The Sun.
London, England, 1865-01-11 00:00:00

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MISCE LLANEOUS —Continued.
Joint Stock Discount,
London Financial Association, 11m.,
Ditto, new, 231
London General Omnibus Company, 31
Mediterranean Extension Telegraph, lien., 31
National Discount Company, am., 15i
National Provincial Marine, 21
North British and Mercantile Insurance, lim., 181
Oriental Inland Steam, 3i 21
Peninsula and Oriental Steam, 80 1
Rio de Janeiro City Improvements, lira., 25/
Societe Finauciere d' Egypte, lira., .
Telegrai h Construe. end Maintenance, lira., 3 ;
Universal Marin?, Insurance, lim., 6 1
Warrant Finance, lim., 9

CENTRAL CRIMINAL CL,IIRT—This Day.

OLD COURT.
(Before the Lord Chief Baron and Justice Blackburn.)

THE MURDER IN PLAISTOW MARSHES.

Edward Ferdinand Karl Kohl was indicted for the mur-
der of his countrymen, John, alias Christian Furhop.
The prisoner pleaded not guilty, and elected to be tried
by a mixed jury of English and foreigners.
The Solicitor-General conducted the prosecution; and
Mr. Best, of the Oxford circuit, defended the prisoner.
It will be recollected that the prisoner was a German,
and had been engaged as a sugar baker. About the middle
of last September he went to Germany, and returned -to
England on Oct. 2. He met with a young woman,whom he
married,- and he afterwards lived in a house in Hoy-street,
Plaistow Marshes, the rent of which he endeavoured to pay
by letting out apartments. From Germ6y he brought
with him a young man named Furhop, and introduced him
to Mrs. Warren, with whom he had previously lodged.

Furhop took lodgings in her house, and afterwards he took
lodgings in the prisoner's house, where he remained up to
the time of his death. The young man was found foully
murdered in Plaistow Marshes on the Bth of November in

a reed field by the side of the river, the head having been
cut off. The clothes were stripped off, with the
exception of the boots and trousers, and there was
nothing to indicate a struggle. It was supposed that the
deceased had been struck down at once, but it was con-
tended on the part of the prisoner that the deceased had
laid violent hands on himself.

The Solicitor-Ceneral in opening the case referred to the
above circumstance, and then stated the nature of the
evidence he should produce touching the movements of the
prisoner and the deceased together. He commented on the
fact that the prisoner had given a false account of
his conduct, and had stated that on the day of the
murder he was at. a sugar bakery in Whitechapel,
whereas it would be proved he was on Plaistow Marshes,
where the body was found. The clothes of the prisoner had
been submitted to Dr. Letheby, who found spots of blood
on them. He had also inspected a chopper which had been
in the prisoner's possession, and had found upon it small
portions of cotton linen fibre, and also a very small portion
of human skin. A knife, he said, would also be produced
which was found on the spot with human hair adhering to
it, and this knife he should prove was the property of the
prisoner. The learned gentleman then adverted to the
minor points connected with the charge.
The first witness examined was Elizabeth Warren, who
proved that the deceased had occupied lodgings in her
house. He had previously to his going to lodge with the
prisoner left in her care six sovereigns, a gold chain, a
watch, and other articles. She refused to give them up on
his return until her demand for rent was liquidated. The
deceased and prisoner afterwards came to her house, paid
the money, tnd took away the things.
In cross-examination, she said the prisoner was a very
peaceful man.
James Warren, the husband of the last witness, said he
had seen the dead body found on the marshes, and iden-

tified it as that of Fulthop.
Eliza Whitmore said she saw the deceased and the pri-
soner in company together. She identified the knife found
near the spot where the murder was committed as the
property of the prisoner, as he had previously shown it to
her, and made some observations about it.

Mary Ann Wade said she had been in the habit of
lending the prisoner a chopper. Previous to the murder
he borrowed it and returned it to her, a portion of the
handle having been painted red. Prisoner said he painted
it because the handle was loose.

Henry Schultz, a German, said he saw the prisoner and
the deceased in company the day in which the latter dis-
appeared. The prisoner told him he had lost the young
man in London. Kohl told him the young man had 41.105.
in his pocket. Witness said perhaps he had met a girl, to
which the prisoner replied if he had spent his money he
would turn him out of doors, as he owed him four weeks'
rent. He had seen the body and had identified it as Fur-
hop's. He also identified the boots Furhop wore.
Walter Jackson, a greengrocer, said on the 7th of No-
vemberthe prisoner made a small purchase at his shop. In
paying he drew from his pocket a handful of money, gold
and silver, amongst which were a few halfpence. He
(witness) made some remark about the ,money, when the
prisoner replied he was going to Germany in a few days.
Mathilda, Harris proved changing a sovereign for the

prisoner on the Saturday after the murder.
Joseph Williams said he became acquainted with the
prisonerin October last year, and he eventually married
his (witness's) sister. He afterwards went to Germany to
arrange matters, and brought back a young man with him
whom he called John. He said he had known the young
man from childhood. The prisoner, when he returned

from Germany, did not bring any money with him. The
only money he ever saw in his possession was the sove-
reign which was changed to pay the marriage fees. That
was the only time he ever saw the prisoner with any
money. Prisoner had no money to purchase furniture. He
had never done a day's work since he had been married.
On the 15th of October the prisoner showed me the ticket
of a watch, which John, he said, hadgiven him to pawn to
purchase victuals with. He saw John the night before he
was missed. He went to see the prisoner in Ilford gaol.
He told him to go and get his cousin Bill to say that
he was with him on. the Thursday. He told him he
could not do that as it was not the case ; to which the pri-
soner replied, " Well, he must say se." ,

Mary Jane Cooper said she saw the prisoner on the river
bank on the 7th November. She saw him jump the ditch
near the third stile. He was jumping from the reed-bed.
Richard Harvey, an apprentice to a shipwright at Popla
said—On the Bth of November he, in company with some
others, went out shooting near the reed bed. He went
into the reed bed, and while he was watching for birds he
found the body of a man without a head.
This witness was confirmed in his testimony by several
others who were with him, and also by the policeman who
was called. This witness added that much of the body
had been eaten by rats. The prisoner was taken into
custody on the evening of the same day, and when he was
charged he said " I well know where I was on that"
not finishing the sentence. On a further search, blood was
found about 50 feet from the place where the body lay.
William Richardson, randlady of the Graving Dock
public-house, said the body of the deceased was brought to
his house on the Bth of Nov. About three o'clock in the
afternoon the prisoner was outside the house, and witness
asked hfm if ho had not lost a friend. He replied yes, in
Ratcliffe-highway. He (witness) then asked the prisoner
to come and look at the body, when he replied, " I don't
like to look at such sights." Afterwards he went in and
witness showed him the boots. He said they were not the
boots that John went away with, and made some remarks
about the trousers. Witness then uncovered the body and
pointed to where the first blow had been made on the
neck. Directly prisoner saw that he turned away from the
body. Witness said, from your appearance " I should
think you know something of this affair." He became
deadly pale• He then put his hand on the prisoner's
shoulder, and said he should apprehend him on suspicion of
being concerned in the murder. The prisoner dropped his
hands and fell against the wall, but said nothing. A police-
man was called and told not to lose sight of him.
Cross-examined—There were many persons outside the
house talking about the murder, while the prisoner was
there. The body presented a hideous appearance, and the
prisoner was very much affected.
George Good, an inspector of the Thames police, said on
the 9th of November he went to look for the head. A
man, named Jones, directed his attention to what looked
like a rat's hole with blood round it. He dug up the earth
and discoved the head of a man, which he took to the
Graving Dock Tavern.
Mr. Morris, a surgeon of Barking-road, said he was sent
for to see the body, the head of which appeared to have
been detached by the chopper. A knife had also been used
in severing the head from the body.
Dr. Letheby said the hatchet or chopper had been
handed over to him for examination. On the broken part
of the edge he found a small quantity of brownish matter,
which he had removed and submitted to examination
under the microscope. He produced it in the same state
as he removed it. He found some fibres of cotton, and
also some fibres of wool, some of which had originally been
dyed with Magenta red. They were bound together by
something which he could not detect, but which must have
been a liquid originally. He also found some small por-
tions of surface skin of the human skin. He had removed
the handle from the chopper. It was very tightly fixed.
The paint on the top had no effect in tightening it.
A Juror wished to know whether the brownish matter
was identical with the paint on the Chopper ?
Dr. Letheby said it was entirely different. Some of the
prisoner's clothes had been handed to him for examination.
He had found on them stains of blood. The stains had
all the character of human blood.
At the request of one of the jurors, Dr. Letheby ex-
plained the process by which he had arrived at his con-
clusions.

In cross-examination Dr. Letheby said he found only
two spots of blood, each of which was about the size of a
sixpence.
John Atkins, an engineer residing at North Woolwich,
said that on the 9th of November ho found the knife
(produced) in the reed bed. At that time some hairs
adhered to the blade of the knife, but they dropped off.
The wife of the last witness confirmed his evidence,
adding that the hairs were of a light brown colours. The
knife was given to the police.
A number of witnesses were called to prove that the
prisoner had pledged various articles belonging to the
deceased, and also to show that the prisoner was very
short of money previous to the day of the murder.
Theodore Furlop said he was the brother of the de-