The Sun.
London, England, 1832-06-06 00:00:00

BETTING IN ST. JAMES'S.

The betting up to Twelve o'clock last night was important,
and effected several changes. Mixbury was backed freely, al.
though it is not yet known who will ride him. Emiliana de-
clined two or three points, and had no backers :

DERBY.
5 to 1 agst Mr. Gully's Margrave
7 to 1 agst Mr. Batson's Mixbuty (taken)
8 to 1 agst Mr. Vansittart's Perion
to 1 agst Mr. Chifney's Emiliana (taken)
9 to 1 agst Mr. Ridsdale's St. Giles (taken)
10 to 1 agst Mr. Ridsdale's Trustee
16 to 1 agst Lord Exeter's Beiram
18 to 1 agst Mr. Mill's Kate
20 to 1 agst Lord Mountcharles's Minster
600 to 500 Margrave agst Mixbury
No others mentioned.
OAKS.
5 to 1 agst Mr. Chifney's Emiliana (offered)
The rest as before.

THE LATE MURDER AT LEICESTER.

INQUEST on the Body of Mr. JOHN PAA S.
At six o'clock on Sunday evening the judicial inves-
tigation into the circumstances of this most horrible mur-
der was commenced at the sign of the Dog and Gun, in
the Market-street, Leicester, before the joint Coroners for
the borough, Aldermen Cooke and Yates, and a moat re-
spectable Jury. The Mayor and the whole of the other
members of the Corporation were present.
The Jury having been empanelled, proceeded to per-
form their first duty, of viewing the few fragments of
charred and half-burnt flesh and bone, which alone re-
mained to give evidence of the diabolical murder that had
been perpetrated. The premises are situate in a populous
and respectable part of the town, and consist of a shop
with a cow•house below in a small yard in Wellington-
street, which is closely surrounded by houses. It is clear
that the murder was instantaneous ; for had the unfortu-
nate gentleman been able to have uttered the faintest out-
cry, it could not fail of being heard. On ascending into
the workshop, an unsightly mass of blackened and half
burnt substance, which the uninformed spectator could
hardly suppose ever formed part of a human body,
is presented to view. It consists only of the half-de-
stroyed remains of that part of the body from the
bottom of the abdomen to a little below the
knee joint. The parts have evidently been separated
at either end with a saw. Of the legs nothing remains
but scattered and calcined cinders of bone, with which
the room is strewed. A great part of the flesh of the
thighs is entirely destroyed, and it is evident, from a close
view of their thicker parts, that collops of flesh had been
cut off, for the purpose of quickening the horrible act of
destruction. At the fire-place there are two iron bars
placed across the top of the grate, and which appear to
bave been intended as a gridiron on which to place the
parts of the body of deceased. No trace of the trunk and
head of the body can be found, and it is supposed that they
have been carried to some distant place, and there burned
or otherwise disposed of.
Thomas Measures examined—ls town servant and con-
stable, and lives near Cook's shop in Wellington-street ; on
Thursday evening an apprentice to Nokes came for him,
and be accompanied him back ; the boy had told him that
the neighbours thought Cook's shop was on fire ; on
getting there he found a number of persons in the house
of Nokes, who is the next neighbour to Cook ; Cook and
his sister were present ; Nokes told witness they thought
all was not right, for they had found a large fire with a
piece of flesh upon it, and it was their belief, if they had
not burst open the door and put the fire out, the premises
would have been burnt down ; witness gave Cook into the
charge of Timson, while he went to look at the premises ;
he found the fire quite out, and a piece of burnt flesh on
the floor, but could not tell what it was,—he rather
thought it was horse flesh, and such seemed the general
opinion ; on returning, he asked Cook what he knew of
the fire, and of the piece of flesh upon it ; he answered it
was horse flesh.
Charles Wilkinson, aged 14, examined.—He lives with
his mother in King-street, but during the day worked for
Cook ; he was ou " liking" as an apprentice, and had been
so for three-quarters of a year ; witness went to the shop
on the Wednesday morning about seven o'clock. Cook
came about eight o'clock, and witness continued working
with his master till near ten, when a gentleman came up
the stairs into the shop, and, addressing Cook, said, " good
morning, Mr. Cook ;" Cook replied, " good morning,
Sir." The gentleman took out a pocket-book, and asked

where Mrs. Johnson lived ; Cook replied, "in Alhion •
treet," and immediately afterwards turned round to wit-
tees, and said, " Joey, you may go home till I fetch you ;"
vitness accordingly went away. The gentleman was
Tressed entirely in black, bad a red face, grey whisker,.
and was rather tall ; his master had never given him a ho-
lyday before, but he had promised him a week before thrt
he would give him one about that time, as he said be
going out of town. His master had in 100 cwt. of coals
on the previous Saturday; Cook's brother, Michael, was in
he habit of calling every Saturday; he lives at Queenho-
Cough. [This place is five miles distant from Leicester.] On
the preceding Saturday, Cook accompanied his brother back
o Queenborough; they went in a gig belonging to Michael
Cook ; witness observed, that immediately on the gentleman
entering, hie master turned very pale, and on getting
twine he told his mother that he thought the gentlerrrn
had come to ask for money, as his master turned pale in-
stantly on seeing him ; one day the week before he put
chased three-pennyworth of laudanum for his master,
who said he wanted to try an experiment with ; the same
week his master brought a hatchet to the shop, and had
it ground on a stone they had there; he said he bought it
o chop sticks with ; they never used sticks, either in the
trade or to light the fire with, for the latter purpose they
used the cuttings of the mill boards and of paper.
George Cooke lives at Loughborough, and assists hi,
father, who drives the Express coach between that pile,-
and Manchester; the coach puts up alternately at tike
King's Head and the Black Horse; on Friday morning,
about half-past five o'clock, on entering the Black Horse-
yard, he saw a person talking to one of the stable-
keepers ; witness learnt from the stable-keeper that l„-
hod been there some time—that he came in tired and
with dirty shoes, but that he wiped -his shoes with
hay ; and also oiled them, and then rested himself in
the hay : he had on a blue coat with lappels, brown
trousers, a black stock, and over that blue and white
silk neckerchief, not hemmed ; he had largish whis-
kers coming dow❑ nearly to his chin, and rather lot
g
face ; witness entered into conversatio❑ with him, and
after some time he produced a short pin, saying, " See
what I found yesterday ; I have no occasion for it
and don't mind selling it ;" he then pulled hi,
neckerchief aside, to show he had a brooch; wi'
nets finally bought it of him for two shillings ;
they stopped talking for some time, and the mau
pulled out a gold watch, with curb-chain, and two gold
seals and a key, and said, " See what my father has pur-
chaied for me, he gave forty guineas for them, and I would
nut take as much back for them again ; he afterwards
a•ked witness if he could change a 101. or 5/. note of
he Bank of England for him, and at the same time
pulled out a long green silk purse, and from a roll of
piper at one end took out and opened one note of etch
of these values; witness observed, that at the other end of
the purse there was gold of some sort, but how much he
could not say; witness accompanied him to several shops,
hut they did not succeed in getting change, and he finally
left him in the street.

Mr. R. Tibbutt is a bookseller in the Haymarket.
Leicester, and was acquainted with Mr. Paas ; on Wed-
nesday morning, about half-post nine o'clock in the morn-
ing, Mr. Paas called on hint and made inquiries about the
solvency of several tradesmen in the town, and among
others about Cook : witness told him he knew nothing
about him, and asked if he had any account against him
Mr. Paas said he had, and asked where he lived, and wit-
❑ess told him ; Mr. Paas then gave witness a small ac-
count he had against him, and said he should go round
among the trade and call in again; he then went away,
and called again about two o'clock; witness, after settling
his account, asked him " if he had done his business to
his satisfaction ?" and he replied, " pretty well, but Cook
has not settled with me, and has asked me to call again in
the evening;" after this conversation Mr. Paas left.

It was now only four o'clock in the afternoon, and it
ma determined to adjourn the proceedings to the follow-
ing morning. Looking to the completeness of the evi-
dence as to the identity of the body, and the guilt of
Cook, this might appear strange ; but the fact is, that in
the course of the investigation made by the Town
Mr. Burbridge, new and startling facts have been elicited,
and it is extremely probable that before this solemn inquiry
is brought to a close, others besides Cook will be proved
to have been implicated either as principals or accessories.
The murder was a lung planned one. At the present time
the father, two brothers and a sister of Cook are in cus-
tody in the town gaol ; the latter was apprehended only
yesterday, while the Jury were sitting, and on beiri
t
brought to the entrance of the gaol, a view of which is
commanded from the inquest room, she shrieked out and
fainted, and it was some time before she recovered soli;
ciently to be placed within the wallsof the gaol. 4.t.