The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1824-09-16 00:00:00

THE MURDER AT BECKENHAM.

Yesterday Thomas Coombs, the man charged on suspicion with
having shut James Morgan, at Langley Park, near Beckenham, on
the 15th of August, was brought before L. B. ALLAN, Esq. and
a full Bench of Magistrates, at Union Hall.
Mr. Goodhart, the employer of the unfortunate man who Was
shot, attended.
Hall, the Chief Constable, said, that the woman with whom the
prisoner cohabited up to the period of his apprehension, was now
in attendanoe,whose evidence against the prisoner would completely
establish the charge of murdef against him.
Mary Wright Lawrence, the woman with whom the prisoner
Cohabited, was assisted into the office. She is a young woman, of
rather interesting appearance. She appeared to be much agitated,
and cried bitterly, on seeing the prisoner, who said to her, as she
was passing close to the slip in which he was placed, " Don't cry,
my dear Alloy ; you have nothing to fear, and I am sure I have
nothing." The oath was then administered to her, and she made
the following confession, which we give in her own words:—
I am a single woman, and live at No. 12,Taxe's Buildings,Kent-
street. ! lived with Coombs since the 22d or 23d of July. 1 met
him at Deptford 15 or 18 months ago, when I was lodging at Mrs.
Grady's, Mill-lane, Deptford. He has lodged there for nearly three
years. The prisoner promised to many me, and on the 6th of April
the banns were put up in St. George's Church, where they were
published on the three following Sundays. I lived with bite nearly
a week at that time, when he went into the country, saying he
should be back in a fortnight t but he did not return. I lived at
Mrs. Grady's fur • month after, without seeing or hearing any thing
of him. The next time I saw him was about the 17th of July,
when he again came to Mrs. Grady's, where I had returned to
lodge. He askal me if 1 was in the same mind to have him then.
I said, he had used me ill in leaving me. However. I agreed, after
acme persuasion, to marry hint, and came upon the Al or 23d of the
saw month, but could not do so without the banns were republislard.
I then lived with him at bendsy's lodging-house, I\o. 14, raze's
Buildings, until the time of his apprehension. I remember the
Sunday before the murder ; the prisoner was not from home the
whole of the day, except at the White Bear, in kent.atreet, to
fetch some beer. I remember the day very well, fur it was a very
rainy one, and my mother and two sisters came to dint with us at
Lendsy's. They all staid together until after dark, when my
mother and sisters left us, and the prisoner and I shortly afterwards
went to bed, and he got up the next morning, about seven o'clock.
The same day the prisoner dined at home with me, about two
o'clock, and he went out directly afterwards, and took a bag-
ging.hook with hint, and told me he was going to a relation% of
his, a tnaster-gardener, who lived about four miles on the other
side of Eltham, and told me not to expect him home that
night, if he was not 'back by eight o'clock. tic returned the
following morning about eight o'clock, with the bagging-hook ;
his coat was torn in the arm. My mother was with me at the
time. lie told me he had been at Sevenoaka I asked him
how his coat became broke ; he said it was a good thing his
neck was not broken. The prisoner then laid himself down on the
door, and I put the blanket over hint. He lay there till tea time,
when he got up, and afterwards laid down again in the sane place
until near dark. He then got up and sat by the window. He said
" Mary, I shut a man." I said, " Oh, my God ! what did you
do that furl" He said, "If I had not done It, he would have
shot me. I did not hurt hint, I only blowed a little powder in his
face." Witness again said " What did you do it fur ?" He re.
plied, " the man wan running after me, and I only blowed a little
powder in his face, to blind him, that he should not see which way
I was going." On the Friday afterwards the prisoner went to
Camberwell Fair. In his absence my aunt came to me,and told me
that a gentleman's gardener had been murdered ;_ that he had been
shot, but she could not tell where it happentd. The prisoner came
!lane before eight o'clock that night. I told him what my aunt
had mentioned to me, witch he replied, " Thank God ! I did not
do it; and them that did it, lie supposed did it in their own de-
fence." I then asked him where he had been on Monday night.
lie said at Seven Oaks. Says I, you told me you was going to
your relations at Eltham. lie told me he did not go there. I said
at is very curious about this murder, that you should be out that
very night, and stated my uneasiness. lie told me that I had no
occasion to make myself uneasy about it, that I could du hint no
harm. 1 then reminded him what lie had told me about shouting
at the man, when lie told me that if ever I mentioned it to any
person in the world he would shoot me. I told him I never would
say any thing about it. He never slept at home after that night.
Ile used to come home in the day time. On the Monday before lie
was apprehended he left me, and I did not see him again till be
was taken away as • prisoner from Union Hall on Thursday last.
There was only one man who was in the habit of coming to see the
prisoner, whose Christian name was Richard, but whose surname
Ido not know. He came twice, two days successively, about five
weeks back. %Vitness added, that she thinks lie was a sailor, but
she could not speak positively to that fact.
During the time the above evidence was read over to the pri-
soner, hie face, which is naturally of • pale and sallow hue, became
Hushed, and he wiped away the perspiration, which was prcfuse on
his forehead, with the tails of his coat.
. . . .

When the l'ilagistrate had finished reading it, he asked the pri-
soner whether he wished to put any questions to the woman.
The prisoner replied—" %%liar use is there in my 'stiffing any
questions to her—she has sworn to it, and I sups re her oath will
be taken before mine."

Sarah Lawrence, the mother of the last witness, corroborated
part of her daughter's testimony.
The prisoner's coat was here examined, and the rent which
was spoken of by Mary Lawrence and her mother discovered in it.
Matthew Ilkley stated, that about the 17th or 18th of August,
witness met the prisoner, about live o'clock in the morning, on the
rued between Bromley and London, a short distance irons the
former place.
Mr. Tyler, a farmer of Eltham, stated, that on the 29th of July
a neighbour of his informed him that he had been robbed of some'
canvas in the night; they were subsequently informed that a tall
man had been observed to come out of a wood near Eltham, at a
very early hour on the morning the canvas was misses!. They ac-
cortlittgly proceeded there, and in an unfrequented part of it they I
found a quantity of black grapes, which were covered over with
some twigs; and near the same spot they discovered a bag, in
which was al gun, that was charged with shot, slugs, and
pebbles. Witness added. that he and another gentleman watched
for to./ nights running, in order to detect the person, who would,
meet probably, come for the things, but the parry did not come.
The man who informed the last witness of his havirg seen a
person coming from H'estwcxxl. at an early hour in the morning,
attended. lie stated, on looking at the priwner, that he was the
very man witcm he had seen.
A pattern of the canvas which had been stolen from the gentle-
man at Llthain was here produced, and it exactly correspot:ded in
quality with a pair of canvas trowsers which the prisoner now were.
The woman with whom the prisoner cohabited was asked whether
'she had made any caucus trowsers lately fur him ? She replied,
that she had, about the latter end of July.
Hall said, there were other material witnesses down in the country,
whose evidence would be requisite.
. . .

The 31agastrates, after MIA consultation, remanded the prisoner
Cot another week.