The Sun.
London, England, 1803-09-29 00:00:00

'COROYER':

sT night', at eight o'clock, a Corrinci-',lO
t ,
uponlpidy of CIIARLF:S JON itt lee":.
sim'saHotel, Vere.ttreet, Cavendish.squaie.
ileceaced was unfortrin'ately shot the preceding clay;.
1)y M'. tits•t; his Most intimate friend.

;i

Atter the body was examined, anti the jary
.Worn in, John smith was called. He said be wai
the above Hotel. The deceased was io
'the 11.1)11 of ecoming to and from their house dorin4
the space of the last three months, to visit Mr;
ikiT, who occupied a room there. The last rim.:
Ise saw was about two o'clock on Tifiiday, at
which time the deceased was in Mr. BesT,!“„oTty,
No. 26, where he understood he had been dressing:
About five minutes past two o'clock, Mr. Br r
came running down stairs from his room, and crie I •
our, " for God's sake come up stairs, I have shot my
best friend." Witness said he was the first that ran
up into the rocm, where he found the deceased
sittin7 on the fluor, reclining his head towards a
chest (I drawers which were in the room. At this
time a pistol 'svaS lying on the carpet. Witne.4
endeavoured to lift up Mr. JumES, and suppoit
him in his arms, when he asked him for a
water to drink. Witnesi procured him some wa.
ter, and he drank of it. The deceased asked tot
Mr. BE .T, who came into the room, and
(timely fell upon his knees before the deceased.,
and laying hold of his hand, said, " My Goa,
shall I do; do you lOrglve me ?" rc Forgive you,
Best ! Yes, !coin my heart ; it was an accident."
M . BE.T, en leaving the room, fell backward
from agitation, but at length went down stairs:-
After Mr. Base left the room, Mr. Jorras said,
" I am more sorry for 'l3sst than fur myself.
"--
A surgeon was sent for. On proposing it, Mt'.
JONES said, it was of no use to send, as he could.
not possibly•liVe. The Surgeon name in about trill
minutes ; the deceased died about three quarters
of an hour afterwards.

Mr. Samuel Hicks, Surgeon, deposed, that he was
sent' for on Tuesday, soon after two o'clock. When
he came to the Hotel, he found the deceased sitting
on the floor, supported by one of the waiws, in the
rwm where he now lies. He was perfedly tensible
at the time. On examining him, he found a plan..
shot wound on the left side, below the. ribs.;
iTt47
deceased pointed his finger to his back, where the
ball, he said, was lodged. Witness totichedthe
place, and could distindly feel it. On wishing to
afford the deceased assistance, .he said it was of
use to examine the wound, or move himi as he must
inevitably die, and. therefore begged not to be dia.:-
turbed. Sr me person in the room asked how the
affair had happened ; when the deceased repliel,.
" it was an accident from my'best friend." Swett
after, Mr. BEST came into the room, and fell iritoir
his knees before Mr. JONES, in extreme agony, and
asked him if he would forgive him ; to which it;
answered, '' from his heart;'' Alter M.
quitted the room, the deceased remarked, that fie
felt more on Mr. BEST'S account than his own.
Mr.. joNns died about an hour afterwards: MC.
Was perfealy sensible, until about ten minutes'
fore his delth, when he sent for a Gentleman in
B9nd.street.

Here the Coroner (Mr. tionosost) took occilaion
to observe, that it was unneeessa:y to go further in-
to the business, as it was clearly proved that the
manner of Mr. JoNts's -losing his life was entirely
aedidental ; that no evidence was so afrOflg as -Oat
which had proceeded from his own mouth; for hat
he not have. come fairly..by his death, he certainly
would have said so. Had the deceased been shot
dead, the case might have been otherwise, How..
ever, as it had not appeared by what means the,:ie»
cident took place, the Gentlemen of the Jury might
wish to be satisfied on that point from Mr. I3EsT
himself, who would no doubt explain it ; but he
could not help thinking his presence would be better
dispensed, with, for two reasons—the Gentleman's
feelings would naturally be hurt, and he was by no
means obliged to criminate himself. •A Gentleman
present was enabled to answer the same end, as fe
had heard the story froth Mr. I3EsT himself; but
what he had to say was not to blconsidered as eri.
deuce. •
Mr. Gardener, from Borleigh, in Essex, pro,
ceetled to state that he knew Mr. jonts since last
spring. lie was an Officer in the East India .Com.
pang's service; he believed a Lenten:int. He also
had been acquainted with Mr. BEST three or four
years ; he was a Lieutenant in the 48th Regimentj
did not know how long Mr. BEST and the deceased
had been -acquainted. Tfiey"were known to eack
other last. spring. Never heard of any quarrel be.
tween them; on the contrary, they were always
in the greatest habits of friendship. With regard
to the present accident, Mr. Have had informed him
that Mr.
_lours was using his room to dress in oo
Tuesday morning, which he was in the habit ado,
ing ; that he went upstairs to him about two o'clock,
and found him Dearly dressed. After surnevonversa.
Sion, Mr. ISEST said to Mr. Jones, he was going out
-of town, and would be glad if he would accompany.
him. Deponent did not know whether it Was agreed
to or not. One of them remarked, that there were
pistols lying on a chair
,for the highwaymen, should
they meet any. Mr. Bess took one of them with
a double barrel. The pan of one of the locks was
down and the other up : he shut down the parr of
the one that was up, and '' yes they will do ;
if I meet the highwaymen I will fire right and left,"
snapping the pistol each way at the time, not ex.
petting either of the barrels were loaded.. One of
them wenr.off, and produced the sad catastrophe,
The Jury, without the least hesitation, returned
a verdict of " AtThirrital Deeta." •

Mr. PITT, as Colonel of the Trinity House
Volunteers, comes to town on Monday to a -grand
dinner which he gives in that capacity.
At the Court of Aldermen held at Guild rail' yes.
terday, JAMES SHAW, Esq. and Sir 'W!s,l. LE
ToN, K,,ight and Alderman, Sheriffs elect, wt:Je
sworn into dice for the year ensuing.
Sir Wm. LEIGHTON, and Mr. J. J. SMITH, Were
translated from the Wheel Wrights and - Patters_
mikers, to the Fishmongers and Ironmongers Com.
patties. No other business was transadled.
'The Stanky, of London t the Erigh, of Li verpno';
and. a Sloop of War, part of the hotric,vaid.buund
Walit India ifect, have foundered at sca.