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

was intense. learehali and his wife and sister were,
it is said, much respected by their neighbours.

FURTHER PARTICULARS.
CXBRIDGII, Tuesday Afternoon.

There seems now to be a slight clue to the perpetrator Of
the terrible murders at Denham, which eclipse in horror the
celebrated murders of the Marrs and %Valiant., or even the
more recent atrocities of Tropinann.
At first it was rumoured that the poor man Marshall had
murdered his family and then committed suicide in a tit of
homicidal manta, and this would have been the least repul-
sive feature of such a crime, but there is now no doubt
that Marshall was himself the first victim. His skull was
t bat:ered that the hr des protruded from the base, his jaw
woe token in two places, his hands were scratched, anti there
were some ;slight but strong evidences of a short violent
struggle having taken place In the little forge which ad-
joined his house and communicated with a Above all, the
:oily was concealed by sacks thown over, and even tucked
beneath the body, The notion of suicide, therefore, Is utterly
impossible. The whole family were murdered, and, front all
that can he divined, were murdered by one man. Whether
the motive was private malice or mere robbery, or both cam-
billed, can only be conjectured.
Two watches are missing. One has been treced and found
pawned at a Mr. Butcher's, a pawnbroker in Uxbridge, for a
few shillings, on Monday morniag. Of the other watch there
Is yet no trace. The cescription of the man who pawned
this watch is somewhat vague, for little notice was taken of
hint, even the identity of the watch itself is almost doubtful;
hut the brother of the murdered nian thousht he could
identity the chain attaeled to the watch as having belonged
to :Mary Maratha'. With this slight clue, and shght
description 41 the man who pawned, other traces were
soon found by the police. They ascertained that anion answer-
ing somewhat to the description of a kind of m Inman tramp
had been in Uxbridge two or three da)s previously. anti bad
slept at a lodging-house in the same room with another man
to whom he was unknown. This man has conic forward and
given the police every aid in the way of description which
lie could about his temporary hut unknown companion. The
most Important fact of all which he states I. that the sup-
posed murderer was absent all Saturday night, so late that
he did not blow the time that he returned, being asleep'.
bat on the Sunday he noticed that he had new and
different clothes to those he wore the day previous. In
the house where the murdered family were found was dis-
covered a loose heap of things, cousisting of an old worn coat,
a waistcoat, and trousers, all stained Wita blood. A coat,
waistcoat, hat, trousera, and other articles of nten's wearing
al p trel are missing front the cottage. Whoever did the
murder took the clothes and left We own behind.
The house to which the poor fanely lived is in a very
pretty spot, about two miles beyond Uxbridge, and close on
the Or ford.road The cottage stands a little back from theroad,
aed is almost s. verity yards distant front any other house Ad-
joining ills a hale fi age where Samuel Marshall worked as
an engineer Mal smith in a small way. The man was COM-
f,rt Ibly ill, sober and industrious, workbag early and late.
Beanie the forge where his mutilated body was found, and
ricer it was a bar of iron or poker bent, broken
and stan.ml sulk blood and hair. Here sm-ms some
clue to the time of the murder. M ershall was a
very early riser anti very early to bed. At this time of
the year he used, itt. red t, to guilty between three arid four
in the morning to let his horse out to graze. Ike body,
when found in the forge, had a clean shirt and clean stock.
ions on it, evidently the beginning of the Suuday dress
of a small mechanic. _ . .

o. —0..-...0.
Mrs Marshall's body was found at the bottom of the
stairs in the cottage. Her gown was partly on her and
partly off her, just as she most probably had hurriedly thrown
it on to know the meaning of cries and struggling in the
forge. Possibly the murdered man may have called to her.
At all events there must have been sufficient anise to alarm
the house, for by her side, and partly across her, lay in her
night dress the body of her slater. itelaw, who was to have
been marri.d this day. Both had their skulls completely
shattered by the blows of a sledge hammer From this it
WOW(' seem that Mrs. Marshall first heard the noise of the
butchery in the forge, anti throwing her dress round her,
called to her sister-in-law and woke her, and then rushed
downstairs and met the murderer at the foot, who
slew them at once, and apparently withint trouble, for
there was no sign of any struggle or doorder. 'I he heads were
beaten in with several ilows, and tin y lay at the f sot of the
stairs In a pool of blood. The three children, little gins aged
three, six, and nine, were evidently murdered asthey rushed
downstairs on hearing the cries. The bodies of two wero, it
is statec. found almost under the fireplace in the kitchen.
The grandmother, the mother of Marshall, was found up-
stairs. She had, no doubt, been brained in her sleep. All
had evidently been killed with the same weapon—a hammer.
This implement was found in the house, covered with blood,
hair, and portions of brain. With it was found a Joiner's
one, which was also bloody. That the murders were done
before the Sunday morning there seems no manner of
doubt.

Tt.e little clean things belonging to the children were all
untouched, and their little shoes, left cleaned for Sunday
wear, remained as they had been placed on Saturday night.
The young man who waa Cu have been married to-day to
Marshall's shder arrived at Uxbridge by tho first train this
morning. Ile had heard nothing of the murders, and when
some friends who were waiting at the station broke the news
In him he seemed quite Overwhelmed.