The Sun.
London, England, 1837-10-17 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Yesterday afternoon at four o'clock an inquiry, which
lasted several hours, and did not terminate until a late hcur
at night, took place at the University Colege Hospital,
Gower-street, Bedford-square, before Mr. Stir!ing mod a
most respectable Jury, on the body of James Chaplin, ajed
37, whose death was occasioned by a bayonet wound xe-
ceived in a fracas at a public-house at Hampstead on Wed-
nesday evening last. The accused parties, two brothers of
the name of Smith, have been in custody since the occur-
rence, and have undergone an examination before the Ma-
gistrates of Maryllebone-office, when they were remanded
until the result of thC present proceedings.
Stringer William exabz,ined—l am a labouring man, and
reside at No. 3, High-streei, Hampstead. I knew the de-
ceased, who was a shoemaker, and lived at Hampstead.
Between eight and nine o'clock on Wednesday evening last
I went to the Three Horse Shoes put:Jic-house, in Hemp-
stead, where I saw the deceased in tort: any with six per-
sons dressed as soldiers. They were drinking together, and
all appeared very jolly and comfortable. Shortly after I
entered one of the soldiers jested a comrade, callizT him a
" lobster." I considered it was said in a joke, but it Jed to
blows, and during the scuffle the deceased jumped over the
table, and commenced an attack upon one of the soldiers,
named George Smith, with both his fists, lk hom he (de-
ceased) knocked down, and cut his lip. The landlord of
the house came into the room and dragged the deceased
out ; but he (deceased) afterwards returned, when Smith
and another left the room to prevent further disturbance.
The deceased attempted to follow them, exclaiming, " I
will follow the—, and serve them out." He was, how-
ever, held by the coat for some time ; but, on getting loose
he left the house, and I did not see him again.
By the CORONER—The deceased did not receive any
provocation from the soldiers. One of the soldiers had
been discharged that day, and had no sidearms. This was
the man who joked the other, and caused the fracas. George
Smith was in soldier's uniform, and had his sidearms.
John Walker, of N 0.2, Church-street, Hampstead, said,

I was present when the quarrel took place between the de-
ceased and the soldier, George Smith, and saw the fight
between them. I assisted to put the deceased out of the
house, after which I went home. About twenty minutes
after nine o'clock I saw the two Smiths pass my house. A
few minutes afterwards I heard a noise, and at the distance
of about thirty or forty yards heard a bayonet fall ; and at
the same time I heard the deceased call out, " Why don't
you pay your reckoning ?" Directly afterwards a man
named Croft informed me that the deceased was lying at
the end of the lane. I went to the spot, The deceased
said, " Don't disturb me ; let me lie here and die." I as-
sisted the deceased to Mr. Lab's, a surgeon, in Hampstead.
John Croft, gardener, of Church-lane, Hampstead, said
_ _

—About ten o'clock on Wednesday night I heard a noise
near my house. I went to the end of the lane and then
heard blows, and heard a voice say, " Take that." Di-
rectly afterwards I saw the deceased on the ground. He
cried out, " I am stabbed, lam stabbed." I saw at the
time two soldiers running off at some distance. I followed
them with others, and a man named Bowes overtook them,
and wrested the bayonet from George Smith.
By the CORONER—The deceased did not say who had
stabbed him.

Joseph Bowes, of Church-lane, examined—About a
quarter before ten o'clock on Wednesday night, I heard a
noise, and the voice of the deceased, with whom I was ac-
quainted. I went out, and, going towards the spot the
noise came from, found the deceased lying on his back on

the ground. A man named Charles Hayes was standing
over him, and said that the deceased had been stabbed by
a soldier. I went in pursuit of the soldiers, and at a short
distance overtook them. One of them, who wore white
trousers, had a bayonet in his hand, which he flourished
over his head, and made several thrusts at me with it, but
I avoided his intention by stepping back. I said to him
and the other soldier, " A man has been stabbed, and you
bad better go back and satisfy us that you hare not done
it." The soldier who had the bayonet, and who was in-
toxicated, replied, " I will not be taken by any man, I
have done nothing." I then called the police, when the two
soldiers ran off. I again overtook them, when the same
soldier flourished his bayonet, and thrust it at me. They
ran away a second time, and I again came up with them,
and tripped up the soldier who had possession of the bayo-
net, and after some difficulty I got the bayonet from him,
and the police coining op both the soldiers were taken into
custody.
By the CORONER—The soldier who had the bayonet
did not wear a belt. He was very much intoxicated. The
other soldier had a belt and scabbard, but no bayonet. He
was not so intoxicated as his comrade. The former wore
white trousers, the latter dark.
. .

Inspector Aggs, of the T division examined—Between
ten and eleven o'clock on the night of Wednesday last two
soldiers of the 2d battalion of Coldstream Guards were
brought to the station-house at Hampstead. They gave
their names Richard and George Smith (brothers). They
were both intoxicated, but George was much more so than
Richard. The former had on a belt and scabbard, but no
bayonet. George had neither. Shortly afterwards a man
named Bowes brought to the station-house a bayonet which
he said he had taken from George Smith at the time he
captured him ; (the bayonet was here produced for the in-
spection of the Jury ; it was marked 2d battalion Cold-
stream Guards, No. 442 ; the scabbard was numbered
517). On Thursday morning, by desire of the Magistrates
Of Marylebone-office, I conveyed the two Smiths in cus-
tody to this hospital, in order that the deceased might see
them. On their entering the ward where he (deceased)
laid he immediately pointed ont George Smith as the man
that had wounded him. A Magistrate visited the deceased
in order to take his deposition, but, as Chaplin expressed
his opinion that he should recover, it was not done.
Mr. Taylor, surgeon to the Hospital, sworn—l attended
the deceased on his admission. He had received a deep
wound on the left side near the groin. He was in a state
of collapse. Everything was done for him, but he died
about cloven o'clock on Friday night. On a post mortem
examination the cavity of the abdomen was found filled
with blood. The wound was the cause of death.
The evidence being concluded, the Jury retired ; and,
after the lapse of an hour, returned a verdict of " Wilful
Murder against George Smith," and the Coroner issued his
warrant for his commitment to Newgate.

SUDDEN DEATH.—Samuel Wild, Esq., of Run-
corn, the principal agent for the Old Quay Co., arrived at
the George Inn, Bridge-street, Warrington, in his gig,
about 11 o'clock in the morning of Tuesday, apparently in
good health. He soon after went to the stable, in order
to have his horse fed ; he asked the ostler several ques-
tions, and told him that his business in town would not de-
tain him more than three hours, and requested that the
horse might be in readiness in that time. He returned to
the Commercial Room, and a traveller observed him put
his head on his hand, as he sat at the side table ; heard a
groan—ran to the bar for assistance, and when they came,
Mr. Wvldc was dead! Surgical aid was immediately called;
but in vain—the spark of life was extinct. It is supposed
his death was from ossification of the heart : and was more
awfully sudden, as he had been for some time in better
health than usual; indeed, the morning he left Runcorn,
he so expressed himself to his family ; as he had eaten a
very hearty breakfast. The day following a Coroner's
inquest was held upon the body, and a verdict of " Died
by the visitation of God," returned by the Jury.
On Saturday an inquest was held at the Castle Inn,
Drayton, Middlesex, on the body of James Thompson, one
of the foremen of the London and Birmingham Railway.
The deceased had formed an attachment to a young woman
who had promised to marry him, but she was suddenly missed
from the village, and was discovered to have gone off with
a young man who had been her first love. Thompson got
very low spirited, and a fever came on, from which he was
confined to his bed. On Wednesday he appeared better,
and during the absence of his attendant he opened the
window of bed-room on the second floor and preci-
pitated himself into a stone yard, a height of thirty feet.
He was not dead when taken up, but expired shortly after-
wards. The Jury returned a verdict of " Temporary de-
rangement."
A dealer in grapes, in his eagerness to vend his fruit
on board the Emerald, on Monday morning, just before
the boat left was deaf to the sound of the bell, whick
announces the speedy departure of the packet ; and missed
getting on shore, to the great amusement of lookers on.
He had, much against his will, a trip to London and
back, and there is no doubt that on a future occasion he
will be careful to take time by the forelock.—Boulogne
Journal..

- - - .
We wish not to find fault unnecessarily with the
French inhabitants who have transactions with the Eng-
lish ; but an occurrence took place a few days ago which
we are compelled to notice. An English lady hired a
donkey to take a short ride into the country : when she
returned to the stables with it a dispute arose as to the
time which she had it, and to enforce the payment of the
sum claimed, the woman pushed the lady into a private
room, and turned the key upon her, saying she should not
leave the premises until the sum demanded was paid ; the
husband also presenting himself to enforce the demand.
The lady, somewhat alarmed, requested that her female
servant, who was waiting outside, might be admitted ; but
this was refuted, and to obtain her release she was under
the necessity of submitting to the exaction. Now if con-
duct like this is to be tolerated, we must say that those
English persons who visit Boulogne, and are to submit to
such brutal treatment, with their wrongs unredressed, had
better abandon a town where neither civility nor equity are
to be found.—Boulogne Journal.
By the Newcastle Chronicle, we see that the Re-
formers have obtained a majority of 44 over the Tories on
the close of the registration for the borough.