Star.
London, England, 1817-09-09 00:00:00

IIV7 ERlis7 ING INQUESTS.

An Tnq liS:tinn was taken yesterday akernonn at
Guy's Hospital, st. Tllnmaes-street. Borough, before
TRODlas SHILTON, Esq. Coronet for the City of Lon-
don, on the le4y of Richard Rich ii.ds, who was shot
on the mornint of the 4th instant, by Peter Harvey,
a night patrole, at Bermondsey.
William Salmi, nightman, of No. 4, Gaywood-
street. Lond,.n road. sworn.—On Thursday morning
I,ot. he was at woe k at the Hand and Marigold, Ber-
m oidsey street ; the deceased and a man named
Clark were with him, emptying a privy. The privy
being eery deep, they wanted a longer pole than that
which they had to sink the bucket. He agreed with
the deceased to look about the premises to endeavour
to find a pole; he accompanied the
,deceased into
Mr. Eleanor's rope-ground, which adjoins the yard
where they *ere at work, and which they were he.
quently in the habit of walking in ; they found a pole,
and he assisted the deceased to lilt it over the rails ;
he then got over the rails himself, and the deceased
told him to go on, and he would follow him in a
minute with the pole. He had not left the deceased
more than three minutes, having only walked to the
privy, which is about an hundred yards from the
rope-ground, when he heard a pistol fired. In a few
minutes after, Peter Harvey, the night patrole, came
to him, and said, " I am afraid I have shot one of
your MO in the rope-ground." He went with Har-
vey to the rope-ground, and saw the deceased lying
there, on his face, near to the railing, where the pole
lay ; he turned hitrt on his side ; his hands were, in
his waistcoat pockets; lie said, " Don't disturb me,
my dear fellow, I ant a dead man." He asked the
deceased if Harvey had called to him Wore lie shot
him ? He replied, " No, William, no one called to
Inc before I was shot, I assure you, my dear fellow;
the cruel man has killed me; I don't believe I shall
live till the morning." He was satisfied the deceased
thought himself at the time in a dying state.
Cross-examined.—}le s.rw the deceased at the
Hospital on the next day, and he then again said—
" The cruel man that. shot me 'lever called to me,
nor did I see ham till after I fell." The deceased
was not deaf, he was remarkably quick of hearing.
John Clark, nightmen, corroborated the above
Evidence.

Tisrava Wolefidd, Esq. of Newington Butts, sworn.
He was acquainted witn the deceased, and was in-
formed by Ws wife i f his being shot en last Thurs-
day mon:ing, and, at her request, he visited him in
Guy's Hospital. When he went up to the bed of
the deceascd, be put out his hand, and said, 44 Gob
bless you, Sir ! I shall not bye till morning." He said
to the deceased, " then, under such circumstances, I
am sure you will speak the truth." He asked him it
he bad any improper intention in going into the rope
ground of Mr. Eleanor, and whether the pan ole shot
him before he called to him ? The deceased replied,
es My dear Sir, I bad no improper motives in going
into the ground ; I never saw nor beard the patrole
speak until after he shot me." He took his leave of
the deceased. and told him that he hoped he would
be better neat day, and he would call and see him.
The deceased said, " No, no, my dear Sir—l shall
not live till morning."
William Wood, painter, sworn.—He lives with the
last wit. ess ; he.slept with him on the night the man
WAS shot, and was awoke by him between two and
three o'clock on Thursday morning ; he heard some
one call sg Stop!" once, and in about a minute alter
a pistol was bred; he beard a man groan immeii.
ately alter ; he went to the window, and heard some
men at work at the privy, and one voice said, "
advised him not to remain any longer in the garden.
I told him there was nothing he could get but a few
French beans." He was positive he beard the words.
Mr. William Hismble, Surgeon at Guy's Hospi.
tal, said, the deceased was btought to the Hospital
about three o'clock on Thursday nrorning, the 4th
instants. He discovered that nineteen shots had Cu.
tered his back, between the shoulder and the bottotn
of his back ; one ilia had entered his right arin, and
another his head. The deceased lingered in great
agony till ball-past twelve o'clock on Saturday : the
cause of his death was from one of the shots having
entered the kidneys, and another shot baring carried
away a splinter off one of his ribs, and injured a vital
part. There was a great quantity of blood RI the'
abeomen. He bad no doubt but the wounds were
the cause of his death.

John Clark, re-examined, said, that when the pa-
stole came and infbetned him and Mr. Salms that he
I'ad shot the deceased, be said—it I dou't think I
Save hurt him, for I shot at his legs."
The CORONER then summed up the whole of the
evidence. He said that their first duty was to pre-
sent e hat was the cause of the, death of the decea-
sed that they would find no difficulty in doing. It
was also proved that Peter Harvey was the man who
shot the deceased. The Jury then had only to find,
whether Peter Harvey had been guilty of an offence
against law, or whether he was justifiable in commit-
ting the net he bad done? If the Jury thought the
pgrole wantonly shut the deceased, without exerting
himself at all to take (and he thought there was
little evidence of his using much exertion) him into
custody, they would find a verdict of Wilful Mur-
der. If they thought he used some exertions, that
is, if the pstrole struggled with the deceased and
then shot him, they might find a verdict of Man-
slaughter with/great
propriety ; but if they thought
the patrole use every
every endeavour to take the deceased
into custody, and that to prevent has escaping from
him be !hot him, then they would return a verdict
of Jussifiable Homicide.
Alta the evidence was summed ups Mr. Cox, the

Apotheesay of Gay's Hospital, being sworn, s:4l
that he visited the deceased about three hours before
be died, and be said that he was running at the titre
he was shot. _ _

-- ---
Mr. Humbles the surgeon, being re-examined, cor-
roborated the statement of Mr. Cox. _ _

The Jury then retired for about ten minutes, and
returned a verdict of Manslaughter.
The Coroner immediately issued his warrant against
Harvey. He was in the Jury-room, and was taken
into custody by order of the Coroner, and commit-
ted to Newgate.
On Friday last, an Inquisition was taken, at the
George Tavern, lsleworth, on view of the body of
Mr. J. Benham, an elderly Gentleman, residing with
his brother, Mr. C. Benham, gardener and florist, of
Islewortk, whose death was caused by being shot by
a spring gun going off, on Thursday last, in the
orchard belonging to his brother. It appeared the
deceased was told the night before, that the guns
were set, and the doorof the orchard in which they were
was nailed op. The deceased, however, rorced open
the door, and soon after was shot in the leg, and lime.
diate amputation was found necessary, which was
performed by a surgeon at 1 slewortli ; but from pro-
fug bleeding, before the operation, he expired within
twenty minutes after the accident. The Jury, after
some consultation, returned the following verdict :
" Accidental Death, occasioned by neglect, in leav-
ing a gun loaded and set in o.le day time. The gun
to be forfeited, and a fine of 155. to be levied."

An Inquest was held yesterday at the Ship, Stec-
ney-green, on the body of Mr. Sterenson, clerk to
Mr. Charrington, brewer, Mile-end. Mr. Marriot,
also clerk to Mr. Charrington, said, the deceased,
who was 60 years of age, and witness, were in a
chaise coming to town ; the deceased was driving at
the rate of six or seven miles an hour, and when
opposite the old church at Hackney, he fell over the
wheel, as if in a fit.—C. N. Reynolds, surgeon, said,
on Wednesday evening he saw the deceased in the
act of falling from the hinder part of the chaise, end
appeared to witness to fall on his head. The chaise
did not go over him. Witness bled him; his ear
was much lazerated. A coach was procured, in
which he was sent home.—J. Harness, surgeon. at-
tended the deceased with Sir W. Blizzard. He found
him almost Msensible. The next day he was able to
sit up, and explained his suffertngs about his sto.
mach, and expressed a wish not tc be touched on the
side, where they supposed some of the ribs were
broken, which lacerated the lungs ; and he died at
two o'clock the lolluwing morning, from general
concussion and wounding of the lungs. Verdict--
Accidental Death.