The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1873-09-13 00:00:00

SUSPECTED MURDER IN LONDON.

It is believed that an atrocious murder of a wommi
has been perpetrated on or near the Thames, the body
hacked to pieces, sod the piece. distributed over the
river. Such is the horrible crime apparently brought
to light by discoveriee made on SAtur lay and the pre-
ceding day which seem to leave no doubt as to this
conclu-ii

------- - -
A Thames policeman on Friday morning found in
the mud off the B sttersea waterworks the left quarter
of a woman's trunk. The diecovery was immediately
made known an-I the mutilated part taken to the
Clapham and Wandsworth Union workhouse, where
Dr. Kem peter, the ilividonal surgeon, saw it, and pro-
nounced it to be the portion of a body which had not
been in the water more than twelve hours. The
police at once commenced a minute search of the
river, but the next discovery was made by a policeman
in the employ of the South-Western Railway COM-
pony, alio, without knowing of the previous dis-
covery, found the right aide of the trunk off Bruns-
wick Mort, near the Nose Elms Station. This part
oorrescottle I with the first part found, and the
beadle's tnink, it wal apparent, had been severed with
a very ehsrp knife, and a saw had also been used.
Soon aft- r a portion of the lungs was found by In-
spector ltl , id the Thames Police, under an arch
of old Bs• ier,aibridge, and the other part near the
Battersea rail.oay pier. The search was now coatinued
for the other parts of the body, and on Saturday the
face, with the scalp of a woman attached, was found
off l.ineli. use. It wag evident at a glance that the
murderer murderers had taken revolting precautions
to prevent Identification, for the noise was cut from the
face, but :411 Lung attached to the upper lip. There
waa the mark of a bruise on the right temple, evi-
dently caueed toy a blunt instrument, and this blow, it
Is thought, WWI the cause of death.
It will he olo.erved that several portions of the body
were foot 'tin the neighbourhood of Battersea, below
where the Vandle empties itself into the Thames, and
at a port where trailing barges come; while another
part wag Mund at Limehouse, near where the barges
enter the rhomes. This fact has not escaped the
attention f the police, and the first suspicion we% that
the woman had met her death at the hands of people
connect. I with the barge trade. It is the opinion of
the miff cal men who have seen the remains that they
do not to I,,ng to is" subject, used for dissecting pur-
pose., to' that they belong to a woman who met a
violent death.
The woman's age appears to have been about 40 ;
she had dark hair, very thin, and cut short (as would
be the ca'- with a woman recently ill or recently dis-
charged frern a prison), and there Waa a sear, as of an
old burn, on the left breast.
Dr. Reo,pster, the divisional surgeon, has made the
fell 'wing report : _

_
" I have examined at the Flattens% Pd lice-station the ivft
quarter of the thorax oft woman of fair skin and somewhat
fat Death has taken pLiire within • few houn. The head,
arra, and thee eide of the thorax and rest of the it uly have
been separated with a knife and saw, and that in an UZI.
acientific manner. The body has not been diesected fr
anatdmiell j nrons, but hes hen cut up Immediately after
death. The vessels are all quite empty."

'Upon the other portion of the remsine Mr. Kempeter
reports se folio we :
" Battersea Police-station, Sept 6.

_
" I have examined the scalp and portion of the skin of the
lace of a woman. aged presumably about 40. The 'Pieta-
meet ham been separated from the bone with a sharp Warn-
ment, and wu cut irregularly in several places The head
Was covered with short dark hair, very thin, the etebrowt
are dark, and there Lig very thin dark moustache. The can
are somewhat coarse and pierced for earrings, which have
not, however, been torn out. The end of the nose has been
severed from the root and is attached to a portion of the
upper Hp It is short, thick, and round at the extremity.
There IA • lame bruise on the right temple, which was caused
by a blow from a blunt instrument or substance shortly be-
fore death. The genii, was divided at the upper margin of
the bones, but I cannot determine whether before or after
death.

The authorities in charge of the case continue to
make the most searching investigation in order to clear
up the myatory surrounding the dreadbal affair. The
Thames Police succeeded in finding a portion of the
right thigh of what was pronouncei to be that of a
middlesged woman, and aleasuring 12t inches in
length, off Woolwich, at eleven o'clock on Monday
morning, and towards evening the greater part 4 the
left arm was recov, r,sl at lilackwall point, East Green-
wich. Both portions were at once forwarded to be
added to the remains already lying at the Union. The
remains found oo Monday clearly belong to the por-
•tions previously discovered.

On Tuesday the Thames gave up other portions of
the "human body unknown" which has been c.ini•
mitted idiecs meal to its bosom. In the early forenoon
a left forearm was found sif the Albert bridge at
Battersea, at no great dietance from where toe breasta
were found. This wag at once conveyed to Batteries
Station, where it was lams by Dr. Kempster, who
certified—

4.1 have exemtr,ed at the Battersea Poles Station the
left forearm of a woman dirtied at Ins sib w and wrist. and
this possesaes the same cherseteri.t c s as the rest of the boOy
fonhd In the river Thames.-
Almost at the same time as this came to light an
important addition was made to the body by the dis-
covery if the Royal Arsenal bar k 01 the Thames,
below Woolwich, of the pelvis (l..rwer) part of the
trunk, whiLh had been shockingly hacked from the
body. Its condition wu such be to show that it had
been in the water some days. On Tneeday night another
• thlgh was found, and this discovery rewarded the
search of the Thames Police at Battersea.
It is now, therefore, seen that not only was the
body decapitated and quartered, the head, mutilated,
and the .kull torn from its covering, Lut each por-
tion of a limb yet found shows that it has been torn
joint from joint.
The police are now in posseseion of the two breasts
and the lower part of the body, the two thighs, the
right shoulder and arm, and • part of the forearm,
and pieces thought to be the lunge. These parts
are being fitted to • model, so as to give an idea of
the figure of the deceased when alive.