The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-12-13 00:00:00

A MAN SHOT BY A POLICEMAN.

(From a Correspondent of the London Standard.)
On Monday an inquest was held at the George Inn, Watton,
Herts, before kiee-beiwgesore, -Goreetr, end a -most respect-
able Jury, composed of fifteen of the principal inhabitants of
the parish of Wattou, on view of the body of James Shepherd,
a labouring matt; who was shot by Robert Piercy, a constable
of the Westminster division of the metropolitan police force,
who had been specially sworn in to protect the inhabitants of
Watton and the hundred of Broadwater against incendiaries,
poachers, and other bad characters. The case had excited the
most intense interest.

The first witness examined was Sarah Watts, who stated that
she lived opposite to the spot where the occurrence took place.
About a quarter past ten o'clock, on Saturday night, she was in
her house, and from the window saw the deceased and the po-
liceman standing together in the street. She heard the lat-
ter say to the deceased, " Well, my man, who are you ?"
He replied, " What odds does it make to you? You are
the very man I wanted to see. I have been informed that
you threatened to kill me." The policeman said, " Who are
you? I don't know you ; I don't know that I ever saw you
befire. Come to the light, and I will see whether I do
know you or not." The policeman then went to the gate of
Mr. Moginie's house close by, and asked him for a light.—
Mr. Moginie brought one, but it went out: The policeman
asked him if he knew the deceased, to which he replied that
he did, and that Misname was James Shepherd. The police-
man then told the deeeased to go home like a good fellow, and
go to bed, which he peremptorily refused to do, saying he
would not go home for any man. The policeman then left him,
and went up the street. The deceased remained where he was,
and several men came up and tried to persuade him to go
home. He said he would not, and would as soon die that night
as at any other time. He added, " I will find him some-
where," and followed the policeman. About an hour after-
wards sbe saw them together at the same spot. The policeman
was still endeavouring to persuade him el, 7o home, but the
deceased still refused to do so. He swore IV y much, and said
to the policeman, " You shall either kill me or I will kill you,
for this night I will die in the road." He had a large stick in
his hand, similar to the one produced. She was about ten yards
from the spot. The deceased had hold of the smallest end of
the stick; he struck it against Mr. Moginie's premises, and
said to the policeman, " I am as good a man as you, only when
I knocked old Squire down these steps" (alluding to an assault,
for which he had been indicted, and suffered six months' im-
prisonment some time since.) He collared the policeman, and
held the stick up at him and told him he would hit him with it,
but she did not see him strike. The policeman then caught
hold of him, and three times desired him to leave go his hold of
him. He said, "I will not; I will die this night, or you shall."
The policeman asked him what he meant,ancl why he did not go
home, like a good fellow? and then called to Mr. Moginie to bring
a light, which he did in a lantern, and, as he was about to assist
the policeman, the deceased swung his stick as if he was strik-
ing the latter, but she could not tell whether he struck him or not.
George Moulden, who is very deaf, was standing opposite, and
the policeman charged him to aid and assist, but he did not; she
supposes he did not hear. Mr. Moginie appeared afraid to go
near. She then went into her house, and in about a q inner of
an hour afterwards heard the report of a pistol, upon which she
went into the street, when she saw the deceased lying near the
same spot where she had tiefere seen him with the policeman.
She saw blood upon his face. The policeman was thei e, and
iine persons came up, one of whom inquired who had shot the
deceased ; upon which the policeman said, " I did." When
Abe cause nut of her house, only Mr. Moginie was present, be