The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-08 00:00:00

LAW 1

' The bail was immediately found, and Mohr, who was very
respectably dressed, was accordingly liberated.
THAMES.
A wretched-looking woman, named Diana Selby, aged 48
years, was brought before Mr. Broderip, charged with at-
tempting to commit suicide.
It appeared from the evidence, that on Sunday afternoon
a young man named James Francis, of No. 3, Kirk-row,
Limehouse, whose dwelling fronts the Regent's Canal, heard
cries of help, and was informed that a woman had just
thrown herself into the water. He rushed down stairs im-
mediately, and, without divesting himself of his apparel,
boldly plunged into the stream. The woman had disap-
peared, and he dived after her and brought her up. She
made a convulsive grasp at his neck, and he was compelled
to make her let go her hold, and she sunk beneath the
water again, until he partially recovered himself, and re•
moved his neckcloth. when he again went down after her,
and soon rose with her in his arms. With great difficulty
the young mm succeeded in bringing her on shore, and she
was immediately conveyed to the Edinburgh Castle Tavern
and Tea-gardens, and while the pt ople belonging to the
house were stripping her of her wet clothes, others went after
a medical gentleman. One soon arrived in the person of
Mr. Willis, a surgeon, and although there were no signs
of life when he first saw the woman, he persevered for two
hours in applying the remedies necessary in such cases, in
which he was ably seconded by Francis and others, and by
their united exertions the woman was restored. A police-
constable named Earie, 355 K, procured some dry clothing
for the poor creature, and caused her to be removed to the
station-house, where she was well looked after. The police-
man ascertained that the woman had suffered the extremes
of misery and want, that she was separated from her hus-
band, and that she had not tasted food for 24 hours, and had
no means of procuring a meal, when she made the attempt
to terminate her miseries and life together.
The prisoner, in her defence, said that distress urged her
to attempt self-destruction. She was separated from her
husband, who allowed her, through the relieving officer of
Limehouse, 35. per week. She generally received this small
sum every Saturday, but on calling for it on Saturday last,
she was informed her husband had not left her the money.
She then asked for some relief, which was denied her, and
she wandered about the streets till Sunday evening, when
she became completely wearied out and jumped into the
canal.

Mr. Bsonsrmr saii if the statement of the woman was
correct she was an object of commiseration, but he hoped
she heartily and sincerely repented of the rash and wicked
attempt on her life.

The prisoner said she was very sorry for what she had done,
and promised not to repeat the offence.
Mr. BRODERIP, after admonishing the prisoner in a very
impressive manner, said she owed her life to the courage and
skill of the young man Francis, and he was very sorry he
had it not in his power to reward him according to his de-
serts, but on applying at the clerk's office he would receive
compensation for his loss of time. He directed the police-
man to accompany the woman to the relieving officer of
Limehouse, who was bound to look to her, and if her husband
refused to maintain her, he must be proceeded against accord-
ing to law.

The poor woman was subsequently admitted into the
union-house. She is the foukth person rescued from drown-
ing by the young man Francis

MURDER NEAR NOTTINGHAM.
NOTTINGHAM, MONDAY.—A report reached this town on
Sunday evening that a man had been found a few hours
before murdered in Popplewick forest, distant eight miles
from the town of Nottingham. On inquiry at the village,
which is situate in a north-westerly direction, and adjoins
the ancient forest of Sherwood, it was found that information
had been given to the coroner that a body had been found,
and that he had directed a jury to be summoned immediately.
On looking at the body, which lay in a stable, little doubt
existed in the minds of all who saw it that a murder had
been committed. On the left cheek was a large gash, nearly
two inches in length and of considerable depth, from which
a quantity of blood had flowed, and filled the nostrils and
mouth and under the right ear; at the seat of the jugular
vein was a large incised wound, covered with blood. On
the right and left shoulder and breast were several severe
bruises, and some scratches ; but the latter may have
been made by an animal while the body lay upon the
ground. Popplewick is a very small village, and a diffi-
culty arose in viewing the body, as there is no surgeon
resident nearer than Bulwell, five miles distant. The
corpse was that of William Robinson, aged 34 years, a
carrier in the employ of Mrs. Smith, of Mansfield; but how
he came by his thath is at present involved in mystery. On
Saturday last Robinson set out as usual in the morning from
Mansfield to Nottingham, with his waggon and three horses,
and in the evening he left the Shakspere public-house in
the latter town, to return with his load of goods, in company
with an agricultural laheiirer, Henry Shepherd, of Calverton.
They set out from Nottingham at half-past six o'clock, and,
according to Shepherd's account, they went on the road to
the White Hart, at Redhill, four miles from Nottingham,
where they stopped to have a pint of ale. Having drunk
this, they drove as far as the seventh milestone on the Mans-
field road, where they both got out of the waggon ; it was
then about half-past eight o'clock, and quite light. At this
place Robinson set his dog at liberty, and, carrying his
jacket on his arm, lingered behind, saying he would put it
on. Shepherd drove the horses, and proceeded. When lie
had got about a mile, not seeing Robinson, he stopped the
waggon, and shouted for him, and waited half ae hour; he
then drove on to the Hut, frequently looking behind him
and shouting. On arriving at the hut he had a pint of
ale. and told the people he expected the carrier ; after
waiting an hour, the landlord, Mr. Mealey, advised him to
go on to Mansfield, which he did, and arrived there between
two and three o'clock in the morning. He told Mrs.
Smith that he had left her servant behind him, and then
went and told Mrs. Robinson. Samuel Townrow, a neigh-
bour to the carrier, was called up directly afterwards, and
requested by Mrs. Robinson to go and seek for her husband.
At five o'clock William Dove, framework-knitter, of Arnold,
and his two brothers were walking on the high road from
that village to Mansfield, and near the seventh milestone
they found a jacket and a whip, which they took up, and not
seeing anybody about. they carried them away. As soon as
they got into the forest, it seems they turned on to the foot-.
path, which leaves the high road, and proceeded to the Hut,
near which place they met Townrow, and in reply to his
questions told hint they had not seen anybody, but had found
a waistcoat and a whip; on showing the articles they were
recognised as belonging to Robinson. Townrow then pro-
ceeded on the road, and 200 or 3CO yards off, before he
reached the eighth milestone from Nottingham, he saw Ro •
binson's dog. The animal barked, growled, and ran as if he
wished to prevent Townrow going forward; after a good deal
of caressing, the dog permitted him to go on, and he ver-
soon saw Robinson stretched on his back upon the road, with
his fare covered with blood, and quite dead. He lay about
two yards from the centre of the road, and appeared to have
been dragged two or three yards. A pool of blood, from hi s
head, lay near him, and another pool about a yard distant.
The left hand of the deceased was covered with blood, and
his shirt-sleeves, which were turned up, were both besmeared
with blood, particularly the right sleeve.
Information was quickly conveyed to Popplewick, which
is about a mile from the fatal spot, and a constable pro-
ceeded to convey the body to his house, where the jury were
empanelled at half-past six in the evening. Robinson had
19s. in silver and 3d. in copper found in his pockets, and
some memorandums; but whether he ought to have had
more money about him is not yet known, and from the cir-
cumstance of his dog having kept the man at bay for a con-
siderable length of time, it is impossible to say whether dur-
ing the conflict the dog was not a very troublesome assailant
on behalf of his master. Shepherd was brought before the
coroner, and told his tale. On taking off his jacket two or
three spots of blood were found inside upon the lining, and his
shirt was very dirty on the right sleeve and shoulder, and
on the wristband there was a little blood. He accounted
for these marks by stating, that they were made while fight-
ing with a servant-man on the preceding Thursday. It ap-
pears that for twenty. five years Shepherd has borne a good
character, and left his situation on the day he fought. His
master, Mr. Houghton, of Nuttall, paid him 31. 155., the
balance of his wages. The manner in which Shepherd made
his statement, and the circumstance of his being lame, and a
much smaller man than Robinson, gave an impression much
in his favour.

After 10 o'clock a person came into the room, and stated
to the coroner that a woman residing at Colonel Coape's,
which is within sight of the place where Robinson was found,
had just sent word that at the very hour which Shepherd
had described as the time he left Robinson, she saw three
men in the forest scuffling together. The lateness of the
hour, and Colonel Coape's house being nearly a mile and a
half distant, prevented a messenger being dispatched fur
her at that time, but directions were given for her to be
summoned for the next day. The circumstances being al-
together involved in mystery, and of so serious a character,
t he inquest was adjourned to this day (Monday), at 3 o'clock
in the afternoon. A post mortem examina!ion of the body
will in the meantime take place, and a rigid inquiry will be
instituted.

THE LATE MURDER OF THE
POLICE-CONSTABLE.
DAGICNITAM, MONDAY EVENING.--The painful interest
manifested in the fate of the unfortunate victim of the hor-
-eible and atrocious murder, the main particulars connected
with which appeared in The Sun of Monday, had, during
Sunday and throughout the whole of Monday, considerably
increased, and a large number of the inhabitants from Rom-
ford, Ilford, Barking, Chigwell, Hornchurch, and the sur-
rounding villages, visited Dagenham for the purpose of view-
ing the scene of the assassination.
Immediately after the conclusion of the inquest on the
body of the unfortunate man Clarke, on Saturday evening,
an active search was instituted by the pollee in the corn
field belonging to Mr. Collier, where the murder was per-
petrated, for the purpose of ascertaining what had become
of his hat, which up to that period had not been discovered.
In consequence of this circumstance, it was generally sup-
posed that the deceased must in the first instance have been
assaulted, and then followed his assailants to the field where
he was found murdered. Although the spot and the adjoin-
ing fields were minutely searched, it was not until Sunday
evening that the hat was discovered. It was then found by
a labouring man, named Thomas Palmer, lying amongst the
wheat, about twelve or fourteen yards from the spot where
the body had lain. At this particular part of the field the
wheat had not been at all disturbed or trampled upon, show-
ing, i❑ the first place, the ruffians must either have knocked
the deceased's hat off with so powerful a blow as to have
sent it such a distance. or that that they must have thrown
it there. The former supposition is strengthened by the
circumstance of th e hat not being injured in the slightest de-
gree, and also that, when found, the deceased's handker-
chief was in it.
On the receipt of intelligence of 'the outrage at Scotland-
yard, two of the most active officers of the detective police
force were sent down to Dagenham, and, alter viewing the
place where the murder bad occurred, and making them-
selves thoroughly masters of all the circumstances which
had up to that period transpired in connexion with it, they
proceeded with some of the local constables to visit Romford
and the surrounding villages in search of the suspected mur-
derers. During Saturday evening the various public-houses
and beer-shops were visited by the police in plain clothes,
and their occupants subjected to a scrutinising inspection, it
being believed that in the desperate struggle which had ap-
parently taken place, some of those engaged in it must have
been wounded. Although the topic of conversation in nearly
every instance was the circumstance of the murder, and
what had been done at the inquest that day, still r:othing
transpired which actually tended to fix suspicion on any one
beyond the person alluded to in this journal of yesterday.
The search was continued throughout Sunday and yester-
day, and although up to the period of writing this no one
had been apprehended on the charge, still several notorious
characters living in this part of th,-; county of Essex were
under the strict surveillance of the police.
With reference to the causes which had induced the mur-
der, it is the opinion of every one residing near the spot, and
of the police themselves, that the deceased was mistaken for
Police-constable Butfoy, K 140, who was his predecessor on
the same beat, or Sergeant Parsons, who has rendered him-
self obnoxious to some of the notorious characters in the
neighbourhood by bringing them up frequently before the
Ilford bench of magistrates for drunken and disorderly con-
duct. A short time since one of the gang suspected of
having been engaged in the murder was brought up to
Ilford, charged by Parsons with having stolen a quantity
of hemlock, but the prosecutor not appearing, he was on that
ground discharged. kle was Una charged with imitlg