The National Register.
London, England, 1818-02-16 00:00:00

MURDERS AT GREENIVICH.

ADJOURNED INQUEST —Friday afternoon, the Jury
re-its..embled at the White Hart, Cirtentyieh, according
to the appointment of Joseph Carttar, Esq. the Co-
roner, to further investigate the deaths of Mr. Geo7ge
B:rd, and Mary Simmons, his housekeeper, the parti-
ctlats of which will be found in anot,her part of our

:paper.
' The first evidence was Mary Harris, wife of Mr.
.Haitris, of Limekiln-lane, Greenwich ; she said, that
'on Saturday night last, between seven and eight
o'clock, she saw three men in Londen-street, between
the pork-butcher's and Mr. Putter s, the butcher.
They were not far distant from Mr. Bird's house.
They had the appearance of countrymen ; they had
light coats, One of them went into Mr. Thorntan's
the baker ; she went home and saw no more of thetm.
John Christopher Westlake of Bermondsey. sworn.
On Sunday morning about twelve o'clock, he met a
man in the Blue Anchor-road, near the Swan Turn-
pike, Rotherhithe, who was covered with blood, his
hands and flue were cut and more bloody than any
other part of his person. He spoke to him end said,
" you are in u very deplorable condition.- He made
lto reply ; be was dressed in a dark green coat cor-
duroy breeches, and gaiters. He parted with hint
before he got to the gate, having to call :it th? house.
When he passed through the gate a short a n'.2 after,
be enquired of the keeper if such a man as :le had
described had passed through the gate, and he was
it-
formed that he had not, he therefore concluded that
the man had turned back again. It was not later than
half-past twelve when he saw the man.
Mr. John Lynch, of Parker's. nw, Bermondsey,
sworn,—On Sunday, about one o'clock at noon, he was
returning from Deptford to London, and near Lilliput
Hall turnpike, he met a man in every respect answer-
ing the description given by the preceding witness.
Elizabeth Oldridge, servant to a Gentleman at Mill-
pond Bridge, near Bermondsey, met the same matt
near China Hall

John Metcalf, waterman, Queen's I-lead-alio', Exe-
cution Duck, sworn.—On Soti(bay morning he con-
veyed a man, in a bloody condition, answering the de-
scription of the man described by the above wit-
nesses, from Execution Dock to the Surrey side of the
Thames.

John Armstrong, officer of Worehip-street, appre-
hended the man at the Unicorn Public-house, Shore-
diteh, interrogated him about his appearance, and re-
marked that he had changed his apparel since Sunday ;
the man replied that he had : he said his name was
Mansfield ; he acknowledged that he was in the
Greenwich-road, on Sunday morning, in the situation
described by witnesses. lie accompanied Mansfield to
a house in Shureditch, where he said he generally
lodged, and there he found the clothes worn by him
when wen on the Greenwich-road. The coat
was green, and the pockets appeared to have been
washed; there remained marks of blood upon it. Ile
saw a pair of corduroy breeches and gaiters, and a
glazed hat. He thought it was his duty to take the
man to a Police Office; but he was so much exhausted
and weak, that he put him into a coach, and took him
before Mr. Dyer, Magistrate of Shadwell Police Office,
and the prisoner was examined. He had lost two fin-
gers of his right hand, and the dress he wore was very
daerent from that he wore on Sunday. He said that
he was a Greenwich Pensioner, and had been down that
way can Sunday last and got ill-treated when in a state
of intoxication; lie accounted for the blorel dropping
from his coat pocket by his fingers being badly cut on
his left hand, which he put into his pocket as he walked
along. He denied having any knowledge of the mur-
der, except by report.
The Magistrateordered him to be taken to the House
of Correction, and to be brought before the Magistrates
at Worship-street, when they might think proper. Ho
was to be examined yesterday.
The Coroner ordered the Jury-room to be cleared,
and during the absence of strangers, he stated to the
Jury, that he could only lament that such unwearied
labours as theirs had not been concluded more to their
satisfaction. He despaired of evidence being brought.
before them that night which would lead to their wishes
—that of having the murderers in custody. He con-
ceived that they had done their duty It was a case
of a most singular kind, and it was to their credit that
they had used extraordinary attention to bring to light
the finil actors of the most inhuman murders, which,
in brutality, had never been exceeded. It was very
natural that they who were neighbours of the unfor-
tunate sufferers should do ail in their power to ferret
out the atrocious villains —He had no more evidence
to lay before them, and they might leave the case with
safety in the hands of the Police, who were indefati-
gable in their exertions, and that Power which never
fails of bringing the *guilty to punishment. Verdict
—Wilful Murder against some Person or Persons un-
known.

Burkhadt, the intrepid African traveller, wile died
at Grand rake, in October last, has left all 1)i
able oriental MSS. to the University of Cambri,',;e, Lo
be deposited in the public library

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