Star.
London, England, 1818-12-16 00:00:00

MURDER NEAR UORNSEY.

CORONER'S INQUEST.
An Inquisition was taken yesterday afternoon, be-
fore THODIAS STIRLING, Esq. Coroner, at the Hem=
sey Wood House, on the body of .lehn Thomas Tay-
lor, a medical gentleman, who was stopped on
Thursday night last, on the iron bridge of the New
River, by some eiliains, and basely robbed, mur.
dered, and thrown rite the river.
The Jury being tmpannelled and sworn, took a
view of the body of the deceased ; there appeared
violent marks of strangulation about his neck, a knife
was in his waistcoat pocket and a gold ring upon his
finger, which the diabolical villains who murdered
him, in their hurry, did not take from him. The
following evidence was afterwards' taken
Mr. Thomas Thorpe, of Red Lion-street, Clerken-
I well, deposed as follows :—I was a particolar
of the deceased's ; he was at my house on Tuesday
last; he was then in good health and spirits. On,
the following Thursday I was at his house, and be
was then from home; his brother called on the fol-
lowing morning (Friday) upon me, and inquired if
I had seen or had any knowledge of where his bra.'
ther (the deceased) might be found, as he had not
been home since the preceding`morning. I informed
'him that I had not seen him since he called upon me
on Tuesday. The deceased's brother went from my
house to Mr. Norcutt, of Gray's Inn, arid made In-
quiry, and there learned nothing at all satisfactory
as to his brother's absence ; he afterwards weht with
Mr. Norcutt to Guy's and St. Thoinis's frospitid, to
make inquiries there alter the deceased, and was in-
formed that he had not been there since he was at
the Lectures on Wednesday. In the evening I went
to the house of the deceased, and remained there
with his friends, in anxious suspense, until eleven
o'clock ; the brother of the deceased, Mr. Norcutt,
Mr. Griffiths, and myself, determined upon proceed-
ing to Southgate ; we set off, and went to the Lower-
road, Islington, as far as Ball's Pond ; there we met
three of the,Bow-street patrole, and made inquiry i
they had heard any thing of a person being robbed
or murdered ; they informed us that they had just
returned from the Green Lanes, and that nothing of
the kind had occurred the night previons, or they'
must have heard of it; we then returned to Mr. Tay-
lor's house, in expectation and hopes that the de-
ceased might have arrived there, but upon our ar-
live' we found that he, had not ; between four and
five o'clock the same (Saturday) morning, Mr. Tey-
lor, the brother of the deceased, myself, and Mr.
Norcutt, resolved to go to Srtuhgate; upon our ar-
rival there, we found that the deceased had been at
the house of a friend, Mr. Pearce, and had taken tea,
on Thursday evening, and he left them between stx
and seven o'clock in excellent spirits; 'he said to Mrs.
Pearce that he had promised to meet a friend at the
Jolly Butchers, in the Green Lanes, at seven o'clocki
Mrs. Pearce invited him to sleep at her honseithai
night, as she considered the journey very lonely an 4
dangerous; be stated that he could not stay on any
account, as he had not )eft word at his house of •his
baying any intention of remaining from borne all
night. Mrs. Pearce being aware what uneasiness his
absence might occasion to his friends, did rot press
him further to stay, but advised hint not to fp home
through the Wood., He repjied to bet advice, ,that
he had always been accustomed to jgo that way, and
he was not afraid of being stopped by any, body,
that it was his nearest road to town. I end my
friends afterwards proceeded to the Jolly Butchers,
at Wood Green, from the house of Mrs. Pearce, and
ascertained of the landlady .that the deceased (Mr.
Taylor) was there on Thursday evening ; he arrived
there about seven o'clock, and took tea again at that
house, in the bar ; he made inquiries if any one was
there waiting for him ? He was informed that no
one had been there. He took a small quantity of
spirits and water, and waited for.the arrival of the
person whom be expected until' between ten and
eleven o'clock: he expressed great disappointment
that the person had not met him, and then left the
house, as he said, with the intention of proceeding
directly home. The landlady advised him to put the
chain of his watch out of sigh; which he immediately
did, and bade her good night.antiwent away. I and
my friends having gained the above information went
op the way which the deceased must have traVelled
towards his home, and made ftequent inquiries on
the road whether .such a person as the deceased
boat been seen or heard of, and if any robbery or
murder had been committed in that neighbourhood.
The first information we gaitted was, that cries of
murder had been heard near West Green on Thurs-
day night, and we were told if we would go to the
Black Boy, we might obtain more particulars upon
the subject. We proceeded there and found that
there had been an alarm in consequence of the cries
of murder, about ten o'clock on Thursday evening,
and that three men had entered into a house, with
,intention to rob it, but the family not being in bed,
'gave an alarm, and the robbers decamped, We then
returned towards the Tile Kilns iu the Green Lanes,
.e,rossed a field, and made for the wood; we traced
same footsteps at the foot of the briddge, for a hun-
leed yards, which the brother of the deceased said
were much like his brother's, whom we were in
,search of; at the centre of the bridge we last the
trace of the footsteps, and we suspected that belted
been murdered there and thrown into the river. Mr.
Tiylor's suspicions were particularly excited by the
marks of the. boots being straight. and not right and
left, as are more usually worn, because his unfortu-
nate brother had on when he left his home boots of
tints-description, We then Inquired at the Hornsey
Wood House and at the-Slttice House, if they had
any drags, or if they had dragged the river recently.
They informed us they had .no drags, nor .had the
river been dragged for a considerable time. We made
sce-eral inquiries, and was informed that a'hat had
been found at the Sluice. I and my friends 're-
quested it might be shewn to us ;and the man asked
us what was the name of the maker? We replied
Wilson and Waugh." He answered, that is the
name in the hat, and he immediately produced it,
and we found it to be the hat of the deceased,, Mr.
John T. Taylor. We immediately sent to the Half
Moon for the drags, and employed persons to drag
the river. They continued dragging from Saturday
until Sunday morning. I went on Sunday morning
with rny friends again to the Nevi River; six of my
men were dragging, and an alarm was made that
the body was found. I alighted from my chaise
saw the body brought up ; it was perfectly dead, and