The Sun. — 1847-06-05 (London, England)

MURDER AT KIDDERMINSTER KIDDERMINSTER, THIIRSDAY.—The inquest On the body of Phillpotts was re-opened last evening, before Mr. R. Docker, at the Town-hull. The excitement continued as great as on the previous day. It will be seen from the following report that a number of witnesses were examined, and in consequence of the reluctance of one of them to appear, the Coroner issued a summons for his appearance. The evidence of Cornelius Thomas, painter, was first taken. This witness was in the street at the time the affray took place. After some quarrelling and fighting he saw Lloyd take refuge in the house of Lockley, and saw Phillpotts and Lloyd strike each other in the doorway, immediately on which Phillpotts rushed back into the street covered with blood. The witness corroborated several portions of the evidence given by the witnesses on Tuesday evening. He was the party who first saw the knife in the back kitchen. When he picked it up he did not notice that it was bloody, the light being bad. It was a two-bladed knife. The witness on being examined by the attorney for the prisoner, and by the jury, said he did not see any person strike Phillpotts. Any one might have done so without his (witness's) observing it. to end. He The next witness, Joseph Hill, fruiterer, saw the whole of the transaction from beginning deposed that on his return homeward from a club-walk he encountered a body of nearly 20 people on Lion-hill. They were quarrelling, and witness, it appears, did his d Lockley retired to the house of the bestanida s stationttLoe restoreohyoduspoliceae came up, and carried one man off to the peace among them. Two of the Kiddern, after which the quarrelling recommenced, latter, as already stated in the evidence of other witnesses. Lloyd and Mrs. Lockley stood at the door, and Phillpotts coming to the footpath before Lockley's door, called to Lloyd to " come out," and he would have a round or two at him." To this Lloyd made answer— "lf you'll come here, I will show you the way to Brummagem." Some of Phillpotts's friends then incited him to "go at Lloyd," upon which Phillpotts rushed at pot turned back into the ts Lloyd to strike him, and Lloyd and Phillpetts struck at n each i nthe As soon as they had icic a street, and cried in a deep voice, " Oh, dear," and then a cry was raised that his throat had been cut. struck The witness was holding Lockley in a chair to preventt othereach other, the r doorway. p h i him fighting with Pardoe, but hearing this be got up, and running into the street, saw the blood spouting from a wound in Phillpott's throat nearly a yard in front of him. The deceased fell to the ground shortly after he ran from Lockley's house, and was picked up by a young man, who held him in a sitting posture on the ground. He appeared almost insensible, and witness sent for a surgeon, and fetched Phillpotts's brother's wife. The deceased was then gasping, and died shortly afterwards. The witness then detailed the circumstances of the finding of the knife, as already deposed to by the witness Thomas. On the knife being found Mrs. Lockley declared that it belonged to Lloyd. but Lloyd denied it. Mrs. Lockley's hand was slightly cut; and the inspector of police having asked her how it happened, she replied that she did not know, but supposed she must have received it in the scuffle when Lloyd turned from the door. The several parties were then questioned by the police, and the prisoner Lloyd was taken off to the police-station.