The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-08-13 00:00:00

EXECUTION OF THE DENHAM
MURDERER.

John Owen, alias Jones, was executed on Monday
morning, at eight o'clock, in the yard of Aylesbury
Gaol, for the murders of Emanuel Marshall, his wife,
ri..ter, mother, and three children at Denham, in May
last, . .

The circumstances of this horrible tragedy are still
fresh in the public recollection, and these, together
with other incidents of the prisoner's career, prove him
to have been an extraordinary criminal.
It will be remembered that it WM only on the 20th of
May last that the prisoner was discharged from Read-
ing Gaol. On his release he made straight for Use
bridge, a mile and Behalf from Denham, and, having
obtained lodgings for one night at a tramps' house,
quietly awaited an opportunity to avenge an old grudge,
and also sought toenrich himself by the plunder of the
victim's property. Accordingly about five n'olock on
Sunday morning, the 22nd of May, he proceeded to
Marshall'. cottage, and, without &doubt, first murdered
him in the smithy with a sledge hammer, and, the;
taking up a large axe, murdered the other six members
of the family while they were seeking to make their
escape from the house in the night dresses in which
they had just rigen from their beds.
Since the prisoner's condemnation on the conclusive
evidence against him it has been arcertainei that three
years ago he worked for Marshall, and while repairing
the wheels of a neighbouring farmer's cart, so burnt
them that the owner refused to have them, and sent
them back. On account of this Marshall stopped the
prisoner's money, and Owen becoming exasperated
struck Marshall in the eye, and a fearful fight between
the two ensued. For this work Owen never was able
to obtain the money, and this fact now throws light on
a statement since agcertained to have been made to
several persons,—" There is a man near Uxbridge who
owes me some money, and if I don't get it off him next
time Igo I'll murder him." This he repeated several
times on the two day a preceding the murder.
After the discovery of the murders it will be recol-
lected he was captured at Reading by Superintendent
Dunham. It was at first generally believed that he
' was a brother of Marshall's, returned from Australia;
but by means of photegraphs he was ascertained to be
the son of a tailor residing at Byfield, Northampton-
shire. In his more prosperous days he kept a beer-
' ehopg at Shipaton-on-Stour, but, loging his licence
through keeping a disorderly house, he 12 years ago
deserted his wife, sod entered on a series of felonies
which has ended in the gallows.
Since his apprehension he has maintained a callous
indifference to his situation and refused all religious
counseL
The Rev. Mr. Bumberry, the chaplain of the gaol,
has been unremitting in his solicitations to bring the
prisoner to penitence for his terrible crime, but the
prisoner only returned his kindness by curses and foul
expresaiol2ll.
At length, on Tnureday lad, he said he was •
Catholic, and a Roman Catholic clergyman from Wol-
verton cu being sent for visited him. He, however,
only received similar treatment, and the prisoner
eventually declared that he did not believe that there
was either God or devil, Heaven or hell. At one time
he vatually confessed to the murders by saying, "I
am only sorry that I did not shoot Superintendent
Dunham and a --- Justice gf the Peace that once
sentenced me as welL" He has been visited lately by
his father and wife, neither of whom he had seen for
years, but he treated them coldly, and when they shed
tears replied to their grief by saying "What have you
to snivel for?"
Oa Saturday he further sought to show him Indiffer-
ence by making to see his coffin, and stating that he
, should like W sleep iJI It the last two nights of his life.