City & Liberty of
Westmr . in the County
of Middlesex }

Informations of Witnesses taken this Twenty
Second day of September 1766 at the Parish of St.
Martin in the Fields within the Liberty of Westmr.
in the County of Middlesex , touching the Death of
William Betts< no role > lying Dead in the said Parish
Liberty and County.

Thomas Parker< no role > a Lodger at Mr. John Tayne< no role > at the Crown
in Park Street in the Parish of St. George Hanover Square
on his Oath saith, That on Saturday last between two
and three o' Clock in the Afternoon this Deponent was
walking in Hyde Park , near the Serpentine River
Says that he saw three Men, (two of them being on
Horse back and one on foot) close to the side of the
Serpentine River in Hyde Park , Says that he saw
the Deced's Head above water but could not see his
Body which was under Water in the Serpentine River
Says that one of the Men said to Depont. Dam you
why do not you go into the River and fetch him out
to which Dept. answered that he could not Swim having the [..] and
asked the Man (who was on Horse back) why he did not
go in, Says that Mr. Hall rode to the Road in Hyde
Park and brought a young Man there, who stripped
himself and went into the River and brought the
Deced (who was about Eight yards from the Shore) almost
to the Shore, and this Dept. assisted the young Man to
pull the Deced out in the Parish of St. Margaret Westmr.
Says that he felt the Deced's Fare & Hands, which
were Cold, and Dept. believes that he had been
Drowned for some time, Says that the Deced had
not any Marks of Violence upon him, that he had
no Coat, Hat or Wig on, but Dept. [..] after found a
Coat Hat and Wig under a Tree by the River side
near the Place where Deced was found, Says that
in a Pocket Book in Deced's Pocket, this Deponent
found Same Papers, and two Letters, one of which was