The Sun.
London, England, 1832-12-18 00:00:00

MURDER.

Yesterday, at 1 o'clock, an inquest was held at the Blue
Last, Compton-street, Goswell-street, before Mr. Stirling,
nn the body of Mr. Henry Camp Shepherd, head clerk of
the firm of Messrs. Williams and Sons, soap-makers, of
Compton-street. The crime was perpetrated in the count.
ing-house between the hours of 9 and 11 o'clock on Sa-
turday night. The greatest excitement has been caused in
the neighbourhood.
Wm. Smith, surgeon, examined—Lives at 79, OM-
well-street ; had very little to say, merely knew the
deceased, and was sent for at 8 o'clock on Sunday morning
last; received a message from his sister to go over to Mr.
Williams's as soon as possible, for that he or one of his clerks
was very ill, and they knew not whether he was dying or
not ; he instantly went over, and found the deceased exactly
in the position the Jury now found him ; observing the
deceased lying on his left side and much blood on the floor„
he imagined there was some injury on that side of his head ;
on elevating the body, and on turning it a little over
on the right side, he discovered an extensive fracture of
the skull ; he was quite dead, and mii.t have been so for
several hours ; had no doubt but the wound was the
cause of his death, and that the wound was apparently
inflicted with a blunt instrument; he would observe, that
it did not occur to him at first that the man was mur-
dered, nor did it appear to be the impression elf three of
the men present when he first saw the body ; they endea_
voured to account for his death by saying that be had
been standing upon a chair, and had fallen backward end
struck his head against the small lock of the iron safe ;
this was not his real opinion ; a poker, with which the
injury was inflicted, was not discovered until after he left ;
it was his opinion that the poker was the weapon used ;
it bad a sharpish edge, and would icflict a similar
wound; he took out a triangular portion of the cranium.
(Here the poker was produced, and one of the sharp edges
had hair upon it, though it had been since put in the fire.)
Dennis Finn examined—Lived in William-court, Se..
ward-street; be is a labourer, and saw the deceased about
9 o'clock on Saturday ; deceased was a clerk, because he
paid him his wages in the counting-house of Mr. Williams ;
on Saturday he paid him 18s. at 7 seven o'clock, hut he
crime back a little after 9 to get a half-sovereign ex.
changed, which a grocer had refused as being bad ; saw
him no longer; no angry words passed between them ;
all the men had left, and be saw nobody with deceased ;
he had worked off and on the premises since 1814 ; he
could not say whether the deceased locked the gate
after he left him; he was with the deceased about five
minutes ; there was no difficulty in exchanging the half-
sovereign ; deceased was in good health, and he thought him
sober, and in complete possession of his faculties; deceased
put the bad half sovereign, he thought, in his right hand
breeches pocket; the grocer he first went to to change the
half sovereign lives at the corner of Buxton-street, and his
name is Mr. Frederick Cheney, and is Mr. Williams's
foreman besides ; he went back with the good half sove-
reign after 9 o'clock, and Mr. Cheney took it ; he could
not say whether deceased had his watch about him ; he
was present when the other men were paid, and nothing
unpleasant—no quarrel—took place, nor any stoppage of'
wages. No man was discharged on Saturday night ;
there was al strange man worked there on Saturday for
half a day ; he was occasionally employed ; he did not
see the half-day man paid ; probably he was paid fir.t.
He heard none of the men complain in the course of the
last week ; he had no suspicion of any body. There was
a man discharged, two or three years ago, but be had not
seen him since ; he was certain he did not see that person
on Saturday night—indeed, if he had, he should not have
recognised him. He did not hear of deceased's death until
12 o'clock on Sunday; he was told of it by the policemen,
who came to examine him. The dress he wore now was
the same lie wore on Saturday night.
William Miller, a boy employed in the office, saw de_
ceased alive on Saturday night, about eight o'clock ; de..
ceased was then alone ; one or two persons might be about
the premises ; the two carmen were in the stables, though
he did not see them ; he knew they were, by having
heard them come in and go out ; he sate nobody lurking
about, and could not account for the accident ; on Sunday
morning he saw the body, about a quarter past eight.
James Frederick Cheney saw the deceased alive for the
last time on Saturday evening, about eight o'clock, whose
character was uniformly kind, and who generally left the
countingshouse about ten o'clock ; on Saturdays, having
to make up his accounts, ho remained sometimes until 11.
•Richard Cheney, brother of the former, and employed
on Mr. Williamts premises exunined--A father and son
used to call upon deceased ; the latter called about three
weeks ago, at eleven o'clock at night ; he saw deceased,
and was told not to call again until he had paid the money
deceased had lent him;
this yang man was a bad cha-
racter, and was discharged for forging tickets of the esta-
blishment for three or four shillings; he could not say
whether this young man, whose name was Samuel New-
land,bor but powerful young man ; the dog knew him, and
would not bark at him ; this young man had an aunt that
used to keep a publio.house in Jewyn.street ; on Friday
night another young man of respectable appearance supped
with deceased in the counting-house.
The Jury, without hesitation, returned a verdict of
ta Wilful Murder against someper ou or persons unknown."
Two or three persons have been apprehended, and the
was seen about the premises on Saturday ; he was a
officers, who are making the most active searches, feel cow-,
fldeut that the guilty will soon rte found out.