The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-01-16 00:00:00

Mr. Marnlham baying shirtly...pened,the CZIAC,

,
Inspector Davis, of the P divi.sioil of the metropolitan
pollee, was examined, and stated that on Friday, the Ist inst.,
he was on duty at the Walworth police-station. The pri-
soner came into the office and made a statement, in conse-
quence of which he was taken before the magi-trate at the
Lambeth police-court on the following day. Ile was again
examined at the same court On Thursday, and witness after-
wards bronght the prisoner .!own to Norwich. Witness :its('
brought 11,1,11 with Idm the depositions made in the ease at
the Lambeth police-court.
- -

On the application of Mr. Mendhavn, the depositions
were read. The prisoner began gobbing while they
wslc being read.
. . . . .

Witness, in continuation, said no inducement whatever
was held out to the prisoner to lead him to make the con-
fession. Ile asked the prisoner sole questions as to how or
where the body was found. Ile replied, "Oh' don't say any
more, it is too horrible to talk about." Ile told me he had
no food for two days, and that he could not eat. Witness
offered him food ; but he still sail he could not eat. Be
drank, however, a cup of coffee. Ile appeared to be very
much depressed In spirits.
Mrs. Sarah Batson, wife of the postmaster at Ilellesdon,
near Norwich, depose,' that she was married on the 1-411 of
March, 1050. She and her husband went to live in a house
in Tabernacle-street, St. Martin-at-Palace, Norwich. tier
first child was born In this house in January. 1651. At the
time she went to live in Tabernacle-street, the next house
to her's was not occupied, and she did wit know that it was
occupied until after her confinement. It was occupied by
a man and Wunuln. She never spoke to the Man, and did not
recognise him in court. Me was a "gins "little man—that
Is, an active, brisk-walking man. The woman used to come
into witness's house to buy things She was a light-com-
plexioned woman, and wore her hair in curls ; it was almost
golden-coloured hair. She was a Very fair Woniall. Witness
remembered the Whitsuntide of 1051. She couhl not, how-
ever, tell the day of the month when it occurred. int re
rerellee to all atinan3ek witness found that Whit-Smiday
occurred in 1651 on June a. According to a local custom
she made twin custards for the ‘`. hit Sunday, and part of
one of these custards she took to the woman, e hom she
never saw again. She saw the man go backwards and for-
wards to the !noise after this, but she did not reeolleet ever
seeing the man or woman again after a short time. 8114, did
not kia,w the townieat if the roan. After the next house to
her's heesille linovelilded, after June lsr July, 1052, it again
heranie occupied, but only by saute Woniell, in far as she
knee. Witness never had any conversation with the man
to whom she had heen referring. . . .

. . _
by the Bench I should say the woman to 11 Loll. I gave
the custard was between SO and 60 years of age. She Wta, a
middle-sized woman. I never heard ally disputes between
the man and the woman.
l'otter Batson, the husband of the last witness, gave con-
firmatory evidence. Ile thought the woman uho lived next
him in June, ISSI, was between 50 and 60 years of age. She
were her hair in curls, and was a neat dressing person.
Witness conld not describe the man who lived with the
woman be never noticed him particularly. Witness kept
a general shim, lout the woman of ten came into it. Ile never
saw her after Whit Sunday, 1551 Ile remembered linite
well since human flesh being found near Norwich in the
summer ,if 1551 some was found on hia father's farm on
which he worked at II ellesdon It WAS found about the
latter end of June or in July, 1551. Ile had often wondered
where the old woman bad gone to. Ile had never talked.
however, about the matter. Ile Was first reminded alit on
the previous Tuesday afternoon. Ile 124 AIM not say what was
the size of the man who lived with the \SWAMI next him.
. . .

Inspector Peek, of the Norwich Police, said lie occupied
his piesent office in June, 1851, when human remains were
found in the neiehbourhood of Norwich. They were brought
to the police-station about the latter end of June, 107,1,
nit later than the 27th. Witness could not, however, ft
the date front memory. There was all laVeStigatioll on the
subject be?, de the magistrates air. Nicholls, a surgeon,
examined the remains. They were also examined by Mr.
Donald Dalr)mple, another stirgeon, and].) the late Mr. B.
Norgate, a third surgeon. The remain, were 1:1,11Zilt
the police-station by van- us persons. The iv mains c•eisisted
of human hands, a foot, leg-hones, part of an arm, awl a
quantity of other autos. They were preserved in spirits of
wine, and locked up.

At this stage of the inquiry, the pris4,ner, who w•tre
MI air of hopeless, although subdue I, ,hpremion, was
reinandt,..l. . .

'the remains, to which reference has been repeatedly
made, were buried many year. trifle iii 'a vault in the
Guildhall. N.irwich, and have not yet been ilisinterre.l.
The spot in which the jar containing them was de-
posited is, however, well known.
A telegram from Norwieh says that the remains of
the woman were di.interre, I HI Theiday merning for
further medic .1 examination. The solicitor who is
acting for the self-accused murderer, was present at
the disinterment.

It appears to be now supposed that showard will retract
his confession, and that he and his friends will ende.fvour to
Show that, when he made his statement, he was labouring
under a kind 4,1 1110110111311 ill. The confession fif Shewar,l
seems to he verified by the facts which have been brought
to light, except In one particular, and that is certainly a ma- ,
toilet one. At the time of the murder Mrs. Skew:till must
have been approaching her a x Guth year, and the witnesses
examined 4111 Friday, before the N frwich magistrates, referred
to her as an old woniati." But the meflical gentlemen who
examined the remains found mar Norw lid i iii lasso and July,
ISSI, came to the conclusion that they Were those of a young
WIIIII:111. This will be Bern wy the annexed copyist all Oltielai
placard Willed at Norwich towards the close of June, 1051: -
Several parts of a human body beton:flog to a person sup-
posed to have been reeent,g murdered, and to be that of
young woman, between thsw ayes of Ili and Ott years, having
been, within the last feu, days, found in the environs Of
Norwich, informatum is requested to be given to the chwf
constable at the 'splice-office. Norwich, all
females who have bent recently missing, together werh any
particulars which may lead to the detection of the person or
persons white, ?untitled the supposed murder. The portions
of the body already
,found comprise the right hand and foot
and ',weal bones, with numerous pieces./ skin and
„flesh
Further search is makit, for the head aIN e ilting parts
of the body.-11. WOODCOCK, Mayor, Unildhafi, Nortmeh,
June 57, ISM.
It is lila/Musty most important that the discrepancy in the
evidence here indicated should be explained away if possible,
and that the best medical teutivattuiy 01/ the subject should
be obtained. The remains will be disinterred from the
cellar or vault, in the Norwich Guildhall, in which they have
been so long buried ; whether it will 1w jwtsani/ito to solve the
question as to the age of the woman of whom they farmed
a part remains to be seen.
It will be reinembermi that it was stated a few days ago
that a shirt much smeared with blood was found on Mouse-
hold-heath, near Norwich, contemfmraneously with the dlis.
covery of the remains; this shirt was taken to the Norwich
police-station, and was kept for some time, but after some
months it was unfortunately destroyed, and no evidence can
be consequently produced as to whom it belonged.
With reference to the neglect of the Meat authorities to
hold an inquest it may be remarked that a theory gained
credence at the time that the remains had lieen distributed by
some medical students and that they formed part of a
corpse which had Mess experimented upon. Dr. Rankin, a
medical gentleman now dead, wlssualsolookod at the remaim,
! stoutly, however, opposed this conclusion at the time, as he
thought that the bones, flesh, she., had been carelessly hacked
asunder, and had not been separated ill a scientific 11141111er.
Of the medical gentleman who were oflicially coroulted by
the magistrates in 1851, one ,Sir Nora:de is dead, but the
two others, Mr. Nichols, and Or. Dalrymple, are still living
and residing in or near Norwich. Dr Dalry inple, it may be
added, is now immber fur Bath.