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Cheltenham, Wednesday Evening.
An inquest is now being held in the town before J. LOVEGROVE, Esq., one of the coroners for Gloucestershire, on the body of RICHARD MACE, whose death occurred under the following circumstances:
The deceased, with a sawyer named WILLIAM BAKER, had arrived in Cheltenham from the neighbouring town of Winchcomb, and stopped at a beerhouse kept by one JOHN WILLIAMS, in Queen Street. After drinking here until they both became partially intoxicated, they sallied out for a walk through the streets of Cheltenham, having first engaged and paid for a bed at the beerhouse. They proceeded along High Street to Wellington Square, where they found two women swearing. They asked them what was the matter, on which one of them, named MARGARET BELL, ran up to the deceased and struck him, knocking him down. Her companion, whose name was BRIDGET WIMBLE, then kicked him while on the ground, and as soon as the deceased got up again a man named HART rushed out of a passage and knocked the deceased down. His companion does not seem to have rendered him any assistance, for the unfortunate deceased was afterwards again attacked. After the first affray the two companions, BAKER and MACE, walked along the street, when BAKER expressed his intention of returning at once to Winchcomb, but MACE said he should return back to the beerhouse where he had engaged a bed. After ineffectual attempts to prevail upon MACE to accompany him, BAKER proceeded alone to Winchcomb, where he arrived about six o’clock in the morning, having parted with his companion, as he says, about eleven o’clock at night, and the distance between Winchcomb and Cheltenham being five miles. After BAKER had left MACE the two women and HART again attacked MACE, whom HART beat in a very severe manner, knocking him down several times. While on the ground the witnesses observed blood flowing from his head, and one witness, a widow woman named FINCH, who had gone to her door in consequence of hearing a disturbance in the street, saw BELL and HART following up the deceased and repeatedly striking him. At last a simultaneous attack was made by HART and the two women when MACE was knocked down four times, and while upon the ground the woman WIMBLE, who had a child in her arms, jumped upon him repeatedly with her feet, until he lay motionless, on which they left him, one of the party observing that ”he won’t want any more.” What became of the unfortunate deceased between this time (about 11 o’clock at night) and 3 o’clock next morning does not yet appear. It seems that he partially recovered, so as to be able to walk, and he was then left, and nothing is seen of him until he was found lying in Wellington square by a policeman a few hours afterwards. He was then groaning and insensible, and lying in a pool of blood. He died shortly afterwards, but it appears that the policeman left him in the street for an hour before he took him away.
The inquest was proceeding when our report was despatched.
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