The Sun. — 1859-12-05 (London, England)

THE FINSBURY MURDER.  -40  On Saturday morning, at 10 o'clock, Mr. John Humphreys, the coroner for the eastern division of Middlesex, resumed the adjourned inquiry, at the Castle Tavern, Long-alley, Sun-street, Finsbury, respecting the death of Mary Ann Moore, aged 31 years, who was murdered on the morning of Monday last, at No. 13, King's Head•court, near Finsbury-market.  The following additional evidence was called :  Dr. H. Letheby, the professor of chemistry of the London Hospital, examined, said—On Friday afternoon Inspector Bricknell, of the G division, brought to me, at the laboratory of the London Hospital, portions of fire:irons, consisting of a pair of tongs and a poker, with a quantity of wearing apparel. The broken parts of the tongs had spots of blood which had coagulated before it had dried, and had lost its vital properties. On the thick end of the poker there was only one spot of blood, which, like the former, had become coagulated. There were also marks of the same kind of blood on a pair of corduroy trousers. The blood was on the knee parts of both legs. There was no blood on the coat, but a shirt had spots of blood upon it on the front part. The left sleeve of the shirt had evidently been covered with blood and washed out. There were portions of female dress, consisting of a petticoat, stays. chemise, &c. They were stained on the top and right side. The latter had been partly washed. In every instance the blood was proved to be blood which had coagulated after it had fallen upon the several articles of dress, showing that its vitality had not ceased until it had fallen down. I have likewise examined the razor produced, and have removed portions of blood from the inside of the handle, and from its appearance it was clearly vital blood coagulated. By the Coroner—l think that the head of the deceased was cut off while she was in a state of insensibility, as there was no indication of blood which had been spirted about. From the stains on the dress I am of opinion that the wound was made from the front of the neck round the right hand side to the back. The immediate cause of death was the seveiing of the spinal cord of the neck. There were bruises or marks on the deceased's arms, which showed that she had defended herself. There were jets of blood on the cupboard door, but they were of minute character. The blood had no doubt come from the temporal artery, but was then stunned, There was no marks of blood on the bed.  Mr. F. B. Dixon, resident surgeon of Hoxton Lunatic Asylum, said the prisoner James Moore had been an inmate of that establishment since the 28th of August last, and he was discharged on the 23d ult., by the order of the Secretary of State. The prisoner laboured under various delusions, and had been heard to say that he had been electrified in his prison-cell by means of wires passed round it. He also imagined that he had been electrified in a cab. He likewise laboured under the delusion that he had a steam-engine in his inside. He had been considered well three months before his discharge from custody. Mr. Haynes, the warrant officer of the Worshipstreet Police Court, was here re-called, and said—l forgot to mention on the last occasion, that the prisoner exclaimed, while he was in the station, " I did not do it."  The inquiry was, after some discussion, adjourned till this day, when the jury returned a verdict of wilful murder against Moore.