The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-10-02 00:00:00

MURDER AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE

IN LONDON.

On Sunday, at half put tive o'clock. a horrible murder
was committed at No. 7, Little Suffolk-street, Borough,
It appears that a man named Charles Martine, a shoe- ,
maker by trade, residing in that street, had made the
acquaintance of a young woman named Johnsen, aged
21 years. She was a girl of some personal attractions,
was much respected in the neighbourhood, and had
been married, it is supposed, unhappily, for she shortly
after her marriage left her husband, and lived for a
considerable period with another man, and during that
time had a child. Shortly after this she met with
Martin, a married man with five children, and residing
at a house in Lautstreet, Borough.
At six o'clock on Smiday morning Martial() presented
himself at the police station, Stones-cut, and asked to
see the inspector on duty. He said, "1 give myself in
chanze for murder." Tl! e inspector said, "You are
joking,." Martin replied, "I am not, for I have mur-
dered my dear Sarah. I loved her, and rather than see
her in the possession of another man I killed her."
The inspector, seeing that Martine was wrapped up
to the throat, asked him what was the matter. Martin
making no reply a constable pulled his coat down, and
then a gash was discovered in his throat ; but the injury
was comparatively trivial, and the officer on duty con-
sidered that he was justified in sending him to Guy's
Hospital.
The police authorities proceeded to the address in.
dicated by Martine, and on the first floor they found the
corpse of a young women lying on a bed. Her head
was almost severed from her body. The bed clothes
were completely saturated with blood, and her infant
was lying by her side unconscious of its mother's fate.
A doctor was called in, and pronounced life to be ex-
tinct. The wound itself was of a frightful nature.
There being no signs of a struggle, it is presumed the
unfortunate woman was murdered in her sleep. _ _ .

The motive of blartine's crime appears to have been
jealousy. It is alleged that on Saturday night the de-
ceased was seen with the person alluded to, the father
of her child, at a tavern in the neighbourhood. Martine
appeared excited, and asked the deceased if she in-
tended to leave him. A very angry conversation
ensued, and Martine left the place, saying in a loud
voice that he would " stand it no longer." The parties
then retired to their homes, and it was not known
that anything unusual had occurred until Martine gave
himself into custody on the charge of murder.

On Monday a thorough investigation was made by the
police authorities into the circumstances of this crimes and
the following facts have been revealed:—

i The victim, t appears, Wan the daughter of respect-
able parents. but her mother dying some three years
ago and her father marrying again, she left home. She
was entitled to a considerable sum of money, it is said,
but not being of age she could not claim it, and having
little or no resources, she went to live in obscure lodg-
ings in the Borough. She made the acquaintance of a
young man who gave her money from time to time, and
in March, 1868, she gave birth to a boy of which
he was the father. A coolness then sprung up
between them, and some few months back she
met a Spaniard, named Carlos Martine, at a shoe-
maker's beanfeast, and he persuaded her to break
altogether with her first lover and live with him.
1 he Spaniard was 50 years of age ; he bad but recently
buried his wife, and was the lather of five children,
tueeldest of whom was if years of age. When he took
lm /home his landlady refused to ;llow her to stay, and
he then hired a room for her close by, and eventually
at 7, Little Suffolk-street. He soon after found that
she was in the habit of talking with the father of her
child at the corner of the street, and he became in.
flamed with jealousy. On Saturday he learnt that
she had been talking with her former lover on
Friday, and was observed to be very excited. He
continued drinking in a publichouse until near mid-
night and then went to her room in Little Suffolk.
street. At half-past three in the morning cries of
"Murder I " and screams were heard there. A young
woman called out in alarm to the landlord, a man
named Wall, who contented himself with standing at
the bottom of the stairs and saying, "We can't have
this sort of thing in our house, for we are working
people, and have to get up in the morning." He then
went back to bed, but the cries of "Murder" continu-
ing, the young woman alluded to got up to call him
again. While she was doing so Martine left the house.
Wall then got up again, and he and a man and his wife,
named Murphy, entered the room, where a horrible
spectacle was disclosed to their view. Upon the floor lay
the body of the deceased woman, covered with blood.
Her eyes were wide open and staring at the ceiling. Her
right arm and right leg were bent backwards under her
back, and her face bore an expression of indescribable
agony. There were several gashes across the throat,
and the head, which was nearly severed from the body,
was lying backwards, exhibiting to view the bones at
the back of the neck. Between the breasts there was
a gash, as if made by a stab. The right thumb was
nearly severed from the hand, and it was evident that
that wound had been hilicted in the poor woman's en-
deavours to prevent her throat being cut. At the side
of the body lay two knivea, both covered with blood.
On a bed in the corner of the room sat the little child
of the woman, crying, but uninjured. The murdered
young woman's family live in Battersea.
At the inquest, held on Tuesday morning, several
witnesses were examined, who correborated the above
facts, and the jury returned a verdict of "Wilful
Murder" against Carlos Martine.