The Sun.
London, England, 1859-03-23 00:00:00

SUPPOSED MURDER IN LINCOLN.

A young man, named Charles Evans, lately a
cooper on board her Majesty's steamer Sanspareil,
and who was discharged from the service on the
18th ult., has been found dead under circumstances
which leave little doubt that he has been murdered.
He arrived in Lincoln on the 21st ult. on a visit to,
his father and mother. He went to the races on
the 24th of February, and obtained some drink
and on his going out at night, and not returning
home, fears were entertained that he had, while in
a state of intoxication, fallen into the river Witham.
Notwithstanding repeated draggings, nothing was
seen of the body until Thursday last, when it was
found by a boatman floating to the top of the water
near the Stamp-end Brewery. An inquest was held,
and a post mortem examination of the body took
place, and it was discovered that over the right eye
was a bruise caused by a blow previous to death,
but, in the opinion of the surgeon, the death of the
deceased was caused by drowning. As the deceased
had been last seen in company with some suspicious
characters, it was thought nis death might have
been caused by violence, and the inquiry was ad-
journed until Monday last. It then appeared
that on the night on which the deceased dis-
appeared he had a £lO note concealed in his
belt. He was seen drinking at several public-
houses, the last being the Whit Swan. At the latter
place there was a suspicious character named
Joseph Dickinson alias Rush. A man named Lee,
who had been drinking with the deceased at the
Lord Nelson public-house, was asked by a woman
whom he afterwards met at the Spread Eagle
whether he had seen the deceased. On his reply-
ing in the affirmative, she said, " He's just been in
here, and Jack Teaster has gone away with him,
because he has a good deal of money." Lee then
said " Teaster will make him all right, then." This
Teaster is stated to be one of the worst characters
in the city of Lincoln, and on being questioned he
denied that he was out of his house after six o'clock
that evening, or that he had any knowledge of the
deceased ; but this statement was untrue, as he
was seen drinking with the deceased on the
previous evening. A notorious prostitute named
Rebecca Hammonds, on being questioned, said" A
man who went by the name of Red-neck' told
her he saw the deceased in company with a groom,
and he heard him say that he had a £lO note which
his father knew nothing about, and he intendedto
go to Hull and have a spree with it. When the
body was found the belt was missing. On the fol-
lowing morning Dickinson and Teaster went to the
New Market Hotel, in company with some other
men, and got change for a £lO Bank of England
note,- but until further inquiries have been made,
the note cannot be identified. The most singular
circumstance attending the affair is, that at about
half•past eight o'clock in the evening of the 6th of
March, ten days after the deceased was missed,
his mother, while standing at her chamber window
thinking about her unfortunate son, saw two men
passing along the waterside, one of them carrying
sack which appeared to be very heavy. The thought
of her missing son crossed her mind, and she rushed
out of the house, and saw that the man had dis-
posed of his burden. She at once went up to him
and said, ‘• What have you done with that
bundle P" He replied, "I never carried a bundle.
A navvy man has just gone down there with one."
She, however, asked a gentleman coming from the
direction indicated, and he replied that he had met
no one. She then went up to the man and seized
hold of him, saying, " I shall know you again. If
anything is ever found in the river at that spot I
shall bear witness against you." She also took
particular notice of the other man, as also did a
witness named Coulson. On the following day sha
pointed Dickinson out as the man, and she again
swore most positively to him at the inquest; she
could not, however, identify Teaster as the other
man, but that may be accounted for by the facithat
he had since shaved off his whiskers. At the pre-
cise spot where these men were supposed t) throw
the bundle into the river the deceased's body was
found. Dickinson denied that he was there, but
he could not say where he was that evening. After
other evidence had been adduced .which implicated
both these men, but which the coroner requested
might not be published until the mystery is more
clearly unravelled, Teaster and Dickinson were
ordered to be detained in custody, and the further
inquiry was adjourned until Saturday next. The
case has created great excitement.

The adjourned general session for the county of
Kent was held on Monday, at the Court-house, Maidstone,
when the report of the committee appointed to investigate
the charges against the Gov(rnor of the Maidstone Gaol
was presented. After a lengthened sitting a resolution was
passed, dismissing the governor as havin& Wetted the con-
fidence of the court,

t. I -I'l