The Sun.
London, England, 1863-09-03 00:00:00

THE MURDER AT TEIGNBRIDGE.

The coroner's inquiry concerning the death of
John Meers, aged 31, whose body was toucd in the
water under one of the arches at Teignbridge on
Friday, the 22d of ANgust, was resumed on Tues-
day, et the Union Inn, Teignrace.
William Handyn, a labourer, of Leverton, de-
posed that the last time he saw deceased alive was
on Thursday, the 13th of August, at the Newton
Races, in company with a fellow workman, called
Coleman. He saw him several times during the
evening. He appeared to have been drinking.
Between nine and ten he saw deceased near the
grand stand, and heard him say to Heath, "Heath,
you are quite a different man from what I took
yon to be." Heath did not reply,
Witness was cross-examined at considerable
length by Police-constable M'Ternan, in reference
to what he had told him concerning the affair.
Witness professed that he did not remember what
he had told the constable, and gave his evidence in
such a way as to call forth a severe rebuke from
the coroner.
Thomas Harris, a bargeman, of Newton, said that
on the night of the first day of the races, about
half-past ten o'clock, he was returning from the
races, and when near the Kingstcignton Bridge, a
man came up and caught him by the legs, and
attempted to throw him over the bridge. A man
called Bully came to his assistance. He followed
the man, who was a stranger to him, to the Dart-
mouth Inn, Newton, where he was told his name
was Bunker. Witness also said that he saw the
deceased on the second day of the races, cn the
racecourse.

John Heath, a potter, of Bovey Tracey, was next
called, and, after being cautioned by the coroner,
in the usual way, deposed to having seen the de-
ceased at the Newton Races on Thursday, the 13th
of August. The last time he saw him alive was
between eleven and twelve in the evening. De-
ceased was then sitting on a form in the last booth
towards Newton. He appeared to have been drink-
ing. Witness shortly afterwards left to go home,
in company with a man called James Lethbridge.
When witness left the course there was fighting
going on in ono of the booths, between some
sparring men and a number of Kingsteignton men.
Witness got home between two and three o'clock
in the morning. On his way home he passed over
the bridge where the deceased's body was found.
On passing the booth the deceased spoke to him
and said, " Heath, you have assaulted me." Wit-
ness, in fighting, hit the deceased twice in the face,
kneeking him down each time. Ho never quarrelled
with the deceased before, as there was no one in the
pottery he respected more.
At this stage of the proceedings the Coroner re-
marked that he saw but very little at present that
would assist the jury in coming to a satisfactory
conclusion. The whole of the evidence having been
read over, the Coroner observed that, as the evi-
dence was now before the jury, it was for them to
form their own opinion upon the matter. He did
not think it was probable the deceased had come
into the water by his own act, but that he must
have been violently ill-used, and afterwards, by
some parties unknown, thrown into the water. He
considered that if the jury were to return an open
verdict, the police would then be able to bring the
parties before the magistrates, as he was clearly of
the opinion that the deceased had been murdered.
The room was then cleared, and the jury, after
the lapse of about forty minutes, returned the fol-
lowing verdict :—" That the deceased was mur-
dered by blows inflicted upon him, and afterwards
thrown into the water, by some person or persons
unknown."
The Coroner said that he perfectly agreed with
the verdict, and intimated his intention of comm. u-
nicating with the Secretary of Statf, with a view
of having a reward offered for the discovery of the
perpetrator.

LOUD CLYDE—.---A corresponderA of a Scotch
paper furnishes the following :—" Having been pro-
fessionally occupied recently in making a search in the old
register of births and baptisms for the City of Glasgow,
now deposited in
the Registerllouse, Edinburgh, I amid en-
tally came upon that of our illustrious and gallant towns-
man, the late Lord Clyde, and having copied it from the
register, I send it to you. The entry in the register esta-
blishes rot only the name of his father, but is very strong
evidence of his having been a citizen of Glasgow, if any
further plod of these points were wanting. The entry i 0
ns follows Glasgow, October, 1792.—M'Liver,—John
WLiver, wright, and Agnes Campbell: a L. Son, Colin,
bo. 20th. Witn., Kenneth M'Callum and Duncan Mun:-o.' "
NARROW EtiCAPE OF AN EXPRESS TRAlN.—Yes-
terday John Albuary, a butcher, residing at Agnes-
place, Plumpstead, appeared before Mr. Maude, sitting in
the Woolwich police-court, to answer an adjourned sum-
mons, charging the defendant with endangering the lives
of passengers on the North Kent Railway: by leaving a
horse and cart on the line, near the Abbey-wood station.
From the evidence previously taken it appeared that on the
12th of August the defendant, with a horse and cart, was
passing slowly over a level crossing of the railway at the
moment that an express train to London was in sight. The
danger signal was fortunately given to the driver of the
train, who instantly slackened speed, and a collision was
avoided. The defendant pleaded that his eyesight was bad,
and that he was also deaf. He did not see or hear the
train until it was neat, and he then got off the lino as soon
as possible. It was stated that the South-Eastern Com-
pany did not intend to prosecute, as the offence did not ap-
pear to have been wilfully committed. The defendant was
then discharged.

REVISING BARRISTERS.—The revision of the lists
of voters in England and Wales must be completed within
the 15th inst. and the 31st October. The sum allowed for
the current year is £17,850, allowing 200 guineas to each
revising barrister. By the new Circuit Act (26th and 27th
Victoria, cap. 122) it is enacted that upon any alteration
being made in any of the circuits of the judges by her Ma-
jesty in Council it shall be lawful to order and direct that
the number of revising barristers to be appointed for the
several counties, cities, boroughs, and places within any
circuit affected by the alteration shall be increased or
diminished as to her Majesty, by the advice of the Privy
Council, may seem meet, anything in the Act 6th and 7th
Victoria, cap. is, notwithstanding, provided that the num-
ber of the revising barristers be not augmented otherwise
than in accordance with the 29th section of the Act men-
tioned.
A collection of ancient carriages has been added
to the South Kensington Museum attractions.

THE ELECTRIC LIGHT has been adapted for sur-
gical purposes. A peat difficulty in many operations is the
want of light, and by means of a small vacuum tube, bent
into a helix or screw, a kind of luminous cylinder is formed,
which may be introduced into very narrow cavities. Car-
buretted hydrogen, carbonic, and a hydrochloric acid are
used in the vacuum tube to produce whiteness in the light.
--London Rev few,