The Sun.
London, England, 1826-10-11 00:00:00

MURDER.

On Friday an inquest was held at Birmingham on the
body, of a woman of the name of Timpson.
The Jury were summoned to the Woolpack Inn, Moor-
street, at three o'clock in the afternoon. About half-
past 3, the Coroner attended, and after the Jury had been
sworn, they proceeded to the house of William Timpson,
Busby's-court, Park-street, to view the body.
On returning to the Woolpack, the first witness exa-
mined was. _

......
Gideon Taylor, who said—l am a police-officer of Bir-
mingham, and during the last week I have resided at the
prison in Moot-street. Yesterday afternoon, about three
o'clock, the prisoner came into the room of the prison
called the chair-room. He said, " I am your prisoner."
I said, " What for ?" He said," For murder." I asked
him whom be had murdered ? said; his wife.. I
asked him how he murdered her? He said, ho had
cut her throat. I, asked what he had cut it with ?
He said, " A case-knife." I asked him where the knife
was, and searched him. I found no knife. He said," It
was in the house." His right hand was very bloody,
higher than the wrist two inches or more. Spots of blood
were on his left hand, and ,on the bosom of his shirt. The
shirt helms now on is not the same he then wore. [The
shirt was here produced, and appeared spotted with
blood.] He said he lis/ed at No. 1, Park-street. I went
to No. 1; it proved to be a lodging-house, and not the
right house. I had locked him up with the other prisoners.
I returned, and inquired again where he lived. He then
gave his right address, " No. ‘l, Busby's-court, Pack-
street. " He said the key was in the door. He said the
neighbours knew nothing of the matter. I went again
with George Benbow and James Smith to No. 1, Busby's-
court ; found the door latched, but no thumb-piece to lift
the latch, so I burst the door open with my knee.
Here the Coroner was informed that a person was
taking notes. He immediately said he could not permit
notes to be taken.

Reporter.—Mr. Coroner, I am here peaceably sitting.a
spectator of the proceedings of the Court ; I will not, in
the slightest degree, interfere to disturb these proceedings,
and I hope my private actions will not be made the matter
of public inquiry. If I do" any thing illegal, lam respon-
sible for my conduct. The Government papers give the
most ample, details of these inquiries; and I hope in the
country we may enjoy the same liberty.
Coroner.—The Judges have solemnly declared that it is
a misdemeanour to report these proceedings.
Here the Headborough said he should turn me out if I
persisted. The Coroner, however, said he had no right
to order me to be turned out; but he should think it very
disrespectful, after he had expressed his opinion on the
subject, if I proceeded to take notes. I said I was de-
sirous to pay every respect to the Cdroner. I was main-
taining a point of principle, but certainly was very desirous
to avoid any breach of politeness. The inquiry then pro-
ceeded.

Taylor.—The wife lay before me as I entered the house.
Her head was towards the fire-place, one knee rather bent,
and the other straight. She was bleeding profusely from the
neck, in which there was a wound as broad as my hand.
She rattled a little in the throat. She was not quite dead.
Blood lay on each side of the shoulders, and on the holes
of the broken floor. A knife lay by her side, which Ben-
bow picked up. (The knife was produced, which the Co-
roner said was a small dessert knife). The knife lay on
her left side, close by her. There lay a bonnet on the
right side of her, with some spots of blood on it, and the
crown knocked in, as with a blow.
Taylor further stated, that he asked the prisoner this
morning whether he had buttoned the collar of his wife's
gown after he had cut her throat; he said he had not
touched her after he had cut her throat. He had known
the prisoner for several years, who had been tried, if not
convicted; of a felony, •He had seen, but did not know,
the prisoner's wife.
The Coroner here asked the prisoner whether he had

, -
any question to put to tne witness.
tie said very calmly—" I have not. I told him what
he has said nearly. He might misunderstand me."
George Benbow was then examined.—l went to the
house of prisoner with the bust witness ; Taylor broke
open the door ; I saw before me a woman lying on her
back, about two feet from the tire-place : her throat was
cut, and she was bleeding very much, and a great deal of
blood was lying near her; I felt her pulse; it beat gently;
she was not quite dead; she died directly ; I saw a cut on
her left arm, about the middle, inside, in a sloping direc-
tion; there was a large bruise on the left hand; the right
arm was across the body, and the knife lay. on the left side
near the body, and left arm lay along the left side; the
knife was about three or four inches from the body ; I
picked up the knife, and gave it to Taylor; I examined
the houie after Taylor was gone; 'I went up stairs, and
found things in disorder. (The prisoner here said his wife
had been sweeping the room, and had put' the things on
the bed while she did so.)
licnbow.—Taylor moved the body' about two feet out
of the blood.
Prisoner.—l have no question to ask of the witness.
•
James Smith examined.—l live at the Tamworth Arms,
Moor-street; I accompanied Taylor and Benbow to the
house of the prisoner; I saw Taylor burst open the door,
and saw the body of the murdered woman lying about
half a yard from the fender. The throat was cut, and the
blood was running towards the fender_; she was quite
.dead. Some women put a glass before the face to ascer-
tain whether she breathed. The erown of the head ap-
peared as if it had had some severe blows; her right hand
was not across the body; the legs were not tied, as they

now are.

Mr. George Redfern examined—l am the keeper of the
prison in Birmingham. On returning from the Oratorio,
I called rip Timpsom, and said, this_ is u bad job. He
said it -was, I asked him what was his reason for commit-
ting such an act—was it jealousy ? he said no. I asked
him if he and his wife quarrelled; he said sometimes.
Had you any words that day ? He said they had.
The Coroner here said, the prisoner was at liberty to
say what he pleased ; but informed him that, if necessary,
his declaration would be brought against him on his trial.
PriSoner—l have nothing to say. lam guilty of what
has been said. I did the crime ,"
and I wish to suffer for it.
The jury returned a verdict of" 'Wilful Murder" against
the prisoner, William Timpson, who, after a very proper
admonition from the Coroner, was committed to Warwick
Goal, to take his trial for the offence.

A marvellous story, of which the following' is the
substance, appeared in the Journal de Dunkerque of
Tuesday.last ;--A young female in the 'Commune of
Gremien having acquired an extraordinary rotundity
of person, was taxed by her friends with being en-
ciente ; which the poor girl, although sensible of her
apparent situation, declared her utter unconsciousness
of its being possible ; yet it was not until the expira-
tion of nine months, when the matrons began to waver
in their opinions, that any belief was placed in her as-
sertions of conscious purity : for 1.5 months longsrshe
continued to be incommoded by this strange burthen,
when her pain becoming, so great, medical assistance
was called , in ; who seeing no prospect of relief by
natural means, a species of Caesarian operation was
performed, when, to the astonishment of the doctors
and gossips of the Commune, she was delivered of a,
large :living Serpent, weighing, fifteen pounds I—This
monster, it is concluded, must have been taken into
the stomach of the poor girl in some liquid when too
small to be perceived.— The same paper, quoting Le
Medical Annals, this
gr eventa
vi s not u
ly
adas, .tlptaraalleyleoduniigi
(Nloceut4otrriisenaibosauytB; " 0
publish a large hook on the affinity'
that exists between woman and the serpent, which be
undertakes to trace from the creation .of the world ! 1,1
—.Civic Ports Herald.