' ': t:1 f-: ......3. 1 i 1 '
•