Star.
London, England, 1820-02-25 00:00:00

CORONER'S INQUEST.

Yesterday an inquisition was taken at the Duke of
York, Queen-street, Edgeware-road, before THOMAS
STIRLING, Esq. Coroner for the County of Middle-
sex, on the body of Richard Smithers, who was killed
by Thistlewouds gang►, on Wednesday night. He
observed, that it was a matter of vast importance,
and would take up a great length of time; and al-
though he had not issued his warrant expressly fcr
the purpose of proceeding now with the case, at the ,

. .
Court was already assembled it would be advisable.
to hear whatever' evidence could be brought before
them. The Jury assented, and the immediatsly went
to view the !body, which was at the Horse and
'Groom, at the corner of John-street and Cato-street.
—They were sheWn hum a room on the first floor,
where the body was laid upon the back on the floor;
the upper part from the stomach was naked, with
the exception of being covered over with a sheet.—
The fatal wound appeared on the*right side of the
chest, within half an inch of the breast, directly op-
posite the heart. It appeared on the surface to be
about three-quarters of an inch long, and halt an
inch wide. There was an immense crowd around
the house during the whole day, and many Gentle-
men of respectability and rank came to view the pre-
mises where the murder was committed, which is
situated in the-corner of the gateway, on the south-
west end of Cato-street : it is a building two stories
high, and many of the panes of glass in the upper
story were broken by the firing. The lower part
was completely closed up, and a great quantity of
blood still remained in the street.

The Coroner and Jury having satisAed themselves
in examining the place, returned to the Jury-room,
at the Duke of York, in Queen-street, to hear the
evidence.

Pyall, the summoning officer in St. Mary-la-
bonne, said, he came just at the moment the de-
ceased fell ;, he saw him bleeding profusely, and he
expired instantly. He assisted in carrying him into
the Hotse and Groom, bat he had not seen him
struck ; the firing in the street was so rapid, that it
was dangerous for the inhabitants to go out;
.they
could only speak to the firing, and those who were
immediately upon the spot were not in attendance,
as he had no time to summon them.

The Coroner asked who the premises where the
murder was committed belonged to, or if the pro-
prietor was in attendance?
A Gentleman of the Jury said, they belonged to
General Watson, who is now abroad ; but lately.
tl:ey were in the occupation of a man who had for-
merly been his servant, and who has had the care of
his town-house since he left England.
firth, the person alluded to, is under examination.
lie says he let the premises to a Mr. Harris, a few
days ago.
Pyall said, the individual alluded to was a milk-
man, that he had them for a cow-house, and lately
let them to a man who had belonged to the Guards,
who was to use them for a horse and cart ; that the
conspirators had them only two days, and as far as
he could learn, no one knew they bad them at all,
till discovered accidentally, as they used the greatest
precaution.

The coroner asked in what manner they had been
discovered? A Gentleman present, who did not give
his name, said he was informed that one of them, he
understood named Davidson, of Radical-meeting no-
toriety, happened to come down about eight o'clock
on Wednesday night,'lor a light, when a cutlass was
observed suspended from a belt round his body, un-
derneath his top-coat, the point of which was ex-
ceedingly sharp, and it appeared to be fresh ground;
he had also a brace of pistols hanging from another
belt. Several others being observed under very sns-
Ticious circumstances, and all of them with arms
concealed *about their persons, created suspicion,
and information was sent to the Police, who arrived
in about an hour afterwards. No sooner had the
others heard them at the door, than a pistol was
fired out at the window ; at this moment the de-
ceased ascended the loft where they were assem-
bled, and was immediately stabbed, it is supposed
by a stick-sword, and he fell backwards, uttered a
groan, and instantly expired. The military came in
a few minutes, and ii was a matter of surprise how
the others escaped : as there is a range of houses at
the back of the premises, through which they must
have been admitted. If a few soldiers had been
planted on the roots of the houses, which could have
been easily effected, they must have been all taken.
The firing continued about half an hour, and it is
Suspected that many of those who escaped were
wounded, as tracks of blood were traced to a great
distance.

At this moment a Gentleman arrived in a chaise,
and stated that Thistlewood had been taken near
Finsbury-square, and conveyed to the'Secretary of
State's Office; he said he had remained there a few
minutes ; that during his stay he saw three others
brought in ; that the sentries were doubled, and the
greatest alarm prevailed in that part ; no less than
500 people were collected at Whitehall, and they
were increasing every minute.

The Coroner apologized to the Jury for the trou-
ble he had given them, and said, as no more evi-
dence was present, he must postpone the Inquest till
to-morrow evening, when the result of the examina-
tionrof those in custody shall be known.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

Five warrants were yesterday issued for the ap-.
prehension of persons said to be concerned in this
horrible business. One individual was apprehended
in the afternoon. He is a servant, of the name of
Simmons, living_ with a respectable family in Sey-
mour-street. He last night underwent an examina-
tion before the Secretary of State for the Home De-
partment, and another before the Magistrates at-Bow-,
street. He was ultimately committed to Tothill-fields
Prison.

Two other persons implicated in this transaction
are now in custody, who lived in some dirty conics
leading out of Baldwin's-gardens. Their names are
?add and Brunt, and both hive earned their liveli •
hood in the shoemaking trade. With respect to
Tadd the following particulars have been collected :
He is a man of the age of 49, and lived with his wife
and family in a small and miserable dwelling, situa-
ted in the Hole-in-the-Wall-passage, leading from
Baldwin's-gardens to Torrington-street.
His family consists of one daughter and two orphan
children, whom he had taken under his care. Tadd
has been esteemed- among his neighbours, and by
those who have employed him in his trade, as an in-
dustrious sober man, and an excellent workman. He
has earned by his own hands 40s. a-week, and very
often even a greater sum. During the whole course
of his life, he was never known to neglect his work,
or become inebriated ; but within the last week he
has ben in a drunken state, and his family have been
at a loss to account fur the extraordinary change in
his conduct. On Wednesday night, between the
hours of eight and nine, three men came to Tadd,

whileinsuch a state of drunkenness as scarcely to to
able to keep his legs, and forced him away, notwith-
standing the earnest entreaties and remonstrances of
his wife and family. - Nothing was said by the men
who took him away, a 3 to their object, either to the
wife or any One in the house ; and during the whole
night, and the greater part of the next day, they were
in total ignorance of the circumstances since disclosed,
and were at a loss to account for the absence of Tadd.
In the morning (Thursday) between seven and eight
o'clock, two men came to the house laden with a box
of a considerable size, and, putting it down on the
door, said, « they would call in a few minutes for it."
The men refused; to answer the interrogatories put
to them as to their object in leaving the box, and
only repeated that they would call in a short time,
and take it away. Very soon afterwards two more
men 'came with a large bundle of sticks, some of
them of the thickness of a man's wrist. These were
left in a similar manner, and the men also refused
to answer any questions, saying only that they would
call apin for them in a few minutes. Ten minutes
bad not elapsed before two police-oilicers entered the
house, and seized the box and the sticks. When the
box was opened, it was discovered to contain a great
number of rjke-heads, sharpened ready for use.—
Thtusticks we:e also seized, and carried away by the
officers. It now arpears that Tadd was taken by
the three men, whom we !lava described, to the
stable in Cato-street, svbere 112• was subsequently
.apprehended, and carried to Bow-street, tozether with
several others.

The next person suspected of being connected in
this transaction, who has been apprehended, is Brunt.
He is a shoecnaker, living in Fax-court, leading out
of Baldwia'slgardens. He was an excellent wolk-
knd could earn between forty and fifty shillings
a week. He was taken in bed early yesterday morning.
He was provided with a sword and brace of pistols,
in case cf need, but he did net. make use of them on
this occasion. One of the other prisoners taken on
Wednesday night, is Cooper, also 1 shoemaker) living
in Garden-court, Baldwin s-gardens.
The information respecting the conspiracy had
scarcely been made known in the Metropolis, whop
thousands of persons, of every rank in life, hastened
towards Cato-street, to take a view of the place where
this horrid crime had been committed. It would be
in vain to describe the anxiety akid feeling which
pervaded the countenance of every individual on the
spot; and it was with the greatest difficulty that the
constables and .police-officers could keep off the
crowd, who appeared resolutely determined on ex-
ploring this meeting-house of the Radicals. It is
the first building in Cato-street, a place inhabited by
the middling class of society. The lower part of it,
on the one side,. is a coach-house, and on the other a
cow-house, strewed over with bricks and rubbish ; and
in one corner of this stable, is a ladder which stands
quite aslant, and a rail attached to it, but-it is of so
narrow a description, that a lusty person would find
some difficulty in ascending it.
Over the stable is a loft, in a ruinous state, which
has a large box in it, and part of a broken form ;
contiguous to which are two small rooms, also empty.
The whole appearing truly desolate and wretched,
At the top of the loft is a window, from which the
rope ladder was suspended, and by which means
several of the Radicals escaped. A door thlt leads
into the yard, is also close to the ladder. Throuh-
out the whole of the day, several Members of Parlia-
ment, Justices of the Peace, &c. &c. were examining
every part of it.