The Sun.
London, England, 1845-04-03 00:00:00

noyances.

THIS DAY'S NEWS.

THE MURDER IN ST. GILES'S.

INQUEST ON THE BODY.—(THIS DAY.)
Mr. Wakley, the Coroner for Middlesex, having appointed
ten o'clock this morning for the holding of the inquest on the
body of the unfortunate woman, Mary Brothers, who was
so inhumanly murdered in a brothel, in George-street, St.
Giles's, on Monday night last, the jury summoned for the
occasion met at the Angel Inn, High-street, near St. Giles's
Church, and their names having been called over,
Mr. WAKLEY, before administering the oath, inquired if
any one were present who could identify the body ?

The husband of the murdered woman was introduced, and
to questions from the Coroner, said that he had seen the
body, which was that of his wife, Mary Brothers. He had
been married to her 15 years before, but after their separation
she had gone by another name—that of Ann Tape.
The jery (15 in number) were then sworn, and Mr. Rogers,
tobacconist, of High-street, Finsbury, was chosen foreman.
Mr. MILLS, the Deputy- Coroner, asked 11 arvey, the beadle,
if any one were present who had been with the woman at her
death ?—The beadle answered in the affirmative.
The CORONER then said that the jury had better go and see
the body. None but jurymen could then be admitted; but
if the gentlemen from the press desired it, they would be ed-
mitted afterwards.
Harvey—l have not the key of the house. I asked for it,
but it was refused me.
Inspector Rawley—l have got the key in my possession,
and 1 am ready to accompany the gentlemen of the jury to
the house in George-street.
The Coroner and jury then left to see the body.
After an absence of half an hour the Coroner and jurymen
re-entered the inquest-room.
Police-constable, William Willis, 64 E, examined—l am
employed at the George-street station-house, and while on
duty there as gaoler on Manday night, the 31st March,
a woman named Palmer came with police-con-
stable Allen and stated that a man had been
stabbing a woman, at No. 11, George-street. I then
was directed by my inspector to go to the house with them.
I did so, and there pry cured a candle, and saw three or four
women standing at the door of the room on the left side of
the passage. I went into that room, and saw the deceased
with her back against the fire-place, her head bent down ;
and I heard a gurgling noise in her throat. She was bleed-
ing greatly from the left side of her neck, and there was
much blood at her side. I raised her head, and saw a wound
above her left shoulder, and a knife sticking in it. I
desired constable Allen to pull it out, and he after-
wards went for the surgeon. Mr. Fitzgerald came
in less than ten minutes, but the woman was
quite dead. She did not speak or move from the time I
first saw her, and the gurgling in her throat ceased in about
tour minutes. I then locked the door. I did not see any
person in the house charged with having caused the death of
the woman. There. was another room adjoining that in
which I saw the woman, and on a bed there 1 saw marks of
blood. There was a window there with a saw in it. I sew
marks of blood on the wainscoting, as if the blood had spurted
there.
Mr. Mu:es—Have you got the knife? Witness—No, Sir;
constable Allen has.
Allen. the constable, produced the knife. It was a common
sized black handled table- knife, sharpened to a point, and
encrusted with blood.
Mr. Wseeies asked the witness why he had not himself
taken the knife from the wound. It was better, in these
cases, to limit the number of witnesses as much as possible.
The constable said—l was engaged at the time assisting
the woman. I have known the woman by sight, in the
street, for about three years. I believe I saw her about half-
past eight o'clock on the night of the murder. Ido not know
where she lived. There were three other women standing at
the door of the room, one of whom had a candle in her hand.
Mrs. Hall is the landlady of the house. The woman Palmer,
who came to the station-house, ie the servant, and, I believe,
lives in the house. (The station-house is within a minute's
walk of the house where the murder was committed.) Palmer
came to the station-house about ten minutes to eleven o'clock.
Mary Palmer, an old woman, was next examined. She
stated that she was a widow, and lived at 13, Church- street,
St. Giles's. I used to cell fruit for my living, but latterly I
have been employed to clean, and act in the capacity of a
servant, at Mrs. Hall's, 11, George-street. Mr. Hall is the
landlord ;he pays me my wages. I did not know the mur •
dered woman by the name of Mary Brothers, but by the
name of Mary 'tape. Tape is the name of a shoemaker wi h
whom she had lived. I du not know her ace. I was never
told it was forty-five. I saw her last alive about a quarter
to eleven o'clock on the night of Monday last. She came
to the parlour-door of the house and asked for a three-
penny room. A man was with her. I had never
seen him before, and I do not know his name.
I think I should know him again. I lit a candle and gave it
to the woman. The man did not speak. He gave me the
threepence. I did not see anything in his hand. I noticed
his dress. He wore a velveteen coat, which came down to
his knees, with pockets at the sides. It was of a very dark
colour by the candlelight. He had a sealskin cap on his
head, and wore light brown trousers. His coat was closely
buttoned. The woman said nothing more, and they went
into the room together. I should think the man was about
thirty years of age. He was very dark, with black hair, and
small dark whiskers. I did not notice the colour of his eyes.
He had a long pointed nose. Neither of them were drunk. I
sat down on the stairs, and in about five minutes after
: heard the woman cry " Murder." I went to the door of
the room, and she repeated the cry three times. I knocked
at the door, and asked what was the matter? I heard no
scuffling or noise. The man made no answer. The door was
bolted, and I could not get in. The room that they were in
was the middle room, where the bed was.
Mr. MILLS—Did you burst the door open ?—Tes.
31r. MlLLs—Which door was that?—The one that the
blood was in.
Mr. MILLS—When you burst open the door what did you
see ? When I burst open the door the woman was sitting on
the bed.
Mr. Mitt.s—What was the man doing?—He was standing
over her in this way—(The witness held up her hand
clenched behind her own neck)—and I thought he was hit-
ting her.
Mr. MILLS—Was his side or back towards you?—Hie side
was towards me, for he was facing the woman.
Mr. Aliens—Did you see him strike her ?—No ; his hand
was lifted up, and I said, " Don't you strike her no more."
With that he turned round.
Mr. MlLLs—Did you see anything in his hand at the time?
—No, Sir, nothing
Mr. Altus—Did ho let his hand fall? No, Sir, not then.
Mr. AlteLs—What did you say to him ?—I said, "You
have hit the woman enough, do not hit her any more."
Mr. MILLS—What did the man say then ?-1-le took his
hand away and ran out of the room.
Mr. Altus—Did be run past you ?—I caught him by the
coat, but he got away, and ran out immediately without say-
ing anything.
Mr. Miens—Did you see that he left anything behind
him ? Nothing but the knife. The woman got out of the
bed herself and came into the next room. She then gave a
bit of a stagger, and down she fell at the fire-place.
Mr. Aliees—Did you se say nothingood? ? Not
She was a word, Scovered
ir.
Mr. Alius—Did e any bl
with blood, and a pool of blood was beside her.
Mr. MILL s—Whet did you do then? I ran out to the
front door and said " Mistress, mistress, here is a woman
murdered." A policeman came into the house and pulled the
knife out.
Mr. Mu:Ls—Did you see the knife? Yes, I saw it in the
policeman's hand.
Mr. Mietes—Did you see it before? Yes, in the policeman's
hand in the room. The policeman said it was in five inches.
Mr. Mu:es—When did you see the woman before this day
for the first time ? I did not see her before she went to the
hospital, about two years ago.
Mr. Alms—When was she in the house before ? About
three weeks before, but not with the same man. I never
saw the same man before.
Mr. Mlles—What was he like ? He was about the middle
size, dark, and he walked pretty straight.
Mr. Altus—Do you believe that was the man that stabbed
the woman? He was the only one that went in with her.
The Foreman—When they came in and paid you the three-
pence, was there any person in the passage ? No, trot one, sir.
Mr. MILT e--- Have you heard any one say that they know
the man ? Yes, two women, who said that they knew him.
A Jerror—llow long were they in the room together.
About seven minutes altogether.
A Jul or—Did you see him after you got to the door? I saw
him turning the corner of Broad-street when I got to the door.
Mary Hall examined—I live at No. 11, George-street. My
husband's name is John. He is a leather-dresser, and rents
the house from Mr. Grout. Ido not know what Mr. Grout
is, or where he lives. He lives somewhere in the country. He
comes for his rent every week. Ido not know what rent my
husband pays. The furniture belongs to Mr. Grout. I was
in the house when the man and woman came, but I did not
see them there. Palmer gave me the 3d., but she said no-
thing to me. They came in about ten minutes to eleven, and
in about seven minutes I heard Palmer cry that a woman
was murdered, and I ran for assistance. The man ran
past me in the passage and pushed me aside. There was no
light there that I could see him by, for the light
was in the room: He said nothing when he ran
past 'nee and I did not know him at all. I knew
theL,woman well. She lodged with me about five or six
months, but I had not seen her since she left me, sometime
ago. Her sister used to come to see her while she was with
me. She did not live with any man while lodging with me,
neither did any man come to see her. She was a quiet,
sober woman. I never...saw her intoxicated. She never told
me that any one had threatened her life. I do not know
where she lodged after she left me. I do not suspect any
hold of his coat
one, nor from what I have since heard do I suspect any one,
except the person who was with her at my house. Ido not
know the man who is suspected of having murdered her.
I never saw him before the night in question. He rapidly
M . Altus said, that if they had
passed me in the passage, and pushed me aside. I caught
her,not neti either
eh himself
stated to them
velveteen.
The husband of the
Some of the •
JurY at the bottom of the table here put gene-
ral, which from the feel I should think was
question to put to
_erue tions to the witness, in a conversational tone.
Coroner
and could not be consi-
dered evidence. Was not taken down,
stehlef
time
thefthwoulddenrn do so. What she
Mrs. Hall was recalled, and stated that her husband was
and Hatfield
respectable-looking man, between forty and fifty years of
age, and was much affected. He stated that his name was
James Brothers, and that he as_ employed by Messrs. Tratt
edenceaseedmwnars tit. en called. He is a
capacityte
Mr. MlLLslvoit
of porter, and that. he resided with his two daugh-
ters,
~ at 8, George.
, upholsterers, 19,w Lower Brook-street, in the
ceased 's name was Mur '
been
Sly children en
arty,Ga' about forty-six. I have
separated from her 15 or 16 yearn. I am not quite certain
as to the ti
have nut seen her nier but I could
tell by the ar o
Mr. Minus nrodsvheenroarg-esquare. He said the de-
six months? exactly. Somewhere,
I believe, in this
hfir.iemen youst
shd_kei ndiol
aw3csi,
oteni,sng. wheret
heke
t on seohhnwee
her last?
months lived _ within,
perhaps
the last
neighbourhood
Mr. MlLts—How Witness—l
two
ve you
sister cam© and
been murdered.
years.
sn. have not seen or spoken to her or seven
wife? Wanes Her told me that She had
did you know the deceased was your
IffectlNedh,anbdodfears.
been sent for.
____o‘vvho;wkansowinitfhaenhyaohniteohfasdeeing her, and had
Mr. MiLts n threatened to do
her any injury?
Mr. MILLS—Ra Witness—No Sir, Ido not.
witness was much affected murdered her? le
,r itness—N -the least. I saw the
Witness—No not in
body on Tuesday—it is the yof my wife.—(Here the
any suspicion of the person who
He said his daughters,wo—that one was 19 - om he had brought up,
Mr. WAKLEY--. as 9 years of age and the other 21.
We will rolled down his face.)
had better retire. Thewit not ask you anything more.; you
Jane Crook, the sister of thee!s then left the room.
examined.—She said she was was the next wit-
nessdeceased, _
at 55, Seymour-street,
nevsas a married re-
sidedwoman, and
was my sister—the only one I had. The
Mary Brothers
was he last time I saw her
alive was on Saturday, at No. 2, Church-court, between five
and 04 o'clock, on my mum lama from market. MU is