The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1879-04-08 00:00:00

THII BARN ILS UTTITRX.

Henry Church, the landlord of the Rising Sun beer
house. Hammersmith, was telegraphe I for on Saturday
night to be at the police-station on Sunday, and he woe
there awaiting the arrival of the prisoner. This man was
reputedly seen with the prisoner altar the 4th of March.
After some delay the woman was charged as Culteriee
Webster with the murder of her mistress about the end at
February or the beginning of March. To the surprise and
consternation of Church he was charged with having
an accomplice in the murder, and also with
eertain articles belonging to Mrs. Thomas.. He upbrakarf
the officers very earnestly for their treatment of him,
after ha had given them all the information he posamsed.
The boy Robert Porter, of Hammerunith, had no difficult
In recognising Webster as the woman whom he
to carry a box on the night of March 4th. and with whom
he subsequently went back to Park.terraoe and remained
In the house all night The female prisoner wee closeted
with the detective officers for nearly flu hours, Church
now and again being called into the room. When taken
from the office to the police cella she appeared to laosam
fully self-paressed, and nodded to Clayden, the
who had her in custody at Kingston about eighteen
months ago, remarking, with the air of on. ttelld to such
surroundlngs, " I have nothing about me."'
Church a • man probably 35 years of age, with very
light hair and large whiskers. He was dressed In • light
snit, and appeared to be • person in • fair way of business.

- -
The wornan's Unit ,onviction took place in !Wand four-
teen years ago. In Iffir she was convicted at the Surrey
Sessions. and again in lff7s, no fewer than thirty six
robberies having been proved against her.
It seems the late him Thomas was• woman of decidedly
eccentric habits, one of her peculiarities being to move
about, taking up her residence first in one place then
another. She had been or many yean and previous to
her second marriage, a sufferer from ronvulsive fits.
She was of • remarkably excitable temperament, and
readily get vexed or into • fume.

At the examination of the prisoners, on Monday, the
following statement by Inspector Deededl was read:—
" Richmond Police-ststiou, Kith March, 1879. The
prisoner after leaving Fainiscorthy said "Is there any
other person in custody for the murder r I said I could
not answer that question. She said there ought to be ;
the innocent should cot suffer for the guilty. On the
Crals the steam-packet between Kingstown and
yrea3 d she said, ` Wait would you advise me to do in
the matter, as I intend to speak the truth I I have known
John Church for nearly seven years. I ant got acquaint-
ed when I was living two or three doom from Church at
Porter's. He used to take me out to London and to various
publiuhouses. I met him again some months ago, and he
came to my mistress's hone, one night the worse for
drink. After remaining there for some time I told him
he would have ti go, as I expected my mistress home
from church. My mit-tines came borne and knocked at
the door, and I let herb, Church was in the back at the
time my mistress went in the front room, and she said
'Kate, don't you think I'm very later! said, ' No ; as I
have company.' He (Church) had previously told me to
say that he was my health. Mrs. Thomas said, ' Who
have you got here r I said 'My brother, who ha• come to
See We: At this time he was getting sober. ifra. Thomas
wait into the back room and spoke to him, and asked
him to come into the front room by the fire, and she
asked him if Ise would wish to remain all night, and he
laid. No ; I ninth not stay out all night.' and turning
round to me, he said 'You know! must not stay out all
night,' and I ' N.' Shortly after that he left. A
few days after he came theta into the house, and during
conversation I had told him the =tetra.' had
no money in the house. He said, Could not
we put the old woman out of the way r I said,
'What do you mean r He said, 'Oh. poison her.'
I said, 'You must do that yourself. YR have nothing to
do with that.' Church said, 'We could have her things
and go off to America together and enjoy it, as lain wetting
tired of my old woman. He left late in the evening.
He came again on the Monday night, the3rd of March, and
he bad tea with Mrs. Thomas. I waited upon them. After
tea I salted Mn. Thomas to let use go out to es my 1 We boy,
&nil she said,' Yes, Kate; and you need not hurry back.'
When I returned, late in the evening, I noticed the light
was turned down. I knocked three times. At the third
knock Church opened the (rout door. when I saw Mr..
Thomas lying on the mats in the ting
and groaning, and he said, 'Come 111,717't
drew'imu Mack
on to the step, frightened to go At this time
there was • policeman standing on the opposite side of the
mad, a all, dark man. Church seised me by the arm,
pulled me in, and closed the door. I said, ' Whatever
you
have y done r said,' Never mini ; I have
done it for her; and if you say • word about it,
I'll put this knife into you up to the handle.' That
was • carving knife belonging to Mrs., Thomas,
I felt very faint, and when he said he would
put the knife into me I said, 'No, John ; don't. I won't
tell.' He offered me what I thought was a glees of water.
I said, ' No ; I um better now,' th airing it was poison, and
that he was going to arse me the same as Mit Thomas.
Shortly after we left the hone together leaving Mm Thesis.
there, and took • rah. I had told him I would not stay
Is the house by myself. We drove to near Church's h;-use.
Church saw me into Mr. Porter's, and I remained there
for the night. I got up early next morning, and went into ;
Church's booth Mrs. Church remarked that I was out ;
early. Church was there, and beckoned me to go up
the street I went up, and he joined in. shortly
afterwards, and be said, ' I can't get over to your house
before one o clock, as! got into a row with the old
woman last night for being out m late again, and I must
stay at home this morning to make it up with her.' I said
I should not go beck to the house by myself. He had the
keys of the front and aide doors, and said In should be
down by two o'clock lie asked me what time I would
be down thcre before night. He told me where to meet
him at the Richmond Hotel, over the bridge. I took the
boy with me, and as I passed the hotel I as+ Church
,•Inside. aat asked the boy to go on a short distance mad
I wait. I want into the hotel and spoke to Church, and he
asked me what I would have to drink I had some
whiskey. He then gave me the keys of the house, and
said, 'I want you to go to the house, and take the by
with you and he added that I should and • box in the
back room, which he had packed ep and tied with cord.
The boy was to assist me to bring It away, not to take
1 cab from the house, but if we weed one on the way to
the bridge we were to take it. We did not, however, do
Iso I carried it to the brifte. Church told me to let
Use boy Porterkeepbekand note.. him when I went
1 with the box ; but that be would be there to see ma I
, took the box on to the bridge, and paced it upon the
bridge. The boy went away, and Church appeared. I
said. 'What are you going to do with it r Church said,
'That is my businen There was • tall gentletnan near on
the other side of the bridge. I left him, and he said,
'Follow the boy.' I left, and biard a gnash in
Use eater. I found the boy Porter at the foot of the
I bridge, carrying • carpet bag, which he brought from the
house, containing Woks and meat We went to the
railway Batton and found that the lad train had gone.
The boy asked • cabman what he would take him for, and
he said three shillings. The boy. having only tit/0561=2p,
and 1 so change,! said. 'You shall come home and sleep
with me.' We both slept in one room. On going down-
stairs into the kitchen, I found the carpeting folded up,
1 and • white sheet half let down put_ up against the
1 cupboard, and the boucle wet as if they had been washed,
' • large Sr. in the kitchen, and on the
Sr. full of water, but I saw no takeVe =Two day.
after, when I was cleaning up the scullery, I saw some
blood on the carving knife. There wu s meat saw
hanging up over the Sr. side, but on that day I found it
In a box in the scullery quite close. Since mistress
disappeared. Church. Porter, and his boy have been
frequently at the house. Church directing me to order
things for the house as if they were for Mrs. Thomas,
They have been taken to his house, cooked, and eaten
there' likewise to Porter's house He called Porter in to
take the goods and furniture into the house, and said.
'Don't you pay him for the 'situation. I'll pay him.' I
paid mayoral tells. He said, 'Never mind paying them;
Day Mims le. the landlady, to keep her quiet. I want
to pay her.' When they were moving the goods I went
to pay her, and she said 'No.' fibs refused to take the
mosey, sad thought there was something wrong. I went
back Into the house and told Church, and said there was
some noise being made. He said, 'l'll m out to Porter,
and say there is something wrong about this. Don't
move the thing..' He knew where I wasing. Hs,
gave me a card with his address. and said 'I will
borne, and Mason ou it t' Thls was on Tuesday, that:7 a
9th,
and I reached my tun e's house at Greenstein on the
following Friday night I wrote to Church. to his
address in Hammersmith, telling him I had arrived
home safely. Before leaving it was arranged that I
should remain at home for about three weeks; that he
would send.- Tim prisoners were remanded.
A Richmond dentist ha made • statement to the police
that no matter how much it may be decomposed, should
It be found he can identify beyond all doubt the bead of
Mrs. Thomas. That lady was OM of his patients, and
just before her disappearance the gave him instructions to
prepare • new case of teeth for her mouth. In order to
do so he took • plaster cast of the interior of her
mouth, after the usual manner of dentists, and made •
model from it. The cast shows the position of the few
teeth the deceased hat remaining, as well as their shape,
which was quite peculiar. The form of the mouth, too,
is recuarkable, and not likely to be mistaken. There were
in the upper jaw but three teeth, all of which were ex-
ceptional in form and fastening. In addition to them
marks he knows the characteristics of the teeth in the
lower jaw, and he adds she had • section plate in her
mouth which any unprofessional parson would have great
difficulty in removing, especially after the woman was
dead. Fortunately the dentist has still preserved the
model of Mrs. Thomas's mouth. The police are still
, searching for the head, but they are now of opinion that
It has been broken up and burned. Porter, who
accompanied Church on his journeys to Richmond in
making arrangements for the sale aad parchase of the
furniture, expresses the
_greatest surprise at the extra
ordinary statesman of Webster to the police dicers in
Ireland and whilst coming over in the athem-packet. He
says the statements are. in his belief, " • pack of lie., " and
be gives a flat denial to certain statements affecting his
friend Church.
Ca hens. Webster and John Church were on Widnes-
day remanded for a week.