Star.
London, England, 1811-12-23 00:00:00

THE MURDERS IN GRAVEL-LANE.

CORONER'S INQUEST.
An Inquest was held at two o'clock in the after.
noon of Saturday, at the Black Horse public-house,
New Gravel-lane, before -- UNwnv,,Eaq. Coro-
ner of the district.

The following are the depositions of the several
witnesses :

I»; v TuaNER sworn.—l am a sawyer by trade, in
the employ of Messrs. Scarlett and Cook. I hare
lodged in the house of Mr. Williamson in New Gra-
vel-lane for about eight months ; I lodged in the
front garret, which is two floors from the ground-
floor; I board at my brother's, who lives near Mr.
Williamson's ; I went from my brothel's to Mr. WU-
liamson's on Thursday evening last, about twenty
minutes before eleven o'clock, as near as I can sky;
when I went in, Ms. Williamson was standing at the
front door, and followed me ; Mr. Williamson was

sitting in the middle room in his great chair ; the ser.
want was in the back room. I saw no other persons
in the house but those three ; Mr. Williamson told
me to sit down ; I stood by the fire; a little man
came in, whose name I understand to be Samuel Phil.

_
lips—he came in, according to his usual custom, for
a pint of beer, and told Mr. Williamson that there
was a stout man with a very large coat on, passing in
at the inner glass door in the passage ; Mr. William-
son, catching up the' candlestick, said, a I'll see
what he wants." He: went out with the candle is
Itirhand, and returned, saying, 4 he could not see
him, but if he did see him, he would send him where
he ought, or would not like to go." Phillips went
out with his beer, and Mr. Anderson came in di-
rectly afterwards ; he did not stay above two or
three minutes. Shortly afterwards, the servant
rAked out the fire, and I went to bed, at which
tune Mrs. Williamson followed me up stairs to her
owe room, with a watch and silver punch ladle.—
This was the last time that I saw either of them
living. I heard Mrs. Williamson lock the bed-room
door and gn down stairs again ; there is no fast-
ening to my room door ; r went to bed, and had
not been there above five minutes before I heard

the front door banged-to very hard. Immediately
afterwards I heard the servant exclaim, “ We are
all murdered," or, 4, shall be murdered," two or

three times ; i_cannot exactly say which of the ex.
pressions she usade use of : I had not been asleep.-
1 heard the sound of two or three blows, but with

_
what weapon I cannot say. Shortly after I heard
Mr. Williamson cry out. “lam a dead man 1" I
was in bed still. About two or three minutes after-

wards, I got out of bed, and listened at the door, but
could hear nothing. I went down to the first floor,
and, from below I has rd the sound of three very heavy
Sighs. I heard some person walk across the middle
room, on the ground-floor, very lightly ; I was then
half way down the last pair of stairs, and naked. I
went to the bbttom of the stairs, and the door stood
a little on the jar. I passed through the opening—
and, by the light of a candle which was burning in
the room, I saw a man, apparently near six feet high,
in a large rough Flushing coat of a dark colour,
which came down to his heels. He was standing
with his back tavards me, apparently leaning over
some person, as if in the act of rifling their pockets.
es I heard some silver rattle, and saw him rise Z
I
open his coat with his left hand, and put his ri
hand to his breast, as if 0 put sosn.thing in '
pocket. I did not see his face, and I only saw that
one person. I was fearful—and went up stairs as
quick, but as softly as I could. I thought first of
getting under the bed, but was fearful I should be
found i—l then took the two sheets, tied them toge-
ther, tied- them to the bed-post, opened the .window,
and lowered Myself down by the sheets. The watch-
man was coming by— I told him-there was murder in
the house, and he assisted me in getting down. I
had nothing-on but my night-cap, my shirt, and a
Jersey waistcoat. The watchman sprang his rattle;
Mr. Fox then* came up, and said, s. Break the door
open." Mr. Fox went over the way, and came back
again with a hanger.—l have frequently seen Mr.
Williamson's watch; it was a small thick silver watch
with a glass ; it had a gold-coloured chain, and a
large seal with a stone in the bottom. I saw Mr.
Williamson playing with the chain on Thursday
night, when I was standing at tie fire. I never saw
an iron crow in the house to my knowledge.
GEORGE Fox sworn.—l reside in New Gravel lane,
opposite the house of the deceased. On Thursday
night, as the watch was going eleven, I came to the
top of New Gravel-Lane, in my way home ; I saw
two watchmen standing at Mr. Williamson's door ;
when I came up to them, I asked them what was the
matter .? Mr. Lee, the landlord of the Black Horse,
was along with the watchmen. I was told that the
house was being robbed, if not the people murdered in
it. Several other persons coming ty soon after, I
begged of them to knock hard, and if there was no
answer, I proposed to them to break open the door,
and I would be answerable for any consequences.—
They did knock, and received. no answer. While
they were breaking ape's the door, I ran across tom'
own house for a hanger, which the servant gavels*
without my going in doors; the door and front cellar
window were immediately broken open; three or four
persons went down the cellar window, while myself
and three or four went in at th, door. We looked in
at the fore-room, which was in darkness ; we went
into the middle room, occupied as a kitchen, where
there was a light burning on a table ; there I saw
Mrs. Williamson lying on her face, along the hearth,
with her heaci towards the door, with her throat cut,
-tea the blood flowing from the wound, apparently
.(I,:ite dew ; she had all her clothes on ; some keys
and a box were lying by
the Side of her, and it ap-
peared to me that her pockets had been rifled ; the
servant Bridget Harrington, lying between Mrs. Wil-
liamson and the fire-glace in the-same direction, with
her-throat cut, and the blood flowing fromi it ; the
fire was out, and materials laid ready tolight
in e
morning ; she wa?also com.oplentetlywdressed an ap-
ow on ihe head.
peared to have received a vt,,le
•I immediately called out— Where is the old man
Williamson ?" I was answered from those,lpart
of in the'
.cellar, ~Here he is, with his throat cut .
of the way down, and saw him lying upon his back
in the cellar ; I immediately, with others, proceeded
to search the house ; I went into thebackrcaz,
wnexiit.
t
to that in which I had found the bodies of
li.imson and the servant, and found that the inside
shutters of one of the back windows had been taken
down, *the sash thrown up ; in about half an