The Sun.
London, England, 1856-06-12 00:00:00

MURDER AT STROUD.

The town of Stroud water was on Saturday night the
scene of a cruel murder. About four o'clock on Sunday
morning, a labouring man, named Hodges, and his son,
were proceeding along the road leading from Stroud to the
village of Nails worth, when, about half a mile from the
town, they discovered the body of a man lying, weltering
in blood, by the roadside. The corpse was identified as
the body of Joseph Hatherill, a mason. The man's upper
lip was cut open, and there was a stab in his groin, from
which he had bled to death. It was evident too he had
met his death by foul means, and suspicion soon fell upon
a man named William Hoskins, residing in the neighbour-
hood. Hoskins was taken into custody on Sunday, and
blood was then seen on his clothes. On Monday an in-
quest was held on the body of the deceased, and simul-
taneously with this investigation Hoskins was brought
before the magistrates. From the evidence it appeared
that the accused had been drinking in various places on
the Saturday night ; that he was seen by a policeman to
leave the town about a quarter past one o'clock in the
morning, going in the direction of the murder, a man
answering to the description of the deceased being just in
front of him. He arrived at his lodgings about two o'clock,
and on getting up in the morning told two fellow-lodgers
that he had had a row overnight with a man in the road,
who struck him with a stick, that he had a mind to
" croak" him, and that he knocked him into the hedge,
and left him there. His clothes were bloody, and in his
pocket was a knife with stains of blood upon it. Along
the road there were marks of scuffling having taken place,
and a stream of blood for a distance of 30 yards
to where the body was found. Messrs. Wethered and
Gregory, surgeons, who made a post mortem examina-
tion, proved that the cause of death was haemorrhage,
resulting from a wound in the left thigh, such
as would be inflicted by a knife, and added
that the man was healthy and appeared to have been so-
ber. The prisoner made a statement before the magis-
trates and the coroner to the effect that he overtook the
de :eased on the road, that deceased wanted to know where
he was going, and on his refusal to tell, struck him with a
stick. The prisoner took the stick, from him and broke it ;
they had a " tusble" and swore at each other ; that he
(prisoner) then drew his knife, and the deceased did the
same; that they fought with knives, and that he left the
man in the road. It should be mentioned that a broken
stick was found near the scene of the murder. In the
trousers-pocket of the murdered man was a clasp knife
closed, 25., and a lemonade-bottle, containing about a nog-
gin of gin. It did not appear possible that he could have
used the knife; and prisoner had no marks of injury about
him, except a black eye, which he admitted to have got
before. The magistrates committed the prisoner for trial
on a charge of wilful murder.

CORONER'S INQUEST.—Yesterday Mr. Wakley, the
coroner, concluded a protracted inquiry respecting the
death of a young woman, named Eliza Bellingham, re-
siding at 21, Sale-street, Paddington. The investigation
had excited considerable interest, owing to a report that
deceased's death had arisen from an operation performed
on her by a surgeon named Shield, of Park-street, Cam-
den-town, with a view to procure a miscarriage. The
jury having consulted for nearly an hour, returned the
following verdict :—" That Eliza Bellingham's death was
caused by the mortal effects of inflammation and morti-
fication of the womb and bowels, but whether produced
by natural cause, or whether by the effects of mechanical
violence, employed criminally by Wm. Shield, in order
, to produce abortion, there was not before the jury suffi-
L cient evidence to prove."