The Sun.
London, England, 1831-08-17 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Next morning (Sunday), a respectable Jury was empan-
relied at the Crown and Anchor, Preston, and the two
pri!oneri were present during the eXatnination of the wit-
nesses. The space in front r7f the house was costred with
the anxious multitude.

David Masksll sworn—l live at Brighton, am a labourer;
nearly three weeks ago—last Monday fortnight—in the
afternoon, I -went into the Rottingdean plantation, in
Preston ptrish ; as I was stooping to the earth, I fanci d
some of the ground had been moved. I poked some of the
mould away with a stick, and saw a piece of red garment
c tine up ; I then pulled the dirt over again, and went
home about my business; I went home and spoke of it;
my wif2 paid it might be a small child buried ; I spoke to
'a man on the top of Church-hill about it, and to most of
the people I met ; I did not go to any Magistrate or polkas)
officer about it. Did not know prisoner before.. When I
pulled the stick up it smelt strong ; don't know the female
now present; I mentioned it to Gi Ham's wife; Gillam and
I came over to the spot last Friday night, between six and
seven o'clOck. Galata scratched the dirt away, and we
saw a piece of the clothes, and scratched no further. We
did not go to any police-officer. The smell on the Friday
night was very strong.
(The CORONER. anima lvt rted, in very
!strong terms, on
the gross indifference, bordering on criminality, of this
witness, in concealing so long what had occurred to bim.)
John Hargraves sworn—l live atßrighthellustotte; am
a surgeon ; Saturday morning, about nine o'clock, was
sent for by the Preston p Irish authorities, to see the body
of a female that had been dug up. I went ; the body was
lying in a shed in Preston perish ; the body was in a mu-
tilated and decomposed state ; there was no Lead, arms,
nor leg's, but the thighs were lying by the side ; they were
taken out at the sockets ; they stem to have been cut off
1.3, a butcher ; it is difficult to sever the ligaments of the
large jointa, as in this case; I discovered the sex ; I at-
tended the dissection to-day, with Mr. Richardson and
Mr. Lawrence; we found the abdomen distended, and on
opening the body found a large cmtus, a perfectly formed
male child; deceased must have been far advanced in preg-
nancy, which proves that two lives were sacrificed at the
same time. The presumption is that the child was living,
and that labour had begun resulting from violence; sup-
pose deceased to have been !dead three weeks.

Daniel Richardson sworn—l am a surgeon, and live at
Brighton ; opened the body of the deceased ; on first
sight, there was a protrusion of a child's 'mad ; opened the
abdomen and the uterus, and discovered that it was a. male
child of about seven or eight months' formation; with re-
gard to the thorax, it remains in stutu quo; the head was
severed at the sixth cervital vertibuc.

The surgeons, at the re quest of the Coroner, here went
to cornplete their view.

Gabriel Gahm sworn :—On Sa'urday morning, about
a gulrter past six, my wife, my mother, myself, and Mrs.
!Sherlock went to the place. I drew about half a yard of
the garment out of the ground, and tore it off; my wife
said it was a grown person's gown ; we then went down
to Mr. Elphick's, the constable at Preston, and told him
all I knew. We went hack with a spade ; I Est dug out
one thigh ; I said to the constable, " this is a shin of
beef." I then dog with the spade and dug out the other
thigh ; Elphick thought it was pork ; my mother said it
was strange that it should have been buried in wooden and
linen. 1 then dug up what seemed a bundle ; it turned
nut to be a b.,dy covered with clothes, tied round with a
string; I cut the string and pulled the clothes away, and
there discovered the busk of the stays ; we were then sure
it was the body of a female ; the body seemed wrapped up
in clothes ; we then came down to Preston ; we searched
all about the spot for the head, arms, and legs; but found
neither. The stays were on the body, but the gown seemed
to have been wrapped loosely round, the skirts turned up
and tied with a string,-1 think it was a petticoat string,
—it was made into a bundle.

Catherine Bishop sworn—l am the wife of Henry
Bishop, and live in Brighton ; my hu-banl is a labourer.
Celia Holloway was my sister, she was married about six
years ago to John Holloway, a brick] tyer ; had only seen
him twice ; saw my sister last about nine weeks ago ; she
lodged with me in Cavendish-place; my sister and Hollo-
way never lived long together; I left my sister at the lodg-
in Cavendish-place ; I moved away. Holloway left my
sister when she was pregnant with her second child, and
enlisted in the blockade ; the children i.re both dead ; tl e
first was still-born ; if she had been spared another month
she would have had a third child. I produce a piece of
figured cotton from my quilt—it eorrte-i-piinds with that
dug out ; I should be able to identify the stays, from the par-
ticular manner in which they were mended. I have just
examined a pair of stays—am certain they are my sister's,
and the same she men :ed when we were living together.
Deceased has said that Holloway has frequently threatened
to be the death of her. When she went.to him to Bognor,
he said he'd stab her ; and she replied, " here we be—life
for life ; if you take my life, somebody tLe shall kill you."
Amelie Symonds sworn.—l am the wife of James Sy-
monds ; I live at 4, Cavendish-place North, Brighton ;
knew Celia Holloway ; have known her from a child ; we
vere brought up together; she was a married woman—
her husband's name was John Holloway; site lodged with
me about four months; she came with her sister; the sits
ter left her at the lodging where she remained till her hus-
band fetched her away ; I saw her the last time four weeks
last Thursday. In the afternoon of that day John Hello-
way came to our hou-e, and went up stairs into deceased's
room and took her away with him ; she came down and took
tea with me before site left. Holloway was there at the
time; they seemed very friendly, and she went away quite
comfortable. I have seen and examined the pair I.f stays
produced, and can swear that they were the deceased's ; she
had them on the day she left; she was very still about her
husband ; she was 32 years of age. She was a quiet in-
. ffensive woman ; Holloway allowed his wife 2s. a week.
Ann Kennard always brought the money from her hus-
battd. Deera•ed used sometimes to put herself in a ter-
rible passion with this woman. because she thought her
husband was living with her ; never saw anything impro-
per in the:conduct of the deceased ; never heard her say
that her husband had threatened her ; believe her to have
been a chaste woman.

Mr. John Hargrave's examination resumed—Mr.
Richardson and myself have since .made a further exami-
nation of the body; we have opened the thorax, and
made a further incision in the abdomen, and have minutely
examined the whole of the viscera, from the oesophagus
down to the bladder, and see no appearance to indicate
that deceased was otherwise than in a state of health pre-
vious to the fatal catastrophe.
Mr. D. Richardson was again examined, and he corro-
borated -the preceding testimony, adding that it did not
appear that a saw had been used ; all the limbs were sepa-
rated at the joints.
Amelia Simmonds re-sworn—(Piece* of a deal box,
covered with paper, produced, stained with blood )
Believe these pieces to have been part of deceased's boxes,
and the same in which her clothes were taken from my
house; hare heard deceased say that her husband belonged
to the blockade.

William Heley sworn—l live in Edward-street, Brigh-
ton. Last Thursday, while I was reaping a field for Mr.
Chatfield, I found the two pieces of a box and some rope
now produced (the wood had the imprint in blood of a
man's hand). It was about four rods from the place where
the body was found that I found the pieces and the rope;
it is King's rope.
Frances Symonds—l am nine years old, and daughter
of the witness Symonds. Knew Celia; she lived at my
mother's. Remembers John Holloway coming t fetch
her away about a month ago. I saw him taking ti,e great
trunk away ; it was tied round with a rope. There was
no rope about our house. The rope was about the size of
the rope on the table. The pieces produced belonged
Celia's box, taken away by Holloway..
Frances Hawkins swum—A month ago last Thursday
saw Holloway go to Mrs. Symonds's about eleven in the
afternoon. He came out about twelve ; he had a trunk
with him ; it was ; it was corded. Ilecarneagairl
ahoat two, and al, .ut an hour after he .went away with
Celia. Celia told ns she was often afraid to go to bed
with him, for fear he should murder her by his side. The
last time he came to see her (it was a few days before t.e

...thing of the murder ; he said, the last time he sax his
rife, which he thought was about three weeks ago,.he
rent with her on the London road beyond the publit
house, and that he accompanied her as far as the wooden
enceon the Preston aide of the dairy, and that he Vt
!ter there with a box in the after part of the day to goon
London when a roach came by. She had 101. in mine
with her. I asked him how she came by it; he told Inc
gave her Jl. himself. and the other U. she had by },er
own saving. I knew him by the name of Goldsmith, le
.ens brought to the watch-room a few nights before. for a
raw. The Ironton, Ann Kennard, was custody before
Holloway gave himself up.
Mr. Latnpr,ll here felt it to be a duty he ow.ol to the
unfortunate prisoner to state t;at the deceased, wile was
..vell-known to his teeth-man, as having frequently hen et
!,is house to assist his wife in a -'ay's wore:, had about a
month since told him that she expected shortly to go do
London. _ _

The Cott°Naits Laving taken the evidence, requemted 511
persons except the Jury and the tnale priv.ner to with-
draw, the Jury thrill without hesitation, returned a ver-
dict of Wilful ititirder against ‘Juhn Holloway. and he we.
The same night removed wider proper escort to the ..oulity
gaol .at lionharn, to await his trial at the Christina. poi
delivery.
Toe fetnal.s, Ann Kennard, was taken back to Brighton
in eust,uly ; and next day underwant.