The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-08 00:00:00

ire a bill offering a reward of 2201. for old Mr. Bell.
I never was there that I know of. I never was at the
Temperance Hotel, Lynn, when the bill offering a
reward was brought in, when I dropped my coffee
and fell on the floor. I know Panton's gardens,
but I don't recollect his making any alterations and
planting any trees.
At this stage of the proceedings the learned coro-
ner reviewed the evidence as far as it had gone.
The jury, he said, were aware that a skeleton had
been found, and an inquiry had properly been in-
stituted. It might be said there was really no evi-
dence before them to show whose skeleton it was,
but it was clear that, whoever it was, it was the re-
mains of a murdered man, because they all knew'
that when persons were buried the very object was
to prevent inconvenience to the survivors, and they
were buried in a grave large enough for them. In
this case the legs of the skeleton were crossed, the
right leg over the left, clearly indicating that the
body of the unfortunate skeleton was warm at the
time it was put into the earth. The head, too, was
bent back, and the arm was pressed down • and
they had also the fact, that the skeleton was found
within 15 inches of the surface. Having, there-
fore, satisfied themselves that this was the body of
a murdered man, it was also clear that this was the
skeleton of a man, and what gave rise to the pre-
sent inquiry was the supposition that this was the
body of old Mr. Bell. Now, the evidence before
them was, that on the night in question the wit-
ness Collinson heard groaning and struggling on
the north side of the Blackburgh (close to Middle-
ton), and on the other side the purse of the mur-
dered man was found. The last thing they knew
of old Mr. Bell was that he asked for his razor, and
on the breast of the skeleton there was found a
piece of iron resembling a razor. If that were so,
that was a most extraordinary concurrence of cir-
cumstances leading to the inference that those
were the bones of old Mr. Bell. Then another
material circumstance was who but Mr. Bell was
missed? Supposing it was not he, who was it ?
No one could tell them. It might be that the
bones found were not the remains of Mr.
Bell, but he thought it exceedingly likely that
they were, and supposing they were not-, he was
in a position to say they were reposing in a spot
not very far distant, and if there was any truth in
the information he bad he should be able to prove
that to the jury. It was true the jury might now
find a verdict, but after the evidence they had heard
he was quite sure not one of them would grudge
their time, because it might be the means of dis-
covering the fate of that unfortunate old man Mr.
Bell, who certainly was murdered on that 13th of
November, 1849. The jury had heard the way in,
which Batters had given his evidence, and if they
believed Mrs. Reynolds he, according to his own
statement, wag the last person that saw old Mr.
Bell alive, with a loaf under his arm. At a quarter
past 5 Bell was met by Mrs. Clarke proceeding
on his way, with a loaf under-his arm. Now, how
came John Butters to know that he had a loaf of
bread in his possession two days afterwards, unless
he last saw him with that loaf of bread in his hand ?
That is what he (the Coroner) wanted him to ex-
plain. He must call upon him to account for it.
Could the jury believe Butters when lie said he
could not tell whether he went to Lynn that day by
rail, gig, or horseback ? It would be a great con-
solation to them all to ascertain who the murderer
was, and, from the evidence he should be able to lay
before the jury on a future occasion, he should be
able to add another strong link in the chain of evi-
dence fixing the guilt of the murder upon a person
he should not name.

The jury then retired. Af,;er their return,
John Moyce Butters was me-died—l know the
Temperance Hotel at Lynn. I have been there,
but not often. I don't recollect being there a short
time after Mr. Bell was misied. I don't recollect
a person bringing in a bill like the one produced (the
bill offering 2201. reward). lam quite sure that upon
no occasion in the Temperance Hotel, Lynn,
upon the production of that bill that I dropped
my coffee and fell on the floor. What Mrs.
Reynolds has stated • "that I shook ham& with
Mr. Bell at 6 o'clock in the evening of the
day he was missed, and that he had a
loaf under his arm," is false. I cannot remember a
gentleman named Wells, a merchant of Lynn. I
did not see Mr. Wells wheneTer I saw Mr. Bell
that day.

If Mr. Wells or any other person has said that
he or they saw you stop and pull an old man with
a loaf of bread under his arm into your cart or gig,
is that true or false ?—lt is false. I cannot say
whether I did or did not see Penton that night. I
cannot say whether he was or was not 'at my house
that night.
What is your belief t—l do not know. I have
seen Panton about twice since I was examined
here a fortnight ago. We have talked about the
murder of Mr. Bell. I fancy he said he thought
he was there (at my house). I cannot say what I
said to him. I do nit know whether Panton's state-
ment that I went to Lynn alone, and that he (Pan-
ton) saw me there on my return on the night that
Ball was missed, is true or not. I have heard Mr.
Spome's statement that he was not, but 1 think he
was. I talked about the murder the first time I
saw him. I know very little about Pauton's pre-
mises. Ido not know how many gardens he has—
whether two or four. I don't know whether they
are planted. We were not over-friendly together
at the time Mr. Bell was missed. If he (Panton)
applied for Mr. Bell's land, I cannot remember it.
I have never heard Mrs. Panton accuse my father
of having murdered Mr. Bell. When Panton and
I were taking about the matter I cannot swear he
did not say to me, " They are on the wrong scent."
I cannot say whether we talked about the banes. I
e Tuesday was
say when he was going
don't know the name of his servant in Michaelm is,
1849. I do not know a girl named Greigsy i
did
did
dt
boi ev dsMa Nwyra.hsßill
On the
nlinna in the afternoon, I shook
ha ncis
him, and was with him about five mi-
nutes. Old Mr. Towler (deadnow) shook hands with
Mr. Bell at the same time. I have not said, "I
know those bones are not those of Mr. Bell." I
swear I do not know whether Mr. Bell is living or
dead.
William crisp said,—l live at Downham now,
and in November, 1849, I worked for Mr. Butters,
at Tottenhill. John Moyce Butters lived at home
with his father. I did not see John Butters after
he came home the night Mr. Bell was missed, nor
did I see Panton. This witness gave Some unim-
portant testimony, and the inquiry was again ad-
journed until Friday next.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—Jan 7.

WORSHIP STREET. --Joseph Reynolds, a
respectably -dressed man, described as a green-
grocer in Oak-place, Hackney, was charged Wore
Mr. Hawnaill with the following aggravated
-
outrage.
Mrs. Jane Archer, the wife of a bootmaker, who
was in a state of great suffering and debility from
and the prisoner live next door to each
stated,
--uslage to which she had boon subjected,
other, and we inhabit two of five houses to which
there is a gate common to all of us, and through
which I must go to reach my own doorway. At 10
o'clock this morning I went out on au errand, and
on returning in a few minutes, finding this gate
locked I knocked at it for admission. The prisoner.
came out, and I asked him to let me in, but he re'
fused to do so, and made use of the most digustin
language. I turned round, intending to go through
another person's premises, when he ruche 1 out at
tho gate, and lifting up the lid of a well close to the
gate, exclaimed, "you wretch, I'll now put you
down this well." At that moment, however, his
wife came up and dragged him away, but he broke
away from her, and she instantly closed the lid of
the well. I then got inside the gate, but he over-
took me, and, exclaiming, "I have long wanted to
make a public exPosurs of you," seized me by
the wrist and leg, turned me completely
over, with my head downwards, and my petti-
coats over my head so that I could not see.
I screamed " Murder !" and " Police !" which
brought the neighbours to my assistance, who
,
begged him to stop his violence , but instead of
by main force, and flung me
over a fence into an adjoining garden, into which I
,
that, lie lifted me up
fell, and my head came violently against a wooden
post. While be was holding me up by the leg and
exposing me as
I have described, he repeatedly
struck me about the
head and shoulders with his
fist, and threatened to knock the life out of. me.
Both my wrists were cut and bruised and bled -tery
much, my cheek bone is very-
jured, I feel extreme paiA
much bru-sed and in-
in the shoulders and
back, and, having only just recovered from an ill-
nos', I he! ye/3'W all over from the effects of the
prisoner's brutality. In answer to the magistra!e's
quetions about the wounds in her wrists, the wit-
ness said the prisoner, when he first attacked her,
had a razor in his hand, but whether the wounds
were inflicted with that or not she could not say.
At the close of her evidence the poor woman be-
came s) faint and ill, and was subjected to such a
serious heanaorrhaoe, that Mr. Haminill ordered her
t be immediately
• supplied with restoratives and
taken home ina cab.
A married Woman, named Compton, said—l
heard the screams of "Murder" and "Police,"and
on looking out saw the prisoner holding the com-
plainant up by the leg and arm, with her head
down and her person most shamefully exposed. I
abused him for his infamous conduct, and he re=
leased hsr for a moment and she fell, but as‘soon as
she got up he struck her violently about the head
and body, took her up again, assailed her with the
most abominable epithets, and pitched her over the
palings into the next garden.
Harris, 539 N—l was fetched to the prisoneria