The Sun.
London, England, 1865-05-10 00:00:00

Murder and Robbery in a Lodging-house.

Last evening Mr. John Humphreys, the coroner for East
Middlesex, opened an inquiry at the Seven Stars Tavern,
Brick-lane, Spitalfields, on the body of Joseph Rickles-
work, aged 77 years, who died from violence under the
following extraordinary circumstances :
The coroner and jury proceeded to view tho body, which
was lying in a small compartment in a licensed lodging-
house situated at No. 199, Brick-lane. The place was not
larger than a common-sized cupboard, and the body pre-
sented a sad and attenuated appearance.

Bridget Hogan, the landlady of the house, said that the
deceased was formerly a broker in a large way of business,
but for several months he had occupied a bed and small
room at her house, for which ho had paid 2s. per week.
He was 'generally supposed to be a rich man, and was
represented to be so by the neighbours and the lodgers.
He had been ailing for a considerable time, and had kept his
bed through an injury he sustained some time since. On
Friday evening witness left home for a short time, and
when she returned the deceased called her to his room.
Ho said " Black Charley and Johnny Boyden have drugged
and robbed me." He added, " They have ill-treated
me ; and while Boyden held the door Black Charley
rifled my pockets, and turned over the bed for my
money, which they have taken away." He called out for
assistance, but, as witness was not at home, no one went
to him. Deceased told witness that one of the men held
his head while one poured something down his throat to
drug him. On the following morning the deceased became
worse, when she sent for Dr. Swyer, of 32, Brick-lane, who
attended, and pronounced life extinct. Witness was
of opinion that the deceased had been first drugged, and
then ill-treated and robbed. He paid his rent regularly,
and was a steady man.

tßy the Coroner—l am of opinion that the deceased has
died from violence.infficted upon him by the two men, who
were well known in the neighbourhood. They got their

living the best way they could. They wore well known to
the police.
Police-sergeant 31 H said that he was called to the
house on Saturday morning, and found the deceased in
bod. Ho was very ill, and told witness that two men had
robbed him of his money, which he had saved for years.
He did not know the exact amount. One of the men held
the door while Black Charley robbed him. Witness had
been in search of the two men,
who slept in the neighbour-
bouring lodging-house. They had gone away from the
district, but from information that had been received they
would soon bo captured.
Dr. Septinms Swyer, of No. 32, Brick-lane, Spitalfields,
was called, and found the deceased dead. Ho could not
positively account for death, but from the symptoms de-
scribed ho believed that the deceased had died from the
effects of a powerful narcotic which had been administered
to the deceased a few hours before death.

After the examination of another witness, who gave
confirmatory evidence,

The Coroner said that the cue was one in which he
should order a post-mortem examination of the body. The
deceased had, no doubt, been robbed, and had come by
his death by foul means. The two men who had been
engaged in the robbery and death of the deceased had
made their escape from the house, but, no doubt, by the
next meeting of the jury the police would be in possession
of some important testimony. He should order an analysis
of the contents of the stomach by Dr. Letheby after the
body had been opened by Dr. Swyer.
The proceedings were then adjourned for a week.

CHARLES IPS WATCH.—Our readers.may be in-
terested in hearing the fate of the King's watch,
which he gave to " Mistress" Jane Lane in acknowledg-
ment of her services in helping him to escape from Moseley
to Bristol, at the same time signifying his wish that it should
always belong to the eldest daughter of the house of Lane.
The watch was regularly handed down to the eldest Miss
Lane for the time being, until three generations back,
when the then eldest daughter married Mr. Lucy, of
Charlecote, Warwickshire (grandfather of the present pro-
prietor of that estate), and took the watch with her. It
was hers, of course, for life, but she lived to a great age,
and at her death, the Lucys pleading that, owing to the
number of years which had passed, the claims of the Lanes
had lapsed to them, somewhat unfairly it appears, retained
it at Charlecote, leaving the Lanes to their remedy by an
action at law in trover. But ill-gotten goods never stay
long with their riew owner ; and the watch, together with
other valuable property, was carried off from Charlecote
by a gang of burglars who broke into the house some fif-
teen years ago or more. The watch was never recovered,
having probably been melted down for the value of the old
materials.—Once a Week.

THEATRE-ROYAL, DRURY-LANE,
Managers, Messrs. E. Falconer and F. B. Chatterton.
THIS EVENING th, performance will commence with
a new Play, entitled LOVE'S ORDL ; cr, The Old and
EA
New Regime : Messrs. Walter Lacy, E. Plieps, E. Falconer,
Mrs. Hermann Vtzin, &c.
After which. on a scale of great splendour, Milton's Mask
and Mrs. H.
of COMUS : Messrs. Walter Lacy, Witbye Cooper, Henri
Drayton, Miss Poole, Miss Augusta Thomson,
Vezmn.
____----------

TIIEA TR E-R OYA L, HAYMARKET.
Lessee. Mr. Buckstone.
THIS EVENING, MY WIFE'S moTr[ER. Mr. Chip-
pendale ; Miss N. Moore, Miss Snowdon, Miss F. Wright, &c.
After which, OUR AMERICAN COUSIN. Messrs.
Sothern, Buekstor..e. Chippendale, Braid, Gordon. Rogers,
Clark, White, Coe. &c. ; Mesdames tnowdon, Stuart,
11111,
Barris, WI ight,
And EASY SHAVING. Miss Louise Keeley, Miss F.
'Wright ; Alestrs. Clark, Gordon, Rogers, ,tc,
To conclude with MY
commence 7.

NEW THEATRE-ROYAL, ADELPIII.--
,h i., rf twri.eLJl r.
Tills EVENING, THE IRISH IIGER. Mess s. C.
Stephenson and Eburne; Miss K. Kelly.
After which, at 8, FAZIO; OR, THE ITALIAN WIFE.
B.anca, Miss Bateman; supported by Messrs. Jordan, Stuart,
C. J. Smith, Eburne, Ashley, and Mrs. B lliugton.
To conclude with THE STEEPLECHASE; or, In the
pigskin. Messrs. J. L. Toole, Paul Bedford ; Miss K. Kelly