The Express. — 1866-11-01 (London, England)

SUSPECTED MURDER OF A FOREIGNER.  A French gentleman s as, there is reason to believe, brutally murdered on Friday evening last, on the shore at Seabrook. a hamlet beneath the south-west corner of Shorncliffe camp, and between Sandgate and Hythe, and the police have not yet succeeded in getting the slightest clue to the murderer. The deceased was a stianger to the district, and put up at the Alexandra Hotel, Felkesteue,un Thursday evening, carrying a travelling bag, just after the arrival of the Soot 11-Eastern Company's passenger steamer Napoleon 111. from Boulogne. lie slept at the hotel that night, and next morning paid his bill, left his beg in his room, and proceeded on foot to Shornelide camp, remarking in broken English that be should return to dinner. He is traced to the company of two prostitutes in the evening in a Sandgate beerhouse, which he left with them, and proeseded to a public-house. At nine o'clock he left the latter house in liquor, but net ' decidedly drunk, and from the door of that house he cannot be traced alive. About half-past tea o'clock the same night his Ludy was found on the face, half in the sea and half on the shore, halls tulle west from Sandgate. It was a moonlight night, the title bad just begun to flow, and a gang of men had been working on the spot down to ~.JO p.m. ; a coast-guardsman was stationed about a hundred yards off, sand a county police-station and barracks; were barely 2.-a) yards off the spot, the highway running between them ; yet either a brutal murder was committed on tie slightly sloping beach without observation, I or the murder was done at a short distance awl the body I dr.vrgea down the beach to the water's edge without any notiee. The discovery was made at half-past It/ by four men rowing westward on a I ighing expedition. The :,,eutlenian during life had received a heavy blow on the nose between the eyes, and an extraordinarily heavy blow on end: temple, hut life was prolahly not extinct when the body was thrown into the water. On the body was found about V. in money (chiefly French), a silver watch with platinum watch guard, mid a draft letter, in French, on family matters (the signature, as nearly as it can be &ciphered, " Gabriel "j, but giving to strangers not the slightest clue to hbi connections. The following notice hr_s beet. issued ' by the police :—" About ;b to 40 years of age, 5 feet 5 or 6 inches high, stout built, dark brown beard and moustache, fresh complexion, high forehead, of respectable appearance, dressed in dark coat and dark overcoat and vest, grey tweial trousers, shirt with pink spots, plated sleeve links, new side-spring boots, French snake, white socks marked with red cotton "G. L.," cambric handkerchief marked the same. All the clothing appeared nearly new. A silver Geneva watch, No. 17,642—ti,981 ; platinum Albert chain, a large latch key ,• had several pieces of French and nglish money upon him, some in a purse and some loose in his pocket, supposed to be a Frenchman, or had recently travelled in France, as he had several French railway time tables with Lim. Did not appear to have been in the water more than a few hours. 1 There were bruises on each side of the temples, also on 1 bridge of the nose, which were quite fresh and bleeding when taken fruits the water. The body was not stiff when found." The coroner's inquest returned an open verdict, "Found drowned."