The Express. — 1853-02-03 (London, England)

SUSPECTED MURDER AT RATCLIFF.  Yesterday morning, about half-past ono o'clock, as police-con/tibia 3400 K, was going his rounds in Glans honse-street, ltAtelitf, be stumbled over the apparently lifeless body of a man lying in the roadway, nailer the windows of the Newcastle and Sunderland Arms beer-shop, at the corner of Broad-street and Glasshouse-street. The  men had only his shirt, drawers, and stockings on there was blood oozing from one of hi. ears, and from the position in which the man was found the policeman was at once led to believe that he had either fallen or been thrown from the upper floor of the beer-house. The policeman immediately knocked at the door, and some of the inmates, who lied not gone to bed, anawered him, and the mutimted and wounded man was at once identified to be Captaiu Edward Pennington, the master of the ship Pallas, trading between the north and London, an old frequenter of tiro house, who was there on Tuesday evening, and went to bed in a room ou this second fluor, the window of which overlooks Olambousc-street, at 11 o'clock on Tuesday night. Mr. Carson, a medical gentleman in Broad-street, and others of the faculty, were immediately sent for, and did everything in their power to restore the unfortunate man, hut he was beyond the reach of human skill, and expired about in hours aftvvrards. Bayliss, the budlord of the ceer-house, and his wife, said their opinion was that the deceased had thrown himself from his bed room into the street. Very strong suspicions, however, are entertained that Captain Pennington has come by his death by unfair means, and that he was thrown into the street by some of the inmates. From a minute examination of the pre mists made by Mr.Pemble, beadle of Rstelaff and summoning officer to the coroner, it appears that the window of the bedroom was raised to a height of 1 foot 9 inches, when Captain Pennington was found in the street. There are marks of a person's hands on the window-sill, or stone, as if he had tenaciously clung to it for life as ling as be was able, and there are also marks on the brick-Mork beneath. The deceased, in his fall, struck the first floor immediately under the window of his bedroom, and dislodged two panes of glass. The frame of the window is also broken. There can be no question that the deceased fell in a perpendicular direction, and that he made a desperate effort te ease himself. Ms body was found close to the side wall of the house. If he had flung himself from the window of his bedroom his body would have been in the middle of the street. It appears that the house in question is frequented by thieves and prostitutes. Many robberies have beta committed there, and some of them have been of a very serious nature. The upper part is registered as a common lodging-house, and there were sevtral women of the town, visitors, and others staying there on Tuesday night. A few of them slept on the same floor as the deceased. The affair has caused a great sensation in Rateliff and its vicinity. Very recently Captain Peter Gray was hocussed and robbed in Garden's-court, in the same vicinity, and, on a post modem examination, opium in sufficient quantity to destroy life was found in the stomach.