The Sun.
London, England, 1844-10-16 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Yesterday afternoon an investigation took placc
before Mr. Higgs, at the Pine Apple Tavern, in Hun-
gerford-street, Hungerford- market, relative to the
death of a man, name unknown, and who is strongly
suspected to have been murdered. The case excited
a very strong senstation in the neighbourhood, and
the inquest-room was crowded to excess.
M. J. IV, Monks, of the Rose and Crown, Shad-
Thames, deposed that he had seen the body of the
deceased, and could positively identify it as being
that of a man he well knew by sight, but whose name
he could not recollect. He was, witness believed, the
master of a schooner commonly called a " billy-boy,"
latterly employed in bringing stone from Yorkshire
to the New Houses of Parliament.
Richard Penin, aged ten years, the son of a water-
man plying at Hungerford stairs, deposel that, on
Sunday morning, he was in a boat on the river, with
another boy, near to Hungerford, and while rowing
between the Duke of Buccleuch's and Whitehall-
stairs he saw the body of the deceased floating on the
water, face downwards. Witness fastened a rope
round the body and towed it ashore. The deceased
had on a blue cloth jacket, such as is worn by sea-
faring men, a black cloth waistcoat, brown woollen
trousers, of railroad pattern, worsted stockings, Wel-
lington boots, newly fronted, a flannel waistcoat next
his skin, and astripe€l cotton shirt over it, with India-
rubber braces; he also wore a truss.
Mr. Joha Nathan Bainbridge, of No. 86, St. Mar-
tin's-lane, surgeon, stated that he saw the body of the
deceased at St. :Martin's workhouse ; it was that of a
well-formed man, about five feet five or six inches in
height, with light sandy hair, without whiskers ; the
forehead was slightly bald ; there was discolouration
of portions of the body, arising from putrefaction
having commenced. There were five punctured
wounds about the trunk, four near the pit of the
stomach, and one about two inches and a
half lower down, towards the right side. The
four wounds were about an inch apart from
each other. There were openings in the flannel-waist-
coat and the shirt corresponding with the punctures.
One of the wounds was four inches in depth. Wit-
ness opened the body yesterday. He should think
that the deceased had been dead a fortnight. The
wounds penetrated the cavity of the abdomen. The
two upper ones were close against the lower end of
the breast bone. The liver was wounded and the
stomach perforated. None of the intestines were
wounded The punctures must have been inflic..ed
with a snarp pointed cutting instrument, such as a
clamp knife. Witness was GE opinion that the deceased
could not have inflicted the wounds on hitnsef. Each
of them was likely to pro lute instantaneous death.
Inspector Lewis, of the Tha,,c,c;.rydiee, that he
had made every inquiry between Richmond aud
Chilton, hut could not hear of any person hIiSA eriflL;
the description. of the deceased being missing.
Several of the jurors expressed a wish that the in-
quiry should be adjourned, in order to trace out the
relatives of the deceased.
The inquest was accordingly adjourned until Tues-
day next.

The well-known Dr. Lardner is entertaining the
citizens of New York with his " Personal liecoliections
of London and Paris." The NPtv York Herold re-
marks:—" The opportunities which Dr. Lardner enjoyed
for so many years of observing society in theNe capi:als,
and the advantages he derived from nis acquaintance
with almost all the characters of our own times, distin-
guished in politics, literature, science, art, and fashion,
will afford rich materials for amusing. narrative. Among
those of whom notices and anecdotes will he given, are
ILord Brougham, Bulwer, Sir Walter Scott, Guizot,
D'ltiraeli, Mans, and ether ' notabilities. ",