The Sun.
London, England, 1804-01-06 00:00:00

CORONER's IN

YESTERDAY, at eleven o'clock, an Invisition
was taken before Cr oac E HoposoN,-Es:;. the Co-
roner for the County of Middlesex, at the Black
Lion Public-house, on the body of Thomas MtII.
wood, deceased, who was shot on Tuesday evening
in a lane leading from Black Lion-lane, by a person
who was in quest of the pretended Ghost, as men-
tioned in our Paper of yesterday. •
Three witnesses were examined ; the first of
whom was Mr. John Lock, who stated, that he
..was returning from the Plough and Harrow to his
own house, which is situate at the corner of Black
Lion:dane, in company with a Mr. Stow. They
had got as far as the end of Lime Kiln-lane, and
were crossing the road, when Smith, an officer of
Excise, in company -with William Girdler, the
private watchman, appointed to guard the neigh_
bourhood, accosted them. Smith informed him
that he had shot a man, and he believed that it was
the person who had for some time past gone about
assuming the charader of the Ghost. They. all
went to the spot where Smith said the unfortu-
nate person was lying, which was in a lane leading
across from Beaver-lane to Black Lion-lane. Upon
examining the body they discovered a gun-shot
wound on the left side of the face, just under the
jaw, the skin of the face was completely black from
the died of the p6wder. The body was removed at
the request of Mr. Lock, to the Black Lion public-
house. Mr. Lock had some conversation with
Smith, who did not appear pettedly aware of his
situation until he represented it to him, upon
which he seemed very much affected, and said,
that be had spoken to the deceased twice, but
could not get any answer. Mr. Lock, in his evi-
dence stated, that the town and neighbourhood of
Hammersmith had been annoyed for some months
past, by the appearance, at a certain hour of the
night, of some person assuming the complexion of a
Ghost. The whole of Tuesday, he said, was very
dark.---He had never seen the deceased before that
night.

Ann Millwood gave similar evidence, as to the
annoyance in the neighbourhood for upwards of two
months by the pretended Ghost. This young woman,
who is sister to the deceased, stated, that he resided
in a house occupied by her father, in the lane alluded
to ; that on Tuesday night he left the house about
eleven o'clock to go into the town : she felt herself
alarmed lest something might happen to him, and
indeed was so much alarmed, that she got immedi-
ately upon some bricks to look after him, when al-
most instantly she heard somebody call out, "damn
you, what are you, or who are you, tell me, or I'll
shoot you." Immediately she heard the report of
a gun, and went out of the house, and within the
distance of 3o yards discovered her brother lying
on his back dead. He was dressed in a white flan-
nel jacket, with trowsers of the same ; was by
trade a bricklayer, and was 22 years of age. On
being asked as to the probability of her brother's
assuming the appearance of a Ghost, she replied,
she had never heard or believed that he did assume
such an appearance.

William Girdler, the private watchman em-
ployed by the inhabitants to watch near the spot
where the unfortunate affair happened, gave in evi-
dence, that the neighbourhood was much alarmed
for two months past, by this pretended super.
natural agent ; that in consequence he made an ap.
pointment with Francis Smith, the person al-
luded to, by which it was agreed that each of
them should watch in separate diredinns, on
Tuesday night, for its approach.--Accord-
ingly, about half past ten o'clock, they met at
the top of Beaver-lane, while the Witness was
going his rounds, and they agreed upon a private
signal, in case they met afterwards, that either.one
was to say, " Friend*! who comes there ?" The
reply to be, " Advance, friend." This being
settled, they parted, and the Witness pursued his
course : when he got near the house of Mr. Stow,
which was situated in Black Lion-lane, he heard
the report of a gun. Having finished his rounds,
he was proceeding, in the space of ten minutes after,
to the White Hart public.house, when he was called
to by a young woman, who informed him that he
was wanted. Shortly after Smith came up to him,
and desired him to come along. The Witness, wish..
ed to-know whether he had seen any thing, or what
was the matter ; to which Smith replied, something
very bad was the matter. The evidence here was
exaßly in point with the statement of the two for-
mer Witnesses. Smith was very much affeaed,
and expressed his wish to deliver himself into the
hands of justice. In reply to some questions which
were put to him by Mr. Lock, he said, that he had
called out to the deceased before he fired, to know
who he was, but not receiving an answer, he fired.
The witness said, that on the Thursday night be-
fore the accident, he was going his round 3, es usual,
about ten o'clock, when he saw a tall whitish figure,
which on approaching nearer he found had a sheet
over its head. Upon his approach, the figure threw
up his hands and turned back the sheet, and he clearly
perceived the person had on a dark coat with metal
buttons.

This was the whole of the evidence as to the un-
fortunate transalion. After it had been gone
through, which was not till past three o'clock, the
Coroner, Mr. HODGSON, with great perspicuity
and judgment, summed up and direaed the jury's
particular attention to the principal points.
The Jury consulted a few minutes, and delivered
in a verdia of Wilful Murder against Francis
Smith; who was committed by the Coroner to
Newgate, to take his trial at the next Sessions.

On Saturday last, as some men were employed in
repairing some buildings adjoining the River near
Putney, it being high water, the scaffolding on
which they were unfortunately gave way, by which
accident to o of them, father and son, fell into the
water; the father, after struggling a considerable
time, was drowned, but the son clinging to some
weeds, kept his hold till assistance was procured.
The body of the father was discovered bating on
the water by some persons near the White Hart,
Battersea, on Monday, and was taken to an adjoin.
log house, where the Coroner's Jury sat on the body,
and brought in their verdict—AccielentaltDratb.