The Sun. — 1846-06-22 (London, England)

POLICE INTELLIGENCE. LAMBETH. THE LATE EXTRAORDINARY AND SUSPICIOUS DEATH OF A BOY AT DULWlClL—lnspector Campbell, of the P division, attended before the Hon. G. C. Norton, in compliance with a message sent to him to give an explanation to come diielosurts made to the Hon. Magistrate late on Friday erenint, relative to the extraordinary and tn-picions death of George James Berns-ell, a laJ, aged fifteen, who had been teund dead in a muddy pond at the back of his master's house on the evening of Tuesday week last, with a 28:b. metal weight tied round his neck, and both his hands tied together. The short facts of the case appeared to be these:— The deceased had been in the employment of a person named Evans, a manufacturer of " piqua," or British tea, as errand boy, since last April twelvemonths, and on the evening of Tuesday week his master and his master's son proceeded to Sydenham in a pony-chaise for the purpose of purchasing some greens, and on their return they found written on the foot- board of the deceased's bed in chalk an intimation that his body was in the pond at the back of the house. A board was also found floating on the poed, on which was written with chalk, " The body of George Benwell is in this pond." The body was found there, and upon being taken out a 281 b. weight was round his neck, and both his hands were found tied together. An inquest has since been held on the body, and, after a lengthened inquiry, the jury returned a vet diet to the effect that the deci ased had been the author of his own d• ath, and had committed suicide, Subsequent to the inquiry, Mr. Bishop, the half-brother of the deceased, had received several communications imputing the death of the deceased to very different cam-es ; and oni., in particular, from a female, named 'n;eobald, who had lived as servant with Evans, who  states that there was an exceedingly bad feeling beta een the deceased and his mastkr, and that this had rec‘ ntly become considerably increaid on the part of the latter  on account of her (Theobald) communicating to the goy the secret of the manufacturing to which he (Evans) Intd been engaged, and it was on the application of Mr. Bishop that Mr. Norton required the attendance of Mr. Campbell to give some explanation of the case. Mr. Campbell said that he had taken much trouble in and was still pursuing the inquiry into the case, which was one of the most suspicious and extraordinary that he recollected during his lengthened experience as an officer. When before the coroner and jury, Evans, the master of the deceased, who is a most eccentric charact r arid a Socialist, said that he did not observe anything wore than ordinary in the deceased's manner, when himself and his s' left home for Sydenham, on the evening of Tuesday week, yet when he had proceeded half his journey, he said that something struck him that all was not right at home with George. Upon this he was asked by a juror why he did not return, if such was his I eling; and his reply was, that he slu uld have don'- so, but that he thought that if anything happened, he should be then too lute to prevent it, but the answer to this and other questions from the coroner and jury was considered anything but satisfactory to them. There were several points in the case which he (Mr. Campbell) could not reconcile to his belief that the deceased had committed suicide, and even to say the least of them were of a highly suspicious character. In the first place, the cord by which the metal weight was suspended on the neck of the y.t'ut h was so short, as to be barely sufficient to tie behind, and it was exceedingly doubtful to him whethe r the lad him self' would have been enabled to tie it in the mariner in which it had been round. In the next, if even he had so tied it and his hands, he had then to get over a wooden paling tour feet six inches in height, and such would be the difficulty of getting over such an imp &meat with a quarter of a hundred tied to his neck, that he (Mr. Campbell) should not be able toaccomplish it much more a boy of 15 years of age. In the third place, he (Mr. Campbell) tound in the boxes of the lad a copy book and other papers, which bore the hand-writing of the deceased, and upon comparing them with the chalk writing on the foot of the deceased's bed, and also the piece of wood found 1 ether on the pond, they bore no comparison whatever, and in his opinion had nev.-T been written be ihe same hand. The jury were of a similar opinion previous to the stepmother of the dec axed being called, but she swore point blank that both were in the handwriting of the deceased, and th's it was that principally induced the jury to come to the dec,sien they had. Since then the step-mother had been most anxious to get possession of b nth the writing and the board hearing the chalk marks; but he (Mr. Campbell) r/ fused to let her have them, particulsrly as he had found that Evans had been stopping ' at her house ever since the death of the boy, and some of her neighbours did not hesitate to impute a more than ordinary intimacy between the two parties. There was another circumstance which he (Mr. Campbell) felt it necessary to mention, and that was, that on a med.cal inspection of the body, appear /Lees of an extraordinary description, and which he could not pa7ticularly allude to, were found, and Evans had acknowledged to him (Mr. Cami,bell) and others, that he had been accused of an atrocious offence. Mr. Bishop, the step-brother of the deceased, here begged to mention another circumstance, which appeared to add to the many other sus: icious iuciuents rnbed,arct of the the ease. The chalk writing on mid which he did not believethteo fhlavt_bennpNiVt-raist,t.:nsbiry, the deceased. ere in these words= cue to Inv friends, have the kindness to remember d at the back of the house „ George B ne ell is in 5;1,,,, and .‘ my friends," And after the words • 1 !' d. [his circumstance satisfitd there were comm.. p g t: not b.y the_ deceased, even if hea Ghhaed was t •' him that the wririns oft gsruarhEnaanlr Olnaenndt,, when on the point palpably ignorant been, he doubted a of self. destruction, he would have taken the trouble to write so methodically; and alto Aether he was very desstiti,fi ,(1 with the inquiry, and hoped his Worshlp would not ,slow it to rest where it stood. Mr. NORTON admitted that the circumstances of the vase were exceed* suspicious, and direoted