The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-15 00:00:00

[LEFT SPEAKING.]

ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE.
ROME GlRCUlT.—Chelnpfird, July 14.
(Before Mr. Baron PARKE.)
THE DAGENHAM MURDER.
Thomas Kimpton, formerly a police-constable of the K
division, surrendered to take his trill upon an indictment,
charging him with having committed wilful and corrupt
perjury, upon an examination taken before Mr. Lewis,
the coroner for Essex.

Mr. Clarkson (with Mr. Bodkin and Mr. Clarke) con-
ducted the pro,ecution for the Treasury ; Mr. Ilawkios
appeared for the defence.
Mr. CLARKSON, in opening the case, said that the
charge against the defendant was one of a most serious
character, and the offence was aggravated by the circum-
stances that the defendant was at the time he was
alleged to hare committed it a member of the metro-
politan police force, and the perjury was committed
upon his examination as a witness before a public autho-
rity, upon an inquiry into the circumstances connected
with the death of another constable, named George
Clarke, who, there was no doubt, had been murdered in
the execution of his duty. It would appear that the
deceased (Clarke), the defendant, and some other con-
stables whose names would be mentioned in the course
of the examination, were stationed at Dagenham, in
this county, and they were under the superintendence of
a serocant named Parsons. On the 29th of June, 1846,
—which was the day on which the murder was com-
m tteel—the deceased and the other men were put on
their beats as usual, that of the deceased commencing at
a place called the Four Wants, and it was the duty of
he sergeant to patrol during the night, and mast the
men at different places, in order to see that the duty was
properly performed; and, in the course of the night, he
should have met the deceased at the Four Wants.
Clarke, it appeared, was missed from his proper post,
and, although every search was made, nothing was heard
of him until the 3.1 of July following, when his body
was found in a wheat-field in the neighbourhood, cruelly
mutilated, and there was no doubt that he had been most
foully murdered. An inquiry took place before the
coroner, and it of course then became a very material
point of inquiry to ascertain when the unfortunate de-
ceased was last seen alive. Upon the first examination
the sergeant was summoned as a witness, and in con-
sequence of some portion of the statement made by him;
a belief was entertained that whereas he should have been
to meet the deceased at the Firer Wants at one o'clock
on the morning of the 30th, he did not go there at all,
and the inquiry was adjourned for the production of
further evidence. Kimpton was examined upon this occa-
sion, and he merely deposed to finding the body. An
adjournment took place till the 14th of July, and on that
day he was again examined. Prior to this it appeared
that Mrs. Page, the wife of a farmer in the neighbour-
hood, who had lent the policemen a cart to take
away the dead body of their comrade, was examined as
a witness, and she stated that when Kimpton brought the
cart home with some of his comrades, she asked them to
have some refreshment, and while they were partaking
of it she asked Kimpton at what time the sergeant last
saw the deceased, and he answerd that he did not see
him at all, for that, being unwell, he had asked him
Kimpton, upon being
again examined, swore that he never did do duty for him
on the night of the murder, aud, also, that ho had never
(Kimpton)ke histo do his duty for him, and had told him to
for that purpose. horse
made any such statement as that deposed to by Mrs.
Page. Some further adjourntrwnts: took place, and at
the dill rent inquiries the evidence given by Mrs. Page
was confirmed by her daughter and other witnesses, lino
at length, on the 20th of August, when the coroner's
inquest was concluded, the
.defendant himself admitted
that his statement regarding his not having done duty
for the sergeant was untrue, and that on the night of the
murder he really did take his horse andedo his duty, and
that the sergeant was not near the Four Wants at the
time he swore he was there on the night in question.
The Learned Counsel said there could be no doubt that
this false statement of the prisoner had the effect of ma-
terially interfering with the course of justice, as it had
the effect of diverting the inquiry that would probably
have taken place into a totally different channel, and it
was for making that false statement the present indict-
ment was preferred against him.
The following evidence was then adduced:—
Mr. Charles Came Lewis, one of the coroners for
Essex, proved the holding of the inquest after the find-
ing of the body, and he produced the depositions taken
on the different days to which the inquest was adjourned.
The depositions were read at length, but it will not be
necessary to refer to them more particularly than to
state that, on the 14th of July, when the jury met for
the second time, the prisoner swore positively that he
did not do duty for the sergeant (Parsons) on the night
vvri duty of inspecting the men at nine, at
the next morning, and that when
of the murder, and that he saw him on horseback per-
formingtwelve,
and
a
his
°t three
he went off duty in the morning, he told him that he had
not been able to find Clarke on his beat. The other
material deposition was that made by the defendant on
night
htiagethe2tmOotehfn
ttohe fw Aamauutg.
murder
false,
the sergeant told him that he was and that at twelve o'clock on the
August, when he admitted that his previous
unwell, and asked him to take his horse and do his duty
for him, and that be went to the Four Wants to look for
Clarke but could not find him, and he brought the horse
home at two o'clock in the morning, and saw nothing of
Parsons until six, when he awoke him and told him that
all the men were on, except Clarke. The defendant,
upon this occasion, also said that Parsons told him he
quite sure that the must say that he saw Clarke at one o'clock, and said
de-
fendant Cros s -we xa
examination. A great
that he (Parsons) should say the same, and Hickton and
the other men must tell the same story.
number of witnesses were examined at the different
inquiries.
By Mr. CLARKSON—For certain reasons, he was very
particular in observing that the oath was duly adminis-
s
tered to the policemen who were examined.
Cross
—examined
Mrs. Elizabeth Page, the wife of a farmer at Dagen-
ham, deposed to the fact of the police making a search
upon her farm for the body of the deceased, and that
when it was found she lent the defendant a cart to re-
move it. Tho defendant and some other policemen came
home with the cart late at night, and she asked them to
have some
supper.upon
While they were conversing
the subject she asked the defendant at what time Ser-
geant Parsons last saw the deceased on the:night he was
murdered, and he replied that he did not see him
on the
t a ,
for that he (linspton) had done his dut) for him
night is question, as he was unwell.
Priscilla Page, the daughter of the last witness, _
con-
firmed her testimony respecting the statement alleged
to have been made by the defendant on the night in
question.
John Stevens said that at the time of the murder he
was one of the police stationed at llagenham. There
was but one horse at the police-station, which was used
by Sergeant Parsons.
By the COURT—See geant Parsons was on duty some
portion of the night of the murder. He saw him at
half-past ten and at twelve o'clock. He was on horse-
back both times he saw him. He was discharged from
the police after this occurrence.
Thomas Archer said he was employed on a farm near
the Four Wants, and on the morning of the 30th of
June he was up about half-past twelve o'clock, and was
engaged in preparing a horse and cart to go to market.
While so engaged, about two o'clock in the morning, the
defendant came up on horseback, and he gave him a
light for his
P.P. After he had lighted it he asked
him if he had seen his mate (Meaning Clarke), and he
said he had not.
By the e "Mier—He supposed he meant Clarke, be-
cause he was the only constable who did duty about
that neighbourhood.
Abiah Butfoy deposed that he was also one of the
police stationed at Defeenhain at the time of the murder.
He did not of his own knowledge know whether the
sergeant was on duty or not on the night in question,
hut in the, course of a conversation that took place be-
tween him, the defendant, and Ilickton, the defendant
said that on the night of the murder Sergeant Parsons
gave him the usual nightly report, and told him to take
his horse and go to the Four Wants and meet Clarke,
and give him the report, and he also said that that was
after twelve o'clock at night, map 0t n also said, that