The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-08-28 00:00:00

MURDER NEAR ST. ALBANS.

Early on Sunday morning a dreadful murder was
committed near St. Albans. The name of the
murdered man is Edward Anstee • he was an aged
farmer, and lived at Marshal's Wick Farm, Sand-
ridge. His wife and family were away from
home, and there was no one sleeping in the house
but the farmer, an old lady, and a servant.
About two o'clock in the morning the servant
girl, who slept at the top of the house, heard two
shots from a gun. She was too frightened to leave
her room, and remained there till daylight. The old
lady did not hear the shots, but she saw a man enter
her room twice. After he had left on the second occa-
sion she got up and locked the door. The man returned
in a short time, knocked, and demanded to be let in,
btating that he wanted some money. The old lady
refused to open the door, and he tried to break it open
with a hammer, but in this, however, he did not
succeed. The old lady pushed a two-shilling piece
under the door, saying it was all she had. Nothing
more was heard of him. About four o'clock in the
morning the servant rose, and, on going to Mr. Anstee's
bed-room, she found the old man covered with bed-
clothes, dead. The upper part of his head was blown
away. There was a ladder against the window, and
It was evident that a gun had been fired from the out-
side. The ladder had been taken from a hayrick.

On Monday afternoon Mr. H. B. Brabant, the
County Coroner, opened an inquiry at Marshal's
Wick Farm, Sandridge, near St. Alban's, as to the
death of Mr. Edward Anstee, aged 65 years. The
deceased's residence, which is a modern farmhouse
standing in a remote part of a country lane, was sur-
rounded by a large crowd of persons anxious to hear
the evidence, but the public could not be admitted
owing to the smallness of the room in which the in-
quest was held.
The first witness called was George Bailey, a cow-
man, inthe employ of the deceased, who identified the
body as that of his master. The witness had been in
Mr. Anstee's employ for the past five years, and on a
previous occasion for seven years. He last saw him
alive at ten minutes to eight on Saturday night, when
he was quite well and standing in that room. Witness
did not live at the farm, but at a place called Wold-
heath, about half a mile distant. He came to his
work at 4.30 on Sunday morning, which was his
usual time. The first person he saw was the
servant girl, who put her head out of the back win-
dow upstairs. In consequence of what she said witness
entered the front door, which was open, and called out,
"Master ! Master! Master!" but no one answered.
Witness stood just inside the doorway. Mrs. Lindsay
eserne downstairs to him. She had not been long in the
house, and was acting as housekeeper. Witness asked
Mrs. Lindsay where the deceased was, and she replied,
" Upstairs, covered over." He then proceeded upstairs
into the bedroom, and saw what he thought was his
master. He was covered over all but his feet and a
little piece of one of his legs. He saw a bundle of
clothes immediately under the window. He did not
know who it was at first, but afterwards saw it was
his master. He observed his head, and that it had
been injured. When he saw a scar on the deceased's
shin he knew at once that it was Mr. Anstee. He
only knew him by the scar; he was in such a state.
The room had been ransacked, and the drawers had all
been pulled out. The window was open to the best of
his recollection. As soon as witness found it was his
master he went to look if there was anyone in the
house. All the rooms were in a state of great disorder.
Witness then went down and unfastened the shutters.
The lamp was broken; and things were strewn all over
the place. The cupboard and cellaret doors had been
broken open. Witness went into the passage and
found a large hammer and a pot against the door. The
pot belonged to the house. He then sent a boy on a
pony for 1)r. Webster and the police. Witness after-
wards found a ladder under the back window. He had
previously seen it on Saturday against a corn-rick,
about 100 yards from the house. About three or four
yards had been broken off the ladder; witness had
once found the piece by the stack.
By the Coroner: When he first approached the
house, the Firl told him that some one had been in the
house all night.

Dr. Webster, of St. Alban's, said that he had known
the deceased for some time. On Sunday morning at
4.55, he was sent for, and arrived at the house half an
hour later. Witness took Police-constable Quint
with him. Previous to entering the house witness
noticed blood outside the window, whish, to the best
of his belief, was open. On going into the room wit-
ness saw something covered up with clothing, and found
it to be the deceased. He was in a sitting posture under
the window, against the wall, with his legs under the
elressing table. Witness removed the covering and saw
the deceased's head was shattered. It was caused by a
gunshot wound, and was fired less than 10ft, from the
head. Death must have been instantaneous. Witness
found blood and brains on the window-sill, and the
blood had trickled down the wall. There was also
blood on the stones outside the house. He mentioned
this, because it went to show that the deceased' i head
was far enough out for the blood to drop direct. In
the ceiling there were many holes from the shot; they
were too scattered to have been fired inside the
window. Witness was of opinion that the person
who fired was standing close to the house, about 10ft.
from the window. The deceased could not have fired
the shots himself. Witness had not endeavoured to
extract the shots from the head.
The Coroner then adjourned the inquiry.