The Sun.
London, England, 1861-07-09 00:00:00

THE KIN GS WV OOD MURDER.

REIGATE, JULY 8.
This being the day appointed for the examination
of the German apprehended in London on suspicion
of being implicated in this murder, the Town-hall
was crowded soon after the opening of the doors
with an anxious audience.

Mr. J. C. Sherrard occupied the chair, and among
the magistrates present were Mr. Alcock, M.P.,
Mr. W. Street, Mr. J. Hackblock, Mr: W. Phillips,
and Mr. J. Cattley.
The prisoner was brought up at half-past twelve
o'clock in custody of Superintendent Coward, of the
Surrey Constabulary. He has a mild cast of counte-
nance, his features being of the ordinary German
type. His figure is slight and lithe ; he is about 5
feet 5 inches in height, has very trifling indications
of a light downy beard, and appears to be little
more than 20 years of age. His demeanour was
calm.

Mr. C. J. Grece, solicitor, of Redhill, was sworn
interpreter, and Professor Alsacer, of Aldershott
and Guildford, moved by feelings of sympathy for
a foreigner in distress, attended and watched the
case in the interests of the prisoner; he had, as
before, no counsel.
Prior to taking any evidence,
Inspector Whicher, of the London detectives,
stated that he had just received a telegram from
the Foreign-office, informing him that no reply
had been received' from Dresden to the inquiries
sent there.

The whole of the evidence taken upon the pre•
vious examination having been read over,

James Bashford, the parish constable of Chip-
stead, was called, and further examined. He swore
positively to having seen the prisoner and another
German, who spoke tolerable English, at the
Cricketers Inn, on the day of the murder. The
other man was dark haired and fresh complexioned,
and very youthful in appearance. He did not look
above 20, and was very short—little over 5 feet
high.
Prisoner being asked the usual questions, replied,
in German, that he did not know the person whom
the witness had described, and had no questions to
put to him.
Superintendent Coward, being next examined,
stated, in continuation of his former evidence,—On
Thursday, the 13th of June, I visited the room
where the murder was committed, in company with
constable King, when a German book (produced)
was picked up in my presence. It bears the name
of " Johann Carl Franz, of Shandau." I also
found two other papers written in the German lan-
guage, which I produce. The two pieces of string,
or " lay cord," produced are those with which the
feet and hands of the deceased were tied.
The prisoner, on the evidence being interpreted
to him, said,—l have no question to ask the wit-
ness ; but I believe that the magistrates here will
find no trace whereby to suspect me.
Mrs. Mary Pither, wife of Thomas Pither, brush-
maker, &c., of High-street, Reigate, deposed as fol-
lows :—I recollect Monday, the 10th of June last,
and remember two men coming to my shop between
2 and 4 on that day to purchase a ball of string.
One man was rather tall, fair, and thin ; and the
other a dark man, and shorter, but I did not notice
him so mach. The shorter man spoke to me. He
asked me for some packing string. I showed him
a rope at ld. a yard. I next showed him a remnant
of rope ; but he asked for smaller string than that,
and I showed him a bunch containing a number of
balls, from which he selected one. The short man
paid me 2d. for it. They then spoke together in a
language which I could not understand. To the
best of my belief, the prisoner is one of those men ;
but he looks thinner than when I saw him.
The Chairman—Was he the taller or the shorter
of the two ?
Witness—The taller, I believe ; but the other
man leaned on his elbow and perhaps looked shorter
than he was. The prisoner did not speak in the
English language in my presence. The string pro-
duced by the superintendent is the same kind of
string as that which I sold to the two men.
By the Chairman—lt is common string—such as
is frequently sold. The other man appeared to be
quite as young as the prisoner. We purchase our
string from Mr. Cramp, of Whitechapel.
The prisoner, on being asked whether he had any
question to ask, said—Let the witness look me fairly
in the face before she can say I am the man that
was in her shop.
Witness replied—His appearance and hair and
cap impress me more than his countenance.
The prisoner was ordered to put his cap on. He
did so, and looked the witness calmly full in the
face.
Witness than said his appearance altogether im-
presses me, but his countenance I cannot realise.
His voice to- day appears to me to be that of the
taller of the men who came into my shop on the
10th of June ; but I cannot speak positively as to
that.
Mary Elsey, a girl about 20 years of age, was
next called. She deposed that she was in the ser-
vice of the last witness, and she recollected two
foreigners going to the shop on
.the 10th of June,
to purchase a ball of string. She corroborated gene-
rally the evidence of the last witness, adding that
they remained about six minutes in the shop, and
that her attention was particularly directed to them
on account of their talking in a foreign language.
She looked at them during the whole of the time
that they were there.
By the Clerk—Have you seen either of them since?
Witness (promptly)—l have seen one of them at
Newgate since. He had his cap on then, and I
pointed him out of 12 or 14 others.
Prisoner was ordered to put his capon. He did
so, and witness at once said, "That is the man I
saw in the shop."
The prisoner both on this and on the previous
occasion put his cap on in a rather unusual way.
He was ordered to put it on in the ordinary way,
and, a constable having pressed it down, witness
rwe ap
sl
i eagaind at is one of the men
that came into the shop." Prisoner, who still main-
tained his calm demeanour, declined to ask the wit-
ness any questions.
Mr. R. Cramp, of 114, High•street,Whitechayel,
to my books, that in August last we had some
It was made
string made specially for Mr. Pether,
wholesalemr.
p et
h e sr, t
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ag
customerd eal e r, wasof next
mine. ca 1 ed.
find,H
by Joseph Dlninore, refe-
renceeonsaid—l
-
residing in
Back-road,
r isna
da
s h journeymanaaweu string-
maker, r g a
maker, repaid