The Sun. — 1858-05-17 (London, England)

THE LATE SUSPECTED MURDER IN  THE REGENT'S CANAL.  LATEST PARTICULARS.  Yesterday (Sunday) a great number of persons of both sexes crowded round the spot where the body of the unfortunate man (John Turner) was discovered, on the evening of Monday last, by a bargeman while pausing along the Regent's Canal, Victoria Park, and Mr. Russell, the dock-keeper had considerable difficulty in keeping the curious visitors out of danger. The police of the district, through the instructions of Mr. Superintendent Howie, were most actively engaged throughout the whole of Saturday in making every possible inquiry respecting the deceased, and Sheridan, an queer of the K division, has succeeded in tracing the deceased to the house of his brother-in-law, near the Edinburgh Castle public-house, Stepney, at which place he called on Wednesday night, the sth inst , between eight and nine o'clock, being 48 hours later than the time mentioned by one of the witnesses examined at the coroner's inquest on Thursday afternoon last. The same constable has also ascertained that the deceased borrowed 7s. from Mr. W. Bryant, his late employer, residing in Prince's-square, Ratcliffhighway, on the night he left home, and that he (the deceased) was drinking in front of the bar of a public-house, a short distance from the canal, a few hours afterwards.  The several persons who saw the deceased on the occasion referred to will be examined at the adjourned inquest, this afternoon, which may in all probability throw some light upon the present mysterious state of the case. Mr. Vaughan, summoning officer of St. Matthew, Bethnal-green, received orders from Mr. Field, the foreman of the jury empanneled on view of the mutilated remains of the deceased on Saturday, to proceed to the Home-office, to obtain th• authority of the Sem wary of State for the attendance of Dr. Taylor, of Guy's Hospital, but, in consequence of the drawing-room in honour of her Majesty's birthday, no business was transacted, and the officer returned.  The body of the unfortunate man still remains in the charge of the landlord of the Hosford Arms public-house, adjoining the canal, and from the time deceased has been taken out of the water, and the previous condition of the body, there seems some doubt as to whether a satisfactory medical examination can be made.  Yesterday afternoon, at one o'clock, Mr. Wm. Baker, the Coroner for East Middlesex, received the following communication from the Home-office : " Mr. Waddingt,in presents his compliments to Mr. Baker, and is directed by Mr. Secretary Walpole, to acknowledge the receipt of his letter of the 14th inst., in which he requests that Dr. Taylor be authorised to aVend in the case of the inquest on a man named John Turner, and to state in reply, that Dr. Taylor's assistance would be given iu a ease which required the best scientific and chemical evidence that could ba procure 1, but as such evidence is very expensive, the Secretary of State would not feel justified in sanctioning such assistance where o'her medical testimony might be, as in this instance, equally available. —Whitehall, May 15, 1858." A copy of this letter was forwarded by the learned coroner to Mr. Vaughan, the summoning officer in charge of the case, and on Saturday evening at 8 o'clock the jury bad a private meeting for the purpose of taking into consideration the reply from the Secretary of State, and after a long discussion, the gentlemen empanneled to investigate the death, resolved, unanimously, that thsy would have the evidence of Dr. Taylor, notwithstanding the parsimonious conduct of the officials of the Home-office.  Mr. Seffings, the surgeon, who has been consulted by several medical gentlemen of the district, still adheres to the opinion he first expressed at the inquest that the deceased has been murdered, and the clothes after wards buttoned up over the injuries he described. He states th%t it would be utterly impossible :for the wounds to be inflicted by a.barge passing against the bDdy without cutting the coat, waistcoat, neckerchief, shirt, ac., which are quite uninjured. The incision in the ne3k must have been cut by a sharp-edged illSti umpnt, and groat violence must have been exerci ed in the infliction of the injuries. _ _  Late last night the police were still busily engaged in the case, which has excited unusual interest.