The Sun.
London, England, 1863-01-21 00:00:00

SANATORY STATE OF THE CITY.

Dr. LETHEBY, the medical officer of health for
the City, reported on the state of 205 houses that
had been inspected during the week, and he sub-
mitted a list of 40 places for sanatory improvement.
He likewise reported an indecent and unwholesome
overcrowding of a common lodging-house in Union-
court, Holborn, in which there were two smell
rooms occupied by 17 persons, namely, four men,
eight women, and five children. In one of the
rooms, which had a capacity of about 1,100 cubic
feet, there were three men, four women, and three
children. Ho certified that the house required
supervision, and to that end should be registered as
a common lodging-house. _ _ _

The markets and slaughter .houses had been duly
inspected, and the officers had seized 3,3811 b. of
meat and 61 head of game and poultry as unfit for
human food. :It consisted of 13 sheep, 3 pigs, 1
calf, 22 qrs. of beef, 27 joints of meat. 3.0731 b were
diseased, 1801 b. were putrid, and the rest was from
animals that had died from natural causes.

The mortality returns for the week are below the
average for the season. Only 65 deaths were regis-
tered in the week, while the average number for
the corresponding periods of the last seven years is
71. The chief causes of death were as follow :
Phthisis 7, pneumonia 8, bronchitis 9, continued
fever 2, scarlet fever 3, whooping cough 4, measles
6, croup 1, and infantile convulsions 7. Of these
causes the most important are measles, and whoop-
ing-cough, which have been unusually fatal.
Atter transacting some other business the Court
adjourned.

Murder of a Police Constable at Acton.

At the Hammersmith Police-court, yesterday, two
rough 'looking men, who gave the names of Joseph
Brooks, aged 25 years, and Isaac Brooks, aged, 23, brothers,
and described themselves as labourers, were placed in the
dock before Mr. Dayman, charged with the wilful murder
of police-constable William Davey, No. 81 T division, by
shooting him in the head with a gun.
The court was crowded to excess, and the street in front
was thronged with persons waiting the result of the exami-
nation.

Mr. Trehearne, a solicitor, of Gresham-street, attended on
the part of the police to prosecute the prisoners.
It appeared from Mr. Trehearne's statement that the de-
ceased was on duty at Acton in the course of Monday after-
noon, when he stopped two men carrying planks, and on
giving an unsatisfactory answer as to their possession, he
attempted to take both of them into custody. One succeeded
in escaping; while taking the other to the station the man
threw the planks down upon the feet of the constable and
also ran away. The constable afterwards mentioned the oc-
currence to the sergeant, and it was arranged they should
go to the place from where the planks had been taken and
endeavour to obtain further evidence. The sergeant was,
however, anxious for the constable to remain on his beat,
and he gave him leave to go home to get his supper first.
He went down Church-road at half-past 8 o'clock for the
purpose. He was taking care of Petherton-villa, which was
an unoccupied house. He had scarcely got into the back
parlour before there was a knock at the door. Ei is wile an-
swered the door and then called " William." He passed
along the passage, and had scarcely got to the threshold of
the door when a gun was fired at him, a greater portion of
his head was carried away, and he was killed. Mr. Tre-
hearne also said that he should produce evidence to affect
the prisoners, and the only reasonable motive that he could
assign for it was that as they believed the constable knew
them they were afraid of being re-taken.
Police-sergeant Arthur Bonnick, 19 T, was examined.
He said—l knew the deceased constable. lam sergeant
of the division of which the deceased was a constable. I
was with him at half-past six o'clock in the evening in
Avenue-road, Acton. He was on duty, and continued so
until half-past 8 o'clock. He mentioned to me the circum-
stances about two men steeling planks. He said he knew
something of the men, and described them. The one he
took into custody was dressed in a corduroy suit and a cap,
and the other who escaped had a light jacket. Both the
men escaped. I asked him whether he could swear to them,
and he said no. He said the voice of one of them was fami-
liar to him, and that both resembled the two Brookses, who
were at work opposite the place from which the timber was
taken. After that he asked permission to go home for a
short time. That was about half. past 8 o'clock. From a
communication I afterwards received I went to Petherton-
villa, where the constable resided. I saw the deceased
lying on his back, and part of his head blown off. There
is a small garden between the door and the gate. He was
quite dead. I assisted in making inquiries after the pri-
soners. I went to 1, Chapel-place, Windmill-lane, Turn-
ham-green. I got there about half-past one o'clock this
morning. The prisoners were in bed. Isaac is a married
man, and was in a room with his wife. I did not say any-
thing to the prisoners.
The prisoner Joseph—l wish to ask the officer whether
he found any ammunition about me ?
Witness—l did not search you. I saw a gun and powder
found by an inspector.
The other prisoner, who looked exceedingly pale, and
wore a white jacket, said he had no questions to ask.
Inspector John Searle, of the T division, said—About 10
o'clock last night I was in Hammersmith,and received in-
formation that police-constable Davey had been shot. I pro
ceeded at once on horseback to Acton,where I met Inspector
Scotney. We both dismounted and proceeded to Petherton-
villa, where the deceased had been shot. We afterwards
went to 1, Chapel-place, Back-common, Turnham•green.
We knocked at the door, and the prisoner Isaac answered
from a bedroom window upstairs. That was at out half-
past 1 o'clock this morning, Inspector Scotney inquired
for Isaac Brooks. The prisoner said," Yes,it is me." Inspec-
tor Scotney requested him to come down. Ho came down
in his night clothes. We then asked him whether he had
any firearms, and whether he had a brother in the house.
He said, he is upstairs, He made no reply to the question
about the firearms. I then left him with Inspector Scotney
while I went upstairs. I found the prisoner Joseph in bed.
I said, Joseph Brooks. He was not asleep, and said, Yes.
He appeared to tremble very much. When I first saw Isaac
he trembled very much and appeared confused. I said to
Joseph, "You must consider yourself in custody for being
concerned with your brother Isaac in the wilful murder of
police- constable Davey, at. Acton ; have you any firearms?
you need not answer any questions, but what you say will
be given in evidence against you." I again said, " Have you
any firearms ?" He said, " I have none; I had a gun, but I
left it at the shop at Acton." I requested him to get out of
bed. He got out, and I then turned down the bed. In the
centre of the bed, under where he had been lying, I found
a gun between the mattress and the bed. I said, " What is
this ?" He said. " Oh, I forgot I had it there." While he
was dressing a powder-flask fell from his cord jacket. It
fell on the bed clothes, and it was picked up by Sergeant
Byden. After it fell from his pocket he endeavoured to turn
the clothes over it, to prevent it being sees. I took him
downstairs to Isaac. I told Isaac the same charge. I asked
Joseph where he had been during the evening, and he re-
plied "Nowhere." While he (Joseph) was dressing he
treated the matter as a joke. He laughed, and asked who
the man was that had been shot. I examined it before
leaving the room. If it had been discharged two or three
days it would have been rusty. The powder inside the bar-
rel was quite wet. I examined the lock. It is a cap lock.
There was no cap on it. I found neither caps nor shot. At
the station Joseph said, "The gun is dirty and has been
used , I sponged it out on Thursday, but not since." Before
leaving the house he said the gun had been pledged and was
redeemed the previous night. The wife of Isaac said, in pre-
sence of prisoners, that she had been to Hammersmith with a
young woman named Jane Lake and had redeemed the gun.
She afterwards said that Jane Lake went alone. I after
wards went to Petherton-villa at Acton. I made a search
in the passage and ceiling for shot. I picked up some shots
in the passage, and there were marks of shots in the ceiling.
There were portions of brains, skull, and blood scattered
about the garden, passage, and wall, as well as a large
stream of blood in the garden. There are also marks of
blood on the dress of the deceased's wife. She is in such a
delicate state to-day as not to be able to be produced. I
examined the clothes of the prisoners. I tried to match the
marks in the avenue made with their boots, but in conse-
quence of the traffic I was unable to do so, I was not able
to trace any marks upon their clothes. On the way to the
station Joseph asked who the man was that had been shot.
I told him. He then said " Where is he ?" I said, "At
the dead house at Acton." He seemed to shudder, butmade
no reply. Ho told me where the shop was at Mill-hill, Acton.
At the station he said, " That is the gun I had at the shop."
Mr. W. Ayres said-- I am a pawnbroker at W atorloo-
street, Hammersmith. The gun was pawned at my shop on
Saturday last. I delivered it to two females about half-past
7 o'clock on Monday evening. Tbey pledged a pair of trou-
sers for 7s. 6d., and took out the gun. I know one of the
females. Her name is Lake. The gun was pledged in the
name of Brooks. The gun was quite clean when I delivered
it out. My foreman, who is not here, took it in.
Mr. Dayman—Are you quite sure it was clean ?
Witness—Yes, sir.
Tho prisoner Joseph—Will your foreman swear the gun
was clean when I pawned it ?
Mr. Dayman—The foreman will be here, and you can
ask him the question.
Prisoner—l can swear it was not clean on Saturday.
Mr. Trehearne then said he had no fu.-2ther evidence to
produce that day, and asked for a remand.
Mr. Dayman remanded both prisoners for a week.
The prisoners were then removed without making any
further observation.