The Sun. — 1844-05-02 (London, England)

THE MURDER ON BATTERSEA  BRIDGE. Yesterday Mr. Carter held an inquest at the Swan and Magpie, Battersea-bridge-road, on the body of Sarah Eleanor M'Farlane, aged forty-five years, the unfortunate female who was murdered on Monday night, some particulars of which appeared in The Sun yesterday. The jury having viewed the body, which lay at the late residence of the deceased, No. 13, Bridge-road, Battersea, the following evidence was laid before them. Helen Gibson stated that she resided at No. 1, CuTnistock-terrace, Battersea, and that the deceased was her sister. She was a widow, and the last time witness saw her alive was on Monday afternoon. On that night, from incorcnation she received, she went to the Swan, and saw the deceased lying in the passage covered with blood. She was subsequently removed to her own home, and witness then saw that she had a wound in her throat. A male person was in the habit of coming to her sister's house to visit his family, who lodged with the deceased. The person she alluded to wished to pay his addresses to her, and had offered her marriage. The lain:lacy was occasioned by her taking charge of his family, when he ran away in June last year. She was aware that he had published the banns of marriage, but she did not think her sister contemplated marrying him, as her friends were opposed to the connexion. She was confirmed in this belief by a letter which she found in a box belonging to her sister that morning addressed to her by this person. He formerly lived next door to the deceased. Latterly he had been in the habit of visiting his children at her sister's. He was named Augustus Dalmas. Dalmas was a manufacturing chemist, and was in the employ of Mr. Groves, at Battersea. The last time she saw him was on Monday fortnight. James Andrews, a labourer, said that on Monday night he was passing over Battersea-bridge in a cart, a few minutes after eleven o'clock, from Chelsea, when he noticed a man and woman behind him. The man was dressed in a black frock-coat and white trousers, and the female had hold of his arm. On getting near the centre of the bridge he saw a man looking over the parapet, and he hallooed out to him, " Don't jump over the bridge." On the cart stopping to pay toll, the gatekeeper said to the other man in the cart," Jump down, here is a woman in a fit." Witness looked and saw the woman bleeding from a wound in the neck, and told his companion to untie her bonnet ; but before he did so, witness jumped out of the cart and did it himself. The only words he heard the deceased utter were, " Oh, dear! oh, dear!" Two policemen came up, and he assisted the policemen in carrying her into the Swan. • In answer to questions from the CORONER, the witness said be saw nothing in the conduct of the man and woman to attract any particular attention, or to excite his suspicion. Richard Messenger said, he was passing over the bridge on Monday;night, in company with his wife, when he saw a man looking over the bridge. On passing he looked earnestly at them, but witness did not take particular notice of him. hen they arrived near the tollhouse, his wife called out, " There is a woman falling to the ground." He hurried forward, and saw a woman lying on the ground, bleeding from a wound in her neck. He saw no other person on the bridge, with the exception of the man he before alluded to, and two men in a knacker's cart, which passed a few yards in advance of himself. By the