The Sun. — 1856-11-19 (London, England)

THE MURDER AT BRITS.  Yesterday evening C. J. Carttar, Esq., coroner for West Kent, held an adjourned inquiry into the circumstances attending the death of a young man named Geo. Carter, who resided at York-road, Battersea, and was found on the Bth instant lying on the grounds of Capt. Wheatley, at Erith, covered with wounds, and presented appearances which clearly proved that a shocking murder had been committed.  At 5 o'clock the jury assembled at the Crown Hotel, Erith, when the following witnesses were examined : Mr. E. Carter deposed—He is an auctioneer, and resides at Battersea-rise. On Wednesday last he saw the body of the deceased, and identified it as that of his cousin George Carter, the son of a market gardener, now deceased, but who formerly resided at Battersea. Witness last saw the deceased on the 4th inst., at Union-road, Battersea, but on that occasion no conversation took place. The deceased resided with his sister, at the residence of their late father, in York-road, Battersea. The deceased intended to proceed to Australia, and on Oct. 11 be executed a power of attorney, appointing witness to attend to his property, and also with the object of ob• tuning 100/. in ready cash, to enable him to proceed on .his voyage. Witness afterwards saw the deceased with a bundle, which he stated contained his outfit. By the Coroner—l always considered the deceased to be in a sane state of mind. I am not aware of the object of deceased going abroad. He said that he could do no good in England, and should try what he could do at ,the diggings. • Mr. P. Oates, a surgeon residing at Erith, deposed that he made a post mortem examination of the body of deceased, in conjunction pith Mr. Spurling, a surgeon of Bexley-heath. The appearances presented were as fol• lows:—en the left side of the chest from the breast-bone to the fold of the armpit were 16 punctured wounds— some being superficial and others perforated. Eight of these wounds had entered the heart, and either was sufficient to have caused death. On examining the heart one of the wounds was found to be much larger than the rest, and appeared to have been made by two thrusts with the same instrument. The external wounds and the wounds in the heart corresponded exactly with the shape, size, and form of the carpenter's gouge produced, which was found in the hand of deceased after death. The contents of the stomach presented appearances of spirituous liquors having been taken immediately before death. Two severe fractures were found on the skull ; one was three inches long, and extended from the centre of the top of the head to the left temple ; the other was on the right side of the head. By the Coroner—lt is absolutely impossible that the deceased could have inflicted these wounds himself. The gouge found in the hand of the deceased had the point outwards, and had the deceased inflicted the wounds the point of the tool would have been turned towards his body. Independently of this, it would have been impossible for the deceased to have inflicted several punctures in his heart, as one such wound would have ren• dered him totally prostrate. The immediate cause of death was the wounds in the heart.  Mr. Lawrence, surgeon, of Wa,u- dsworth, deposed he had examined the body, and fully concurred in the opinion of the last witness.  Mr. Harwood, of Battersea, deposed that he was left as a joint executor to the estate of the father of the deceased. The evidence of this witness proved that the deceased had received a sum of 1001. a few days previous to his death, and also the important fact that the deceased invariably used his left hand for all purposes. At this stage of the proceedings the room was cleared and on re-admission the Coroner stated that the jury considered that the best course to adopt would be to adjourn the inquiry for the attendance of the sister of the deceased, and other witnesses not in attendance. At the close of the proceedings we were informed from undoubted authority that police-constable Crouch, an active and intelligent officer of the R division, had ob• tained important information which, if divulged at present, might defeat the ends of justice, but which will probably lead to the apprehension of the murderer.