The Sun.
London, England, 1849-12-27 00:00:00

THE MURDER AT BRISTOL.

BRISTOL, DEC. 26.—The adjourned inquest on the
body of William Braund, who was shot on Sunday
afternoon at Bedminster, was concluded this day at
the Hope and Anchor, Redclifrhill, before Mr. J. B.
Grindon, coroner. The utmost interest was mani-
fested in the proceedings, and a large crowd collected
outside the house where the inquest was held, and
the inquest-room itself, and all the approaches to it,
were densely crowded. Mr. Ayre, attorney, appeared
as before to watch the proceedings on the part of the
prisoner. The coroner having read over the evidence
adduced on Monday,
Mr. Cornish was recalled, and added to his former
testimony, that as the prisoner was being conveyed to
the station, his (Cornish's) nephew asked hitn a
question as to what the pistol was loaded with, but
he did not hear any reply.
William Roach, of 19, King-street, Bedminster,
driver of a van to Bath, deposed to witnessing the
circumstances of the struggle, and clearly identified
the prisoner as the boy who fired the pistol at the
deceased. He saw the prisoner take the pistol from
his breast. One of the young men who tried to
take the pistol said to him, `• You do not mean
to fire that thing ?" He replied "No ; I know
myself better ; but if he (meaning the deceased, and
pointing to him with the pistol) does not leave
Collins alone I will fire at him or at you either."
Witness passed on a few yards, but on turning round
siw the prisoner step on one side of the young man,
run a few yards towards the pavement, and fire at the
deceased, who put his hand to his mouth and fell
forward en his face. After he fired the pistol the
prisoner ran off up the Cue, and witness pursued him,
when he threw the pistol at his (witness's) heed, but
it only struck him on the fingers, and he flung him-
self on him and secured him. The struggle between
the deceased and Collins was not of a violent nature,
nor was there anything in it to excite alarm. Witness
captured the prisoner in Still-house-lane, having pre-
viously picked up the pistol, which he gave to Ser-
geant Black at the station-house. He did not hear
the boy with the pistol call out for assistance before
he fired, _ _ _

By the CortoNEa—No blows passed between any
parties whilst he was present. When the boy flung
the pistol he was running, and when witness overtook
him ho had fallen, and said, " Let me rest." Witness
asked him how he came to do such a thing ? He said
he did it in the height of passion, and wished some one
to go for a surgeon. Witness heard Mr. Brown ask
him whether the pistol was loaded with ball, and
he said he did not know.

Thomas Black, police sergeant, 18, deposed that he
was on duty at the Bedminster station, when the
prisoner was brought in by Mr. Cornish and the
other witnesses. The prisoner gave his name either
as James or Alfred Thorley, of No. 10, Clarence•
place, Brown's-row, aged 14. which witn-ss eetertd
in the police charge sheet. lie took from him the
articles now produced, except the pistol, which W.i3
received from Roach. (The pistol was here produced ;
it was a brass screw-barrelled weapon about eight
inches in length.) There were seven bullets fitting
the pistol, one imperfect, a bullet mould, three pieces
of lead, one the letter Q, and two other pieces of
printers' type battered, a picklock, a purse containing
three sovereigns, and is. 6J. in silver, four percussion
caps (one discharged), a pack of cards, a boy's cap,
and a German silver pencil case. The prisoner also
had a cap on his head. Whilst witness was tak•
ing down the other witnesses' names the prisoner
said voluntarily, " It was done in the heat
of temper." He said nothing else. The witness
also produced a coat, waistcoat, and other articles
of dress delivered to him by Mr. Rogers, house sur-
geon at the Bristol General Hospital, which belonged
to the deceased. The coat had been divided in two
for the purpose of getting it off the deceased's.body.
Marks of blood appeared on it, and the hole made by
the bullet was distinctly visible just under, but in
front of the right arm. Corresponding marks ap-
peared on the waistcoat and shirt. The other articles
were more or less stained with blood. Witness also
produced a life-preserver broken in two, which had
been taken to the police-station by a boy named
Howard.

Susan Brown, daughter of Thomas Brown, turner,
of 20, Brown's-row, who witnessed the occurrence,
gave a similar version of the affair to that which has
already appeared in evidence. She said she distinctly
saw the pistol in the prisoner's hand, and, being
afraid, moved away. Witness thought she heard
Horgan say, "If you do, I'll throw you into the
water." The prisoner pointing at Horgan said, " Pll
fire at thee in a moment." Witness saw him then
run round Horgan and fire. She afterwards saw the
deceased lying on the ground bleeding from the mouth
and nose.

Francis Staples, of Windmill-hill, sawyer, gave
similar testimony to that of the preceding witnesses.
He differed from them, however, by saying that in
tLe struggle the deceased threw the lad Collins on
the ground, but did not fall himself. Some one then
said, " Shoot him," but he could not tell whether it
was the prisoner or the other one. Horgan tried to
keep the prisoner away from the deceased, and asked
the prisoner if he would shoot him. He said " No,
if he would let his partner go; he knew himself
better." Then the one who was shot pushed the
other up against the railings by Mr. Brown's house,
and the prisoner held up his pistol in his hand and
shot him. It was a brass pistol.
Frances Eliza Jenkins, having been sworn, de-
tailed at some length the particulars of the occur-
rence, but there was nothing in her evidence which
materially differed from that which had already been
given. She added that when the deceased was shot
he held his side and said, "Oh l" Large pieces of
congealed blood fell from his mouth, and soon after-
wards he fell. This witness swore positively that the
prisoner fired the pistol. She said she saw him run
away immediately he had done it, and shortly after-
wards she saw him in custody at the station-house.
Alexander Fairbrother, M.D., deposed that he was
one of the physicians at the Bristol General Hospital.
He saw the body of the deceased last Sunday even-
ing, about nine o'clock, or later. It lay in the dead •
house of the hospital. He had since made a post
mortem examination, in the presence of Mr. Rogers,
the house surgeon; and Mr. Lansdowne and Mr.
Lang, surgeons, were both there part of the time.
The body was dressed w hen he first saw it. He
observed that the coat, waistcoat, and shirt had marks
of blood on them, and there was an appearance on 6.e
right. side, near the second rib, is front of the right
armpit, of abullet having penetrated, there being marks
corresponding to the wound beneath. On the body
being stripped he carefully examined the exterior of it,
and found no mark or wound upon it, excepting a
wound inflicted on the right side, in front of the
right armpit, near the second rib. The wound pre-
sented an appearance of having been caused by a gun
or pistol ball. Witness examined all the cavities, and
found everything healthy, except such morbid appear-
ances as were caused by the wound. The bullet had
passed through the second rib on the right side, and
splintered it, then through the right lung and the
windpipe ; it grazed the gullet, wounded some of the
vessels, then passed through the left lung, then through
the second rib on the left side, leaving some of the
cloth in it, and then it lodged in the fleshy part just
above the left shoulder. The wound was sufficient to
occasion death. The bullet produced was the bullet
in question ; it was in the state in which he found it.
(The witness here handed the bullet to the coroner.
It was quite flattened.) He had compared the bullet
with the pistol, and found it to fit ; he had also com-
pared it with the other bullets produced this day, and
sworn to have been found on the prisoner, and it
matched them. He had not the slightest doubt that
the death of the deceased was caused by that bullet.
His death must have been nearly instantaneous, the
bullet having gone through the windpipe.
The CORONER then asked Mr. Ayre whether there
were any witnesses in attendance whom he would like
to be examined on behalf of the prisoner, to which an
answer was returned in the negative.
The CORONER then recapitulated the whole of the
evidence to the jury, making his comments thereon as
he proceeded. He concluded by observing, that in
the present instance he saw no circumstances either of
provocation or of alleviation that would reduce the
crime to that of mansiaughter.
The jury, after a short deliberation, returned a
verdict of " Wilful Murder " against the prisoner,
Alfred Dauncy, who was, therefore, committed to
take his trial for the capital offence on the coroner's
inquisition.
During the whole of the lengthened inquiry this
day the prisoner maintained the utmost indifference.
He even heard the verdict of " Wilful Murder" re-

turned against him quite unmoved. As, however
he was being removed in the custody of the police,
some of his friends stepped forward to wish him good
bye, and just at that juncture he appeared to be con-
siderably affected.

TUB PANIC ABOUT A lIIGII TIDE.—Mr. Conway,
of the Dub'in Evening Post, has applied to the Astrono-
mer Royal for his ktinion a..; to any foundati,n existing
for the apprehended delug, hex*. week, and has elicited
from that authoritative quarter the following sedative
f3rmation : Observatory, near Dublin, Di-C. 24,
1849—Dear ?dr. Conway, I have requested my assistant,
Mr. Thompson, to revise his calculations relative to the
spring tide at the end of this multi), and he reports to
me that he Ends no reason to expect that the tide in
s+ion oh!nin onv E.f!;•
floc'uf,e it 1:t.)- Le t4-,6u: dLy

foresee.—l am, dear Mr. &away, very truly yours,
W Rowan Elamiltoa.—F. W. Conway, Esq.',