The Sun.
London, England, 1845-01-31 00:00:00

THE BETHNAL-GREEN MURDER,
INQUEST ON EMMA WHITER.: _
Last evening Mr. Baker resumed, at the Lethdou
Hospital, the inquiry touching the death of gum*
Whiter.
Police-sergeant Backhnuse, 37 K, gave evidence
precisely similar -to that reported in our impresaion
cf Wednesday. Ile produced the pistol (Sr •large
locket on:!) found near the spot in King4reeti_
-
Bethnal-green, where deceased was found dead.' He! d
had since made inquiries about the pistol, and found
that it had been repaired by a man named Thomas
Perkins, who gave witness the bullet now produced.
Police-sergeant Shaw, 2 K, said after James Tap-
ping was apprehended and brought to the Stepney
police-station, I said to him I intend to ask you some,
questions, but you need not answer them unless you
like. The prisoner replied, " Then Ido not feel in
clined to answer any questions." I said, I do not
mind your intention, I'll put some questions to you
notwithstanding, but you are not obliged to answer
them. I asked, were you in the deceased girl's com-
pany last ni...sht ? He answered, " Yes, I was all the
evening. I scent it with her at her brother's, a
beer-shop, in Briek-lane." I again said, I have
more questions to ask you. He replied, " I
have nothing to fear ; I'll answer any ques-
tion you like." I said, of course an innocent man
need not b 2 afrsid of anything. He responded, " I
am innocent." I then asked him if he had Leen keep-
ing company with the girl. He answered, "Yes, for
o years. I rejo!ned, you say you have bee:: spend-
ing the evening together, have you had during that
time any quarrel ? He said, "No, nothing more than
usual has happened between us." The prisoner then
went on to say that deceased called on him the pre •
vious evening, that he accompanied her to her
brother's, and afterwards walked home with her as
far as the corner of Maid-street. They shook hands,
he said, and agreed to meet again on Thursday (last)
night. I showed him :.pots of recent blood on his
apron, and he said he supposed they must have been
caused by a cut he had in the hollow of his right-
hand, between his thumb and forefinger. I looked
at the cut and it did not appear a recent one. I exa •
mined his pockets, and found no traces of gunpowder.
When I read the charge to him irentioning the death
of deceased by a pistol shot, he said, "I never kad
any pistol, I never saw any pistol."
William Slater, of 4, South Conduit-street, Bethnal-
green, whose house is situated at about thirty-six
yards from the spot at which deceased's body was
found, saw her pass his door laughing and chatting
with the prisoner, Tapping, who had his right arm
round her neck, and about seven or eight minutes
after he heard the near repart of a gun or pistol. He
looked through his bedroom window and saw nobody.
All this occurred about half-past twelve o'clock on
Tuesday morning.
Thomas Whiter, a brother of the deceased, said he
heard of the murder about the hour just named; that
he went immediately to the hospital and there saw
the dead body of his sister ; that he told the police he
suspected Tapping of being the murderer, on account
of his bad character, and the witness said it was
doubtful whether his sister kept company occasionally
with Tapping through fear or love. She carried on
no correspondence with any other person.
Thomas Whiter, a very respectable-looking man
and father of deceased, said that about two o'clock on
Tuesday morning a man named Richard Buan came'
and knocked at his door, and asked if he had a daugh-
ter from home, and whether he knew a man named
James Tapping. Witness answered both questions
in the affirmative, and then the man Bunn said, Tap-
ping is at home raving about the house, exclaiming,
"I have done it ; I have done it !" The witness then
repeated evidence about going to Tapping's lodgings
and giving information to the police, which caused
the latter to apprehend him. When this witness asked
Tapping whether he had seen his daughter Emma on
the previous night, Tapping said he had not, but on
his being pressed he said, with a forced smile, that he
had pissed all the evening with her, and left her iu
good health.
By the Coacesea—My daughter was of sound in-
tellect, and I do not think she ever had a pistol in her
possession. I have not the least possible suspicion
that she destroyed herself.
Richard Bunn, a weighing machine maker, said—l
•was at the Rising Sun public-house, Sale-street,
Bethnal-green, between one and two o'clock on Tues-
day morning, when James Tapping, the prisoner,
came in and seated himself on a table, and said to a
brother of his, Henry 'rapping, who was standing in
the tap-room, " The deed is done, and it cannot be
undone." The public-house being about to be cleared,
the prisoner left, and I followed him to the corner of
the court in which he lived, saying, "James, what is
the matter with you ?" He exclaimed, " What is the
matter, indeed ! Ah, the stars look bright and the
moon shines clear." I said, " Jem, will you come
with me ?" He answered, "No, why should Igo
with you ?" lat last persuaded him to come away
from the court, and as he was doing so he said to a
man named Thomas Capes, who was with him by the
court, " Thomas Capes, you have been the whole of
this destruction, and I never want to speak to you
again." The prisoner then asked him to go as far as
the Salmon and Ball to see if he could get anything
to drink. We went. I knocked at the door of that
public-house, but found it closed. Tapping was
quite sober at the time. We then turned back to-
ward my house in White-street, and I asked Tap-
ping to come in and have some supper. He said,
"Why should I ? I will go home and see the chil-
dren," meaning his young orphan sisters, whom he
supported. Tapping then went home, and I went
to Capes' house, and got from him the address of
deceased's parents. I proceeded to their house, and
gave the last witness the information he mentioned. -
By the CORONER—I declare solemnly that when I
went to give Mr. Whiter the information about Tap.
ping, I did not know positively that deceased wale
dead. I have now stated all that passed between me
and James Topping, to the best of my recollection.
Mr. rrispin said he was also in the tap-room of the
Rising Sun when Tapping came in. He appeared
very much excited and agitated, and said, "It was
done, and could not be undone," adding "it will be
a mystery to you all." Tapping's sister, a young
woman, came to inquire for him, and he went out to
her to the bar, and when she saw him she fainted,
falling into his arms. On Saturday last the witness
saw a pistol, very like the one produced, in the hands
of Tapping at the Rising Sun.
By the CORONER—On Tuesday morning, when
Tapping came into the Rising Sun, I saw blood of
his apron. His right hand was bleeding, and be wiped
it on his apron. Some one in the room made some
observation upon which Henry Tapping ran up to
his brother James Tapping, the prisoner, palled open
his jacket, and thrust his hand into its inside pocket.
On this, James Tapping said, laughing, "Al 'tis
gone." _ _ _

- Mr. Whiter, the father of the deceased, told the
Coroner that two of Tapping's brothers had called on
him requesting him to endeavour to have the prisoner
brought before the Coroner, as he (the prisoner) had
a statement to make, and wished to see the body of
deceased.

Thomas Perkins, gun-maker, of Sale-street, Beth-
nal-green, proved having repaired on Saturday last,
for James Tapping, the pistol produced, and which
was found close to deceased's body. Witness also
gave Tapping four leaden bullets, which he said he
wanted for a shooting match with Dick Bunn (a wit-
ness examined).
Two bullets were here produced that had been ex-
tracted by Mr. Cummings, house surgeon, from de-
ceased's head, and they exactly fitted a mould in
which Perkins had cast the four bullets he gate to
James Tapping.
Perkins, in answer to the Coroner, said he had no
doubt that the twa bullets produced were given by
him to Tapping.
At eleven o'clock, after an inquiry of nearly six
hours, the case was adjourned till Monday next.

INGENIOUS ROBBERIES.—(From a Correspondent.)
—About a fortnight ago a lad came with a message .or
the nunemaid, requesting her to send a certain shawl
she had back by the bearer, who stated he was sent by
her mother for the shawl, naming her address. She did
not give it to him, but said she would see her mother
about it. Shortly afterwards the boy came back, and
said her mother could not wait, but she must send it, as
she was in a hurry. It was not delivered, and the girl
found, on making inquiry, that it was merely an imp-
dent attempt at robbery. On Thursday afternoon a si-
milar circumstance occurred, when, after delivering the
article to the boy, I detained him, and sent for a police-
man. When the policeman arrived the boy began to
ctir?.(;, andoth
other
said
boyshe hadwh nothingo
were
waitingto NNiinthaitn,
e rin
and
ig hbnouamecig
street, who had sent him. One of them was taken, when
the former began to accuse the latter
and his comrade,
and
" Yes, Sir, they attempted to get a shawl in
tlie same way here a little time ag‘i
to the station house in Bl kho!
s.'e:coTurhte,yEwleeerte.strocet.n
ac
where, shortly, the third lad, having been captured, was
also brought. The nursemaid and the shopwan, who
had witnessed both transactions, attended to charge them
with " conspiring to commit a robbery," intending to
pursue the charge at Guildhall to-day. The inspeoto4
however, after hearing the case, said, " the charge was
not strong enough !" and hereupon dismissed the young
street prowlers. On my sending word to him that he
had no right to dismiss the case, ho replied, " Ile had
use his own discretion : I might tell who I liked."
DEATH OF A DRUNKEN DWARF.—OH ThUFSCIIII
Mr. ilaker held an inquest at the Royal Crow(n, Rat-
elitfe-highway, on the body of John Cogger], aged fifty-
five, a dwarf, and inmate of St. George's-in-the-East
workhouse. Deceased was only forty-four inches high,
and formerly used to be exhibited at fairs, &c., through
the country. Smaller competitors rendered Lim no at-
tractive curiosity, and for years he had been an inmate
of the above workhouse. Whenever he left it for a holi-
day he was sure to return intoxicated. He went out
on Sunday last, and returned in the evening extrstn44,
drunk. About four o'clock next morning he comply4p4
of internal pain, was promptly attended to by 111116-
death, accelerated by excessive drinking."
allnr(illsodnieitiheonwoUrk'uheosdusaeysurge°n'but he gradually sank,
morning. Verdict, " Natural