The Sun.
London, England, 1864-12-29 00:00:00

The Suspected Murder at Aldershot.

Yesterday morning at half-pak 11, an inquest was
opened by Mr Spencer Clarke, coroner for North Hants,
at the Prince Albert Inn, North-lane, Aldershot, on the
body of James Rainsford, who was found dead on Sunday
morning, under the suspicious circumstances detailed in
our impression of Tuesday. Ile jury viewed the body,
which lay in the deadhouse of the Aldershot Cemetery, and
presented a ghastly appearance, being covered with blood
and bruises. On their return to the inquest-room the fol.
lowing evidence was adduced

George Hardy, the first witness called, deposed,—l live
near the Royal Duke, on Aldershott-moor, and am a sawyer.
I did not know the deceased Rainsford. On Saturday night
my wife and myself slept at her brother's in Church-lane,
Aldershot, and at 7 o'clock on Sunday morning we left for
the purpose of going home. On nearing the cemetery gates
we met a men going in the direction from which we came.
A few yards from the gates my wife called my attention to
something lying on the road. I said I thought it was a
man, and on goi❑g close I saw it was. I attempted to raise
him up and spoke to him, but getting no answer I took hold
of his right hand, which I found cold and stiff. I left my
wife with the body and ran for assistance, which I got
directly. It was not very light at the time, being about a
quarter past 7. I could not fell by the light whether tho
body was that of a white man or a black one. The face
was covered with blood and dirt. His coat was lying near
his bead, some Gin or Sin from it. The ground seemed
"scuffled" about, as if he hed been struggling for life.
There was an appearance from his dothes also that ho had
struggled very much, his shirt being partially out from the
waistband of his trousers.

Charlotte Hardy, wife of the last witness, was the next
witness, but her evidence was only a corroboration of the
foregoing, with the addition that from the appearance of the
ground, in witness's opinion, a severe struggle had taken
place.

Mr Thomas Brannan, general dealer, Aldershot, said be
knew the deceased well. He had seen him at 3 o'clock on
Saturday afternoon, the 24th inst. He was then quite well.
He was a pensioner from the E 4 h Regiment of Foot, and
worked at his trade as a tailor. He was vary fond of drink
and occasionally took it to excess. Witness paid deceased 3s
on Saturday for his subsistence. Witness was in the habit
of advancing him his pension in bi-weekly instalments, the
deceased regularly repaying him at the end of the quarter,
when he got his pension.
Police-constable Jenner, 107:Hants County Constabulary,
said he searched the clothes of the deceased on Sunday
morning after the body had been removed to the deadhouso.
He found nothing whatever on him but a piece of Cavendish
tobacco. The coat was wet, and the inside breast pocket
was turned inside out. Observed that deceased's face was
very much disfigured; a cut over the eye and two or three
wounds on the head and the front of his clothes were covered
with blood. The hands of the deceased were clinched, and
one of them cut severely on the back and knuckles. Tho
spot where the body was found was pointed out to him, and
there were marks as of a severe struggle, but witness could
not say whether the appearances were as of one person or
two struggling.
Mr C. w. E. rester sun he was a surgeon residing in
Aldershott. On Sunday morning he was called to see the
body of the deceased. Ho found it in the mortuary of the
cemetery, whither it had been removed. The deceased had
been dead, to the best of his knowledge, six or eight hours.
On examination he found several bruises and cuts, one in
particular over the right eye, about an inch in length, The
skin was also grazed off his knees. The wounds were all of
a superficial nature, and he did not think any of them were
sufficient to cause death. Yesterday he made a post more
tem examination. The internal organs were all healthy.
The stomach contained a large quantity of beer and small
portions of cheese. In his opinion death had not resulted
from violence, but from long exposure to the severe cold,the
congested part of the abdominal organs and the state of the
brain bearing him out in that opinion. The ventricles of
the brain were filled with serum, a result he should expect
to find in a case of death resulting from cold, From the
quantity of liquid found in the stomach he thought that
the deceased had been recently intoxicated. The wound over
the eye could not have caused death, as on examination it
had not affected the brain. The fact of the deceased's hands
being clinched tightly did not, he thought, prove that he
had been fighting, though he could not account for his
shirt-sleeves being rolled up.

Thomas Walter, waiter at the Royal Exchange Music-
halt, said that he knew the deceased well, and last saw him
alive from a quarter to past_9 on Saturday night. He was
then very much intoxicated. A corporal of the 75th Regi•
went and a woman were with him in the music ; but
he did not know whether they left the place together, as he
was in and out of the room continually, Deceased was of a
very quarrelsome nature wheh in liquor.
Sarah Watmore, sister of the man in custody, said that on
Sunday morning, at half-past 1 o'clock, her father, brother,
and herself, and a man named Moor and his wife, went ou t
for the purpose of trying to get somedrink, being Christmas
time. The publichouses being shut up they did not succeed
in getting any, and the party returned to their home. Her
father was missing when they got home, so her:brother
went to look for him, and in his turn was lost. Witness and
Mrs Moor went out in search of the two men, and in the
road found the deceased, who was drunk lying in the road.
He had his coat in his hand. Witness and her companion
tried to persuade him to get up, and. in fact, raised him on
to his legs, but he persisted in lying down. He said ho
wanted to go to Newtown (a suburb of Aldershott.) She
and Mo3r took hold of his anus and tried to get him along,
but could not, as he was helpless. The next morning her
father called her upstairs and said that Samuel (her brother)
had helped a man that was drunk overnight, and had got
some spots of blood on him. As he was only stopping with
uslfor a day or two and had no other clothes, Mrs Moor
washed the trousers and one spot off the shirt. She dould
not say what time her brother came in that night.
Samuel Watmore, having been cautioned by the Coroner,
was then sworn and said he was a bricklayer's labourer,
living at Plaistow, in Essex. He only arrived in Aldershott
by the South-Eastern Railway at 10 o'clock on Saturday
night, After going into two or three publichouses with his
father and Moor, they got parted, and witness went out to
try and find them. It was about 2 o clock, he thought,
when he went up the road towards the cemetery to find his
father and Moor. Instead of finding them, he discovered
the deceased. He attempted to raise him, but found he
was too intoxicated to stand, so he left him on the road, and
went home and got into bed. He heard nothing about
the body being found till the police sergeant took him at
midday, Sunday, although he had been in two publichouses
during the morning,

The coroner then briefly summed up, pointing out that
from the medical testimony it was highly improbable that
Watmore had anything to do with the death of deceased.
He thought the jury would concur in his opinion, that death
had resulted from natural causes alone. Tho jury returned
an unanimous verdict of "Death from exposure to cold
while in a state of intoxication."

BREAKFAST BEVERAGE.—Homoeopathic practitioners,
and the medical profession generally, recommend cocoa
as being the most healthful of all beverages. When the doc-
trine of homoeopathy was first introduced into this country,
there were to ha obt .fined no preparations of cocoa either at-
tractive to the taste or acceptable to the stomach ; the nut
was either supplied in the crude state, or so unskilfully
manufactured as to obtain little notice. J. Epps, of London,
Homoeopathic Chemist, was induced in the year 1819 to turn
his attention to this subject, and at length succeeded, with
the assistance of elaborate machinery, in being the first
to produce an article pure in its composition, and so refined
by the perfect trituration it receives in the process it passes
throz:gb, as to be most acceptable to the delicate stomach.
For general use Eppa's Cocoa is distinguished as an invigo-
rating, grateful breakfast beverage, possessing a most deli-
cious aroma. Dr. Hassail, in his work, "Food and its
Adulterations," says —" Cocoa contains a great variety of im-
portant nutritive principles—every ingredient necessary to
the growth and sustenance of the body." Again: "As a
nutritive, cocoa stands very much higher than either coffee
or tea." Directions—Two teaspoonfuls of the powder in a
breakfast cup, filled up with boiling water or milk. Secured
in tin-lined llb., i lb., and 11b. labelled packets, and sold by
all grocers, confectioners, and chemists.— EAcLvT.)

The Charge of Sending a Challenge to
Fight a Duel,

William Brownrigg Lumley, a retired major of the In-
dim Army, who was before the Lord Mayor on Monday,
upon the charge of having sent a letter to Mr Laurence
Desborough, jun., of the firm of Desborough, Young, and
Desborough, containing a challenge to fight a duel, and
likewise with sending to the complainant a threatening,
libellous, and defamatory letter, appeared yesterday again
before the Lord Mayor, at the Mansion-house, in answer to
his recognisances.

The details of the case were given upon the last occasion,
and the letters were given in full.

Yesterday Mr Wontner again appeared for the corn-,
plainant, and Mr Perry, from the office of Mr Buchanan,
stated, on behalf of Major Lumley, that Mr Buchanan was
absent from town, and he had only been instructed that
morning, and had not had time to instruct counsel, and he
therefore asked for a further adjournment of the case.
The Lord Mayor, however, said the case was adjourned
to meet the request of Major Lumley, and inasmuch as Mr
Desborough was about to leave town, the case could not be
again adjourned, but mutt be proceeded with. The case, as
far as he had heard it, seemed to him to be complete—and
the only question that remained was as to the course Major
Lumley intended to pursue—whether he intended to call
any witnesses or not. His lordship, however, said he did
not see how any evidence could do away with the offence of
having sent the two letters, which the major had acknow-
ledged he had done.
Major Lumley begged his lordship's pardon, but he ac-
knowledged nor:admitted nothing; and he thought perhaps
he should be able to convince his lordship that there was
evidence to refute tho charge.
Mr Oke, the chief clerk, said there was no admission re-
quired. The letters were proved to be in Major Lumley's
handwriting.
The Lord Mayor said ho could either send the case for
trial, or could dispose of it himself by binding the major
over in heavy sureties to keep the peace, which latter would
be a very mild course. Military gentlemen, ho remarked,
seemed to have such a very high sense of honour, which.
others did not feel, who were perhaps equally honourable,
He saw no alternative than to adopt ono of the two courses
he had mentioned.

Major Lumley remarked that he had first asked for an
adjournment until Friday, but at his lordship's request, out
of courtesy to Mr Desborough, who wanted to go to Paris,
he consented to an adjournment to an earlier day, and ho
hoped thesame indulgence would be extended to him. He
wished to have the whole matter thoroughly investigated,
that the public might be made aware of the whole of the
facts, and it was to that end he had purposely avoided ad-
mitting anything whatever.
The Lord Mayor could not consent, however, to a further
adjournment, but ho said the case must be disposed of, and
he again said he did not see how any evidence which the
znajer could bring forward would do away with the offence
he had committed -against the law by sending those two
letters to the complainant.
Major Lumley said it would have tho very interesting
effect to him, as a gentleman, of removing the impression
made by the insinuation of Mr Wontner, who under the
cover of his profession had thought fit to distinguish him by
nausea that were not very complimentary.
Mr Wontner denied that ho had called the defendant by
any name other than his own.
Major Lumley said he had called him a blackguard.
Mr Wontner said ho gave a most unqualified denial
to that assertion. He had never used such a term towards
the major. To use such a word would be a most inapproe
priate criticism. What ho said was, that any person who in
the present day, and under the present feelings of society,
sent a challenge to another to fight a duel, rendered himself
liable to have the state of his mind investigated, or to be set
down as a mere braggart.
Major Lumley said that was a very clever transposition,
and gave Mr Wontner great credit.
Tho Lord Mayor asked the major what he intended to do.
Major Lumley requested to be allowed to make a state.
ment, which was acceded to, and ho proceeded to read from
a paper a statement which he said he had extemporised for
the purpose of meeting the exigency, in the event of his not
being able to procure the services of one of the eminent
gentlemen whose names he had before mentioned, and which
'he said were the true facts which led to the case before his
lordship. Mr Desborough, he said, had undertaken the ma-
nagement of a portion of his patrimony, and some misun-
derstanding had arisen between them with regard to certain
dividends which he knew Mr Desborough had received,and
which led to a correspondence which increased until it
almost reached the regularity of the postal communication,
and he thought it advisable to wait upon Mr Desborough 10
endeavour to overcome their feelings of distrust, feeling that
an explanation was needed, as ho had begun to suspect that
Mr Desborough was detaining his dividends as an offset to
his bill of costs. On his arrival at No. 6, Sise.lan e, he was
told Mr Desborough, jun., was out, and ho asked to see
Mr Desborough, sen„ who sent out an answer from an inner
room that Mr Laurence Desborough knew the particulars
of the case, and he would see him. He said he must see
Mr Desborougb, as the dividends which ho claimed were
outstanding, and he must receive an explicit answer, as he
had made up his mind to go to law in the event of Mr
Desborough's acting against his wish. The head clerk said
he was going to meet Mr Desborough, who was at a ward-
mote, and would communicate his wishes to him. In half
an hour he was informed Mr Desborough had arrived, and
was ushered into his presence, and round him in company
with another gentleman, who he had since ascertained was
his fa:her. He was received rather ungraciously, Mr
Desborough did not rise from his chair, but simply, with a
sardonic sneer, asked him what he wanted. He replied in
the same tone that he wanted his dividends which were
overdue. In answer to which Mr Desborough replied that
none were overdue ; he had not received any, and he (Major
Lumley) could not receive any. He was astonished at this,
and said he had it in Mr Desborough's own writing that he
had, and should forthwith place the matter in the hands of
his solicitor, to which Mr Desborough replied he could please
himself. The major remarked that the case would not have
been before the Court but for the usual mistake which was
invariably made by " peace. makers." He was told by Mr
Desborough, jun., to leave the room, when Mr Desborough,
sen,, stepped forward as a peace-maker, and of course, as
was the case with all who adopted that role, added fuel to
the flame. (Laughter.) He asked him to take a chair and
see it they could not talk the matter over. He replied no,
he would not ; for he was somewhat angered, and said he
preferred open war to a hollow truce, and as to the bill of
costs, no bill of costs was due until the debtor had exercised
his privileged of having it taxed. He made this remark,
having heard it in conversation with solicitors, and he could
produce those who had said so. He said he should have
their bill taxed, when Yr Desborough, jun., came across the
room exclaiming "Tax our bill of costs, indeed I The man
is mad." He replied that ho had been told by his solicitor
that it could be done, and mentioned the name of a solicitor,
and said he was determined to have it done, Me Des.
borough, jun,, said it was false, and ordered him three times
to quit the room, and as he turned on his heel to do so he
took him by the shoulder and gave him a push ; and ho
thought the Court would agree with him when he observed
that that was a very trying position for a -rotired major.
He retreated rather rapidly down the stairs, bringing off,
however, his hat and umbrella undamaged by the bellige-
rents. (Laughter.) On his way home he called at the solici-
tor's alluded ta—but whose name he would not mention, as
it had not been mentioned by the complainant, on whom
he had intended to call on his way to court, but was pre-
vented by being pressed for time, and told him he had made
an assertion that he had advised him that bills of costs
were not due until the debtors had had the option of taxing
them, and requested him to take the pecuniary part of the
case into his own hands ; hut when he mentioned the name
of the gentlemen he wished him to proceed against, he said,
his engagements with those gentlemen were such that he
would not undertake the case. He should, he said, be able
to prove by witnesses that the dividends he claimed were
really overdue, that he had received great provocation, and
that Mr Desborough or his able counsel had no ground
whatever for insinuations by which he endeavoured to juse
tify himself for giving him virtually the lie. He added that
in consequence of the activity of the enemy—(laughter)—
who were better acquainted with the legal forms than ho
was, and had pushed forward the case to be heard on Mon-
day, when they knew he could not easily obtain the aid of
any professional gentleman in consequence of its being a
general holiday, he had been obliged to meet the case un-
assisted. He therefore asked for an adjournment until
Tuesday, but at the request of his lordship, to oblige Mr
Desborough, he had named Wednesday, and he therefore
having been again unsuccessful in procuring the advice of
his solicitor, had preferred to conduct the case himself ; and
having said this much, he again asked his lordship to con-
sent to a further adjournment.
The Lord Mayor could not comply with the request, and
said it had better be adjourned to the sessions.
Mr Oke then proceeded to read over the depositions of
Mr Desborough which were taken en the last occasion,
which having been done, the Lord Mayor asked the major
if ho would like to cross-examine the witness.
Mrjor Lumley said he certainly would.
The Lord Mayor said he had made a very able statement,
and if he cross-examined with as much ability he would
do very well.
The defendant said he had no doubt ho was quite equal to
the task, and he then proceeded to put several questions to
the witness, interspersed v ith remarks which caused some
amusement in court, and elicited outbursts of laughter,
The question related to the receipt of the dividends which
had been alluded to, and which ho asserted had been de-
tained as an offset against the bill of coats, and Mr Desbo-
rough expleined that he had received £6 on the 29th Nov.
and £2O on the 10:a Dec, ; but as he received cheques for
those sums, which had to be sent to Truro to be cashed, he
did not consider that he was in possession of the money
until he had been credited with it at his banker's.
In answer to Mr Wontner,
Mr Desborough produced his banker's pass-book, from
which it appeared that the £2O was not raid into his ac-
count until Dec. 23.
The Lord Mayor said ha must send the case to a jury ;
and after giving the defendant the usual caution, asked him
if ho had anything further to say.
Major Lumley said—Under those circumstances, certainly
not. _ _

He was then formally committed for trial, bail being ac-
cepted to the amount of £.500, viz., li'mself in £!5O, and one
surety in £250.