The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1861-06-25 00:00:00

THE KINGWOOD MURDER.

Kinatewvon, Wednesday Evening.
This morning, Mr. W. Carter, the coroner for East
Surrey, concluded the inquiry (which has occupied two
sittings at the Red Lion Inn) into the eircamstances
attending the death of Martha Halliday.
William Halliday, husband of deceased, said,—The
reason why my wife went to the Rev. Mr. Taylor's
house was that that gentleman was leaving home for •
few days with his family, on a visit. I left my wife in
good health at a quarter peat 6 o'clock on the evening
preceding her murder. I went to the house again on
tarlidsy morning, • little after 9 o'clock, fur the
uroee of requesting her to go home to do some house-
hold work. On arriving at the house I was alarmed
heaths.; I found the window shutters had not been
opened. I went round to the back of the house, and
eLaing sE•ri door fastened, returned to the !root door.
which I found half opened, and I became more Manned
still. Thaidung I knew the room where File slept, I
went unstabl into that Iv', which is at the south-
,awe end, I (mind the door half opened. and upon
g
my life lying on the Boor, on her right
s
and feet were tied with cord, and •
iodien.g in
Her 1 saw
leinds
coloured silk hasm'kerchief was round her mouth, and
tied at the top of bt r heed- She appeared to be dead.
She was in enhy her nightdress. Some time sine., but
less than a week ago, • man, • stranger to me, called at
the house and asked if Mr. Taylor was at home; I told
him Mr. Taylor was Doi', at home. He went away, but•
for Mr. Taylor. I never heard
nor have I heard any.
kiewerLireuxorkmresereeemselifer fear of ofirerkanYbode
mirth. •
darn did
not
like
her, as she was very sleuzeg
m id he was the same
evlth them. When I told
e,: m
my wife of the men es
man who had called 00130 WON On Mr. Taylor's.
The next witness was
Henry I, nit polioe-oonstable
! 196 of the I' diiision, whit was eons. W the parsonage
' after the murder *as cheapened. ale
said,-1 es-
amined the house externally. and INY attention was
attracted to a window, which I fogad Inds 'nged W the
kitchen. One mine of that window was brel" • The
shutter was secured in the inside. I nest m 'weeded
upstairs into the room on the left of the Wadies, which....,
was occupied by the deceased. The door wee cies
and on opening it I found the deceased lying es de"
door in her night dress, which was over her bead, and
the lower part of her body exposed. He dress wee
drawn up ovet her as if she had been dragged oat of the
bed by her legs: Her head was inclined to the right
and her feet to the left. Her bands were drawn across •
her chest and tied together with common cord ; her
feet were also tied together in a similar manner. There
was a coloured silk handkerchief tied round her face and
fastened at the back of the head. I noticed some bloody
finger marks on the lower part of the right knee and
her left foot dirty, as though she bad been trample on.
itorair was disarranged, mid her sup neerle ed. There
was blood by the side of the bed, as it the hod" had
been drawn along the door from the aide of the bed to
where I found her. By the waa&M I found the
bludgeon prodoeed. [The instrument was here Imadied
to the Bury. It is • piece of stout beech, with a large
olub-head, emend with pointed bat hard knobs, and at
the end was etteshed a stout piece of rope, which was
no doubt intended to he fseemied round the wrist.l
Mr. C. H. Coward, seneriatieedent of the Surrey
isonstabulary, generally corroborated the above evidence,
adding ,—I foetid the deceased lying en the door, as
described, and her hands and feet were tied with the
new pieces of lord I DOW produce. There was • mak
handkerchief tied roved the facie, and on ramoviag that
there was a brow* woollen soak forced into dm
mouth, completely ailing it. Around the neck was a
man's shirt, having on it the labials "S. B. T." Them
was some blood upon it. The follow sock WU found in
the room.
The Coroner.—Now, from all theme appearences,
how, in your opinion, did this poor old lady di.?
Witness.—From suffocation and stra . I
believe that some person eir peewee en teem
by the window I have described, and foreedthe each
into her mouth to prevent her giving an alarm.
By the Jary.—The house had Dot been entitled hr
any other way than the window. The drawers In
room had been opened without being forced. By
belief is that the old lady was awakened by the fail-
ing of the looking-glass, and that she was about to get
out of bed when she was attacked. I have examined
the premises externally, and found footmarks on the
ground, both in front and behind. There were the
marks of two people, at least—one being long mid the
other abort.
Mr. H. Harris, surgeon of Reigate, then deposed to
making a postmsorleas imunination of the body, which
was generally in • healthy condition, and be was of
opinion that she died In fud health, and that her death
was the remit of violence.
Mrs Cretchley, the Riegelwood schoolmaster, said he
lived near the house where deceased was murdered.
lie came home rather late ,talked outside, and believed
he disturbed the men in the Rev. Mr. Taylor'. house.
The Rev. S. B. Taylor gave evidence to the effect
that he had ins his property, but be had not
missed anything. A brooch, however, bad been lost
front one of his servants' boxes.
The Coroner now remarked that some time heck the
police were in possession of certain papers and letters
of a most important character, which had been found
in the bedroom where the poor woman was inurdeped,
but it was not thought judicious at that time to allow
their nature and contents to be made known to the
public.
Henry King, 196 P, then gave evidence that he had
examitied the house of the Nev. Mr. Taylor, sad had
found certain letters, which he handed to the superin-
tendent, one was signed "Adolphe Krohn," sad ano-
ther "dated 7th June, 1861, and signed "Theresa
Tietjerui," and also an envelope directed "M. Krool,
Hamburg Hotel, America-square." These letters have
already been made public.
Mr. Superintendent Coward, in answer to titration
by the coroner, said :—I am still of opinion that the
hones was entered by the window, and that the mur-
derers left all these papers in the room. crow the
production of these I have eve raison to
believe we shall b• 4e •ppelsmsi7 the guilty
pestles.
The Coroner :—No doubt these papers will quiet the
public mind as to the fact that the ansder was not
done by any person in the neighbourhood.
Mr Sergeant Coward :—Yes, and that it was not
done uy an Englishman.
A Juror:—Unlese those papers were put there to
mislead.

The Coroner :—No, they were not at all bidden; and
the supposition is that they fell from the pocket ea
the silk handkerchief was drawn out to fasten round
the deceased's mouth. Has Mr. Robinson anything to
say to tbe Court?
Sergeant Robinson said that he bad nothing to state
beyond that be was investigating the ease aocording to
instructions from Scotland Yard. H. might say that
he believed one of the persona seen down in the neigh-
bourhood was the ORA% who took the letter to bleitismoi-
sells Tietjens. That lady bad been seen,and her detscrip-
tion tallied with that of Franz. . •

Tbe—Cliairro—an— seid Sergeant- Robinson could ut on
that information. The next thing to be dome was to
apprehend the person, and then they could bring
M.detnuiaelle Tietjens down from London and take her
evident. se to tbe question of iikntity.
The Coroner then asked if everything was being done
to satisfy the public mind.
Sergeant Robinson answered in the affirmative, and
said • reward had been offered—gloo by Mr. Alma,
MP., and £lOO by the Government.
Sate sonversation then ensued, and it was derided
to arrive at a decisios upon the evidence already before
jury, leaving the matter laths hands of the polies.
The learned Coroner then summed tip the evidemee,
telling the jury that if they were of **Om the death
, of the person had been cased by shame, and that
that violence had been °smarmed by persons who bad
feloniously entered the presnisee, they mat rearm a
verdict of wilful murder, and, although turtniu names
bad been put before them, it would be for another tri-
bunal to say whether those persons were guilty, when
they were apprehended.
The court win then cleared, and the jury after athort
deliberation expressed an opinion that the premises had
been burglarimaly entered, and retained a verdict of
"Wilful Murder" against loins persoa or persons un-
known.
The proceedings were then brought I. a conclusion.