Star. — 1821-03-09 (London, England)

SUPPOSED MURDER AT DEPTIFORD.—INQUEST.— Monday evening, an Inquest was taken before Mr. CARTER, Coroner for the County of Kent, at the Evelyn Arms, Lower Deptford, on view of the body of Mr. Samuel Richards, found floating in that part of the Surrey Canal, near Windmill-lane. There not being any medical man, or other evidence than the person who took the deceased out of the Canal, the Inquest was adjourned until Tuesday evening.— The first witness examined was Thomas Jones, who stated, that, between ten and eleven o'clock on Sunday morning, he was walking by the side of the Surrey Canal, when he saw two boys looking at something in the water, which the/ considered to be a large Fsh ; however, upon inspecting it more minutely, it was discovered to be the body of a man. Ho immediately stripped off his clothes, and brought out the body, and, with assistance, conveyed it to the nearest public-house, which was the Evelyn Arms. It appeared to have lain some days in the water. Deceased had no money about him, and his packets were turned inside out. The head was much swollen. —Mr. Smith, a surgeon, of Deptford, examined the body, and found several contusions on the head; they appeared to have been inflicted with a stick, or some blunt weapon : would not say they were sufficient to occasion death ; they were, however, certainly, inflicted before deceased had been in the water.— Mr. Franklin, the landlord of the Sir John Falstaff public-house, at Deptford, deposed, that deceased lodged at his house; that he had formerly been Commander of the Aurora transport, but for some time past was out of employment. He was related to Mr. Thompson, a merchant, of Rotherhithe ; recollects, a few days before the deceased was taken out of the water, his leaving the house of the witness, to join one of the processions going to Brandenburgh-house ; was much surprised at his not returning, but heard ,nothing further until the circumstance of a body having been taken out of the water came to his knowledge; he went and recognised the deceased as formerly having teen his lodger.—No other circumstance occurring from which it could be elicited by what means the deceased came into the Canal, the Jury, after an hour's consult:nit n, returned the following verdict:—" Found dead in the tenter; but by what means, or how he came there, is to the Jurors unknovn:' Another Inquest was held, on Wednesday, before the same Coroner, at Crayford; on the body of James Millar, a highly respected servant in the family of the Hon. Mr. FRAZER, at Bexley, in Kent. The deceased had accompanied his mistress to town, and on his return, having left his Lady in London, he sat on the coach-box, by the side of the coachman. When the carriage arrived between Cfayford and Bexley, the night being very dark, the horses went out of the track, and the wheels struck against some posts; the deceased was thrown off the box, and his head striking against a block of stone, he was killed instantaneously. The deceased had been very recently married, and on the morning of the day on which he was killed, he took leave of his wife; saying, that he thought his happiness was too great to last long ! Verdict—" Accidental death."