The Sun.
London, England, 1830-02-01 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST ON THE BODY OF

RICHARD HEMMING.

(From tl:e Worcester Herald.)

The proceedings in this inquiry were resumed on
Friday morning, pursuant to adjournment on Tues-
day ereaing. The Coroner and Jury assembled
shortly after nine o'clock, and the whole of the lat-
ter having- been ascertained to be in attendance, the
examination of witnesses was immediately entered
upon. The first called was—
Joseph Colley, who deposed as follows :—I live
at and lam a labourer. My house is near
Oddingley. I lived there in June, 1806, an•rl 1
recollect the murder of Mr. Parker, whom I knew
very well, as well as all who lived in the parish.
About a fortnight before he was hired I was work-
ing for Mr. Pool, making hurdles. Whikt at work
,Ir. Parker came to me several times, and once said,
"Joe, I wonder what that Hemming is always skulk-
ing about my glebe and in the lanes for, with some-
thing in a bag under his arm like a gun." I said,
".Why, Sir, he wants to shoot you." Mr. Parker
.replied, "Do you think he does, Joe." I've seen
Hemming and Clewes drinking together at the Red
Lion, Droit witch, two or three times before the mur-
decor Mr. Parker; it might be aboatafortnight or three
weeks before. Clewes was treating and urging Hem-
ming to drink, and said, " Here's to the death of
iluonaparte of Oddingley." I knew that Mr.
Parker, of Oddingley, was meant, but his (Mr. P.'s)
name was not mentioned. This was the last time
I saw Clewes and Hemming together. Hemming
was a bad one. Hemming said he had a nasty job
to do at Oddingley, but it. was then too late to go
about it. It was half-past five. Hemming ad-
dressed this last observation to all present; Clewes,
as well as Mrs. Cook, the landlady. I said nothing
during the conversation. I knew there were then,
and had been for some time, disputes between Mr.
Parker and Clewes, and other parishioners, respect-
ing the tithes. I never heard, upon either occasion
of meeting Hemming and Clewes at the Red Lion,
the latter say any thing about Mr. Parker by name.
When I saiv Hemming lurking about the lanes at
Oddingley he had always something in a bag like a
gun. The conversation I had with Mr. Parker about
Hemming, was after I had seen Clewes and Hem-
ming together at the public. lam 77 years of age
this Christmas.
William Rogers—l live at Dodderhill, and lam
a labourer. In June, 1806, I lived at Hinlip. I
recollect Mr: Parker's murder. The Sunday after
the murder I heard Henry Halbert say that he saw
Hemming at Captain F.vans's house the night the
murder was committed ; he said it was after the
murder. Halbert was then about twelve years of
age, but he is now (lead. He (Hilbert) (lid not say
any one else was there. I (witness) said nothing
about what Halbert said.

William Smith—ln June, 1806,1 lived with Mr"
Thos. Clewes, of Netherwood Farm, Oddingley, as
cowman, helped to thrash and do the general work
I recollect on Midsummer-day, 1806, my master
telling me that he had heard the parson of Odding
ley was shot. John Clewes was present at the
time.

Thomas Clewes told us both of the murder;

he did not say who told him of it. He seemed
alarmed, and said he was sorry ; he seemed so to
witness; "he was cut." I sax Thomas Cleves
this mornin4 in this house. I spoke to him, and he
said he did not recollect me; nothing else'passed
between us.

John Collins—Lives at Bradley-green. In June,

1806,1 lived with Mr. Thomas CleWse, at the Nether-
wood Farm, Oddingley. I well remember the
murder of Mr. Parker. I was informed of it the
same evening, whilst I was returning from Haddieg-
ton Mill. When I got home, about nine o'clock at
night, it being then dusk, I found the house shut up
and all closed. The brewhouse was shut up, and
curtains all drawn. My maser, Thomas Clewes,
seemed much confused and cut up, as if he had lost
a friend. My master said very little to me ; he
complained of my being so long away about the
grist. Nothing was said by either of us about Mr.
Parker's murder ; 1 had my supper and went to bed.
The other servants were a-bed. John Clewes slept
with Harding, and I slept with Smith. There were
two beds in the room. I was then about 16 years
of age. John Clewes was gone to bed. There was
nothing, as I recollect, said about the murder by
any of us in the night. I have not seen anything
of Thomas Clewes for a long time before to-day. He
asked me this morning whether I did not live with
him at the time the parson was shot. 1 knew Hem-
ming, and have seen him at Clewes's ; he was-there
on the Sunday morning before the murder ; it was
between breakfast time and church time. I saw
Hemming the first time that morning and Thomas
Clewes in a foot-path leading into the inside of the
Trench Wood, talking together. I was then in search
of sheep. When they saw me they did not appear
surprised. When I went towards them they walked
away. Neither had any thing with them. I never
before saw them together near that wood. It might
be twelve before they came home ; it was about
three parts of an hour from the time I saw them near
the wood. Ido not know whether Clewes occupied
the wood or not. Hemming stayed but a short
time; heard nothing of what passed between them,
further than Clewes said at parting, good morning,
Hemming. Hemming had been at Clewes's, back-
wards and fofwards, a fortnight or three weeks be-
fore. Hemming, to the best of my remembrance,
did not work for Thomas Clewes. I never had
any conversation with the Clewes' about Hemming
and the 'made? of Mr. Parker. I thought at the
time of the murder, Hemming had been hired to do
the murder. I thought also from having seen Hem-
ming and Clewes, my master, together, 'on the
previous Sunday, as I have described, that Thomas
Clewes knew something of the murder, and that is
the reason I said nothing about it,
Edward Stephens, of Crowle, aged 74—1 was
once examined before on an inquest held on the body
of the Rev. Mr. Parker, who was murdered at Od-
dingley. On 24th June, 1806, Pardoe, the Clerk
of Oddingley, asked me to come with him to Wor-
cester, for company, as he was going to have some
bills printed about the murder. On our way Pardoe
said to me he had heard of many heavy threaten-
ings from Mr. Thomas Clewes respecting the Par-
son's murder, and he said he dare not say anything
about it, as Clewes owed him near 201. for in case

Clewes was took up and hanged he should lose his
money. Pardoe has been dead about 12 months.
The CORONER next read the deposition of the
shore-named John Pardoe;taken the Ist day of July,
1806. It was to this effect. I worked for Thomas

Clewes, of Oddingley, farmer, at the time of Mr.
Parker's murder. I have heard Captain Evans, Mr.
Barnett, and Mr. Clewes abuse Mr. Parker, and uFe
worth., from which I should suppose Air. Parker

might be in danger from them, cu somebody em-
ployed by them ; on the last Sunday month, I was
talking to Air. Parker, and I said to him that I was
surprised he was not afraid to go out at night for
fear he should be knocked on the head, and Mr.
Parker said he was not afraid.
John Perkins, of Sale Green, Crowle—About
three quarters of a year before the Ist of July, 1806,
I was in Captain Evans's parlour, at the Oddingley
Church Farm. Captain Evans, speaking of Mr

Parker, and the tithes of Oddingley;said Mr Parker

was a very bad man, and there was nObody in the parish
excepting me (witness), that agreed with him, and
said " -bim he is a very bad man, and there
is no more harm in shooting him than a mad dog."
I was at the Easter meeting of 1806, at the parish
church, to pass the overseer's accounts. Mr. Parker,
Mr. John Barnett, Mr. Thomas Clewes, Mr. Jones,
Mr. Hurcott, the prime paymasters of the parish,
were there. Mr. Parker disputed a charge in the
ob le'
re
tros en: r 's
in a ctchoeu npt sf r
e,oiro
ua
sdinneryear. ats the e Palongurgyh ,
words
passed, in which the subject of tithes were men-
tioned by Barnett, Evans, and Clewes. Barnett,
Evans, Clewes, and Marshall then went to the
Plough to dine. I went against my inclination to
the dinner, at the request of Mr. Parker, as did also
Mr. Hurcott. There were present at the dinner,
John and Thomas Clewes, Captain Evans, George