The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1883-01-27 00:00:00

SHOCKING MURDER AT BOW.

On Friday night in last week a terrible murder was
found to have been committed at No. 62, Bel'haven-
street, a small turning leading out of Grove-road, Bow,
London.

The house in question has been tenanted by a
married couple named Hemmings, Mr. Hemmings
being a policeman at the docks. On Friday morning
Mr. Hemmings went out to work at his usual time,
and did not return home tultil about five o'clock. He
knocked at the door, but could not make anybody
hear, and then he let himself in by his latch-key. On
entering he called for his wife, but received no reply.
On going to the kitchen, which is also used as a dwell-
ing room, he was horrified to find his wife lying dead
upon the floor, bleeding ;rom a terrible wound in the
forehead, which had evidently been inflicted by a
poker which lay on the rug, and there were marks of
blood and hair upon it.

The husband at onceNnt for a doctor and called in
a police•constable. An examination was then made
of the place, and a watch, two rings, and some other
articles of small value were found to be missing.
These things were safe when Mr. Hemmings left home
in the morning. The murder had evidently been com-
mitted a short time before it was discovered, as the
unfortunate woman was engaged in preparing her
husband's tea. On the table was a basin of potatoes,
partly peeled, and upon the fire three sheep's tongues
were cooking.
No cry for help or any kind of disturbance was
heard by any of the neighbours. There were no
lodgers in the house.

Stephen Hemmings, aged 22, the stepson of Mrs.
Hemmings, was arrested on Saturday, and on Monday
was charged on suspicion, at Worship-street Police-
court, with the murder of Emma Hemmings.
Two girls residing in Burnside-street stated that
they saw the prisoner in Bel'haven-street in the after-,
noon in question, but one fixed the time at about two
and the other at four o'clock. On the other hand, it
was stated by the police inspector in charge of the
case that witnesses could be called to prove that
prisoner was not absent from his employment on
Friday. It was also intimated that Mr. Hemmings,
sen., did not believe that his son was guilty of the
charge, and no motive for the crime was suggested. The
accused was accordingly discharged, and left the court
with his friends.

On Tuesday afternoon Sir John Humphrey, coroner
for East Middlesex, held an inquest at the "Great
Eastern" Tavern, Arthwell-road, Old Ford, on the
body of Emma Hemmings, aged 39, and late of 62,
Bellhaven-street, Bow, who was found murdered at
the above address on Friday in last week.

Thomas Hemmings, 62, Bellhaven-street, Rethnal-green,
stated that he was a foreman, and employed at the St.
Katharine Docks. He left home on Friday morning at a
few minutes to eight o'clock in order to go to his employ-
ment. The deceased was then in her usual health. At
the time he left home his son Thomas, aged 14, was also
there : and he left there a little later. When he returned
at half-past five on Friday afternoon he could not get in,
and he then went to the next house—Mr. Goodman's—and
asked for the loan of a key, as he had one that fitted their
door. When he entered the house he walked into the back
parlour, and found deceased lying on the floor in a pool
of blood. They were in the habit of using the back
parlour as a living room and also as a kitchen. His wife
had been preparing their dinner. The purse of deceased
was lying in the room. On looking round he missed his
wife's silver watch and also her wedding ring and keeper.
The deceased used to suffer from rheumatism, and the
joints of her fingers were so enlarged that she could not
get either of the rings off her fingers; therefore, whoever
took them off must have used great force, and the flesh had
been torn away. The back door, which led into a small
yard, was open. The walls of the yard abutted on to the
towing path of the Regent's Canal, from which any one
could have got over, and so on to the Bow-bridge.
By the Jury: He used to keep his money in the front
parlour, and in a glass there he had two sovereigns when
he left home. In the room where deceased was found
lying there was a poker. and it was standing up against the
wall, and there was blood upon it. He had no doubt but
that that was the instrument used to murder his wife. A
doctor and police were fetched at once.

Thomas Hemmings, aged 14 years, son of the last witness,
stated that the deceased was his step-mother, and he lived
at home with his parents. He usually left home about
twenty minutes to nine o'clock each morning, and he did so
on Friday last, when deceased appeared to be in her usual
health. When he returned at a quarter to seven the same
evening he found the deceased was dead.
Detective-Sergeant Frederick Backley stated that he was
called to the house on Friday evening and examined the
premises. He took charge of a poker which he found there,
and on which were blood-stains. He arrested Stephen Hem-
mings, a step-son of deceased, on suspicion of• causing her
death; but after being examined on the previous day at the
Worship-street police-court he was discharged. He found
the poker in the fireplace, against the oven door; and so far
as he could offer an opinion he believed it was the instrument
with which the woman was injured.
Stephen Ffernmincrs, 18, Lockhurst-street, Chatsworth-
road, Clapton-paik, Mateo that tLe deceased war, Liz :t2p-
mother, and he last saw her alive about six or seven months
ago when he left home. He left home on his own Recount,
and he had no words with his step-mother. From that time
he had not seen his mother alive. He was at his employ-
ment from half-past eight on Friday morning until seven
o'clock in the evening, without leaving for one minute.
Mr. John Rogerson, surgeon, stated that when called to
the deceased she was dead. There was a severe wound
over the left brow and eye, which he was of opinion was
done by a heavy instrument. Round the neck were traces
of compression, as if from a ligature. He then found a
piece of stout velvet riband very tight round the throat.
He had since made a post-mortem examination. The
structure of the brain was healthy, and there was a
compound fracture of the skull, extending from the left
eye to the back of the head. On opening the chest he found
the lungs and heart healthy. The lungs were diseased from
drink, the stomach was empty but healthy. On the third
finger of the left hand was a laceration, and the knuckles
were enlarged from rheumatism or gout. The cause of death
was compound fracture of the skull, and the poker produced
was such an instrument as would cause such an injury.
The husband of the deceased, re-called, stated that when
he entered the back parlour the fire had gone out, but
when he took the lid off the saucepan, the steam ascended,
showing that the water was hot. He did not think the fire
had been out more than half-an-hour. The poker usually
lay in the fireplace. When he entered the front room, he
found a two-shilling piece on the table, and he also found
the purse there which belonged to his wife. On opening
it, he found that it contained 19s. 2d. The flesh by the
side of the finger-ring was lacerated. The wall at the
back of the house was 41t. Cm. in height, and any one
might enter or leave by that way. The wash-house window
was about half-way open. A small glass case in the front
room had also been forced open, but it did not contain any-
thing. When the police-constable came, he closely examined
tip) poker, and saw some human hair on it, in addition to
the blood. There was no marks of violence on the doors,
as if they had been forced, and the lock of the front door
was an ordinary one. He could not offer any opinion as to
who injured his wife.

The poker was here produced, and identified by the
witness as being his property; it was a heavy iron instru-
ment.

The coroner having summed up, the jury returned a
verdict ot " Wilful murder against some person or persons
unknown."