The Sun.
London, England, 1849-01-04 00:00:00

HORRIBLE OCCURRENCE IN

MARYLEBONE.

Yesterday afternoon Mr. T. Wakley, M.P., Coroner,
and a jury of the inhabitants of Marylebone, assembled
at the Royal Champion, Lisson-grove, for the purpose of
inquiring into the death of Mr. Archibald Nicholls Arm-
strong, aged 65, formerly surgeon o; the sth Royal Ve-
teran Battalion of Guards, and lately carrying on busi-
ness as a surgeon and apothecary, at 18, Earl-street
East, Edgware-road.
Police-constable Charles Bennett, 18 I), said he dis-
covered the body of the deceased on Saturday evening
last, about half-past five o'clock, in the back parlour of
his house, IS, Earl-street. Was induced to go there
by Mr. Yates, a neighbour, who said that as the
shutters had been up for eight or ten days past, he
feared the old doctor was dead. Obtained admission
by the parlour window, iu company with another
constable, 135 I), after calling Mr. Armstrong twelve
or fourteen times. He took this precaution because
he was told that the old gentleman kept loaded fire-
arms. The body was lying wrapped in an old coat in
front of the fireplace, and the parlour door was open,
and there were two dogs came running in and out,
sniffing at the body, and then running away. All the
flesh had been eaten off his face, and the hands par.
tially. On searching the body there was found 16s. in
silver and copper, and in an old stocking in the corner
of the room was found 301. 16s. 6d. in gold and silver. In
the room were found eight pistols, six of which were
large horse pistols, all loaded, some of them with as
many as six bullets. Found two diplomas bearing his
name, one from the Royal College of Surgeons, and the
other from the Apothecaries' Company, bearing date re-
spectively March and April, 1816.
Mr. Henry Ohie, surgeon, of Lisson-grove, said, when
he saw the body it was lying on the floor in a very
filthy condition, enveloped in an old coat-. It was that
of a man about sixty years of age, and five feet ten in
height. The body was in such an emaciated condition,
that it presented all the appearance of having been
reduced to the last stage of exhaustion. The whole of
the integuments of the face were removed, and the en-
tire bones, from the top of the forehead to the bottom of
the lower jaw, were completely denuded of flesh, leaving
the bones completely bare. The cartileges of the nose
were also gone, and the sockets of the eyes were so
completely cleaned out that they might have been sup-
posed to have been scraped with a knife.
By the CORONER—My opinion is, that the flesh had
been eaten away by some animal or other. I at first
supposed it might be by dogs which were found running
about, but I think it impossible that dogs would be
enabled to have cleared the orbits of the eye so com-
pletely out. The flesh was also eaten from both hands,
and since the body had been locked up and the dogs re-
moved, he had found they had been still more eaten. On
opening the body, he found in the apex of the right
lung a large abscess touching the clavicle. This abscess
had broken, and discharged itself into the air-passage of
the lung, no doubt causing death; there were also tu-
bt•rcles, and other evidences of corruption, the breaking
of the abscess being the immediate cause of death. The
deceased had evidently been dead for eight or ten days.
The jury returned a verdict of " Natural death."

THE CWMGWDY MURDER.—It is now reported
confidently, that Williams, alias Griffiths, the supposed
murderer of the unfortunate Thomas Edwards, at
Cwmgwdy, near Brecon, is hovering about the country
and within a few miles of Hereford. It has been stated
most positively by several elderly people, in the neigh-
bourhoods of Credanhill and Tillington, that they have
more than once seen the fugitive (whom they say they
knew well) in tho respective neighbourhoods; and it is
moreover said, that a few evenings ago an old woman,
having occasion to go to a shed after dark, in which she
kept her donkey, saw Williams make his exit from
the shed. Badnage-wood is supposed to bo his
refuge by day, and it is thought that be
leaves his hiding-place by night, and receives sus-
tenance at the hands of some staunch friend, who is not
to be tempted by the large price set upon his head.
Persons residing near the wood assert that each morn-
ing they can discover traces of the fugitive through the
wood, and some of the old people in the neighbourhood
are much alarmed by seeing lights moving about the
wood at night—these most probably prccesd from per-
sons in search. however this may be, we are informed,
upon the best authority, that there are good grounds
for believing that this locality is the " whereabouts"
of the wretched man. It may naturally be asked,
" Why do not those who are so well assured that he
is there apprehend him?" The task is much easier
contemplated than performed. Badnage-wood is a
most extensive one, and we have not heard of its
having been visited by more than two or three persons
at a time, whereas it would take twenty or thirty per-
sons to beat it properly. A wood, of all other places, is
the one where a person might be soonest apprised of
tile approach of another, and where he might more
easily escape dot, ction unless a number of parties could
surround him. Several unhappy eights have been taken
up on suspicion, and, after examination, have been dis-
charged—in particular, one at Aberystwith, and
another at Stourbridge. One poor fellow, from his un-
lucky resemblance to the fugitive, has been apprehended
five times. On the last occasion he begged that the ma-
gistrates would give him a certificate that he was not
the man—a petition that was granted. It is to be
regretted that the reward for the apprehension of Wil-
liams was not offered in the Hereford papers immedi-
ately on its first publication, us he is so well known in
Hereford and neighbourhood.—Liereford Tanes,
A BOY DROWNED ON CLAPHAM-COMMoN.
le.r
Yester-
day, at Clapham common, the ice gave way
Otnnaumitr
pond, known as Twinieg's Pond, while a
grelaol whom
of persons were skating and sliding,
had a very narrow escape fronnii rowneli.sneg,veearniacde.one fine
Every
youth, fifteen years of age, su una th
assistance was rendered, but twenty minutes elapsed
before the drags could be procured, when the body was
found and taken to the private la sidence of Heger Lee,
E, q. That gentleman had a warm bath procured, and
icrenderedorrt every assistance humanity could suggest. Dr,
of Clapham, was in attendance, and used every
means to restore animation, but without effect. The
deceased is the son of Mr. Taylor, a carpenter, at Clap-
ham.