The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-05 00:00:00

THE SUN, 140NDON1 TUESDAY gVE '4 It u, -

lying beside it, and near the two was a common
wine bottle, which from the crust appeared to have
been port wine. On removing the upper
body, and the wrapper from the other man,
I found another pistol between the two, being
on the ground near the other man's breast.
(The pistols formed a pair, but they were without
maker's name.) There was an exploded cap on the
nipple of the other pistol. I also found a black
cloth cap beneath the under man, without a name,
and also a fishing-basket and strap, in which was
a fishing-rod case containing some artificial flies.
Mr. Webb examined the bodies, and, with assist-
ance, I searched the bodies on the spot. In the
pockets of the upper man I found two white hand-
kerchiefs (unmarked), a pair of dogskin gloves, a
tin box containing a quantity of percussion caps,
a pill-box containing two conical bullets fitting
the pistols, some other bullets of a similar kind
loose in the pockets, a pistol, powder-flask contain-
ing powder, a patent pencil, about ss. in silver
money, and some half-pence. I also found some
pencil writing in a pocket-book, effaced, and a
Paxton shirt-collar. On the under man I found a
white handkerchief, a pencil, pen-knife, a pair of
tweezers, a half-sovereign, and 6s. in silver money,
a pair of socks, and a Daily Telegraph newspaper
of the 24th ult. I found a publican's dram-glass,
on which was the name "H. Marchant." None of
the other articles were marked. I picked up a
second railway wrapper beneath the under man.
The shoulder-strap on the fishing-basket was de-
tached from the person.

By the Coroner—The writing in the k pocket boo - .
is so effectually defaced by a pencil that it cannot
be deciphered. The piece of ground where the
bodies were found is a triangle formed by three
roads which surround it, and the bodies were lying
in about the centre, at a distance of about 80 yards
from either road, one of which leads from Cobham
to Witley Heath and Guildford, and the other from
Witley Heath to Byfleet. There was also a third
leading from Cobham to Weybridge and Byfleet.
Hogan, re-called—l did not observe any appear-
ance of a struggle having taken place upon the
spot where the bodies lay,
Mr. Joseph Webb, surgeon, of Cobham, deposed—
On Friday evening last I accompanied the witness
Lovell to the common, and there saw two male per-
sons dead. They were lying on the ground in the
position described by the last witness. I consider,
by the condition of the bodies, that they had been
exposed to the influence of the atmosphere from
seven to ten days. The upper one appeared to be
about 30, and the other about five or six years
younger. They were greatly decomposed. I ex-
amined them, and found on the upper, or elder
person, a wound under the chin which appeared to
have been caused by a pistol shot. I could not de-
tect any other injury. A man could inflict on him-
self a wound similar to that which I have described,
but it could not easily have been caused by another
person, unless the head was thrown back. The de-
ceased bore the appearance of a black man from
decomposition. The pistol was lying near his right
hand, the fingers of which were extended. I found
a perforation in his vest like that of a pistol shot.
It might have been caused by himself with his
right hand. A second pistol was found near his
body. The wound might have been caused by an-
other person. The flesh of the face and neck is en-
tirely eaten away. In my opinion death was caused
by a pistol shot wound. Their position indicated
that it was a pre-arranged matter, and that they
were sitting near each other, but the death of the
under man was probably first caused, he having
been carefully covered with a rug.

By the Foreman—The death of the man wounded
in the breast would have taken place almost instan-
taneously.
Susanna Moreham, a married woman, residing
on Walton-common, said—On Saturday morning
last I went to the spot in company with my little
grandson and two other boys, having heard that
two dead bodies had been found there. About 6ft.
from the place my grandson picked up an outfitter's
advertisement from Holloway-gate, bearing the
name of S. Henderson, tailor and outfitter. My
daughter read on it " Whoever finds this body,"
but being unable to read any more I gave it to
Police-constable Hoare. Last Thursday week, be-
tween 7 and 8 o'clock, I was in my yard, when 1
heard the report of two fire-arms in the direction of
Paine's Hill, at an interval of a minute or two be-
tween each other. I remarked to a person who was
reading a newspaper to me that the party was firing
quickly. It is not an unusual occurrence to hear
fire-arms near my house, but not so soon after each
other. I saw no one on the common that night.
Miss Mary Ann Jupp, of Westcott, near Dork-
ing, stated that she was staying with her sister-in-
law at the White Lion Hotel on Thursday week
last, when two gentlemen came to the house and
asked for two pints of port wine. She informed
them that they kept nothing less than quart bottles,
one df which they then bought, and for which the
younger of the two paid. Witness wrapped the
bottle in a piece of Daily Telegraph newspaper. He
tried to put it into a fish-basket, but was unable to
do so, in consequence of a pouch, which he handed
to witness, and desired her to keep. It contained
a pair of scissors, some tweezers, flies, and lines for
fishing. On the fly-wrapper was written the fol-
lowing :—" C. 8., 5, Layton-place, Brixton, or 11,
Angel-court, City." They were respectably attired,
and the younger one wore a light suit and cap (cor-
responding with that produced). The elder man
said th&y were going to the Plough, at Stoke, snd
that he knew two young women living there 10 or
15 years ago. They left the house and proceeded
towards Walton Common. The elder one appeared
to be lost in his manner, and was going away with-
out paying for the wine, and the younger man then
paid for it.

Susan Lasham, a girl, deposed to finding a fish-
rod on Monday week last. It was leaning on a
furze bush.

At this stage of the proceedings a gentleman
named Brown entered the room, and in reply to the
coroner stated that he went on Saturday to 11,
Angel-court, City, and, from information there re-
ceived, he proceeded to 11, Neville-court, Hornsey,
where he saw a gentleman named Biddlestone, who
told him that his two sons left home on Thursday,
July 24, with the avowed object of going on a fish-
ing excursion. The elder one, who held a situation
of £2OO per annum in a Marine Assurance Com-
pany, was 38 years of age, and the younger, who
was a clerk in the City, was 23 years of age. The
circumstances brought to his knowledge left no
doubt but that they were his sons. He was deeply
affected, and was unable to account for the melan-
choly affair in any way. He declared that they
were on friendly terms, and he could not shed an y
light upon the affair.

The Coroner here suggested an adjournment
in order to enable the father to attend, but as the
jury were about to leave the house the father en-
tered, and in reply to the Coroner, said he had just
been shown the several articles named in the evi-
dence, and he identified them as having belonged
to his two sons, Charles and Herbert, whom he last
saw on the 24th ult. Layton-place, Brixton, was
their former residence, and they still resided with
their father. Mr. Biddlestone also stated that on
their leaving he requested them to return in good
time, and they said, " Yes, father, we will return at
the usual time," which was about ten o'clock p.m.
Witness had received no intimation of the cause of
absence in writing, and he therefore caused some of
the family to sit up for them. He could in no
way account for the act, and he believed the writ-
ing was in a disguised hand, or written by one of
them while in a state which would alter the custo-
mary hand. The writing, as deciphered, was read,
and Mr. Biddlestone thought it was written by
Ilerbert, the younger, whom he supposed might
foeheieienn labouring at the time under some men-
tal'
Herbert was unusually fond of his sis-
ter Emu!:
by hit, 1;e :rid he believed the writing was written
By the el:: of the terms expressed therein.
respecting le At what conclusion do you ar-
rivel
have promised towl3rds, " Charles is nearly dead.
see
quit ? " dead before I
Witnesse—y Twhearet
ftrhieenidniuy:las.afely
to:ally committed sui-
cide•
rds each other., and
gi
on equal terms with my other aoue
count for the words, " The writer ,I cannot ac-
as.„ forveness
•
away to
from all whom he may pain by this going

dim, I have not heard from the offices in which
they were employed that the accounts of either were
in an unsatisfactory condition. I had never known
any weakness of mind in either. I believe from the
circumstances that they both left home with a pre-
determination to destroy their lives. I directed
inquiry to the Thames Police, thinking they might
have been drowned. They were not addicted to
intemperate habits.
By a Juror—l think the writing alludes to my
daughter Emily, and I am not aware that there
was any attachment to a young lady by either of
them.

The Coroner carefully summed up, leaving two
questions for the decision of the jury, viz., as to
whether the act was a suicide on the part of both,
or whether one of the men first killed his brother
and afterwards shot himself.

The room was then cleared, and the jury, after
more than two hours' consultation, returned a ver-
dict of felo de se against the younger person, Her-
bert, and that the elder also died by a pistol-shot
wound, but by whom that wound was inflicted there
was not sufficient evidence to show.

EXTRAORDINARY ATTEMPT TO EXIORT

MONEY.

A respectably-dressed middle-aged man, who
gave the name of Charles Reynolds, but whose real
name is Davis, was placed at the bar of the Man-
sion-house yesterday, in the custody of Sergeant
Green, a detective officer, before Mr. Alderman
Humphery, who was sitting for the Lord Mayor,
charged with an attempt to extort money by means
of threats from Baron Rothschild.

Mt. Wontner, solicitor, appeared to conduct the
prosecution, and Mr. Beard attended on behalf of
the prisoner.
Mr. Wontner said he had the honour of appear-
ing on behalf of Messrs. Rothschild to prosecute the
prisoner for sending threatening letters to Messrs.
Rothschild under somewhat peculiar circumstances.
The prisoner, who was an entire stranger to Baron
Rothschild, gave his name as Reynolds, but it was
afterwards found to be Davis, was living at No. 5,
New North-place Kingsland-road. In May last,
Mr Rothschild received the following letter:—
" London, May, 1862.
" Gentlemen,—To Baron Lionel Rothschild,
Baron Meyer, Sir Anthony Rothschild,—We have
written this letter to you soliciting the loan of X 500;
it is a desperate case; if you do not lend it to us
one of you will be dead before long, and one of us
will die by the hand of the law. As soon as we can
we will return it. (Signed) " A and B.
" If you consent to advance it, insert an adver-
tisement in the Daily Telegraph as follows ;—' The
letter signed A and B duly received, and the favour
solicited shall be complied with.' If we don't see
the advertisement in a fortnight what is written
will come to pass. If you can comply with it we
will write and let you know the way in which we
will receive it. If you lend it you will have no
cause to regret it." _ _

This was the first letter which was received by
the firm, and thinking it was written by some in-
sane person, no notice was taken of it. In June,
however, another letter was received, which ran as
follows ;
" London, June, 1862.

" To the Baron Lionel Rothschild.

" We sent a letter last month asking for a loan of
£5OO. If there does not appear a notice to the fol-
lowing effect in the Daily Telegraph, in a fortnight,
the first time either of us three get an opportunity,
we know you well by sight, and you shall be a dead
man and one of us will die by the hands of the law,
If we cannot meet you, we will assassinate the
first we get an opportunity, either Sir Anthony or
Baron Meyer. You ought to let them have notice.
We have about £4OO between us. We shall be
able to pay you back with interest in six years, we
having an opportunity of going into business. If
you consider one of your lives of more value than
the loan, grant it, for as certain as this letter was
written, so sure, if this loan is not granted, one of
you will be assassinated. If you comply we will
write and let you know how we will receive the
money. " A. and B.

"Insert the following in the Daily Telegraph:—
The letter signed A. and B. was duly received,
and the favour requested will be complied with."
Upon receipt of the second letter, Messrs. Roths-
child placed the matter in the hands of the police,
and in July a third letter was received by the
firm :

"London, July, 1862.

" To Sir Anthony Rothschild, Bart.
"Your brother, the Baron Lionel, has had two
letters sent to Kingston House, Knightsbridge,
asking for a loan of £3OO, and telling him, if he
did not lend it, either you or the Baron eyer
should be assassinated the first opportunity we got.
One of us will be on the look out for you every day
in the week. If you consider one of your lives of
more consequence than £3OO send it. We do not
wish to cheat you ; we only require it for six years.
We write this letter thinking that by some acci-
dent you may not have heard of the other two
letters ; that, when it is too late, you may not have
any excuse for saying we wish we had known of
the impending catastrophe. If there is not inserted
in the Daily Telegraph newspaper by the 25th inst.
what is written will come to pass.
" A and B."

" The letter signed ' A and B.' was received, and
the favour shall be complied with. We will let
you know how we will receive it if you comply
with it.

"To Sir A. Rothschild, Bart.
"If it appears in the Daily Telegraph by the
28th it will be in time."

A notice was inserted in the _Daily Telegraph ac-
cording to the request, adding that they would not
go to the full extent, but would advance £l5O,
when the following letter was received by the
firm

" London, July 23.

. _
"To Sir Anthony Rothschild, Bart., and your
respected brothers, for there is not a house in the
city of London so much respected as the house of
Rothschild, and we are glad to learn that your
brother, the Baron Lionel, has recovered from his
severe indisposition. If at any time it should be in
our power to save one of your lives at the cost of
one of ours, we should most cheerfully do it •, but
when men are driven to desperation they will do
what at any other time they would shrink from
doing. The writer of this letter and a friend of
his, about ten years since, had about £2,500 be-
tween us, being then about 25 years of age, both
being nearly the same age, when we were induced
to join
a person who had taken out a patent for rice
and starch, we used to find the money as an equiva-
lent for his experience ; when we had expended
about half of it we saw, if we went on, we should
lose all our money, so to release ourselves from him,
we told he might have the benefit of all the money
we had expended, and he did so, and he sold it for
about £5OO, and he congratulated himself in think-
ing he had been acquainted with us; but if we had
known so much now we should not have had any-
thing to do with him. We lost about £1,400 by it.
I and my friend have been together ever since,
sharing
our fortunes and misfortunes, and, if needs
be, we will die together. The notice of our letter
in the Telegraph has relieved us from a eight of
depression. We could do very well with a loan
of £2OO, a smaller sum will not save us.
We are in business. If we do not have £2OO we
shall be ruined. If you lend it, we shall have
a profitable business (when we first took it we did
not understand much about it.) Now we have
learned it. If you lend it us, in three years we shall
be able to repay you. When we say we shall repay
you we mean it. We have been brought up well,
and have received a good education, but adversity
has overtaken us. What I have written is the truth.
We are not trying
to impose upon you. When my
father died he left me £2,000. If you send us the
£2OO I have no doubt we shall be worth that once
more. We write to you knowing you to be chari-
table men, who can feel for others. We must offer
our apology for having written in the manner we
did, but ours is a desperate case. Hoping you will
lend us the £2OO, you will not have any cause to
regret it, either in this world or in that which is to
come. "A. & B.

"To Sir A. Rothschild, Bart., and Brothers.
"If you should be so kind as to lend it, please
insert the following in the Daily Telegraph news-
paper :
" A. & B.—Your letter of the 23d was received,
and the favour will be complied with.'
"P.S.—lf you should lend it, we will let you
know how we will receive it."

Other advertisements were inserted :n the Daily
Telegraph, and the following letters were sent in
answer :
" London, July 26'
"To Sir Anthony Rothschild and your respected
Brothers.
" We thank you for your kind notice of our letter
in the Daily Telegraph of the 26th.we im-
mediatelywent to our principal creditor, to wheal We owe
about £5OO, who told us if we did not reduce the
account to £2OO he should proceed against us. Hisreason for doing so, he said, was that he did not in-
tend to have so much capital employed in his bubi.