The Sun.
London, England, 1846-09-08 00:00:00

TVORSIIIP-STREET.

Yesterday being the day appointed by Mr. Broughton
to resume the investigation into the circumstances at-
tending the discovery of a quantity of human bones and
broken coffins which were found exposed on Saturday
morning in a piece of waste ground adjoining the
Regent's Canal, Kingsland-road, several trustees of the
parish of St. Leonard's, Shoreclitch, with Mr. Long, the
churchwarden, and other local authorities, attended to
watch the proceedings, which had excited the greatest
interest in the district.

The case had been adjourned for the attendance of
two carters in the employment of Mr. Gould, the dust
contractor, who were alleged to have removed the re-
volting substances from the vaults of a church in Friday-
street to the field in question ; but neither of those
witnesses were now present, and Holland, the warrant-
officer, informed the Magistrate that he had called twice
that morning at the residence of their master, whose
niece had assured him that they should attend punctually
at two o'clock to give all the information in their pos-
session. Finding, however, that they had not arrived
at the time appointed, he called again at Mr. Gould's
house, and was then told that the men were not there,
and it was impossible to state when they would return.
Holland added that there were several witnesses in
attendance to depose to facts connected with the trans-
action, amongst whom was a lad named Henry Long-
man, who had been in the service of Mr. King, the
owner of the field, but who had been discharged on Sa-
turday in consequence of the information he had fur-
nished to the police.
Mr. BROUGHTON said he felt it but just towards Mr.
King to intimate that he had received a letter from that
gentleman, expressing his regret that such an occurrence
should have taken place on his premises, arising irom
his giving a general permission to shoot rubbish there,
and offering to come forward at any time his presence
might be required, and afford any assistance in his power
for the elucidation of the matter. Under these circum-
stances, as the principal witnesses were not forthcoming,
it was impossible at present to proceed further with the
case, which he should accordingly adjourn until Friday
next, and order summonses to be issued to compel the
attendance of all persons whose evidence might be re-
quired.

THE DISCOVERY OF HUMAN
REMAINS, &c.
It is impossible to describe the sensation that has been
created throughout the neighbourhood of Haggerstone,
Kingsland, and Iloxton, since Saturday morning, when
the appalling discovery of hnman remains and pieces of
coffins were made. ' Throughout the whole of Saturday
and yesterday were to be seen in the immediate vicinity
of Wallis's-fields numbers who had been drawn there
anxious to witness the remains of those whom they
feared might turn out to be some of their own relatives.
From inquiries made since the case was brought
before Mr. Broughton at Worship-street Police Court
on Saturday, the following particulars were ascertained:
Richard Pray, a foreman to Mr. Cold, of Worship-
street, said that Mr. Liddiard, churchwarden of one
of the City churches, had employed his master
to clear out the vaults of a church in Friday-
street, Cheapside, and that the human remains
and pieces of coffin in question were brought from
that church. Inquiries were then made in Friday-
street, when it was ascertained that the vaults of
St. Matthew's Church had been cleared out as
stated by the man, and that the building itself was un-
dergoing repair. Upon the church doors was posted
the following notice, which also tends to confirm the
statement made by Mr. Gould's foreman, as to who gave
the order for the removal of the remains:—" St. Mat-
thew's, Friday-street. Notice is hereby given that there
will be no service in this church on Sunday, the 6th day
of September, 1846, in consequence of repairs. Dated
Friday, September 4, 1846. Signed W. Liddiard and
John Mair, churchwardens."
Mr. Jeremiah Long, the senior churchwarden of St.
Leonard's, Shoreditcb, has spared no pains in try-
ing to find out the perpetrators of, to say the least,
such shameful desecration. He has also exerted him-
self to find out the friends of the persons whose
remains have been discovered. There is no doubt
that the publication of the names on some of the
soffin,plates will bring, forward their relations this day
at Worship•street, when the case is to be again beard
by the magistrate. Waller, the beadle, was sent on
Saturday by Mr. Churchwarden Long to take charge
of all the pieces of coffins and remains of bodies he
could find. Upon his return to the field, he found that
a vast quantity of bones, pieces of coffin, &c., had
been deposited in holes made in the ground. He, how-
ever, found about two or three bushels of remains,
which he took possession of, and the same were interred
in the consecrated ground belonging to the parish in the
Hackney- road.
The remains of the coffins prove that some of them
were of recent construction. One is only eight years old.
The plate has been cleaned, and has been found to bear
the following !—" E. C. Connell, died 21st of February,
1838." Another has the following inscription :
" Master John Ingleby, died the sth of February, 1834."
A third plate bears the name of " Ann Webb, died," the
month, and also the year, are, however, not perfectly

The police, and also the parish authorities, are making
every endeavour to find out the friends of the deceased,
so as to bring the offence home to the proper parties.

We understand, from good authority, that the
Hon. Adolphus Chichester, brother to Lord Templemore,
and grandson of the Margnis of Anglesey, is about to
lead to the hymeneal altar, the daughter and sole heiress
of one of our wealthiest Commoners. This gentleman
has just completed his 21st year. The marriage is to
take place about the middle of November.

SUPPOSED MURDER AT CHES-
TERFIELD.
(From the Derbyshire Courier.)

A most awful circumstance has been this -week brought
to light, which has excited in Chesterfield and its neigh-
bourhood feelings of the greatest horror and alarm. The
appalling discovery of a mangled human body amongst
some night-soil in a vault in the heart of the town, has
caused this universal excitement. From the exposed and
dangerous place in which the body was found, it was at
first surmised that some unfortunate wretch bad wan-
dered by mistake into the horrid place, and falling in,
had been shortly suffocated ; but when the severed head
was discovered, and a large fracture showed itself across
the skull, a more terrible suspicion entered the mind,
and that murder had been committed became the univer-
sal apprehension. Subsequent discoveries leave little
room for doubting that a foul and horrid murder was
committed on the 7th of December last, and that the
mangled remains were those of the victim. But we will
proceed to give a narrative account of this dreadful
affair.

On Friday last, some men were employed in emptying
the contents of a large hole or pit upon the premises
jointly occupied by Mr. Bunting, corn-dealer, and Mr.
Towndrow, grocer, at the bottom of the Market-place,
and which was used as a place for the reception of night
soil. During their labour they perceived a substance
which they conjectured to be the decayed carcase of a
sheep, and it was carted to a field of Mr. Bunting's, in
the parish of Hasland, along with the manure, and no
further notice was taken of it at the time. Subse-
quently, however, one of the men who had assisted
mentioned to a fellow labourer, named Green, that he
had doubts respecting the putrid mass, in consequence
of which, Green examined it on Tuesday last, and found
it to be the trunk and bowels of a man. Mr. Bunting,
accompanied by Dr. Walker, afterwards examined it, and
were of a similar opinion. This led to further search,
and the bones of the legs and arms were also found sepa-
rate from the body ; the garters were round the legs, as
worn by the man when living, and this circumstance, as
will be seen by the evidence given at the inquest, led to
the body being identified. A good black coat, black
silk neckerchief, and a silk pocket handkerchief, marked
"G. C.," were also discovered among the heaps of
manure which had been carted to the field, as well as a
pair of trousers with braces affixed to them.
These discoveries led to renewed search in the pit on
the premises of Mr. Bunting, at the bottom of the
market- place, when a human head was soon found,
having on it very little flesh, but the whole of the teeth,
and a portion of one eye, and showing a fracture about
four inches long, extending from the top of the forehead
nearly to the crown of the head. A silk hat was also
found with a large incision in it. The whole of the re-
mains were consigned to the care of the authorities of
the township of Hasland, and the body was soon identi-
fied to be that of George Collis, the son of Mrs. Mawkes,
of Brampton, by a former husband, and of whom no-
thing had been heard since last December. He was
about twenty- four years of age, about fire feet six inches
in height, and good looking, and had been in the domes-
tic service of the late,Mrs. Lucas, of Hasland 'house, but
since the death of his mistress had fur a time been carry-
ing on business as a butcher, in conjunction with a per-
son named John Platte. There were several circumstances
which made the sudden disappearance of Collis little re-
garded. He had for some time been acquainted with a
female named Beresford, residing in Beetwell street,
Chesterfield, who had become pregnant by him, and it
was thought this might have led him to leave the town,
more particularly as he had arranged with a young
man to accompany him to Manchester on the Monday
after he was last seen; he had also told his mother pre-
viously that he should not write. But it appears that
he entertained some fears as to the safety of his person,
by stating on an evening some time previously to the
female alluded to, that he was afraid of being murdered
as he went homo that nigh't, on which her brother ac-
companied him home.
A coroner's inquest sat on the remains on Thursday
last, at Mr. Mather's, the Shoulder of Mutton Inn,
Hasland, before Mr. J. Hutchinson, gentleman, coroner,
when the evidence of Ellen Beresford proved the identity
of the body; she also produced the fellow to one of the
garters, which deceased had given her. On the follow.
ing day, John Plato, a butcher, of Chesterfield, was
taken into custody on suspicion of being the murderer.
The mother of Platts, who is a widow residing at
Durrant-green, has also been apprehended, as well as
Henry Knight, his brother-in-law, the possession of
Collie's watch having been traced to them.
This watch Collis bought of Mr. Thompson, watch•
maker, Chesterfield, who noted the number, &c., and it
is a very suspicious circumstance that the prisoner Platts
had pledged with Mr. Wilcocksor, pawnbroker, Chester-
field, a watch agreeing in number and in every other
particular with the watch sold to Collis; this watch was
redeemed by prisoner's mother as late as Thursday last,
and she states that it has been since sent to Sheffield. A
yellow canvass bag for money, having a division in the
centre, and which is supposed to have been in Collis's
possession when be left the female Beresford, has also
disappeared, though seen by Cotterill, the constable, in
the prisoner's box as late as Thursday.
When Collis and Platts carried on business as butchers,
they rented a shop in the shambles, not far from a dwel-
ling-house, from an inmate of which we have received
the following sickening detail. Our informant states
that he was going past the butcher's shop in question
about seven o'clock on the night when the unfortunate
man was last seen, and that when he got near the cross
gutters in the shambles, he heard three or four tremen-
dous blows struck in the butcher's shop occupied by the
prisoner, and which were immediately followed by loud
groaning, which gradually became fainter, and then a
snorting, as if some one was suffocating. He is certain
that the sound of the blows did not come from any solid
substance. He returned for his wife, who also heard the
groans. They requested the parties inside the shop to
open the door, which Platts, from within, refused, saying
that he had had a glass of brandy at Mr. Frank's, which
had made him sick. There was no light in the shop, and
informant thought he had a female with him, with whom
he was intimate. This suspicion he named to Platts;
but when the church service was over, Platts took the
female to their door, to convince them they were mis-
taken, saying she had been to church. At the same
time, he requested permission to wash his band, which
was bloody, and which he attributed to having cut his
finger. He appeared to have been down on one knee.
It is impossible to be acquainted with the foregoing
particulars, without feeling the most horrible suspicions.
That Collis was murdered there can be doubt—the
frightful rent in the skull too surely proves it ; and that
his body was afterwards dismembered, and conveyed
piecemeal to the disgusting hole from whence it was
dragged forth, does not seem to admit of a question.
The following are the proceedings at the
CORONER'S INQUEST.
Valentine Wall, labourer, of Chesterfield, deposed
that he was employed by Mr. Bunting, flour-dealer,
Low-pavement, Chesterfield, to empty the privies at-
tached to his premises. While at work, about five or
six o'clock on Friday morning week, about a yard below
the surface, he found something which he thought was
the carcase of a sheep. On his partner lifting it out,
about three parts of it fell in again. Witness then found
a hat, a large bone, several other bones, and two stakes.
It was a very dark place ; had a candle burning.
Robert Ashley, labourer, of Chesterfield, was em-
ployed by Mr. Bunting in the above duty, with Valen-
tine Wall : he found two leg bones and two thigh bones
joined respectively at the knees ; he tried to separate
them with a spade, but could not. Found something
which afterwards proved to be a coat ; on lifting i
something fell out. Valentine Wall then threw ou

something like an arm bone, and observed to witness
that a sheep must have been thrown in. He then ob-
served that they must be human bones. Witness stated
that there was nothing to protect a perscn from falling
in. On taking hold of the bones, the flesh fell- off into
his hand.

Thomas Green, was employed by Mr. Bunting to take
the manure to a field last Friday : he observed some
bones and old coat in the cart ; it was impossible to re-
cognise what sort ; had to mix the bones with some
clay ; observed a handkerchief tied as if it had been
round a person's neck ; found a pair of trousers torn in
the seams, also a coat, some bones, apparently leg-
bones, with garters round them ; one garter was red,

-,
the other nearly white ; found portions of braces and
of stockings. Told Mr. Bunting his suspicions that the
bones were human bones ; was present when Mr. Wyatt,
butcher, examined them ; was not satisfied that they

were human bones until Dr. Walker examined them,

The constable of Hasland then took charge of the bones.
Afterwards found a silk handkerchief ; thought it was
black with a red stripe.
Mr. Bunting. flour-dealer, Low Pavement, Chester-
field, deposed that it was an open, but a private yard
from his house to those conveniences. The yard door
was kept locked. For emptying them there is a covered
passage (about four feet wide and five or six yards long)
under some buildings. Nothing to protect it except a
rail at the front. Ashes were deposited in the passage.
Has frequently seen people in the passage. On Friday
last ordrred the ashes to be got out and taken to the
land. On going to see how the men were getting on,
was told by Valentine Wall that they had got out the
body of a sheep. It had been carted away. From
what witness had heard from Green, he (witness) went
to the fi-ld with Mr. Wyatt, butcher, where witness
found a coat and trousers; braces were fastened to the
brace buttons of the trousers. Witness also saw some
fragments of garments and a quantity of bones. Both
witness and Mr. Wyatt directly concluded that the bones
were not the bones of an animal. On two bones, which
appeared to be leg bones, were fastened garters. Wit-
ness then went home. Afterwards accompanied Dr.
Walker to the field. He (witness) examined the
pockets of the coat and trousers in the pre
sence of Mr. Wyatt. They were empty. Saw
a neck handkerchief rolled so as to fit a per-
son's neck. From what Dr. Walker said, or

dared a further search to be made in the place where tht.
bones were found, when the skull, some other bones, and
a hat were found. Was present during this search.
The hat was cut in the side. There appeared to be a
severe fracture on the front of the skull. Would not be
positive wheth,r the cut in the hat was in the front or
in the side. It was an olcl silk hat. Saw a naked foot

in the field. Should a person walk into the passage
straght forward and fall in, he could not fall against the
opposite wall, as it was seven feet nine inches across; he
might fall against the wall if he were thrown sideways.
Thomas Wilcockson, tailor, Chesterfield, deposed to
having on Wednesday seen some clothes in the posses-
sion of the constable of Hasland, a single breasted black
frock coat, lined in the skirts with figured Orleans;
black cloth trousers, black silk neckerchief, another
handkerchief, which witness supposed to be a pocket
handkerchief, it was silk, striped with red; there was
edging to the coat; the trousers with braces buttoned
behind. The coat would fit a man of eleven stone.
Trousers would fit a man about five feet six inches. On
the silk pocket handkerchief were the letters "G. C."
worked with silk about the middle of the edge of th,
handkerchief. The pockets of the coat were in the
plaits.
Thomas Cowley, labourer, of Chesterfield, cleaned the