The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-05-28 00:00:00

THE INQUEST.

On Tuesday the coroner for South Lucks opened an Inquiry
into the circumstances attending the deaths of Emanuel
Marehdl, the father, aged 75 Charlotte, his wife. 34 ; Mary
Ann, his sister, 32: Mary, the eldest child, 8 ; he.eisa. 6;
Gertrude, 4; and Mary blarshall, the grandmother, 77.

,
The jury having been sworn, they proceeded to view the
bodits, and returning to the inquest room,
Charles Trevener, of the Lucks police, deposed lam
stationed at Denham. I have been there twelve months, arid
have during that time known the deceased persons. I nave
been into the house once or twice They were all living
together. Emanuel Marshall was the tenant of the house.
Ile was an engineer by trade. Mrs. Mary Marshall (de-
ceased) is hie mother Charlotte Marshall was his wife;
Mary Ann Marshall was his sister, and the children his
daughters. At eleven o'claok on Saturday morning
last I saw Emanuel Marshall at work in his shop.
Ile came out and spoke to me as I passed. The
children, Mary and Theresa Marshall, were playing in the
road in front of the home. The deceased man was in
the built of working late. I have known him to work all
hours of the night, and sometimes all night long. I did not
pass the house again on Saturday, nor did I go close by the
house on Saturday. I passed the house along the main road.
On Sunday morning I came from Red-hill int, the village,
which is about a mile and a half. Tide was about 10 minutes
before three. I then met a man alone. I did not perceive
that he bad anything with him, except a quantity of clothes
on. It was just getting daylight. lie had a low deer-
stalker (a felt hat) on, a very old dark coat, and under that a
short light one. Both coats were buttoned tightly. Ile had
cord trousers on and thin shoes. An we were passing he said,
"Ira I'll that seen you before, policeman." I said, "What's
the matter now lie said, "There was a man and his wife
come into Uxbridge and were going along the cut and the
man threateced to throw his wife into the cut. If he had
thrown hr in I would have thrown him tn." I asked
him if he knew anything of them. Ile said, "No, lam
quite a stranger about here." I said, "Where do you
belong to?" tie said, "lane going along the road from
Oxford. Which is my hest road ?" I told him to to along
through the village, and when he got fifty or sixty yards
away I followed him. I called to him and he stopped, anti
said, ° I will show you the way." Ile thanked me, and after
I had directed him, he bid me good night, and went.

Coroner Bow for was he from the houte where the bodies
lie

—*Rees.: About a third of a mile.
Which way was he coming? From I- xbri Igo
How did you know of the murder first?
A young man came down to the village and told me that
the house had Iv en fund open, and the bodiee had been dis-
covered. I went to the house and found the more open. [found
too bodies—the wife and the sister—lying just inside the door
The heed of the wife was lying towards the door, and the
sister's feet were towards her head. A petticoat was covered
over them. About two feet from them was he sledge hammer
produced, which is covered with blond. I then went
into the washhonse and found the bodies of the three
children and the erandmother Near two of the children
who lay toeether I found the axe produced, which is alma
covered with hloo.i. The holies of the clildren were not
covered with anythm7, but there was something covered over
the grand mother. At the deceased persons, with the excep-
tion 4 the wife, had night clothes on. The wife had her
dress partislly drawn on over her nikht-dresa liwre were
extensive wounds on the heads of all the bodies, and a great
deal of blood on the noon. There were pools of blood in
some of the rooms. One of the bodies appeared to have
been traced from the wash-house I then went into the
forgo, which is a building adjoining the house. The door
was just cloaed. I found there the body of Emanuel, the
father, lying flat on his taco, with his hands !stretched out.
He had apparently licon dragged. The body was covered with
a sack, an apron, and an old coat. There was spool of blond
a few yards from the body, and part of the poker which I
.produced was lying near the body. lhs two pieces of poker
correspond with the shovel and tongues found in the parlour of
the house. Some clothes were found in a room of the house
this morning, In my presence. I went upstairs. Three beds
had apparently been used. There was no evidence of any
struggles. It appeared as If the deceased had Just thrown
their clothes back and ran out of the rooms The staircase
goes down to the back kitchen, where the four bodies wets
found, and it is necessary to pus from the back kitchen
along the pewees into the room where the two bodies were
found. noticed that some of the drawers had beau pullftl

MIMI

Out, and the clothes I have referred to were found In one
of the bedrooms facing the west. There is blood on these
clothes. There was a pair id boots, trousers a coat, e
cord acket. a cord vest, a slop, a deerstalker fiat, and a
red and White common plaid neckcloth. The deceased
nine had bit ordinary wiirking clothes on. Be had clean
cord %mutters in, was in his shirt sleeves, but had no boots
on, 110/ C1,.1 I fled any hoots. I examined the bottom of his
etecidew, and hued them quite dry and free from grit, lie
could in.; have got t i the posidoe iu which ft.andi 111111 with-
out havli g something on Ms feet. The blood oi i the trousers was
mile fresh. There was no appeerance of a struggle havrug
taken pla.e in the front room. There was Upload on the wall,
' where I should think one of the bodies fell.
An extraordinary story was then told by a person named
Elisabeth Simproa, who lives in • house some 3,1011. from
Marshall's house, and the bearing of this story on the facts
if the case will be seen at once, for, taken in contain
with the fact that the clothes such as were worn by the
man when seen early on Sunday morning by the constable
we, e found in the house, It would seem the man spoken to
by the constable was the murderer and that he returned to
plunder the home. Elisabeth Simpson stated that on Sunday
morning last, about seven o'clock, she was going up the village
road looking for R key which ehe had lost on the previous
night, and saw a man coming. as she believed out of Marshall's
house. She thought'he was Mr. Menhall as he was dressed
an Mr. Marshall wee usually attired on Studley, and he had
a little carpet bag in his hand, lie accosted tier, RIO asked
her if she was going by the train, and she told him other loss.
Her attention was directed to the ground for &pint three-
quarters of a mile, during which time the man walked by her
ride talking. Hs meutloned that he was nearly • tanning over
a 111111 Mill his wile" on the previous night, ti .e hnelateit having
threatened to throw his wife into •. the cut," end that he used
his heats@ °eta to make peace between the porn.... Ile pro-
misedto continue the search for the key, and asked where he
ationld bring it toil he foam! It and retureed in the evening,
to which eke said, mis•aking him for Mr. Marshall, "Not for
from your house " He said he was a stranger there, and she
at once rejdned that she hail Peen him a: Marshall's house,
to which e I eplied in the ritrinative. aid said the whole
family bad gins eff fir 11 holt day by the early 111,1,1111 g
ital. It appeared tout other per.ns passed the witnews
and the man while sae was talking with him or he with
her.
" • '

Inspector Sutton, of the Bucks constabulary, said the
police were in p wsession ..f other information, which they
did not think it advisable now to d.adose, as the ends of
ju,tice might be thwarted by certain facts being made
public.
Job Sparks deposed I live at Foundry-terrace, Uxbridge
I ant an iron nmulder. I ant the brother to the deceased
woman enaelotte Marshall. Hest saw her alive on :Saturday
evening fortnight. Mr. Marshall had two br there They
went to Australia about fourteen ) ears ago I howl of the
death of one brother about four or floe 'ears ego. I have
not heard whether the other brother boa r,tunted to
this country. I believe he has not been he trd of for
! some two or three years. The family hod two watches.
1 Mary Ann Marshall, the Mater who was to have beret
i married to-day at eleven o'clock, had a silver-Geneve
watch, and • floe gold-linked chain. Marshall had an
I old watch of his father'. The detective sad I. went to
l'Oridge this non Mug, and we found that a watch and guard
Iha I heen p:l4 ned at Uxbridge, at Mr. butcher's. I can't
speak to the identity n f the watch, hut I think I can Identify
the ehain as that which belonged to Mary
- • -

Mary Aim Sparks, who wax deeply urtected, deposed—l
am the %liter of the deceased Charlotte Marshall. I butt now
her on Filthy night. she came to bur houos. Sb; was with
Nt try Ann abashed, her eister-'n-law. I promised to take
tea w;th her on Monday hf .erpoon. I went to the house and
knocked, but got no answer. I triad the front door. It win
fastened. I went round to the back doe. that was also
fastened with a pedlock and chain outside. I slaver saw a
padlock and chide 1,1 ;re. After walking several times
',deo' the house Mid to the shop, tweet llowll to a neigh-
bour and asked if she Ind heard anything of the Marshal's,
She said " tio ; " she had found the door fastei cit in the
earlier part of the day. I returned to the house; ant alter.
WardS t Saw two WWWI Coming down the road. I turned to
them, and asked them if they knew where my brother was, ,
and they sold they did eot I then asked some eye to get a
Felder arid look In at the hed.rnom window. He dill so, and
said he saw the hed.clothei huddled up in a heap. He after.
wards looked into the back bell-room, hut could see nothing.
lie then cane; dowe and Inokt d ins! tit-, back window on
the ground door, and Le relied ollt, For God's sake, come
here." The here wept bitterly, but attic a time
went on to say—l have seen the watch that Mary
Ann Manhall bought. I have seen it several times,
hot I do not think i could swear to It. She aleo
bought a small thin chain. I have seen a chain like
at Uxbridge this morning, out I could not swear to it.
Ido not know much of Mr. Marshall's family. I did
not know the brothers of Mr. harebell who went abroad. I
have heard to-day that one of them has retuned I should
know the shoes that Mr. Marshall wore when I last raw hint
If! were to see them. Iliac hewer heard of any dittagree-
• ment in the I. tmily. Ico not know if Mary Marshall had any
money. I believe that Mr. Marshall was expecting a large
sum of money that was due to him from a gentleman for
work done, but I do not know whether he had received it.
I know that he had not received It on Friday.

George Amor, who was to have been married to Mary Arai
Marshall on that morning, and who had arrived a tow hours
before from Ilereft ,rd shit o to claim his bride, was ions ea•led.
The poor ted6w could only state that he had known the
MarshaLis for four ears, and that his engagement was of long
stwallng.
The inquiry was then addurnod until Friday.