The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1875-09-18 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY AND MYSTERIOUS

DISCOVERY,

In London, on Saturday evening, between five and
six o'clock, a young man named Stokes was walking in
the Commercial-road, Whitechapel, when he was
asked by a man named Wainwright, with whom he had
previously worked, to carry two parcels to a cab. The
young man assented, and went to an empty house close
at hand in the main road, carried out under the direc-
tion of the man two parcels, and placed them in a
four-wheeled cab which stood in waiting in the road-
way. The man then entered the cab, accompanied
by a woman, and the vehicle drove off. Stokes
was, however, suspicious that all was not right,
more especially as a strong, unpleasant smell came from
the parcels, so he followed the cab as best be could
when it drove off. As he ran through the City to
London-bridge, whither the vehicle proceeded, he
called to several police constables to stop the cab, but it
is said that they took no notice of him. The
vehicle went through the Borough and stopped at
last at a shut-up house—the "Hen and Chickens."
By this time the behaviour of Stokes appeared
to have attracted some attention, and two con-
stables whom he me i in the High-street and told "to
stop the cab, as there was something in it," went
to the vehicle just as the man was lifting one
of the parcels out of it. The constable asked
what he had there. me man replied that he had
taken another parcel to the first floor to .a Mr. Louie,
who could give every information as to his right to be
there. The police msisted cn searching the parcels,
and having secured the man and woman, they ordered
the cabman to drive to the police-station in the Borough,
so as not to attract the attention of pedestrians. Upon
examination, the smallest parcel, which was wrapped
up in.a black piece of American canvas, was found to
contain the decomposed trunk of a woman. The second
parcel, which was larger, had in it the head of a woman,
apparently about twenty-four years of age, and two arms
and legs. Her auburn hair was partially burnt off the
crown of her head through the action of lime, and the
eyes were not discernible. The effluvium from the re-
mains was almost unbearable. No parts of the body
were deficient. The trunk of the body alone was in
one of the parcels; the head, legs, feet, arms, and
hands in the other. Every limb had been disjointed,
and the right thigh bore indications of a severe blow
thereon. A medical man who examined the pieces
expressed the opinion that death had taken place at
least two months ago. At the police station the man
gave his name as Henry Wainwright, 36, residing
at School-House-Lane, Chingford, Essex. He
was charged, with the young woman, Alice Day,
aged 20 yertrs, a dressmaker, living at No. 2,
Queen's-court, Commercial-road East, with having
in his possession the mutilated body of an adult fema'e,
at prezent unknown, supposed to have been mur-
dered. Wainwright did not betray the slightest
emotion at his position, and said nothing explanatory
of the reason for the possession of the remains; the
woman was also reserved in her manner. She, how-
ever, offered an explanation to the effect that she met
the man in the Commercial-road, and he asked her to
accompany him in a ride, to which she consented.
Wainwright, it appears, formerly resided at the house
in Commercial-road East, and carried on the business
of a brush and harness maker. It is stated that he
removed to Chingford from the house in question, but
continued to have access to his old place of business.
The house is a very " deep " one, the back part of
it being upwards of 100 feet from the street. It has
two entrances, one in the Whitechapel-road and the
other at the back. It was from this place that the
body was removed in two parcels on Saturday night.
When the police entered the premises they were struck
by an almost overkaowering smell of a decaying body
and of strong disinfectants. On searching the place
they found a nearly new spade, the appearance of the
blade of which showed that it had been used to dig up
some dirt and lime very recently. They also found an
almost new hatchet, which apparently had been used
for ehoppin,g up something on a block of atone.
The ground at one part of the premises—the furthest
from the road—was covered with ashes, and when
they were cleared away marks of blood were seen
on the stones beneath. The stones were notched and
scarred, as though a hammer cr chopper had been
used upon them. One of the stones was fresh broken.
Near to this spot some of the boards in the floor had
peareh the 1,-,li.•J
discovered that the body had lain whole in a grave
formed under the floor, and filled in with lime. The
grave was dug out afresh by the police, when a rope
with a slip knot, and covered with dirt and lime, was
found.

There are reasons to believe that the body was dug
up and mutilated on the Saturday or the day pre-
vious—at the most in a space reckoned by hours—
to its removal by Wainwright. When the two parcels
were received by the police they were found to contain
thirteen pieces of the human body, no part being
missing. The flesh was eaten away by the action of
the lime and the head is believed to have been injured
before death. It appears to have been that of a fair
young woman.
The house to which the prisoner took the remains is
56, Borough High-street, nearly opposite the site of the
"Tabard." In the refaced front is placed the
old stone entablature of "The Hen and Chickens"
and the legend " Established 1719." The pre-
mises were formerly in the occupation of the,
prisoner's brother, who, to the business of brusi,
making, which the prisoner has carried on, added
that of ironmongery. There ate now bills on the house
showing that the stock was sold off on the 19th of
July last. The prisoner had to give up the keys of the
house in Whitechapel bhurtly, but his connexion with
the "Hen and Chickens" house and his possession of
the key have yet to be explained.
Wainwright's wife and five children are living at
Chingford in a very humble way. The wife is spoken
of a.s a most respectable woman.