The National Register. — London, England, 1811-12-22 00:00:00

lONAL Si THE Ittrurder seems to take ground in our island. In our last we recorded a most afflicting instance of human barbarity and guilt, and have now to relate a deed equally atrocious. Another fa mily has been sacrificed, and the blood of three victims immo lated at once cries out for additional vengeance on the assassin's bead. For, from the circumstancee of this fresh murder, we should think it must have been committed by the same hand- It appears that only one man was concerned in this destructive act; be was seen plundering victims, by a person who also providentially escaped, but his face was turned away and his features have not been descried. It is probable that he alone was engaged in the murder of Mr. vjarr and his family, and this accounts for none of the accomplices cowing forward to claim the high rewards offered, and bring his partners in guilt to justice. We trust, however, that the description given of Ins person will lead to a speedy detection, and that offended huma nity will no longer dread and mourn the existence of such a 111011Ster. The following are the particulars of the horrid deed : On 'Thursday night, shortly after eleven o'clock, the neigh bourhood of New Gravel-lane was alarmed by the most dread ful cries of Murder ! crowds of individuals resident on the spot anon collected around the house whence proceeded the appalling sdlinds! Numbers soon collected, and immediately it was as certained, that the dies which had excited suce general alarm came tram a man who was seen descending, almost in a state of nudity, by a line formed by the junction of two sheets, from the two pair of stairs window ef the house in question !! On reach ing the extremity of the sheets, which was nearly eight feet from the ground, he was assisted by the watchman, who caught him in his arms, when he cried out, in the Freattst agitation, " Meg etre murdering the people in the houso !' 'll heme words were no sooner uttered than a short consultation VMS held by the people assembled, and it was at once resolved that an entry should he forced into the house, through the cellar flap; which was shortly accomplished, and a man named Ludgate, a butcher, living in Ashwell's-buildings, Graveblane, and Mr. Hawse, a constable, entered ; and almost at the same moment a gentleman, named lox, obtained an entrance through some wooden bars at the side of the house, with a cutlass in his hand. On looking mund the cellar, the first object that attracted their attention was the body of Mr. Williamson, which lay at the foot of the stairs, with a violent contusion on the head, his throat dreadfully cut, and an iron crow by his side ; they then proceeded up stairs intp the parlour where they found Mrs Williamson also dead, with her skull an di her throat cut, blood still issuing from the wound, and Dear her lay the body of the servant woman, whose head was also horribly bruised, and her throat cut in the most shocking manner. The wounds on the heads of the unfortunate sufferers wt re evidently inflicted by an iron bar, and from their position, as well as from the cuts OR the throat, the murderer appears to Lave been left-handed The under part of the house is a skittle ground, next to the entrance of which is the cellar door, by both of which entries it seems that the villain or villains at tempted to escape, as marks of blood were discovered upon them. During the time the horrid deed was perpetrating, a public-house, almost adjoining, was filled with people drinking, and a few doors on the other side is a rendezvous fur seamen, all of which look into the waste gr..und alht u to. It. appeared, from general report, that Mr. Williamson has been rubbed of a watch, but whether any money had been taken from him was not known. The maker's name of the watt is said to be James Carchpole. On the first alarm being given, a picquet of the Tower Ham lets Militia, and several Volunteer,, assisted by the inhabitants and the constable,s, made, a most minute search in all quarters for the offenders, but without finding any perscn to whom they could affix suspicion. . Crowds of people a-oembled round the premises of the de ceased family during the whole of the day —every individual Seemed horror-struck at the awful le ectacle of another family bail' dispatched in less than a fortnight, since the atrocious murders in Ratclifl-higilway. A person was examined at three o'clock, at Shadwell-office, on suspicion of being concerned in these horrid murders. lie bad in his possession, at the time of his apprehension, a gallon of brandy, which, he said, he bought at a public-house in Compton-street, for 13s. 6d.; a quart of whiskey, and a sample of British brandy. The Magistrates examined the prisoner, particularly As to wh. re he was ar the time the murder; and, In order to gain some positive information, the man was coin znitted for a further hearing. -- • • --- ~_. ANOTHER MURDER ! p..•••••••••••••11I All the Police Officers are on the ales to discover some trace of the horrid miscreants. The several Magistrates of the Thames, Whitechapel, and Shadwell Police Offices, met together yesterday at the •Vbarnes Police Office, for the purpose of considering and adopting the most effectual measures for th' discovery of the perpetrators of the late atrocious murders, in the neighbourhood of their respec tive Offices. The Churchwarden's and Overseers of Shadwell parish hetd a meeting, and immediately advertised a reward of one hundred guineas for the discovery of the villains. The Magistrates of Shadwell continued sitting the whole day, and the concourse of spectators before the Office was equally numerous to that on the spot where the fatal murders hap pened. The deceased Mr. J. Williamson was about 56 years of age h.s wife, Mrs. C. 'Williamson, -about 60; and Bridget Harring ton, the servant woman, 50 years of age. A Gentleman who has seen the situation from which the murderers made their escape from Mr. Williamson's premises, thinks it his duty to state, that they must necessarily have soiled themselves in front with clay, as, on leaping from the window, I , they alighted at the foot of a sloping clay hank, which, being very wet and slippery, they must have gained the summit on their-hands and Juices. This circumstance, if generally known, may lead to the detection of the Glieliders, as clay soil is not easily removed from clothes. It shou,d also be known that one of the murderers had on a rough gi eat coat. CORONER'S INQUEST. Yesterday an Inquest was held over the bodies of Mr. John Williamson, Mrs. C. Williamson, his wife, and 13. Harrington their servant woman, who were inhumanly massacred on 11.1urs day nieht last, in their dwelling-house, New t;ravel. lane, bhad well. The Jury commenced their investigation soon after two b'elock, and continued their laborious task till late in the even ing. After the Jury had inspected the unfortunate bodies, they retired to the Coroner, \V. Unwin, Esq. in waiting at the Black Horse, opposite the dwelling-house of the deceased. The . most material evidence was given by Mr. Anderson and John 1 ur ner. The substance is as follows: Mr. Anderson was first examined, he deposed that lie was a constable, he knew Mr. and Mrs. Williams.ai, they were cha racters highly respected in the neighbourhood, and for the space of 15 years kept the King's At ms public-house, which was the resort of foreigners of every description. At ekven o'clock every night they invariably closed up their house. On 'Thurs day night, Mr. Williamson adopted the same plan. Ten minutes before eleven witness called for a pot of beer. Mrs. \V'. drew :he beer, and said to him, " You shall not carry the beer home, I will send it." During the time she was drawing the beer, Mr. \V. who was sitting by the fire, said to Mr. A.." You are an officer, there has been a fellow listening at my door, with a brown coat on, if you should see him take him in custody or tell me." Mr. A. answered " He certainly would, for .his and his own safety." These were the last words Air. A. mentioned, and then retired. Witness lived next door but one to the deceased; between twenty and thirty minutes after he left the King's Arms, he in tended to go for another pot of beer ; as soon as he got out of bis house he heard a noise, when he saw the lodger lowering himself down into the street by the sheets. He tan into the house for his staff, and proceeded to the spot. The watchman caught the lodger in his arms, when witness and others broke the cellar-flap open ; they all then entered, and began to look round the cellar; on coming to the staircase, they saw Mr. Williamson lying on his back, with his legs upon the stairs, his head downwards ; by his side was an iron instruineilt, similar to a stone-mason's crow, about three fee: long ; in diameter three quarters of an inch; it was much stained with blood. Mr. Williamson had received a wound on the head, his throat was dreadfully cut, his right leg was broken by a blow, and his hand severely cut. From these mai ks of violence, witness supposed Mr. Williamson made great resistance, being a very powerful man. While wine ss and others were viewing the body with petrified feelings, they beard a voice saying, " Where is the old mar. ?" At these words, they, proceeded up into the sitting-room, when tlny saw Mrs. Wil liamson b mg on her left side; her skull was fractured, and her throat cut, and bleeding most profusely; near to Mrs. William son was the servant-woman, lying on her back, wi h her feet under the grate; her skull was more dreadfully fractured than that of her mistress, her throat most inhumanly cut • to the neck hone, and none of the bodies were cold. Wit ne,s then stared that the premi es w ere a f terwar d s exam i ne d, and it was discovered that the mur d erers h a d mane t h e i r escape from a back window 'ooking into a piece of waste ground be longing to the London WA Company. The sill of the win odow %vas stained with hood, and the sash remained thrown up. 1 he distance which the villain: had to jump did not exceed eight feet, and the ground beneath was soli clay, so that the? .....- ~ :..:,.._ter . . .