Star.
London, England, 1818-12-21 00:00:00

MYSTERIOUS MURDER.

Out Readers will recollect that an extraordinary.
charge was recently made at Bow-street, against a
yotmg man of respectable connections, named Henry
Cooke, by William Key, who accused him of having
employed and furnished him with pistols, to murder
Mr. Shears, proprietor of copper mills at Merton,
and laving a counting-house in Fleet-market, toge-
ther with his whole family. Cooke was Mr. Shears's
clerk. The Magistrates considered the charge un-
founded, and liberated Cooke, who subsequently pro-
secuted Key, and who is now under sentence of trans-
portation. On Wednesday morning Cooke, who was
about eighteen years of age, died, after an illness of
a few hours, under circumstances of suspicion that he

had been poisoned. The body was opened on Thurs-
day last, when it was ascertained that he died by
poison. Thursday night an investigation was taken
on the body at the George, in George-street, Christ-
charch, Blackfriars-road, before C. JEMAIETT, Esq.
Coroner for Surrey, when evidence to the following
effect was given:
-Mr. John. Werman, of Christchurch, said deceased
had been several years his lodger. • Tuesday evening
last he came home at half.past six from the counting-
house, complaining of sickness at the stomach ; he
vomited very much; the sickness continued violent,
and he went to Dr. Pollard, a neighbour, Tor medi-
cine. The Doctor being out, lie went a second time,
then returned with two pills and a draught ; he went
to bed about ten. At eleven winters found him more
composed; he saw no more of him until five next
morning, when being awoke by a noise like the
failing of some person, he ran into Cooke's room, and
f)...rd him proorate on the floor, bat not senseless;
he assisted him into bed, and then called the servant
to light a fire and make tea, the deceased has ing
complained of extreme thirst. While drinking tea
Le :aid to witness, 'those fellows have put something in
the beer.' Ahout seven o'clock a man who was going
to Shears's mills at Merton, called to know. if nlr.
Cooke, whose, father was foreman there, had any
message to send ; deceased desired his father might
be intiirmed he *as very ill, but hoped to go to
Merton on the Monday. Ten minutes afterwards
‘7.tness went. Lto his room, and found him. with his
head out of Led over a basin, as if he had been vo-
miting, and lying upon his side ; he gasped once and
expired. At the time he mentioned " those fellows,"
he named no particular person.
Mrs. Wetman saw deceased when lie first corn.
'shined of sickness. She inquired whether he bad
ate or drank any- thing to disagree svii!l him ? •He
said he had salt beef for dinner, and about half a pint
ortabie beer at the counting-houte. Ile afterwards
said that he feared those fellows inn' played tricks
with the beer, tirr he recollected it was remarkably
sweet peer. He said he thought he saw something
white clinging to the bottom of the mug, which
might tie occasioned by the beer having been warmed.
Next morning, when sha went into his room, she felt
his hand ; it was very cold, and he appeared very
-.veak. He said hintingly, " Tho e fellows." About
ten minutes before he died, he desired Dr. Pollard to
Le sett for, but he died before the Doctor arrived.
He never mentioned the names of the persons who
gave him the beer.
Mr. -Wetman further stated, that after Cooke's
death be waited upon Mi. Shears, at the counting-
house, to inform him of the circumstance, and ac-
quaint him of the allusions of deceased to the beer he
had drank ; and to request the mug might be searched
for. One of Mr. Shears's sons made immediate in.
quirt' fbr the mug among the. servants, who could
not find it : he then called in the clerks, and desired
they would endeavour to find it, which they did im-
mediately under the desk of tile deceased. There ap-
peared in it a quantity of white powder mixed with
dirt. Mr. Shears sealed it up and delivered it to
witness, by whom it was transferred to Dr. Pollard.

Dr. Pollard, of Christchurch, stated, that deceased
applied to him on Tut!. !ay evening, complaining of
vomiting, and pains in the stomaLit and head. He
said.that he had only drank a little table beer. The
excessive vomiting continuing, witness again asked
hits: what he had taken? and he then said, that when

he drank the beer he observed white powder at the
bottom of the mug, and thought some of his crmpa-
nions had been playing tricks. Some medicine was
thew given to him, with proper directions ; be was
ch.-sired by witless to send him what might be thrown
farm the stomach. He saw no more of him till next
morning, wbtn he was called in great haste, and
Band Cooke dead. Mr.Wetnian delivered a tin mug
to witness, which contained a quantity of white pow-
der, and which being analyzed, proved to be oxyde
of arsenic. He subsequently opened the b dy, and
found in the stomach a quantity of a similar powder,
which he also found to be oxyde of arsenic : it had
. produced a great inflammation and ulceration in the
stomach, and occasioned death.
Dr. Callaway was present at the opening of the
body, and corroborated Dr. Pollard's testimony. Ile
assisted in analyzing the substances in-the mug and
in the stomach, and ascertained they were oxyde of
arsenic. Their experiments were corroborated by
others made at Guys Hospital upon part of the sub-
stances so found, and the result proved was the same.
Witness observed various portions of the substances
adhering to the inner membrane when the body was
opened ; the stomach and one of the intestines were
considerably ulcerated, and death was thus occasioned.
Mr. Shears, jun. stated, he had been indefatigable
in his exertions to discover by whom the beer had
been drawn which Cooke had drank, without success.
lie had about fifty persons on the premises, but
could obtain no evidence upon the subject.
Morgan Deasey was wa:ehouseprian and clerk to
Mr. Shears. On Tuesday, at one o'clock, he dined
with deceased at an eating-house in the Old Bailey.
Witness returned to business, and deceased went an-
other way, saying he had a place to call at before he
returned, Witness had been accustomed to drink a
pint of table bier with the deceased after dinner ; he
waited for him a considerable time, and then desired
a boy to draw hint some beer, which he immediately
did, in a pewter pot, and witness drank it. Cooke
came in at about three o'clock. Witness shortly
afterwards went into the counting-house, with the
4atention of having some beer with him ; he saw the
tin pot which had been produced by Dr. Pollard,
standing on the corner of the stove, full of beer, to
warm. He was immediately called away upo4 busi-

ness; was positive that the mug was not on the stogie
previous to the entrance of the deceased. It was the,
same mug he usually drank out of, and was gene-
rally placed under Cooke's desk. The witness knew
not by whom the beer was drawn, nor by whom
placed on the stove. If be had not been called away,
he should have drank part of it himself.
Frederick Wilson, another clerk to Mr. Shears,
remembered deceased emplaining at five o'clock of
being exceedingly sick, and said he had been so ever
since four o'clock; he put his hand on his stomach,
and said he felt a burning heat there.
The Conoiran observed, that the best evidence,
that could be procured had been brought forward'
very fully. No doubt the deceased had died in con.
sequence uf taking the oxyde of arsenic in the beer ;
lsow it came there, or by whom given, remained un-
known. All possible pains had been taken to bring
forward every person likely to have any knowledge
of the circumstances. It remained for the Jery to
deli - verdict according to the best of their

iver a
judpnents.
The Jury remained in consultation about -four
hours, and at one o'clock on Friday morning return-
ed this verdict :—" Died by poison, administered by
some person or persons at present unknown."

Muanut or MIL TAYLOR.—The two men who
were examined privately before Mr. BIRNIE, at Bow-
Ereet, on Friday morning, on suspicion of being con-
cerned in this horrid deed, upon re-examination in
the .evening, were discharged. On the same night
that the murder was committed, the houses of two
Gentlemen, Messrs. Carpenter and Watkins, in the,
immediate vicinity of the tragic scent., were attemp-1 to be robbed by two men. These men were seen,
coming over Mr. Carpenter's wall by a watchman ;
but his efforts to overtake thcm•were fruitle.s. One,
of their persons, he says, he is sore he can identify.,
After this, it is supposed, the same two men went to
Mr. Watkins's, and were only prevented from ob-
taiaing an entrance by the screams of the family,
who were alarmed by their approach. One of them'
was seen on the top elan out-house neat the boun-
darks- of the mansion, and hastily escaped oa finding
!lima:o.f discovered. (hi Saturday, Wainwright and
Edwards, ()diens of Hatton Gard.ni, accompanied by
the watchman to whom we have -already. alluded,
%vela to search the houses occupied by persons of sus-
picious character iu the neighbourhood of Edmon-
ton. Tottenham, and Enfield, but were unable to
make any sliccvery. It has been ascertained too,
that between one and two o'clock in the morning,
after the murder, two men, either really intoxicated,
or assuming that appearance, got into a hackney-
coach in the City-road, anti were, bi. their own or-
der, driven to the l'orcugh.,
.;'hey were . men of
shabby appearance, and not suell'es would he likely
on !.:1 ordinary occasion, to Make' use of such a
vehicle. Much surprise has been created in the
minds cf Mr. Taylor's family and friends that no
discover,' has yet been made oldie person whom the
deceased declared he'was to have met at the Jolly
Butchers. He did not himself state who that .perscn
was, nor has any one come forward to acknowledge
the appointment. A reward of 50 guineas has been
offered for die apprehension of tl!e offenders by the
relative's cf the deceaSed. -

MA MON- novse.--Saturday, Hargrave, an
extra-constable of the Ward of Portsoken, but totally
unconnected with the City Police, was charged by
Ana Moore with having extorted money front her,
under the colour of being a regular ()Meer of Police,
and the threat of imprisoring her upon an accusation
of robbery. The case, which hall occupied three
days in the investigation, and concluded on the pre-
sent occasion, was as follows:—Hargrave, at first
brought the female before the Lord Mayor, and
gave him to understand that she had, as he le.trued,
robbed a sailor of S. a few nights precious, at an
infemous brothel kept by one Nathan, in Stil-alley,
Hound:elitch. At the time Hargrave made this state-
ment he was much intoxicated, and there were so
many points urged by him creative of suspicion, that
the Lord Mayor ordered him to change places with
the feniale. Ann Moore then said, that on Tuesday
last I". rgrave came up to her as she passed along
Bish.psgate-street, and telling her he had a charge
of robbery against her, compelled her to accornpary
him to several public houses in succession, where he
ate and drank at her expense. At length he said lie
would not take her to the .watch house if she would
, contrive to make op the SO/. for him. She gave him
all the money she had about her, which was 75.;
atter which :,!re.was obliged to pledge a gold ring to
discharge his reckoning. He then took her to the
watch-house, an; subsequently to the Giltspur-street
Compter, where he gave her in charge for felony.—
Ile was at the time so much intoxicated as to be
almost unable to speak. Hargrave here muttered
something in defence, but the Loge MAYOR told
him that it was more like a confirmation of the
evidence of the woman against him. His Lord-
ship ordered him to be suspended, bet desired, that
if he had any witnesses to rebut the charge against I
himself, or to sustain the original one he had im-
puted to the woman, he might produce them. None,
however, appeared, but on the contrary, a new
charge was exhibited against him. A married wo-
man named Fallon stated, that some days since she
arrived from the country at five in the morning, and
was compelled to rouse up her friends. Previous to
this she went into a coffee-shop to examine her money
and clothes, and see whet:ter all was right. Ilar-
grave instantly came up, and seizing fist hold of I
her, insisted upon her going to a public-house to be
searched, preparatory to going either to prison
or the Bank. She ran into the shop of a hatter in
Barbican for protection. Here he searched her in
the most improper manner, and having. looked at
some of the notes found in her possession, he said
he should take her to the Bank. The proprietor of
the shop, however, having said that the notes were
good, and that the woman ought not to be detained,
Hargrave allowed her to depart. The LORD MAyoa
directe.t that the City Solicitor should prosecute him
for extortion, assault, and false impriscoment, at the
City expense. His Lordship ordered him to find
good bail, which at a late hour he obtained.
WORS II I I'STREET.. Wm. Fletcher, Michael Ler-
ner, and J. Grfffiths, who had been employed to
unship goods on the wharfs of Mr. Carpenter and
Mr Wilson, in Tooley-street, were committed for
trial, charged with stealing six ewt. of block tip. the
property of Mr. Wilson.

RELIGIOUS TOLERATIO

COURT OF EXCHEQUER, DECEMBER is.
MACCLIMELD SUNDAY SCHOOL.

This was a Petition to remove a Dissenting Assem-
bly from an upper room of the above School. The
circumstances will be collected from the Judgment
of the Court, which is as follows :
The Lord CHIRF BARON said, that that part of the
case which respected the non-payment of the debts
which had been incurred, in consequence of the erec-
tion of buildings, did not come within the view of the
Court. With respect to this particular chalky, it
was to be recollected, that it had no existence except
from the daily and voluntary inclination of the sub-
scribers, who might withdraw their subscriptions at
any time, and thereby at once put an end to the in-
stitution. It would, therefore, be highly improper if
the Court was to make an order now, in the nature
of a decretal order, when before it had reached Mac-
clesfield the charity might be at an end ; but with.
out entering into the consideration of that part of
the subject, he would look at the nature of the insti-
tution, supposing it was permanent. The Court
could not construe any thing but the deed itself, and I
therefore they must look to the deed, and see
.what
that imported, for that was the ground on which
they, were bound to proceed. It might not be imper•
tinent to say, that for himself he should be extremely,
grieved it this was an establishment not agreeable to
the doctrines of the Church of England. But it was
said that the establishment which was stated by the
petitioners to base been set up, was not contrary to
law, and there was nothing in it which the Court
'could find fitult ta iih, according to the statement of
its adversaries ; but then it must, conformably to
the deed, be for the education and religious instruc-
t don of the children. Now, it could not be said that
this deed was contravened at all, unless it could be
shown that something had been done contrary to the
great and leading. doctrines of religion, as defined
in the article., homilies, and liturgy of the Chinch
of England. That Mr. M'Call, the teacher, had
done any thing contrary, he did not know, and had
no reason to-suspect. lie knew a number of per-
sons who called themselves Dissenters, but who were
not Dissenters in point of fact, although, perhaps,
they did not act in every respect according to d
National Establishment of the Church : for they did
not teach any doctrines contrary to the great and
leading doctrines cf the Church of England ; there-
.fere, it was not to be presumed that a person did
teach contrary doctrines, merely because be did not
happen to be of the Church of L:igland, in point of
education and orders. There was not the least evi-
dence that the doctrines taught here *ere in any de-
gree contrary to the greet :std leading clottrines
used is the solemn Service of the Church of Eng-
land ;—and it was awora that the Chaplain was not
paid oat of the funds intended far the education of
1 the chi ea, but that the twoltccounts were kept,
disco: t. la the deed of trust, the Committee had I
power given tl:em to apply the room for the pur
Ifor which it was now used, if they should think fit;
And surely they were at liberty to pay the man who
performed the s:rvice. ii it *ere an institution hav-
ing peim.otent funds for the education of the poor,
no doubt they could not apply these feuds to other.
purples ; but as the funds were supplied
strait their
own pockets, those persons had a right to apply
them as they thought fit, provided it was not for the
purpose of inculcating doctrines contrary to those of
the Church of England. So that, taking it any way,
the appointment of a person to preach was not an
appointment militating against, that charity which
was the subject of the petition : . but even if it did
famish ground of complaint, might not those who
coetributed to the funds of the charity say, " I will
give one half to the school for the children, and the
other half for the benefit of the person who preaches
to, and teaches the children ?" Under these circum-
stances it seemed to him, first of all. that this was a
voluntary institution, is hit which the Court did not
know how to deal ; and secondly, upon the construc-
tion of the deed of trust itself, there was nothing
which could thew that the conduct of the respon-
dents had been in any degree 'contrary to the direc-
tions of the deed by which they were all bound to
act. The petition must therefore be dismissed.
Mr. Baron GRAHAM said, he was very much in-
clined to think that this was that species of charity,
if it could be ca!:.!,l a charity at al!. that the jurisdic-.
tion of the Court v. as never intended to apply to.—
There had been no complaint on the part of any of
those persons who would, unquestionably, be most
ready to take the alarm at any thing, from the ope-
ration of which they considered the Established
Church was likely to be endangered. There had
been no complaint on the part of the Reverend
Bishop of the diocese, to whom die consideration of
such a subject peculiarly belonged. There had been
none preferred by the presiding Clergy ; neither did
it appear that any of the neighbouring Clergy apps
bonded the least danger to the Established Church.
It was an application merely by two persons, a very
small portion of the population of that town, without
the least reference to, or interference by, any of the
Clergy stated to the Court to have beet appointed
to see that this establishment was conducted on the.
orthodox principles of the Established Chairch.—
The school was originally founded upon what was
called the LancaSterian System. Ile hoped an insti-
tution of this kind would never afford, as it ought
never to afford, a just ground of jealousy among
,xhe members of the Established Church. It should
only promote a laudable emulation ; and such it ap-
pealed had been the result; for the Established Clergy,
looking at such institutions, and watchful for their
own interest and that of the Church, had established
a kind, of concurrent institution upon nearly the same
model, thereby shewing to the world that they were
determined not to be behind hand in the great work
of charity. His Lordship said he was quite satisfied
that upon this petition there were no grounds for the
relief, prayed, and he was persuaded that, if the
Court should attempt to interfere, the effect would
be to destroy a charity, which for a great number cf
years had been of the highest advantage to the town
of Macclesfield.

Mr. 13aron ARROW said, he entirely concurred in
the opinion which had been given by the Lord Chief
Baron, and Mr. Baron Graham, and which he knew
to be the same as that entertained by Mr. Baron
Wood. It was unneeessary for him, after the sub-
ject had been so ably discussed, to go to any consi-