The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-02-08 00:00:00

MURDER, SUICIDE, AND ARSON AT

DIANCHESTEIL

For atone years pa 4 there his not been perpetrated in
)lancliester so horrible II tragedy as one that occurred
on Tuesday, at ti:e ('row' Keys beer-house, illiert.street,
(formerly the north portion of Water-street), the
keeper of which, William Robinson. brutally, and, so
far a. 'appears, cause:ed.:ly, murdered bin wife,
attempted to set Ids house on fire, and then with much
deliberation hanged himself. . .

There is relearn, es will emcee, to suppose that the
murder was committed about 3 o'clock in the afternoon ;
but it was nearly 7 o'clock before the fact MLA .lirooviavd.
!Whitman was seen and apoken to in Albertstreet after
the murder ; but whets the house was entered lie was
quite dead.
It lieellta that Robinson, with his wife and two
deughtere, lille about 21/ mid the other about 111 years
old, lived at the beer-Ituuee, which is a ainall low piece
with little or nu saw udation, but in which Hobbling;
low for 12 or 15 month* past dune a tolerably good
business. The daughters worked at the Victory of Mr.
William Moms, in 'l%mnd...street, e'llorlionmpon•kled.
lock ; and they etarte.l fur their work aeon after 5
o'clock on Tueoaley 00000 ruing, when they for the laid tittle
oat,/ their titer olive, it not being their cuatum to
return I to .lintser. Robinson seems to have been
.4 ii.. trade. Ile was 00000 a bailiff he is amid to
have occupied snevessively &dozen or 00000 re heer•houses ii
v,irious parts .of tle. eity : and for the last few yeera he
ht.. added to Ilia by working as a beanie or 11111te/
for undertekere. In this salacity he attended a funeral
from the neighbourhood It Hreat Animate-street on
Towelsy meriting, and, returning about I o'clock, be fa
believed to have soun uscitsd klineclf with beer or
spirits.
Notliiii4 0,91.1 be eseertelnisnoti Titesday evening ad
I, whist I...ssed lotween Robuiem and his wife from the
tittle .4 his return fr the funeral to the coiniuiuttcl of
the murder. The first evideme .4 whet had mourns!
111.1.1110 1..
with her smother, loccupiee a blood mei back cellar under
the louvr.house. Mrs Seam; Kayo that about 3 oielock,
while lON nit a heti in her lack eviler, alie beard a
heavy fall overhead, which 'denied her that very rums
afterwards she PAW b1111041111411111/11111 tbeliligil the Selling
that elle then said to her 'smelter that "lie much lieve
been killing lier." alluding to Ilioblumon And 1110 Wife;
hut that lier 'mother winged her not bulk astyt hong " until
the girls came home." 'this )Irs. ?Claim mays rhos more
readily emismited to, no lia.l not heard city quarrel!.
big. Mrs, Milton further Arles that about I debock she
11/11V lioliitionit walking top and down ,hlloollostreet in
front of lila luouw, sell that lie had then looked loin Inlet
.beir, hut hail 110 bet .01. She looke to him end stoked,
" Where is Mrs. Rooloiteeno 7 am' oil lola inewerlitg, " I
don't him* ; I think she motet have gone to our Elise's,"
Mrs. Mason rejoined. " No ; else never has." Strange
am it may appear, Mrs. Swoon still gave lin alarm, nor
does Idle aelllll to have communicated any fear tor nee
photon to any foram'. Indeed, chic says that she left
Robinemi In the street, " with the teen rutting 40w0 hie
cheek' like a bewildered man."
Nothing Ilium was known until the daughters returned
home, about • quarter before 7 o'clock, They were
itaboinehed at finding the house In clarkiteee and the
front door lucked ; and they were of course terrified at
the tale which Mrs Kamm telol them. The aid of two
neighbours, Thomas Kenny and Frank Waring, was
obtained ; • back dour was forced, and the hums, was
entered.
The plain was found suffoeatingly full of gas ; but the
light of the fire in the back roots or kitchen was sufflai•
cot to reveal the lifelees body of Mr.. Robinson stretched
upon the Sagged fluor in front of the grate, and
covered with blood. Before any further light was ob.
tabor!, the windows and doors were thrown open, to
avoid an esphaion from the gas which filled the plow.
Then it was bowel that, in addition to the committal of
a horrible murder, an attempt to burn down the pre-
uuiisaa bad been mimic, for gas was pouring from the
burners ill both rooms, and in each pieces of timber had
been pieced with one end on the fire and the oilier stretch'
lug into the rooms, but these, altar burning to some es•
tent had fallen harioileasly.
The polka and medical men were now cent for. Mr.
Superintendent (lee, of the A division, tool Mr. Chief
loopector Maybury, of the detective force, 110011 arrived,
sa did also Mere.. Hancock and Stephens, aurygeons.
The latter geetleinan declared, alter eaaiiiimuatiouu, that
no aid could have oived the unfortunate wuuuivan, whore
death must have been almost Instantaneous; and the
police officers tented their attention ti the diaeovery of
the murderer, who was euspected to he the laishand.
The march resulted in showing that, after committing
the murder, and attempting to fire the house, Robinson
had eery deliberately, and very effectually, committed
suicide. At the top of the steep, dark, and very ark.
ward staircase, which has but a very narrow landing to
the sleeping rooms, there is a trap-door, giving acme to
an attic in which Robinson kept pigeons. To get into