The Bermondsey murder : a full report of the trial of Frederick George Manning and Maria Manning, for the murder of Patrick O'Connor, at Minver-place, Bermondsey, on the 9th of August, 1849. Including memoirs of Patrick O'Connor, Frederick George Manning, and Maria Manning. With their portraits, and several other engravings.

Date:: 1849

Credit: The Bermondsey murder : a full report of the trial of Frederick George Manning and Maria Manning, for the murder of Patrick O'Connor, at Minver-place, Bermondsey, on the 9th of August, 1849. Including memoirs of Patrick O'Connor, Frederick George Manning, and Maria Manning. With their portraits, and several other engravings. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

18/88 (page 14)

$do with. He gave his name at the station, and said that Manning had just left his house. We then returned to the house and stopped there, and saw him take away the remainder of the goods, wth the exception of the linen. Amongst the things which he took away was a shovel, which stood against the copper-hole—that Avas in the back kitchen. 1 handed that to Mr. Bainbridge myself. On the Friday I went to the house about twelve o’clock in the day-time, accompanied by Barnes, to make a full search. We went down into the back kitchen. I was standing on the nearest stone to the window, and I said to Barnes “ Here are two stones rvhich look fresh,” and Barnes took his knife out of his pocket, and tried the sides of the two stones. He found the mortar soft, and it smelt sour, like fresh mortar. Barnes tried the joints of other stones, and found the mortar hard enough. We then proposed to take the stones with the soft mortar up. We received no information Avhich caused xis to do this. We removed two of the stones, which were together about five feet long and two feet wide. On removing them, Barnes dreAv mj’ attention to the untradesmanlike rvay in which the stones had been laid, because there was mortar in the middle. On removing the mortar we found a very hard substance, and the earth appeared to have been trodden down. I eased the earth with the crow-bar, and Barnes shovelled it out. We proceeded a little ivay, when Barnes pulled out a piece of rag, and after proceeding a little further, Barnes drew my atten- tion to the toe of the deceased. He then removed the remainder of the earth and exposed a portion of the foot of a person. The body could not have sustained any injury from the crow- bar. I then went and procured further assistance, and when I returned Avith Mr. Yates from the station, and Mr. Burton, both inspectors, I saw a portion of the flesh, but I could not say whether it was the back or loins. I then, by direction of Mr. Yates, went for the friends of a gentleman of the name of O’Connor, who Avas missing, of whom inquiries had been previ- ously made. I procured the assistance of Mr. Flynn and Mr. O’Connor, the brother of the deceased, who returned Avith me. Upon my return the body Avas in the front kitchen—it was the body of a man. The body AA-as covered Avith lime. I should think it Avas four ftet deep where the head Was lying. The body must have been there for some time. We found in the back bedroom a black satin stock, but it cannot be identified as belonging to the deceased. I found no stain of blood upon it. We examined the rooms most minutely, but there Avere no stains of blood. There were marks on the ceiling of the back room, but I do not think they were caused by any act of violence. Think they might have been occasioned by the removal of a bedstead. AVe discovered no weapon of any kind about the house. We had not been engaged in excavation more than ten minutes when we discovered the deceased’s toe. No person had intimated to us a knowledge of where the deceased was. Samuel Lockwood, surgeon, deposett: Am not at present practising my profession. I was in the neighbourhood of New Weston-street on Friday last, and some information I then received caused me to go to No. 3, Minver-place, about half-past one o’clock p.m. I saw two policemen at the door, and on my announcing myself as a surgeon, they admitted me. I went doAvn steps into the back kitchen, and there found that the slabs had been remoA’ed, and that digging was going on. I saw the feet of a person exposed in a hole, the body being yet buried in the earth. The earth was then removed, and I noticed that the legs Avere bent backAvards against the haunches, and firmly tied there, which gat-e rise' to the exposure of the toe. The head was considerably lower buried than the feet. I assisted in removing the dirt very carefully, being afraid that some injury might be done to the head of the body by the shovel. When we got to the head, I found a very extensive fracture on the superior part of the head, rather behind. It was large enough for me to introduce my two fingers into it. I had seen the placards stating th.it a person was missing, who wore a set of false teeth ^ and the circumstance being alluded to at this time, 1 removed the dirt from the head and face partially, to feel if there were any teeth in the mouth. I found a full set of false teeth in the person’s mouth, and I delivered them up to Mr. Slow, the summoning officer, after washing them. The body was raised shortly afterwards in my presence, and carried into the front kitchen. I noticed a considerable quantity of hme round about the body attached to it. The body was blue and in a state of decomposition. On examining the body after it was raised, and in the presence of Mr. Odling, I found another fracture at the back of the head, on the right side. Mr. Odling also called my attention to a prominence—a small hard lump— over the right eye-brow. There was no external wound there; and on my cutting down upon the prominence, I extracted from it a rather large leaden slug or bullet, weighing nearly three drachms. No weapon that might have discharged such a bullet was found on the premises to my knowledge. tt- v Mr. (ieorge Odling was called and examined by the Coroner: I reside at No. 159, High- street, Borough, and am divisional surgeon to the M division of Metropolitan Police. I was sent for about three o’clock on Friday last, by the police, to proceed to No, 3, Minver-place. There I saw the dead body of a man, lying on his face, with his legs tied back, m a hole m. the back kitchen. The legs were in a reflex position, and the body was covered with hme-- that is to say, the surface of the body had lime adhering to it. I examined the body in part as it lay, and I discovered that the head was fractured. The body was e-ventually removed into the front kitchen, where 1 made a further examination, and discovered a foreign body or substance under the integuments over the right eye. That substance was loose, and I could move it. I pointed it out to Mr. Lockwood, who has been examined to-day, and he avi^ a lancet then extracted the substance, which turned out to be a leaden bullet. At that tune X$

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