The Sun.
London, England, 1853-02-10 00:00:00

which is about a hundred yards from the "Regalia."
The man who passed in the road was dressed in a
flannel jacket, light cap, and corduroy trousers,
the latter smeared with plaister. He had a bundle
or basket slung over his shoulder. Had no doubt
that the accused, Mackett, was the same man. Could
see him distinctly, the fog, which had been very dense,
Charleshaving
Bw,
somewhato the
cleared off.
detective officer, 383 S,e ce was
ed next
sworn. On Tuesday, the Ist inst., having iv
in-
formation that a woman had been drowned in the Re-
gent's Canal, with whose description he was furnished by
his sergeant, as well as that of a man who had been seen
received
in the company of deceased, and having also been informed
that a parcel was missing, the contents of which had been
described to him, went to a house in Egglington-buildings,
High-street, Marylebone. The door was opened by a
woman, who stated that Mackett resided there ; but upon
being asked if he was at home, made no reply. Witness
then said that if she could find him, he was to be sent
to Mr. Norris, clerk of the works at the New Church
in Margaret-street, Cavendish-square. Upon stating
this, Mackett, who was in the house, replied, "I will
go with you now, sir." He accompanied me ; and. after
walking some distance, I asked him if he knew Eliza
Lea. He replied that he did, and that he had left
her at a friend's house, in Pratt-street, Camden-town,
on the previous evening. He then asked where she
was, and I informed him that she was in St. Pancras
Workhouse, and that she had been found in the Re-
gent's Canal. Mackett then inquired if she was dead ;
and upon being told that she was, he dropped his
head, and replied that he should be able to clear
himself. After lodging Mackett in the custody of a
fellow officer, witness returned to the house where ac-
cused lived. He-then saw- a woman who stated shb was
Mackett's wife. Witness said he came from " Tom" for
the parcel which he took home with him on the previous
night. After some delay, the parcel was handed to him.
It contained a blue merino dress and trimmings. Wit-
ness here produced the bundle.
Mary Ann Lea, mother of the deceased, was the next
witness examined. She deposed to having last seen ber
daughter, Eliza Lea, on the morning of the 31st ult.
She was then well and in good spirits. Between 9 and
10 in the morning of the above date she gave deceased
a ;,half-sovereign for the purpose of redeeming a
merino dress which had been pledged for 38. at a pawn-
broker's at the Corner of Hanway-yard, Tottenhain-court-
road. The merino was pawned by deceased eight or
nine months ago.. Witness bad never seen it. Deceased
intended it for dresses for witness's two younger children.
Had often seen her daughter in company with Mackett,
with whom she had -lived for six years. At the time of
her death -deceased was lodging at Townsend-cottages
Portland-town. She had separatai from Mackett aboul

five months ago. Her daughter was to purchase suitable
trimmings for the dresse.s, and she said she should return
immediately. Witness had never seen her since.
Sarah Hermitage was the next vitness examined. She
was the wife of Richard Hermitage, a labourer, residing
at No. 32, Pratt-street, Camden-tcwn. Was intimately
acquainted with deceased, whom she last saw alive on
the evening of Monday, the 31st ult. In the morning of
that day she met deceased in the Hampstead-road ; she
had a parcel, which she opened, the contents consisting
of a blue merino dress, lining and trimmings. She said
she had been to get the parcel out of pledge. It was
wrapped in brown paper. The parcel produced was the
same. Was with the deceased when she pledged the
merino, eight or nine months ago. Deceased asked
witness to accompany her to the Queen's-road, Kensing-
ton, where she understood Mackett was at work. It was
past one when they got to Kensington. They were then
told that Mackett had gone to work for Mr. Keek, at
the new chapel in Margaret .street, Oxford-street, whither
they proceeded, and reached the spot at about twenty
minutes after five ; and, after waiting a short time,
Mackett came out and spoke to deceased. He then
accompanied us towards home. Alter walking a short
distance, deceased asked Mackett what he was going to
stand, to which he replied that he had only twopence.
Deceased then said she would stand a pot of beer if she
never saw him again. They then had a pot of beer, and
proceeded as far as the King's Head, at the corner of
the New-road, where they had another pot of beer. A
little further on the road, at the 'Southampton Arms,
they had a quarters of gin. Here Mackett said that as
ho had come so far, he_would go on and see witness's
'husband. 11'6T' went to 32, Pratt-street, where they
arrived at about 8 o'clock. Deceased and Mackett ap-
peared to be on good terms ; the latter said he had been
married on the Sunday week previous, but deceased
would not believe him. On witness's husband coming
home they had another pot of beer, but deceased
had not enough money to pay for it. Deceased left my
house at a quarter-past 10, in company of Mackett ; she
said, she was going home. Before leaving she inquired
whether, if she left the parcel witl, witness, she would
take it to her mother's the next day. Witness refused
to do so. Deceased then snatched it up, and said she
would take it herself. Deceased appeared in particularly
good spirits, and wanted to sing. Witness's husband
objected, but she would insist upor, having her way, and
she sang, " I've wandered by the trook side."
Samuel Robert Wolfe, landlord of the Regalia pub-
lic-house, corroborated, in all the ruin points, the evi-
dence of the witness Wilson, but he could not swear to
the identity of the man.
Sergeant Lockerby, of the detective force, produced
the clothes taken off deceased when she was found in
the canal, but as they had been cut and torn in order to
get them off at the time of the fatal occurrence, the
Coroner suggested that it would be as well for the jury
dn
no
nt
et
do
ab eled
plan
nb
fy
the
tp, p
andea ra
gn
ac e.
ve a Thedet
dc e
dr eas
el sr ppt
irnon.
of the distances, from place to place, where deceased and
accused had been traced. The tow ng-path was nearly
level, it was covered with gravel, sad measured 13 feet
wide.

The Coroner here intimated to 'Air. Wilding, who at-
tended on the part of the accused, that if he had any
additional witnesses to call he, the coroner, would ad-
journ the inquiry.
Mr. Wilding had no wish for an adjournment, and
would reserve anything he had to sad for another place.
The Coroner then charged the jtry. He remarked
that there was one strong fact, namely, that there
appeared no pre-concertion, no Planning on the part of
the accused to get the deceased to any particular place ;
on the contrary, she sought him out, and appeared to
give him some kind of invitation. The other points
touched upon by the coroner were, the desire of the
deceased that the woman Hermitage should give her
parcel to her mother, and on her refusal she snatched it
up and took it with her ; and that subsequently, through
the extraordinary vigilance and tact of the police; this
same parcel was subsequently discovered at the residence
of the accused Thomas Mackett. In this case no
attempt to prove an alibi had been set up, and therefore
if the jury believed that this unfortt'oate young woman
had lost her life through the criminld act of- any person,
then it would be their duty to return a verdict of wilful
murder against such person as the evidence seemed to
did not think
pointthere wasat. slufificoinenttheeviodtehnecre hand,
oatiPusttihfye them in fixing
criminality upon any one, then'theycould return an open
verdict that the deceased was found drowned in the water,
but how she came there there was not sufficient evidence
to show.

The jury then retired, and, after an absence of about
twenty minutes, came into court, and Mr. Matthews,
their foreman, declared that the jury had come to a
una,-
bnyimTohuosmvaersdmicta,
ck"eThtt.a"t Eliza Lea was wilfully murdered

The Coroner said as it would take some time to draw
up the official document upon which his warrant could
be
ii sendjyssuuredshoutoldemb
ret-haessacculse at a f
ed for
iutrial,rhee proposed that
time,
on which
occasion he would take the opportunity of expressing
himself and explaining the circumstances under which
Lord Palmerston had been induced to send the accused
before the coroner's jury.
It was ultimately agreed that the jury should assemble
to sign their verdict on Monday evening next.

ATTEMPED ESCAPE AND SUPPOSED DEATH OF A CON-
VICT.—A convict, named Edmund Hulme, under sen-
tence of transportation for ten yeari, was employed on
Monday morning last, about eight o'clock, to clean out
the surgery on board the convict hospital-ship at moor-
ings in the river, when he took tht opportunity of at-
tempting to escape by jumping overboard with the
tore usedwho
in-
tention of swimming to the Essex shore. *When the
alarm of his escape was given4evky eye kept directed
to the Essex side of the river, but tll6,Fonvict never made
his appearance, and it is the general'impression that he
was drowned in the attempt. Th
nearly the whole of yesterday, but the body has not
:i wereo
s object
been found. About te
cries of distress as of a drowning person were heard
fahunerdatrhwde retridieeorat‘hv thenecroeuf oldr
enrvtneaprb,elrebcuet
oti v
reader
l:u persons .eno dg
s a n
the river,
o
any assistance.