The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1860-05-22 00:00:00

MURDER AND SUICIDE IN SHOHEDITCII.

The body of a woman named Hart was discovered on
Tuesday morning at No. 40, Phillip-street, KingsLand-
rum!, under circumstances which leads to the supposi-
t. that she was murdered by a man named Redden.
The detective pithy continued their exertions until
2 o'clock on Wednesday in endeavouring to find Red-
den, but no clue whatever could be traced of him until
about In o'clock. when a body of a man was dragged up
by the towing rope connected with a barge which was
being navigated through the Regent's Canal. it seems
that at the time named several men were employed at
Messrs. Garrard's coal wharf, Whitmore-road-l;ridge,
Hoston. when they saw the body of a man suddenly
rise to the surface of the water. They raised an alarm,
when deceased was got out on the towing-path. The
deceased WTA not known at that time, and when taken
omit of the canal the hands were found to he firmly tied
round with is pocket handkerchief, and the arms lying
upon the breast, as if he (the deceased), had bound them
round to prevent his struggling and to hasten his ,
death. A police constable was called, and the deemed
was placed upon a stretcher and conveyed to the dead-
howe at the rear of the Shoreditch Workhouse, King.-
land-road, where it was imniediately identified as being
that of the murderer. The deceased's cap had been
found floating in the canal some distance from the spot
where the body was discovered, MA there is no doubt
that he 11111 l litted suicide by leaping off the bank near
the coal wharf, which is easily to be reached from the

main road.
Wednesday afternoon, about 2 o'clock, the brother of
the deceased inan (Redden) and several other relatives
called at the workhouse and identified the body. The
police searched tbe pockets of the deceased, and the
only thing. found were a clasp knife and a duplicate
of a silk handkerchief 'demised for 3e. on Monday last.
On Wednesday afternoon, at 3 o'clock, Dr. Gray, of
Finsburyitavement. and Mr. Clark, the medical officer
of St. Leonard's, Shoreditels, proceeded to the house
where the murdered woman bail been discovered to
make a minute examination of the body, by order of
the coroner (Mr. John Humphreys). the woman was
still lying upon the bed as she was linit dircovered,
upon the left side, in a pool of coagulated blood. The
limbs were quite stiffened, and deceased presented asad
and sickening spectacle. The blood from the
wound had saturated the bed•clothes, and had
passed through the seeking of the bedstead on
to the floor, and thence had penetrated through
the loardh to the ceiling of the lower room. The opinion
expressed by the medical gentleman is, that the deceased
must have been murdered while fast asleep, and that
the murderer had stood behild her, with his left hand
over her mouth, while he inflicted the fetid injury with
the right hand. The woundnearly severed the head from
the trunk,and had penetrated the upper cervical rertebrse
of the neck. It would ASO seem that after the incision
the murderer hail withdrawn the razor to the back part
of the beivi, as there were several spots of blood upon the
pillow, which must have dropped from the blade of the
wehpon, which had likewise been placed upon the sheet
behind the shoulders of the derehhed, as there were
marks inilicatite of the fact. The murderer must then
have leant over the boily of his victim, and placed the
razor in the deceased's left hand, which lay immediately
be the front iif the face. The right hand was firmly
clinched, and covered with gore. The deceased must
have bled very rapidly, and death tuitht have been instan-
taneous, and she could not have struggled or made any
noise. There were marks of blood upon the chin, as if
the murderer bad held the unfortunate woman'm inonth.
In the centre of the room was found a pail half filled
with dirty water, where it is suppohed the murderer
washed his hands • for closer-by the pail were found a
wet towel which bore marks of blood, and an old senile
bing-brush, which had been recently used. There was
plenty of bread and other articles of food in the cup-
hoard, and the tea-things were upon the table in the
centre of the room, which would show that the murderer
and his victim had taken tea upon their arrival home.
The police, and Mr. Waller, the summoning officer,
made • further search of the room yesterday morning,
and in • drawer they found a number of duplicates and
a Comity Court execution paper for a distraint upon the
goods of the murderer. The deceased woman was very
respectably connected, and was a hard-working, indus-
trious woman, clean in her habits, although the apart.
ment where she and her paramour lived was very poorly
furnished.
A body of police officers were in charge of the house
and body during the whole of yesterday. and crowds
of persona still remained in front id the house at • late
hour last night.
On Wednesday evening at 6 o'clock, Mr. John Hum-
'direr., the Coroner for East Middlesex, opene.l an in.
quiry at the Black Horse Tavern, Kinghlaud-road, Shore-
ditch, respecting the death of Ellen Hart, aged 41 years.
Martha Webb, of No. 6, Holloway-grove, deposed that
the deceased was her sister. She was the wife of Charles
Hart, a shoemaker, residing in Pearson-street. Kings-
land-road. Witntms lard saw her alive about 12 months
since, and deceased had been separated from her husband
10 Years. Witness did not know the mum of their sepa-
ration, bat deceased had been living with a man, Joseph
Redden, a journeyman pipemaker for the last five years.
Had never heard the deceased threaten to destroy her
own life. On Tuesday morning last. about 2 o'clock the
man Redden came to witness is house and knocked at
the street door. Witneas's hushand got out of bed, and
saw Itadden standing in the middle of the road. Ile
asked who it wan, when Padden exclaimed in a low
tune, " It is Joe." He asked if he could come upstairs a
minute or two, as he wished to speak to us. Witness
then went to the window, and Redden said, "I have
come to tell yon Ellen is dying." He was not sober,
but he seemed able to get home. He then left, and said,
" Good morning." The body of Sadden had since been
found in the Regent's Canal.
Sarah Clark, of No. 40, Phillip-street- Kinglialul-
road, Shorediteb, stated, that the deceased woman and
'bidden lived at her lionise as man and wife. They occu-
pied the front room on the first floor. Madden went out
alone about I o'clock on Monday afternoon. The de-
ceased woman was in and out during the day. Redden
was not sober when he left. He was drunk on Saturday
night, and they had • quarrel. On Monday night,
about half-post ten o'clock, the man Redden and the
detealied woman came home the worse for liquor. Wit-
nes. heard them go upstairs, the deceased woman went
up iirst and Redden ran up after her. Witness was
certain it was Redden by his footstep. Witness beard
them talking after they got into their room. Was cer-
tain it was Badden's voice, as ha was talking very loud,

very