The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-25 00:00:00

PRICE 4D• STAMPED, SD.

THE ANDOVER MURDER.

An inquest was held yesterday on the body of
the deceased, Wm. Parsons, in the board-room of
the Union. No clue whatever to the perpetrator
of this horrible crime has yet been gained.
Mr. H Loscombe, solicitor, appeared to watch
the proceedings on behalf of the deceased's family.
' The jury being sworn, the Coroner addressed them,
and they retired to view the body. The first wit-
ness examined was
Mr. H. E. Northover, who said—l am a draper,
and was.an assistant to deceased. I last saw him
alive on Monday night, the 22d inst., about 9 o'clock.
He was then in the shop, where myself and some of
the other assistants left him. I did not see him
alive afterwards. He was dressed in the same way
as when found the following morning, with the ex-
ception of the overcoat. The next morning I
went for a walk alone, as I usually do, along the
Salisbury-road. I was on the point of return-
ing about a quarter of a mile from the town
when my attention was drawn to something
lying in the field. I approached it within five or
six yards, when I discovered it was a human
bodp. I returned immediately and gave informa-
tion to the police, with whom I returned to the
field, and found it.was. Mr. Parsons. The overcoat
did not belong to him but to some customer. He
was lying flat on his face, the back part of the head
was much bruised, and there was a considerable
quantity of blood near the head ; his cap was off',
there was a large ash stick lying near him with
marks on it, the bottom of the stick, the thick end,
was eoverodswith blood.

Charles Wedge, superintendent of police, said,—
On Tuesday morning last, about eight o'clock in
the morning, I received information from the last
witness that lie-had discovered a body lying in o,
fiekl on the Salisbury road, and that the man had
been murdered. I immediately proceeded to the
spot with him and a police-constable, and there
discovered the body of a man lying with his face
to the ground, the right arm extended. forward,
and the left was by his side; the legs were per-
fectly straight. I observed several wounds on the
head, the back part of which was broken and bat-
tered in very much. -A short distance from the
body, about two feet, lay a large ash stick, about
three feet long, which appeared to have been re-
cently cut, and at the large end of which there
were several knots. It was covered with blood and
a portion of hair for about a foot from the bottom.
The cap of deceased was lying a little on the left
side, as though it had fallen off. The lining was
covered with frost. Deceased was dressed in a rough
top-coat, grey trousers, coat and waistcoat, and low
shoes. One of the young men present said, "Good
God, it is Mr. Parsons." I then recognised him. I
have known him for nearly eight years. From the
body I could distinctly trace the footmarks of one
person walking towards the cowshed which is in
the field, belonging to Mr. Footner, close to the
heedge. There is a gap in the hedge between the
two fields. I could not trace the footsteps any fur-
ther than the gap. On examination of the inside
of the shed there appeared marks of a slight scuffle.
On the Andover side of the cowshed there appeared,
footmarks at the top of the bank. I went to Mr.
Elliott, and took him back to the field. After he had
examined the body, I hada conveyed to the union
in a cart, where, in the presence of Mr. Elliott,
I searched the pockets, and, found £3.125. 6d. in
money, a silver watch and gold guard round his
neck, a; gold eye-glass, and various papers, and
other articles of minor importance. I examined
the papers, but they do not throw any light on
the matter. The body was lying about 37 yards
from the road. Theiv did not appear to have been
any scuffle where the body lay, which was about 42
yards from the cow=shed.

Henry John Have said—l reside in Andover, and
was walking down the town- on Monday evening
about half-past 9 o'clock, when I saw Mr. Parsons
coming from his own yard and proceed down
Bridge-street leading to the Salisbury-road. He
was alone, and I did not see him afterwards. He
had a top-coat and cap on.
Jabez Henry Elliott said—l was called yesterday
morning to a field in Salisbury-road, where I was
shown the body of a man lying on his face. He
was dead, cold, and stiff. I examined him, and
found extensive fractures on the skull. He had
evidently been dead some hous. After the body
was conveyed home I made a„second examination.
There were marks of blood, dirt, grass, and two
locks of hair on different parts of his person and
clotheF. His face appeared covered with blood.
His nose was flattened. On the right side of the
head was a semicircular wound 23- inches in width.
There was another scalp wound on the head and
another at the base of the neck At the back of

the head was a large wound 3 inches long and 11-
inch wide. A portion of the skull was partially
detached, through which the membrane of the brain
could be felt. From the state of the wounds I have
no doubt the deceased came by his death by vio-
lence. I saw the stick, and have no doubt the
wounds may have been caused by such an instru-
ment. It was impossible that he could have in-
flicted those wounds himself.

At this stage of the inquiry the coroner inti
mated that an adjournment would be necessary.
Adjourned accordingly.

FUNERAL OF ROBERT O WEN, OF

LANARK.

In accordance with Mr 7 Owen's expressed wish,
his burial, which took place at Newtown onthe 22d
inst., was conducted unostentatiously and as inex-
pensively as possible. It was intended by his family
to be private, but in deference to the wishes of ail
classes in the town it was public, and will cause
the day to be long remembered in Newtown. The
principal tradesmen in the town had put up shut-
ters all the previous week out of respect to their
eminnnt townsman. On the morning of the burial
a great concourse attended in front of the Boar's
Head Hotel, where Mr. Owen died, and two doors
only from the house •in which be was born. On
Sunday night his remains were removed into the
house of his birth, now occupied by Mr. 1). Thomas,
who with great taste prepared his shop to receive
them. To this gentleman's admirable arrange-
ments many of the most pleasing incidents of the
interment were owing.
The funeral procession was formed as follows
:--
Beadle, Newtov n First Benefit Society, Newtown
Friendly United Society, Newtown Victoria Benefit
Society, the Clergy, Medical Gentlemen, Magis-
trates, Old Inhabitants and Schoolfellows of the

Deceased. Gentlemen and Manufacturers of New-
town, as follows : Right—Rev. J. Edwards, M.A. ;
Rev. R. J. Davies, J.P. ; Wm. Lloyd, Esq. ; Mr.
J. Stanley, Mr. E. Williams, Mr. R. Newill Davies,
Mr. E. Owen, Mr. J. Rigby (see: etrzy to R. Owen),
Left—Wm. Slyman, Esq., M.D. (Mr. Owen's phy-
sician), Edward Hall, Esq. ; Geo. Matthews, Esq. ;
Mr. J. Horton, Mr. W. Davies, Mr. J. Powell, Mr.
J. B. Owen, Mr. T. Thomas (secretary to the Hon.
R. D. Owen).
The coffin, which these gentlemen immediately
preceded, was quite plain, covered with black cloth,
unnailed in the usual way, and the plate bore the
inscription :—" Robert Owen, of New Lanark, born
in Newtown, May 14, 1771, died in Newtown,
Nov. 17, 1858."

The following gentlemen attended as mourners—
Mr. G. Owen Davies, Mr. W. Cox, Mr. W. H.
Ashurst, Mr. R. Cooper, Mr. E. Trulove, Mr. Wm.
Jones, Mr. G. Goodwin, the Hon. R. Dale Owen,
Mr. Wm. Pare, Col. H. Clinton, Mr. Thos. Allsop,
Mr. Geo. Holyoke, Mr, H. Law, and Mr. Pryce
Jones.
The procession proceeded first to St. David's
Church, where the Rev. John Edwards, M.A., read
a portion of the service for the dead, and afterwards
at the grave, in a very impressive manner. From
St. David's Church the long procession proceeded to
St. Marv's Church, where Mr. Owen was interred
in his father and mother's grave. St. Mary's
Church is an ancient structure, now in ruins, of the
tenth century, standing on the banks of the Severn,
in a spot of sylvan beauty.
Neither the inclemency of the weather nor the
distance of Newtown from London, prevented many
of Mr. Owen's attached friends, including ladies
from paying the last honours to his remains. Two
of the old playfellows of Mr. Owen were discovered,
and with tottering steps they followed their old
companion to his long home. The bearers of the
coffin consisted of the oldest inhabitants who were
equal to the task. A great concourse of people
from the districts, as well as town, thronged the
streets, windows, housetops, roads, and lanes of the
route taken by _the procession. The greatest respect
was testified to Mr. Owen.

The enclosure walls of St. Mary's Church are
incomplete, wanting suitable gates. The Hon.
Robert Dale Owen has voluuteered the gift of a
new pair of iron gates, and also ordered the restor-
ation of a decayed bower, once a historic object in
the old churchyard commemorating a romantic in-
cident.

Dr. Slyman, who attended Mr. Owen in his last
illness, reports that he died of climacteric disease,
brought on by exhaustion, and that his death
might probably have been averted had not his
prejudice against stimulants led him to
refuse
them.