The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-06 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

An inquest was held ye=terday at the Hare and Hounds Inn,
in the parish of Mickleham, in the county of Surrey, before a
respectable jury, touching the death of Frederick Rowland
Lynch. Alter the jury had been sworn, and charged by the
Coroner, they retired to view the body.
George Bundle, farmer's labourer of Mickleham said, on
Tuesday night last, about eleven o'clock, I teas at a fair at
Boxhill, and saw"the prishner Taylor close to the Military-road,
leading from the turnpike road to the top of the hill. Saw
the' prisoner coming down the hill, and Frederick Lynch
coming down the hill close behind the prisoner. Lynch said
to the prisoner " Are you not the man that challenged me out
to fight up in the booth t." I did not hear any reply made,
but Taylor immediately called out Stephens. George White
was with the prisoner when he called out Stephens. The
moment that Lynch spoke to the prisoner he (witness) saw
the prisoner put his right hand to his side about his trousers'
pocket, and pull out an instrument, and called out, " D—
your eyes, draw your knives you that's got any." ' Lynch
immediately said, " See where you have stabbed me ?" put-
ting hii hand to the left side of his body. Lynch and. Taylor
were close together. I saw the prisoner make two thrusts at
the. deceased, unaccompanied by any expression whatever.
White was on the ground when I saw, the thrust made at the
deceased. I don't know how he came there.' I suppose he
was knocked down by some one. I saw no blows struck; and
no scuffling before the deceased was stabbed. The police was
called, a policeman and a constable came to the spot, but the
prisoner had run off the hill before they arrived. The deceased
was then lying on the ground, and bleeding very much at his
side. I gave information to the police who had done it. I
did not see the prisoner again until he was brought back in cus-
tody of a constable. The deceased was brought to this house.
I saw two wounds on the left side of his body ; saw no other
injury on his person. These wounds were inflicted by Taylor.
White could not- have done it. There was no possibility of
any other person doing it. . It was a dull night, but I could
ree the instrument that Taylor held in his right hand shine
and glisten ;it 'seemed to be very small. He used the instru
many the same moment he called out to the others to use their
knives.' He made no reply when the deceased said he was
stabbed ; when Taylor . ran off I followed him as far as the
turnpike-road. I returned to seek for a constable. I did not
hear of any quarrelling or disputing between the two men at
any time during the afternoon. ' I never heard any challenge
given to fight by any person during the whole of the afternoon
and evening, until I heard deceased say to Taylor, as they were
coming down the hill, " If you are the man that challenged me
to fight, lam ready to fight you like a man." Not a blow
was struck by either of them, but Taylor stabbed the deceased
in an instant. -

. The witness was cross-examined by Mr. Smallpiece, of
Dorking, who attended on behalf of the prisoner, but no fact
of importance Was elieiteel.
George 'tidy, in the service of Mr. Miller, of Dorking, cor-
roborated the evidence of the two last witnesses in their
material points.
George White, carpenter, in the employ of Messrs. Cubitt,
said, after he had been at the fair about three hours, he and
the prisoner were coming down the hill on their way home, the
prisoner being a few yards in advance. When within about
100 yards of the bottom, his attention was attracted by a voice
calling out, " Here is some of them ;" he turned and saw ;from
10 to 20 men coming down the hill towards him and the pti-
toner ; he endeavoured to avoid them by giving them room to
pass. They were armed with sticks, and making a great
noise. He had no sooner turned round than he was knocked
down and beaten almost senseless. His hat was broken to
pieces. The witness said I did not see Taylor again until he
he was in custody, and I was then charged with murdering a
man and given into custody.
James Rice, constable of Mickleham—From information he
received he followed and overtook the prisoner, who was
walking steadily along the road, and took him into custody
upon, a charge of having stabbed a man. The prisoner ex-
claimed, " Good God, you strike me with terror !" He
searched his person and found a glazier's diamond, but no
knife of any description. He saw no marks of blood about him.
He searched the road and the hedges from the foot of Box-
hill to the spot where he overtook the prisoner, and did not find
any instrument whatever.
Mr. Thomas Napper, surgeon, of Dorking, was called to
attend upon .the deceased. He described the extent and nature
of the.vvounds with great minuteness • and said that death was
caused by a wound on the left side, below the ribs, of one inch
in width, and at least four inchesin depth, inflicted by a sharp
pointed two-edged instrument.
The CORONER summed up with great care and minuteness.
The, jury, after a short deliberation, returned a verdict of—
" Wilful murder" against F. ancis Taylor.
The prisoner was fully committed to take his trial at the
Kingston assizes.