London
1795
No. 7

Depositions of Witnesses taken at London
that is to say, at the parish of Saint Giles
without Cripplegate in the Ward of Cripplegate
without in London aforesaid this 22nd. day of
January 1795 on view of the Body of
Zacharia Billing< no role > now here lying Dead

John Roberts< no role > a Porter lodging at the House of Mr Alexander
of No. 24 little Moorfields London maketh Oath that he hath
lodged in the said House about two years-that the deced has
lodged in a little Room up one pair of Stairs in said Horn & about
four Months-that between nine and ten OClock on Tuesday night
last [..] on Dept. going down stairs to fetch some Beer he was
asked by three or four persons in the parlour of said House which
was Mr. Billings's the deceds Room Dept. went up Stairs with
then & [..] them the Room that one of them forced the Door
open-that it was locked inside & the Key in the Lock-that on
forcing the Door open they found the deced hanging by a [..] piece of
Tape doubled fastened round a wooden [..] Rail in which
Cloak or Hat pins were fixed-that he was quite Dead and
hanging against a [..] up Bedstead in the Room-that some
person untied the knot & lat the deced down-that the deced
used to sell Garters and other things in the Street appeared to be
a poor Man-Dept. saw the deced on Sunday Morning last in Bed
in his own Room-that the deced used to be in the habit of drinking
very much at times

John Roberts< no role >

Sworn this 22nd. January 1795
before me}

David Alexander< no role > of No. 24 little Moorfields London Smith
maketh Oath that the deced has lodged in a little Room up one pair
of Stair in Dept. house about four Months-that the deced Dept.
believes must be upwards of [..] Sixty years of age-that the
about six O Clock on Sunday Night last the Dept. deced was in Dept
Room that he appeared very Dull and Melancholy-Dept. wife
asked the deced what was the matter with him he sayed he thought
the Devil had got to fast hold of him. Dept. wife advised to go
and read his Book and not think of any such thing the deced sayed
he must go & put a Clean Shirt on which Dept. thought very odd the
deced then houring quite a clean Shirt on him at the time that
the deced continued in the Room about twenty Minutes-during
which time he looked very wild and uneasy very restless-that
he then left Dept. Room-Dept. saw the deced the next Morning
(Monday sitting in a corner near the fine in the Tap Room of the Kings
Arms next Door to Dept. that he then appeared very dull and
Melancholy-Dept. stoke to him but he made no answer which
Dept. thought very odd or Dept. & him used to be upon very good
terms-that on Tuesday missing the deced and observestry the deceds
Door to the locked Dept. was in deced with some other persons about