The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-05-22 00:00:00

MURDERS Al' SANDOWN

A frightful series of murders has been perpetrated at
Sandown, in the Isle of Wight.
A man timed Whitworth, a sergeant, and the master
gunner in charge of the Fort, was observed on Friday,
at about noon, walking towards the parade-ground,
with his hand to his neck. He was asked what was the
matter with it, and he replied that it was nothing
—only a scratch. He further told the coast-guards-
man that during the night a man or men had got
down the chimney, and bad shot his wife and chil-
dren with a pistol. As Whitworth's conduct had
t e:n recently somewhat strange, and had been gene-
rally noticed by his neighbours as not quite consistent
with soundness of intellect, the coast-guardsman took
no notice of the observation, and passed on ; the ser-
geant went in the direction of the fort. Shortly after-
wards, in consequence of the unfortunate maniac's asser-
tion with respect to the men coming down the chimney
and murdering his wife and children, two non-commis-
sioned officers went to his house, which is situated
within the precincts of the fort, and an entrance having
been effected, a most dreadful scene presented itself. The
wife of the gunner and the whole of his children had been
deliberately murdered, their throats having been cut with
a razor. Rousing the police, they etamined the place more
closely. At the foot of the bed Mrs. Whitworth was lying
partly undressed, with her baby in her arms. On her
right hand lay another child, and at the foot of the bed
a third, the ages of the three being respectively about
four months, four or five years, and eleven or twelve
years. The whole of these had their throats cut, and
were lying in a pool of coagulated blood. On a second
bed were found the other three children in a similar
condition. One of these was about eighteen months
old; the others were the two eldest. The whole of the
bodies were quite cold, and their condition, as well as
the state of the blood around tbem, showed that the
dreadful deed must have been committed some hours
previously.
The wretched madman, for it is evident that he was

nsane, appears, after destroying the lives of his wife and
children, to have made an attempt upon his own. The
wound he inflicted upon himself was, however, very
slight, anti he will soon recover from its effects. He is
now in custody, and has confessed having murdered his
wife and children, and also that it Nyas his intention to
have blown up the fort, but that, having lost the key,
he was unable to do so.
These are the main facts of the story which was
elicited by dege4 »t the inquest held on the bodies.
At this inquest Captain Manners, of the isle of Wight
Militia Artillery, deposed—l was on the barrack parade-
ground yesterday, about two p.m., when I saw Whit-
worth coming running across it in great excitement.
Captain Robinson was a few paces in front, and
WhitwoFth threw, himself on his kness before him,
and, holding up his hands, 4Ciaiiiied, "'for God's
sake, sir, save me ! " then gave Captain
Robinson his watch, an envelope with some papers, and
some money, and said, " He's used me dreadfully; he's
held a pistol to my head, and said he'd shoot me if I
didn't cut my throat ;" pulling down, at the same time,
the ceile-t; of 114 rat and showing his throat covered
with blood Ile then added, There' rlfy vofk
doWn there, pr'ay go down." Ike was sent to the
hospital, walking there himself. Some one then present
on the parade said, " He has murdered his family,"
and T then immediately ran down to the fort.
A papei was was f.:Aind in the room where the shock-
ing tragedy was perpetrated. It was iu Iyhitworth's
handwriting, and ran as follows :
" Sandown Fort, 1860, 17 May, 1860.
" Infern plot murdered Sergeant Whitworth's
wife and six children. Lieut. —, R.E.
Dr. 7-7- the rascall under a cloak as a friend. Shocking
Work P7ppral Captain
The board of gnardiaiii 'of* the 4-ewort Union were
applied to by the police to bury the bodies. The
'hag Post says, " They sent over seven boxes—scarcely to
be designated coffins—into which the gory remains of
the unfortunate sufferers were indecently forced by some
of the pauper officials soon after their arrival. There
was not the slightest attempt made to perform any
of the usual cleanly offices, and some of the coffins not
being fare ertoNh the bodies were actually crushed into
iheir narrow prisons, with most sacrilegions indecency,
and without the smallest' article of funeral clothing upon
them. The lids of the coffins were merely secured by
a few common nails, and in this condition the whole
seven were huddled together in a kind of taxed cart,
and sent over at one o'clock to Brading Church for
interment, So deficient were all the arrangements, that
Vut* fo'r-the yolu to (service of a small party of men
belonging to the Isle of Wight I`4iiiiia vbo
had come over to Brading from feelings of curiosity,
the bodies could not hare been removed into the church,
Their aid having been accepted, the coffins were deposited
in the centre aisle, where they presented one of the most
painful exhibitions that can be imagined. The service
was read by the vicar, the Rev. Isidore Heath. The
church was densely crowded, but neither relative nor friend
of the deceased's family was present. The interment took
place in a square 'grave, scarcely three feet deep—in
keeping with the indecency marking all the arrange-
ments of the funeral. It is a disagreeable duty to
allude to the shortcomings of any public body; but in
this case silence would be inexcusable on the part of
the reporter, who was an eyewitness of the plinful facts
he has endeavoured to describe?'
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