The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-07-19 00:00:00

DREADFUL MURDER .OE _A WIFE AND

SIX CHILDREN.

At the Winchester assizes, on Tuesday, before Mr.
Justice Keating, William Henry Whitworth, a soldier,
aged 39, was indicted for the wilful murder of Martha,
his wife, and Frederick, William, Robert, Mary Ann,
Elizabeth,. and Ellen Whitworth, his six children, at
Sandown, in the parish of Eluding, Isle of Wight.
Mr. W. M. Cooke appeared for the prosecution ; Mr.
Cole for the defence. .

It will be remembered that Whitworth, who was a
sergeant in the Royal Artillery, was the master gun-
ner at Sandown Fort, ,in which his quarters were
situated, there residing with him his wife and six of
his children, thc seventh being absent. On the 18th
May Whitworth ran across the parade ground, threw
himself upon his knees before Captain Robinson, and
exclaimed, " For God's sake, sir, save me !" He handed
to Captain Robinson his watch, some money and papers,
and added, " He's used me dreadfully ! He's held a
pistol at my head, and swore he would shoot me if I did
not cut my throat !" He then opened the collar of his
coat, exhibiting his coat cut and covered with blood,
and added, "There is awful work down there. Pray
go down." He was sent to the hospital. On entering
the house bloody footprints--some the unfortunate chil-
dren's, others those of Whitworth's stockings—were
observed to cover the floor, showing that the children had.
escaped from their bedroom and been pursued down stairs
and driven up again by the murderer. The floor of the
upper room was covered with blood, papers, clothing, and
among other articles found were the razor and cutlass
with which the murders had been perpetrated. There
were two beds in the room. On the outer side of that
nearest the door was the body of Mrs. Whitworth,
dressed, with the exception of her boots, and her neck
so horribly gashed that the vertebrae o 6 the neck were
plainly visible. The wounds of the six children were
all of the same dreadful character. Across the mother
lay an infant which had evidently been at the breast,
and they had clearly been murdered before they awoke ;
near them there were a boy and girl, whose bodies had
been thrown upon the bed after their murder. On the
bed nearest the window were two girls, and at the head
of it a little boy--:all were quite dead. The piL'ows
showed that they had been used to stifle the cries of the
unfortunate victims.

The prisoner, when placed at the bar, stared vacantly,
about at the court, muttered some incoherent sentences,
and was apparently eating something.
A jury was empannelled to try the question whether
the prisoner could understand the pleadings to, an indict-
ment, and Dr: Lyford, the surgeon to the county gaol at
Winchester, stated that the prisoner's mental powers
were almost extinct, arising from softening of the brain,
a disease which had apparently been going on for some
time.

The prisoner, who had placed his arm around the
neck of the turnkey who had him in charge, smiled at
and pointed to his lordship, and appeared to be much
amused at the appearance of the court.

After an explanatory address from his lordship,
The jury found that the prisoner was unable to plead.
Iris lordship said, then he should direct the usual
order to be made.

The gaoler motioned to the prisoner leave the bar,
but he appeared quite unable to comprehend the mean-
ing, and when at length he was led away by the arm he
exclaimed, in a loud tone of voice, " Gracimts God, look
down upon you all, miserable sinners!"