The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-31 00:00:00

MURDER OF AN OFFICER AT DEAL.

The inhabitanfa of Deal and Walmer were thrown
nto a state of great excitement on Sunday morn-
ing by the intelligence that an officer belonging to
the 44th Regiment, stationed at Walmer, had: been
found dead on the beach between Walmer and
Deal, and that it was supposed he had been mur-
dered. Upon inquiry thestory turned out to be too
true, and within a few hours after the discovery of
the body the murderer was apprehended. The
facts of the case are as follow:—Lieut. Edward
M'Carroll, of the 44th Foot, s..young gentleman of
about 20 years of age, who bore the character of
being a very quiet young man, managed on Satur-
day to get mixed up in the excitement of the elec-
tion contest for Deal and Sandwich. At about one
o'clock on Sunday morning he accosted a coast-
gu-ird man in Deal, whom. Le asked to have some
grog, and he said he had• lost 51. at the election.
He asked if there was a public-house open ; the
coast-guard directed. him to one opposite. The de-
ceaseif, who was a little " fresh," knocked at the
door with his stick, and asked for a glass of grog
" on tic." This the landlady, Mrs. Baker, refused,
and told Mr. M'Carroll •to go' about his business,
but he put his stick betwef n the door for the pur-
pose of keeping it open; ultimately he walked away
in the direction of Walmer. All thisthe coast-guard
witnessed from the opposite side of the way. A
few minutes after Baker, the landlord, came out of
the house without his coat, and proceeded in the,
same direction. It appears that his wife had lold
him that the officer put his stick in her mouth, and
had nearly pulled her tongue out. Baker, who was
in liquor, and who is a very violent man, said he
would serve him out. He went out, but returned
in a few minutes for his coat, and some men who
were in the bar said, "Take the poker." He took
up a short poker from the fire place, which he put
half into his pocket. He then went out again, and
asked the coast-guard which way the gentleman had
gone, and being told, went in pursuit of him. The
scuffle that ensued was not witnessed, but it is pre-
sumed that the officer must have run away from his
assailant down one of the streets leading to the
beach, where he was found lying at 5 o'clock by
another coarst guard, with an incised wound of
about three inches behind the left ear, from which
an immense quantity of blood had flowed. He was
then insensible, but was breathing, when he was re-
moved to his quarters, and died in about an hour
from the great loss of blood. He was quite uncon-
scious up to the moment of his death. Baker re-
turned to his house in about an hour, when he said
to the coast-guard, " I caught him, and I gave it
him with somethiug I had in my pocket." Th.
coast-guard asked where he had left him, and Baker
said, "On the beach." Baker was apprehended on
Sunday,. when he admitted having struck the de-
ceased with a hobbing stick. He was taken before
a full bench of magistrates on Monday, and the
above facts having been given in evidence, the pri-
x iner, who appeared quite calm, was remanded
till Tuesday. An inquest was held on the body
this afternoon, but was adjourned that a post
mortem examination might be mad.l. The melan-
choly affair has cast quite a gloom over the town.