The Sun. — 1846-07-08 (London, England)

BEDFORD-STREET, BEDFORDSQUARE. LONDON  THE ALLEGED MURDER NEAR NOTTINGHAM. NOTTINGHAM, TUESDAY.—The prosecution of the inquiry into the mysterious circumstances connected with the death of William Robinson, whose body was found in a mangled state on Popplewick Forest, took place to-day, before Mr. C. Swann, coroner, and a respectable jury. The facts developed, though leading the jury to return a verdict different to what was anticipated, are not so satisfactory as could be wished, as the principal witness on the occasion Henry arn, Shepherd. who accompanied Robinson from Nottingham, has evidently been telling untruths, owing to some cause not easily to be defined. Perhaps he was too ranch in liquor to recollect what occurred, supposing he was entirely free from causing, by any means, the death of Robinson; and if not, his dissimulation renders the case still more mysterious. After giving the history of his proceedings on Saturday, prior to meeting Robinson in Nottingham, and setting out with him for Mansfield, he related several particulars different to what he had stated on the previous day, and denied that any quarrel had taken place between himself and Robinson. Jane Widnall, wife of Robert Widnall, said, that about half-past nine o'clock on Saturday night last, she saw a waggon drawn by three horses going along on the Mansfieldroad, and heard a man say, "What are you reproaching me for?" and another man replied, "I am not reproaching you;" and then the first man said, "If you aggravate me any more, I will get off the waggon and walk," and the man then got off the waggon and unfastened his dog, after which he got upon the waggon again, and they drove on. It was about half a mile before they got to Sherwood-lodge-farm. The principal witness affecting the verdict was Dr. Thomas Lightfoot, of Nottingham, who said—l have this day examined the body with Mr. Frost, and externally we found the back part of the right ear considerably lacerated; there was also a bruise above and below the ear about the size of half-a-crown. On the left side of the face we observed throe bruises, varying from two to three inches in length ; slight ecchymosia on the under surface of the left eye; there was a number of scratches on the forepart of the right shoulder, as likewise one or two bruises. The second $ id third fingers of the left hand were broken at their first joints; the hands were clenched. On the right and left side of the abdomen I observed considerable ecchvmosis extending down each side of the fore and inner surface of the thighs to the peritoneum. There was a contused grazed wound, three or four inches in length, on the forepart of the right thigh, running in an oblique direction, and commencing from about three or four inches from the bend of the body. He then described the internal injuries. The second, third, fourth, fixth, sixth, and seventh ribs, on the right side, were broken, and other parts affected. He thought the fracture of the ribs might be caused by some great force, produced either from before or behind the body; a severe crush would produce such, a carriage-wheel would have the same effect; but there was no external mark on the surface of the body; they might be produced by being jammed between two bodies, such as being squeezed between the wheels and body of a waggon. There was a mark of a wheel on the right thigh and the right side of the belly. I am of opinion that some great pressure upon the abdominal viscera has caused death, and that the deceased, has been run over. I do not think it possible the deceased could have walked from the spot where his jacket and whip were found to the spot where his body was afterwards found—a distance of upwards of half a mile, I should think the deceased would faint away immediately after receiving the Inury, and that lie could not have moved many yards. No other evidence could be brought directly to bear upon the case to show how the deceased received the injury on the face and the marks on his shoulders i and, although the evidence was not conclusive, the jury, after a long consultation, returned as their verdict, " That the deceased has been accidentally run over and killed by some carriage or carriages unknown passing along the highway."