The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-29 00:00:00

THE MURDER NEAR LEICESTER.

LEW rsTER, Tuesday Evening.—Great excitement pre-
vailed in this town last night owing to the arrival of
Chief-constable Goodyer with a wan in his custody, named
George Frederick Ashton, charged on suspicion of being
the person who shot Mr. James Adcock, farmer, of
Ashby Shrubs, on the Hinckley turnpike road, on the
17th inst. Ashton is a short, thick-set man, apparently
about thirty years of age, and has, during the last file
mouths, been delivering lectures in Leicester and an
adjoining village on phrenology and other "sciences,
according to his advertisement, one of the more promi-
nent being " heal e., a written character
from a phrenological examination. Ha appears to hare
been extensively patronised in this branch of his "pro'
fession" by simple-minded females, and amongst those
who consulted him was the sister of the murdered MO'
Ashton seems to have had a tender passion for MO
Adcock, which was riot altogether repulsed, as lie was a
visitor to the farm at Ashby Shrubs both before and
after the murder. To this it is said there was some "b"
jection on the part of the deceased ; and what led the
police to suspect Ashton as being the murderer has been
his extraordinary conduct since the fatal occurrence.
According to his own account, he was at Nottingham
on the night of the murder, and is able to prove that
such is the fact ; but before leaving Leicester on that
evening he told a barmaid at an inn .which he frequented
that he was going to Birmingham. Ile does not appear
to have been seen by any one in Leicester till Sandal
evening, when he was at the same inn, and the murder
being the subject of conversation, he took part in the
discussion. The next morning he invited a gentleman,
with whoin,he had not been on terms of intimacy till
the previous evening, to take a drive in a dog-cart to
Market Bosworth, on condition that they should return
in the eve-fling, the road to that place being the identi-
cal spot where the murder was committed. According
to appointment, he had the dog-cart at the inn door
at three o'clock ; but, instead of going to Bosworth, he
drove to Wigston' a village lying in exactly the con: •
tra,ry direction, and what business he had there, beyond
callingiat a public-house, his friend was unable to aseer.
tain. He then took a circuitous route to Ashby Shrubs,
and when he arrived at the farm-house he said, " This.lls
the place where the murdered man lived," and giving
his friend the reins he jumped down and went in. After
waiting a few minutes he beckoned his friend in to have
some gin and water. They afterwards drove on towards.
Bosworth, and when they arrived at the Park Aebtcl
said lie should not return that evening. This cause'
his friend to express great surprise, as he had made ar-
rangements to be at home that night. They spent the
evening at the Dixie Arms, and the following day (rues-
day) they seem to have rambled about that part of tae
' country until the evening, when they found themselves
at Kirby Muxloe, the nearest village to the spat where
Adcock was shot. As they emerged from the lane
Ash-
ton told his friend that they were near the place, and
he would drive him to see it, which he did, and passed
on to the road-side inn, where the alarm was first given.
After having something to drink, and lighting cigars,
they returned over it again, and reached Leicester at
the close of the evening. At present it does not apPeard
how he spent Wednesday, but his conduct had attracts
the notice of the police, and for the next few days be
~
was missing, until Mr. Gorilyer, with Superintendent
Burdett and Sergeant Wetherall, apprehended him 0
Northampton, where he had announced himself to de'
liver lectures.
The main point to clear up is, where did he spend- t-rile.
Saturday night on which the murder was committed. Pt°
asserts himself that he was at Nottinghatn, and this is being
strictly investigated; and, in order to do so, a remand
applied for by Superintendent Burdett when the prisoner
was to-day brought before Colonel King and Mr. Stokes
and granted till Friday next.
The coroner's inquisition was resumed to-.clay at Brasil;
st one, before J. Gregory, Esq. The men who first found
the body and the brother of the deceased were exaniine"
The facts embraced in the testimony of the former have
already been published, and the evidence of the latter did
not throw any light on the melancholy affair, except as
to the neckerchief and handkerchief the deceased bad
_
when he left home, and he gave it as his opinion that he
did not take more than 6s. with him. It is now gene'
,
rally believed that he had ,no money on him when the
murder took place.
The jury, without the least hesitation, returned a ler::
diet of wilful murder against some person or persons tic
known.
As the cab containing Ashton left the county office form
the gaol, after examination before the magistrates, it Wa
followed by an immense crowd of people.