The Sun. — 1862-12-08 (London, England)

IPIFE.  An inquiry, which lasted several hours, was opened on Saturday last in the surgeons' consulting room at St. Thomas's temporary hospital, Surrey Gardens, by William Carter, Esq., coroner for East Surrey, relative to the death of Thomas Searle, 50, a sawyer, whom it was alleged was killed by a man named Pearce, in consequence of an improper intimacy between deceased and the wife of the man P earce.  Tho learned Coroner, in opening the case, said he trusted the jury would pay the most particular attention to the evidence; for if the information he had received was correct, the deceased had diedfrom some fearful injuries inflicted upon him by another man. The case would assume a most serious aspect) but whether it would amount to murder, man_ laughter, or justifiable homicide, it was impossible to judge. Sarah Cooper, sister of the male accident ward, deposed that when the deceased was admitted into the hospital, she noticed that he had two frightful wounds on the head. Several of his ribs were also broken, and his left ankle badly sprained. Deceased was seen by several medical gentlemen, but he sank and died on Tuesday night. His dying deposition was not taken by any magistrate. Elizlbeth West, the daughter of deceased, said she went to see him in the hospital, and when he became sensible he told her he had been dreadfully used at a house where be had gone to see a person. He did not say whether it was a man or a woman he went to see.  Anna Wheatley, a single woman, deposed that she lived at 12, Wood's-buildings, East-street, Walworth. A man named Pearce, his wife, and three children, occupied a room upstairs. The man constantly lived there, but the woman would stop away for several days and nights at a time. O❑ Saturday night she noticed oue of the children go out for some beer, and when the child returned she heard voices in Pearce's room. The voices were those of Mrs. Pearce, the deceased, and the woman's husband. Directly afterwards there was a heavy fall on the floor above, and a noise as if the table had been turned over with some crockery on it. Mrs. Pearce then ran to the top of the stairs, and called out "For God's sake send for a policeman for he is chopping his brains out." The woman Pearce went down in the passage in great alarm. The next witness heard was as if a heavy body were being dragged along the landing and down some stairs, and the next instant the deceased pitched head foremost down the whole flight. Deceased seemed as if he was thrown down. She noticed that the deceased had two wounds on the forehead, and he was smothered in blood. Witness wont up into Pearce's room and found a large quantity of blood on the floor, and the walls were also bespattered with blood.  By the Coroner—Did not notice at that time any chopper or hatchet. When Mrs. Pearce saw deceased lying in the passage she said "0 ! my poor Tom," and went up and held his head. The woman Pearce afterwards said to witness, " This is all my fault. I lived with him (deceased) for three months, and this is the end of it. Pearce was a good husband to me."  Mr. Henry Green, surgeon, said he was called in to see the deceased, and found him lying in the passage of Wood's-buildings, covered with blood. There were two kievore lacerated wounds on the fore head, penetrating to the bone, and one cutting the right eyebrow in half. By the Coroner—The wounds hr td beyond doubt been inflicted by some instrument and not by a fall. Such wounds would not be caused by a fall. The instrument, whatever it was, must have been used with great force. The deceased must have lost a great deal of blood before witness saw him.  - The Coroner said as there was little doubt the deceased had died from fearful violence, he would recommend that the inquiry be adjourned. The Jury concurred with the suggestion of the coroner, and the inquiry was accordingly adjourned for a week.  4SSIZ.E