Brighouse & Rastrick Gazette. — 1892-10-22 (Brighouse, West Yorkshire, England)

ROBBERY AND MURDER OF A DOCTOR. At the Southwark Police-court, on Thursday, Edward Walter, 24, stoker, of 17, °lengell-road, Peckham; Henry Lee, 23, stoker, Bendon Valley, Wandsworth, and Charles Balch, 30, general dealer, 19, liedcross-road, Borough, powerful-looking men, were charged on suspicion with being concerned in 'causing the death of Dr. Kerwain, a medical gentleman, lately practising at Canning Town, in Whitecross-street, Borough, on the 12th inst, and further with stealing from him a gold watch and chain, locket, and money, the value of which is at present unknown.—Mrs. Knight, wife of the proprietor of the Clyde beerhouse, Southwark Bridgeroad, said the previous afternoon she was serving in the bar when she saw five men enter; the three prisoners were there with the deceased. They all came in together.. A man, not present, called for a pot of mild and biter. She served him and received the money. The man handed a glass to the deceased, and he drank it. Two minutes later he offered him another glass, but deceased, who seemed disgusted, threw the glass to the ground without touching the contents. The glass was broken, and the man paid for it. All four men were quite sober, but the deceased seemed to be in a dazed condition. They remained in the bar till about half past two They had no more drink. Her husband came in about the time named, and the men at once left, the gentleman going out last. That morning she saw a dozen men in the station -yard, and identified the prisoners as three of the four men who came in and went out with the deceased. During the conversation one of the men said, "This gentleman is my uncle from the country." In answer to questions she said she was sure Lee was among the party.—Police-Constable Hunt proved finding deceased in the passage of the George IV. public-house, leading to Whitecrossstreet—lnspector O'Dea said that was as far as he proposed to go that day. He asked for a remand and a certificate for legal aid, as the case was surrounded by intricacies and mystery. The magistrate acceded to both requests. —Prisoners applied for bail, but it was refused. On Saturday James Noble, 25, a general dealer, living in Redcross-street, hearing that the detectives were on the watch for him' walked into Southwark Police-station, and said to Inspector Stephens, who was in charge, "I hear I am wanted, so I wish to give myself up." Noble was placed in the cells, and subsequently brought before Mr. Horace Smith, charged with complicity in the fatal affair.—lnspector Stephens, after deposing to the prisoner's surrender, said, "I asked him what he wanted to give himself up for. He replied, "fire old gentleman.' " Mrs. Knight, wife of the proprietor of the Clyde beerhouse, which the doctor visited along • with four men, was sent for, and she identified Noble as one of them. When the charge was read over to him, Noble declared, "I never saw the old gentleman after we left the public-house together." —Mrs. Knight was called, and repeated the evidence she gave against the other three men. Prisoner, she said, was the last of the four men to enter her bar with the deceased. He ordered a pot of mild and bitter ale, with which she served him, and after, paying for it he handed it to the deceased, who drank and gave the pot to one of the others. All of them, including prisoner, partook of the liquor. Noble ordered a glass of ale soon after, and handed it to the deceased, who just sipped it and threw the glass to the ground. They were in the bar about 40 inimites.—Prisoner was remanded, .to be brought up with the other accused men. 'How