The Sun. — 1836-09-06 (London, England)

MURD'  OF COLONEL HANMER' GAMEKEEPER.  On Tuesday morning last, about ten o'cloct, the neighbourhood of Leighton Buzzard, Beds, and Great Brickhill, Bucks, was thrown into a considerable state of alarm by the information that James Gillrow had been found dead on the south side of Bragenham Warren, and the whole of his features were so completely disfigured that his most intimate friends recognised him with difficulty. He had not been home during Monday night, and his wife went up on Tuesday morning to Stockgrove House, the residence of Col. Hanmer, M.P., and an immediate search was set on foot. A small piece of the stock of a gun, with a guard and percussion lock, was picked up by John Adams about seven or eight yards from the body, and were immediately recognised as belonging to a gun which a man named Thomas Bates, of Heath and Reach, had in his possession the previous night. This led to an immediate apprehension of Bates. An inquest was held on the body on Wednesday, at the Boot publichouse, at Soulbury, Bucks, when the prisoner, Bates, made the following statement :—" When I left Rushmore Pond I went through the warren into Mr. Chew's wheat stubble field. I sat by the gate a little while, thinking to see a rabbit. I saw a cock pheasant coming towards the hedge. I waited till it got near enough, and I then shot at it. I thought I hit it, but it flew into the warren. I then went into Six Acres, under the hedges At that instant I saw Gillrow running towards me, as fast as he could, and I popped through the hedge into the warren, and squatted in the ditch. Gillrow passed me ; he went into Mortimer's field, and soon came' back again. When he saw me in the ditch, he said, I've got you at last ; I have been looking for you a long time, and now have got you.' I said it was the first time, and hoped he would forgive me. He said no, he would not ;he told me to come out of the ditch. I said I would not, but I soon got out of the ditch, and we walked up by the side of the freeboard, and I again asked him to forgive me several times, but he said no. I then raised my gun, and knocked him down with the butt end. He said, Oh, dear,' and I kept hitting, him. I then left him, and went home, and got to bed about half-past eight. I got up early next morning, and went to look for the piece of gun. The moon shone bright, but I could not find it. I was there an hour, and then left, for fear somebody might see me, as it was getting light, and went to work on the railway, where I was taken.' The prisoner afterwards told the constable where the other part of the gun was, and the pieces of gun were produced, having been found in a pond described by the prisoner. The Jury returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder" against Thomas Bates, and he was committed accordingly for trial.—Northampton Mercury.  Letters received this morning from Hamburg, of the date of Friday last, the 2d, mention that the General Steam Navigation Company's splendid new ship, Ocean, had arrived that day with the mail of the 31st, after a very rapid passage. The Ocean made the voyage to Cuxhaven in forty hours, and would have arrived at Hamburg within forty-five hours had she not been detained by a thick fog. The General Steam Navigation Company's steam ship Britannia, arrived at Hamburg at the same time with the Ocean.