British Miner and General Newsman : — 1863-01-24 (London, England)

THE BRITISH MINER AND GENERAL NEWSMAN.  THE ALLEGED MURDER AT NINE ELMS.  ON Tuesday Mr. W. Carter, one of the Surrey coroners, resumed, at the Duke of Clarence Tavern, Penton-place, Walworth, the inquiry touching the death of Charles Champion, aged 43, who was alleged to have been murdered. A man named Hillier is in custody on suspicion of being implicated in the crime, and another man has absconded. From the evidence adduced on the former occasion it appears that the deceased was a carman in the employ of Mr. Hunt, of Battersea, and that on the evening of the 27th ult., having finished his work for the day, the key of the stable, which was locked, was hung up where deceased and a man named James Wheeler could get at it. Deceased then called on a friend and said he was going to a publichouse in the neighbourhood. Twenty minutes afterwards, however, he was found insensible and almost dead, close to the stable-door and underneath the door of the loft, which was wide open, though it had been fastened when the place was locked up for the night. Deceased's nose was completely broken in. There was a hole in his forehead, and he was covered with blood and bruises. He was lifted into a stable, where, upon the clotted blood being washed from his face, he partially revived, and exclaimed, "Kill me outright. Where is my wife ?" He was removed immediately to St. Thomas's Hospital, where he died on the 9th inst., being merely able to tell his wife "that James knew all about it, and that they had done it about a sixpence." On the case being resumed, Henry Maynard said that he saw deceased on the morning of the 27th ult. in front of the bar of the Nine Elms Tavern, drinking some coffee. A carman named Hillier was also there. That evening Hillier came into the Nine Elms Tavern parlour and said, "I have got the sack ;" and he said, after some conversation, "1 want to find that Charley Champion." Witness said, "Champion is a very spiteful man; he would stick a knife into you; don't you touch him." Hillier said, "If the devil shows a knife to me, I will kick his inside out." He left the tavern a little after six o'clock, and returned in ten minutes. He stopped there then until a quarter to seven, when he went away in the direction of his master's stables, which were in the same yard as Hunt's stables. His wife was then in the tavern, but he did not come back to her. Witness did not see him again that night. Witness had often seen Hillier since, but he said nothing to him about the affair. Hillier "fought very shy of witness since that job." Witness added : Hillier said he wanted to see Champion because he was determined Champion should not "best him out of a tanner." It was an affair of cheating about a sixpence in gambling, perhaps; but witness did not exactly know. The coroner said that Hillier left the tavern at a quarter to seven ; another witness deposed to seeing deceased alive at twenty minutes to eight o'clock; could Hillier be traced during the intervening time '1 Mr. J Purdew said that on the night in question, about a quarter to seven, some boys came to the Nine Elms Tavern and said that three men had run down to the bottom of the yard. Witness went out and heard some persons—there were more than one—running down towards the stables. There was a way out of the yard for foot passengers at the other end. Witness stayed outside for about five minutes, and he saw no one come up from the yard. There were fields at the back of the further gate to the yard. Inspector Abrook said that he apprehended Samuel Hillier on Thursday last, and charged him, on suspicion, with causing deceased's death. Hillier said, "You must prove the case." He had previously said that he could prove where he was on the Saturday night in question. Mrs. Champion said that her husband told her, as well as his injuries would permit him, that there was a bother about sixpence. He said that a man named Hillier or Wheeler had to do with it, but his nose being completely destroyed it was hard to understand him. He was only conscious a minute or two. Inspector Abrook said that he believed he could get further evidence if the coroner would adjourn the proceedings. The inquest was accordingly adjourned.