The Sun.
London, England, 1863-08-11 00:00:00

ALLEGED MURDER IN LAMBETH.

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containing some white sediment. It was stated that, on the
previous Monday, the man Bagent had several times 'knocked
her down, and kicked her in the stomach with savage vio-
lence, and he had been heard to say that he would " do for
her." He was consequently arrested by the police on suspi-
cion of having murdered her,
Mr. Ramley, surgeon, now deposed that he had made a
post mortem examination of deceased. The vessels of the
brain were very vascular, and there was extravasation of
blood on the left side. A table-spoonful of blood formed a
coagulum at the base of the brain. On the same side of the
face, externally, there was a severe bruise. The viscera
were healthy, excepting the liver, which was enlarged, but
not from drink. He found a recent transverse fracture of
the fifth-rib on the right side. The rib was so completely
divided as to penetrate the pleura. The stomach was in-
flamed, but there was no sign of poison. The rib was frac-
tured by a blow. A kick would have caused the injury,
which was occasioned by great violence. The immediate
cause of death was the shock to the system from that injury.
The extravasation of blood on the brain might have been
from a blow, or from the fall on receiving the black eye.

The Coroner—The deceased was sick. Which do you
suppose that arose from, the injury to the brain or from
poison ?
Witness said that the sickness might have arisen from
irritation of the stomach from spirits. There were bruises
on the thighs and legs from blows or kicks.
Mr. Jessom, 45, High-street, Lambeth, said that about 12
o'clock last Monday night he was standing opposite the
Windmill public-house, near the court where the deceased
lived. He saw the deceased running out of the public-house,
and she was followed by a man. She ran against Mrs.
Cook's shutters, and he caught her there. He then hit her•
in the face, and knocked her down with great violence. When
she lay on the ground he kicked her in the stomach two or
three times. When she got up she sat on the door step of
the public-house. He then ran at her and hit her again
several times, and said, "I will kill you." 4fte said, "A
pretty face I shall have to go to work to-morrow morning."
He replied, "I don't want you to work—l want my tickets."
It seemed to witness that he was accusing her of pledging
his clothes and drinking the proceeds along with another
woman.

Police-constable 14 L said that from information he re-
ceived he went to the house in Windmill-court, and he found
the woman Griffin lying dead. She was shockingly dis-
figured from blows. Witness took the man Bagent into
custody on the charge of causing her death. Bagent said
that deceased got the black eye by falling down stairs on
Monday. He said nothing more.
Other evidence showed that at 3 o'clock on Monday de-
ceased had no black eye or swollen face, but she had on the
Tuesday morning. When Bagent came in on the Wednes-
day he was much affected, and placed his arms around a
man who was present. He said he did not know what to do,
and was near fainting outright. Another witness said that
deceased did not fall down stairs on the Monday, as Bagent
stated to the police.
The Coroner then summed up, and said that the scope of
the evidence had done away with the suspicion that deceased
had taken poison. If the jury were of opinion that the de-
ceased died from the violence of Bagent it would be their
duty to return a verdict against him. If the threats he
uttered against her were held by the jury to be a proof of a
design on his part to kill, the case of course was one of mur-
der. But if the fact that he did not strike her with any
weapon, and that there appeared to have been a quarrel
about some tickets, appeared to show that he had no deadly
intention, the case would be one of manslaughter.
The court was then cleared, and after half-an-hour's de-
liberation the jury returned a verdict of manslaughter against
George James Bagent for killing and slaying Anne Griffin.
The Coroner then issued his warrant for the detention of
Bagent in Newgate until his trial at the ensuing sessions of
the Central Criminal Court.
The proceedings then terminated.