The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-19 00:00:00

MURDER IN SHOREDITCH.

At Worship--street Police-court, yesterday, Thomas
Brookes, a young man of very miserable and emaciated ap-
pearance, was placed at the bar before Mr. Arnold, charged
with the wilful murder of William Gobart, an umbrella-
maker, living in Hare-alley, Shoreditch.
Mr. Vann, the solicitor, attended for the prisoner.
The first witness called was a young man named Richard
Eaton, who stated that at ten o'clock en the preceding
night he was requested by the deceased to accompany him
and two other young men to the lodgings of the prisoner at
No. 3, Hare-alley, to demand the restoration of some articles
belonging to him, and in the prisoner's possession. The
deceased remained at the end of the court while witness
went to the house to call the prisoner, who accompanied him
back, and on deceased demanding his property, the prisoner
told him that he should not have it until he paid him what
he owed him, and perhaps not even then. Without any
further observation on either side, the prisoner toliatho de-
ceased, "If you wait here a minute I will put a bullet
through your head," and so saying he instantly hastened
back and entered his own house. IVitness advised the de-
ceased not to stay any longer, but the latter answered that
he had nothing to fear, and persisted in doing so, upon
which witness left bins and proceeded to his own home about
twenty yards off, but bad only been there a few minutes,
whets he heard the loud report of a gun, and directly after-
wards a lad whom he had just left with the deceased,
called out, " Dick, Dick, conic down, he has shot him."
Witness thereupon ran down the court, and upon entering
the passage of the prisoner's house, found the deceased lying
in a pool of blood, and apparently lifeless.
Charles Eaton, brother of the last witness, and cousin to
the deceased, confirmed the preceding testimony, and added
that a few minutes after the prisoner had uttered the above
threat witness accompanied the deceased to the door of the
house, which the latter was about to enter, but had only got
his foot upon the threshold when the prisoner, who had been
secreted behind the door, suddenly presented himself and
discharged some firearm into the deceased's face. The act
was so instantaneous that witness could not see the piece, but
the flash was immediately followed by a stunning report, and
the deceased fell forward upon his face in the passage. Wit-
ness took him by the arms and endeavoured to raise him,
but was unable to eo so, and hurried off for the assistance of
the police.
James Badk ins, who was also present at the occurrence,
confirmed the evidence of the other witnesses, and added
that he heard no other ground of provocation than a threat
on the part of the deceased to strike the prisoner, when the
latter refused to restore the property demanded of him.
Police-constable Lock, 11 201, deposed that lie heard the
report of the gun while on duty in Shoreditch, and on enter-
ing the passage of the house found the body of the deceased
lying at the foot of the stairs, and the ramrod of a gun close
by it. On proceeding to a room on the second floor, he
found the prisoner with a gun in his hand, which he imme-
diately secured, and took bins into custody. The prisoner's
father, who was also present, made some observation upon
the dreadful consequences of his son's violence, in answer to
which the prisoner replied, " I have bad my revenge, and
if I had not taken his life lie would have had mine' The
prisoner was then conveyed down stairs, where a surgeon,
who was examining the body, inquired of a bystander if the
gun had been loaded with ball, to which the prisoner spon-
taneously answered "No, it was small shot ;" and, on being
searched, a quantity of loose shot of that description was
found in his waistcoat pocket. The witness produced the
gun, an old-fashioned piece, resembling a carbine, but wider
at the bore, and scarcely two feet in length.
Mr. James Hancorn, a surgeon, in High-street, Shore-
ditch, deposed that, on examining the body of the deceased,
he found a circular orifice in the left side of the neck, nearly
an inch in diameter, and sufficiently large to enable him to
probe it with his finger, and to trace the injury as far back
as the spine, where the shot appeared to have lodged. Such
a wound might have been caused either by a bullet, or con-
centrated small shot, which, upon striking the spine, must
have produced instantaneous death.
Inspector Harris proved that, on hearing the charge read
over at the station-house, the prisoner said that if he had not
done it he should perhaps have lost his own life, as the de-
ceased and four others had come to his house and threatened
to drag him out a few minutes previous to the fatal
occurrence.

Mr. Vann having expressed his intention to reserve the
defence at that stage of the proceeding, the magistrate
ordered the prisoner to be remanded until Tuesday next.

PRIVATE TRIAL OF MR. GYPSON'S NEW BALLOON.
—NARROW ESCAPE OF THE iERONAUTS.—A party of gentle-
men interested in the science of rerostation assembled yes-
terday at the Gas-works, Haggerstone, for the purpose of
witnessing an experimental ascent of a new balloon con-
structed from the design of Mr. Gypson. The balloon was
considered a beautiful model, being manufactured of crimson
and yellow silk of a superior fabric, around which was an
elegant blue zone, but the netting was considered by compe-
tent judges to be of an inferior description, and not pos-
sessing sufficient power to resist the pressure Of the balloon
when inflated. Among other gentlemen present were Mr.
Nicholson, Mr. Van Buren, and Mr. Ellis, lessee of Cre-
monse-gardens. Mr. Van Buren (who has made a number
of ascents in that monstre balloon, the great Nassau, from
Cremorne-gardens), discovered some defects in the meshes
of the netting, and with other gentlemen earnestly implored
Mr. Gypson and Mr. H. Coxwell, who was to have been
thehis
com on du voyage, not to ascend, particularly as
breeze was pretty fresh. Mr. Gypson would have overrule
the bal d
their objections, but suddenly a gust of w took -
loon and it dashed through the netting. leaving the mronauts
and some of their admiring friends and spectators lost in
wonderment, and one or two entangled, a la the lion and the
mouse, in the meshes of the netting. A rent in the balloon
fortunately allowed the gas to escape, restored descended in
Haggerstone fields, and was subsequently to the
proprietor.
FIRE ox PLUMSTEAD-COMMON.—On Wednesday
afternoon a large heath on Shooter's-hill, adjoining Shrews-
bury House, the residence of Admiral P. gornby, was die •
covered to be in flames. The heath was covered with furze
nine or ten feet in height, and when assistance arrived the
fire had covered an extent of three or four acres. A number
of men set to work to beat down the flames, but it was not
until nearly seven o'clock that they succeeded in stopping
the flames, the fire having spread over seven or eight acres.
The furze is supposed to have been set lire to by some
schoolboys.
ROYAL ORTHOPEDIC HOSPITAL. Yesterday a
meeting of the governors of this excellent charity w
at the board room of the institution, in Bloomsbury. square.
The numbers admitted, as well as out-patient
during the last year, have greatly exceeded those
attended
of pre-
ceding years, and there are now upwards
cases waiting for admission, which cannot of
be received for
want of funds. The average daily attendance of out-patients
is about 100, and from thirty to forty new cases weekly. The
total number cured since 1840, to the commencement of
the present year, was 5,297. TheAlibnesrttit,utaniotni itsheunpdaerkethoef
patronage of the Queen, Prince
Cambridge.