The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-05-09 00:00:00

THE EXPLOIT OF TWO LADS!

On Friday evening an atrocious attempt WAS made
by two boys to murder a woman named Mrs. Nunn,
the housekeeper of No. 2, Catherine.court, Tower-hill.

It appears that the house is let out as offices, the bs-sement
being occupied by Messrs. Sweet and Co.' wine and spirit
merchants; the ground floor, by Messrs. Gregory and Cis,
corn factors ; the first floor, by Mr. Beerbohm', corn leer-
chant ; the second floor, by Memos. Bocharach Brother" mid
Co., wine merchants; and three rooms on the top, by the
unfortunate woman, Mrs. Nunn, and her daughter and son-
Indaw, named Ellis. On Friday the daughter was out all day,
and at slx o'clock in the evening the son-in-law went to
Clapham on a visit, leaving Mrs. Nunn, who is 65 years of
age, in the house alone. Returning at about a quarter to
nine, he rang the bell, but receiving no answer he walked about
the neighbourhood for nearly three-quarters of an hour. lie
then went back to the house, mid found his mother-in-law
sitting on the door-step, covered with blood, and ht an un-
conscious state. The unfortunate woman was promptly
removed to Guy's Hospital, and was found to have been
dreadfully injured, her head and face having been beaten in
with a blunt instrument. One of her arms was also swollen
to an enormous extent and there were bruises all over the
body. An examination of the premises by the police showed
the attack on the old woman to have been of a very violent
character, there being a pool of blood on the landing of the
first floor, and appearances Indicating that the stntgale had
continued for Stolle time. The milieu also discovered, lyinu
about, a wooden mallet, with which the wounds had been
Inflicted, a pistol, a boy's cap, and a pocket knife. A stem of
s;2 Os. 0,1, was 111i4411g front Is entail bag which was lying on a
box In the housekeeper's room, and the Imx which contained
some silver plitte had been forced open, hot nothing was
token away from it. As the traces of blood were simply fruit
the first landing down to the front door the supposition is
that the money hail been stolen while Mrs. Nunn was engaged
hi cleaning some of the offices, and that the attack was made
while the boys were coming down stairs. They must, it is
thought, have coin-oiled themselves in the cellar before the
premises were shut up.

In the course of the night Mrs Nunn partly recovered
consciousness, and she was able to say something to the
effect that two boys had done it, and this statement was
partly borne out by the fact that two boys, distant relations
of Mrs. Nunn, were seen in the court by a little boy. These
boys, whose names Sr.' Arthur Forrester Smith, aged fifteen,
and Hector August. Smith, aged thirteen, absconded fr
their parents' house on the evening of Good Friday, taking
with them £4 belonging to their father, and On Friday
evening last the boy Hammond saw them go IIOWIN the basement
stairs of No. 2, Catherine-court. The cap found on the pre-
token Was afterwards identified RS Itile which had been
'ought on the 21st of April front Mr. Davis, hatter, K ing's-
chelsea, who states that on that day three boys drove
to his shop in R rah, that one of them purchased the cap for
9s. ed., awl that they afterwards told the cabman to drive to
Hampstead-heath.
On Saturday the woman's depositions were taken Ity the
Lord Mayor, Rs she was supposed to be in a dying state.
A search was made for the boys, and they were apprehended
4s, Sunday by Deteetive Sergeants Mows and Ilaydon in
Deaeon's Coffee-honse, In the Strand. In reply to the tinkers
the boys said their name was Smith. They were this
i(target st ith having committisl the murderous it,sanlt on
Nies. Nunn, and they acknowledged that tiny did it,
said they were tempted, but did not know what tempted
then,. They also stated that they were in her bedroom, and
that she ham,' them there SIOI began to seriwn. Mad she
not done that, they said they would not have thiamin of
striking her. They had evidently washed the blood off their
clothes, although SOllle stains still remained ; and they told
the i(Beers that no one was It Rh them when they com-
mitted the assault. They had in their possession a pistol, a
quantity of percussion caps, two powder-flasks, two pities of
istring gloves, some hdls, and a small amount of money.
It appears that they have been staying in the coffee-house
allive they absconded from home, and that it was a win of the
coffee-house keeper who accompanied them when they pur-
chased the cap at Mr. Davis's.
At the Seething-lane police-station a most affecting scene
took place. While the lads were being fonnally charged
with attempted murder and robbery, Mr. Snail., their
father, a tradesman at obi Ford, entered the station to in-
quire whether Ole !sale° had heard shout his sons. The lads
were then in the 4loelc, and when they saw their father they
ran out of it, and rUSllitig towards him threw their anus
round his neck and kissed hint passionately. The father
cried bitterly and the lads screamed. When the father had
overcome the first outburst of his grief, he said, " t often
told you what this would come to. I can do nothing for you,
for it is too late. Good bye, goinl bye !" Mr. Smith then left
the station, and his sons were removed to the coll.

_ ... ...--...
Almut a month ago Mr. hearholin, rt merchant at
Catherine-court, had one of the desks in his I.Rice broken
open, and £OO in notes stolen from It. It appeared that the
thieves had found £lOO in the desk and they only took half.
'the morning after the robbery the notes were paid into the
bank, and the person paying them in signed the name of
licarholin on the back of thern. The pollee were sent for,
and when they heani that the notes lout been cashed they
placed the matter in the hands of two of their most ex-
perienced detectives. They discovered that the person who
committed the robbery must have had an intimate know-
ledge ipf the premises. The money desks in two of the
offices had been tried with a chisel, but in such a way that
the pollee arrived at the conclusion that it had not been
done by a practised robber. They suspected a clerk in the
office, hut he said, "The notes were changed at Trine o'clock
In the morning at the bank, and I ran prove that I did not
leavo iny house until half-past nine o'clock that morning."
Ills landlord corrolmrated his etatement, but the pollee is"
Ibsen that he was the thief, and they took bin, to the bank
and showed him to tho clerk. That individual looked at him
attentively, and then said, " Ile Is the young man who
brought the notes to me." The conflicting evidence being
taken into consideration the firm did not like to prosecute
the suspected clerk, but until this affair happened, the pollee
I whored him to hen thief. The brothers Smith then confessed
that they had stolen the notes and the elder one got then,
changed at the bank.
_ . .

It may be mentioned that on the 13th of July last year,
the prisoners were found concealed in the same cellar from
which the mallet had been taken on the present occasion.
They were then taken to the police-stall., and, their parents
having been communicated with, they were given up.

The house surgeon of Guy% Hospital, in speaking of the
injuries the per woman has received, says that the scalp has
In some places been tom off her skull, and her head is
swollen and disfigured by the twenty or thirty mallet blows
which she received upon it. The cartilage of her nose is
completely smashed, and the bones of her left hand are
broken. It is supposed that the latter injury was innieted
lw a blow from the mallet when she pieced her band across
her eyes in order to save them from the effects of the hisses.

On Monday the two prisoners were taken before the
Lord Mayor, at the Mansion-house. They were very
respectably dressed, and would be taken for the fioll3
of a respectable tradesman. They both kept their eyes
east down, and the elder of the two cried occasionally.
. .

Detective-sergeant Moss said From Information I re-
ceived yesterday, I anti Detective-sergeant Harlon went to
Deacon's Coffee-house in the Strand. Front inquiries I made
I went to a bed-room on the titled floor, and found the door
locked. The door was opened by the younger prisoner,
Hector Augustus. We went in. I asked his name, and be
said "Smith." We walked to the bed where the other pri-
soner was lying. I said, "You are charged both of you with
committing a murderous assault on Mary Ann Nunn. I Bald
to Arthur Forrester "Ito you know that person ?" he said
" No ; oh, lio " I said to Hector Augustus," Do yon know that
person?" Ile hesitated, And then Mid " Yea; I did know
her." I mid " Now, where are your clothe,?" Detective
Ilaydon took charm of Hector Augustus, and searched Iris
clothes, and I searched those of Arthur F 4 orrester. In Arthur's
pocket I found a mall quantity 44 gunpowder and per-
cussion caps loose, Rad a portnionnalo containing me-
moranda. I found at the hack of the looking-glass a
Pistol broken, a box of Daces, an oilers glass, and
: various other things. Under a chest of drawers I found
three fencing foils, and in a drawer hi the chest of drawers
two pairs of boxing gloves. They said the gloves belonged
to the son of the coffee-house keeper, and that they had
been using them. I found that Arthur's coat, vest,
trousers, anal shirt were all spotted with Ilied. I found
also In the chest of drawers two socks dirty, with marks of
bbssi on them. There are also spits on the younger boy's
clothes. Before leaving the room I said "Viii quite under-
stand the charge against you?" Arthur said " Yen,! did it,
was tempted to do it." I Kahl "Who tempted you ?" Ile
said, "I don't know ; I was tempted.-
Tho Lord Mayor: What did the finiall boy any?
Witness: Ile said nothing, list he heard what was said.
Examination continued They were then taken to the
station, and afterwards conveyed to the hospital, where the
'nit,! Mary done Nunn was taken Itt their presence
and hearing, and she identified them Isfth. We conveyed
them thence to Blallopagate Station, mid I placed them in
separate cells. Arthur then asked permission to rsee Ills
hrother, and said he wished to make a statenient. Superin-
tendent Foster Waal present, and said, "My boy, do inn
know what you are about to do? lids will be used against
you." /le said "Yen, I know perfectly well." Ile then
stated :

were in tlw coal cellar for some time. We
heard Mrs. Nunn go out about seven o'clock. Then we
went upstairs, took two screws out of the box, anti toned it