The Sun. — 1857-11-05 (London, England)

THE MURDER AND HIGHWAY ROBBERY LA,  ESSEX.  HALSTEAD, WEDNESDAY. The excitement occasioned by the robbery and murder of Mr. Isaac Butcher, farmer and cattle dealer, on Saturday evening, while on his way from Colchester market to his home at Colne -Engaine 0 small village about three miles from this t )wn), has greatly increased by the result of the post-mortem examination. The inquest was held yesterday before William Code], Eaq., coroner for the northern division of the county, and a jury of farmers from the neighbourhood. The most important witnee4, excepting the medical testimony, was a young man named Butler under gardener to Robert Hills, Esq., of Colne Park, the late high sheriff for the county. Butler states that he left work just after six o'clock, and when within fifty yards of the lodge gate he heard a noise as of persons scuffling in the rowl, and a faint cry of " Oh, dear," or " Oh, don't," followed by several groans, and a sound like a person choking. He quicken his pace to about 20 or 30 yards, through the gate, when ho stopped to list,n, and distinctly_ heard the footsteps of two or three p rsons running away. About 20 yards further on he' came to a man lying on his back ; and running a 1 ttle further he again heard footsteps in a small plantation, but fearing he might be himself attacked he gave up the pursuit, and returned to the deceased, who appeared at that moment to breath his last. After the deceased had been conveyed home, his cheque-book and pocket-book were found in his coat pocket, apparently undisturbed ; and thelatter, with other papers, contained a receipt far upwards of 6001. paid sto the Halstead Bank on the previous day. Mr. Taylor, surgeon, of Earl's Colne, who had been sent for when the deceased was first found, made an immediate examination of the body, but could detect no injuries beyond a contus on of the nose and a cut on the inside of the upper lip, as if from pressure upon a broken tcoih. Of course neither of these was sufficient to account for death, and not only report was in circulation that the decetsed died from a fit, but the coroner, upon the statement of the circumstances made to him, arrived at the same conclusion, and consequently did not give an order for a post-mortem examinati. until the morning of the inquest. This was moat minutely and carefully performed by Dr. Taylor, assisted by another gentleman of Heist° .d. They found congestion of the brain, but without any appearance of injury to the skull. The tongue was neither protruding or swollen, which might be ex— pected from ordinary ..atrangulition ; but there were black patches on both an es above the elbow, as if he had been pinioned from behin 1, and tbere Was an oval patch upon the angle of each jaw, res.mbling in shape a thumb and finger, ono being larger than _the oilier. Both medical gentlemen were saeisfied that death arose from asphyxia, the result of violence, and as far as they could foim an opinion, it was that a band was presed over the mouth and nose, so held as to cause suff;eatiun. The Jury, without hesitation, arrived at a verdict of " Wilful Murder by come person or persons unknown. - The description obtained by the police of the two men suspected, and who had been observed at Halstead fair, on the preceding day, corresponds very closely with that of two men who committed a highway-robbery upon a farmer named Palmer, who had been attending East Harling fair, in Norfolk, on the 24th ult. They are apparently railroad leboUrers on tramp. The Norfolk arid E'sex police are acting in concert in the search for them, but at present, no clue has been obtained as to the route they have taken, beyond the fact that a man •  res?mbling one of the parties took the train for London on Sunday morning from the Kelvedon station.