The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1859-11-15 00:00:00

DONHEAD ST. ANDREW.
BRUTAL MURDER.

The greatest consternation prevails in this village
owing to the appalling murder of a woman, the wife
of a game-keeper. From what we can at present
learn the woman was discovered with her throat
severed, as if by a razor, which was found in parte,
on the premises; but the murderer used also a saw,
as if the razor had been broken in the struggle,
which, from the quantity of blood in the dwelling-
house, appears to have taken place where the fatal
event occurred. The villain took away some cloth-
ing from the house, leaving his victim on the floor
quite dead.
The murder was committed on Thursday afternoon
week. The husband of the murdered woman was
in the employ of T. Fraser Grove, Esq., of Ferne
House, and the place where the murder was com-
mitted is Ashcouthe Wood.
An inquest was held before Wilson, Esq.,
county coroner, on the body of the woman, Aim
Trowbridge. There was no evidence given except
as to the finding of the body by the husband, (Merge
Trowbridge, (who works on the estate of T. Groves,
Fay., a county magistrate for M'ilts and Dorset,'
and the mangled appearance of the body. A ver-
dict was returned of " Wilful Murder against some
person unknown."
Every exertion is being made by the police to
trace the perpetrator of this horrible dec.', the village
of Tolima' being in the greatest excitement. Lord
Rivers has been making every inquiry at the scene
of the murder. Sunday morning, at an early hour,
Superintentleut llayuton wasonleied by Supt. Harris
to ',niece,' to the place of the murder with his blood-
hound, in order, if possible, to trace the bloody
clothe' of the delinquent, who must be covered with
blood, and it is supposed he may have bidden them
in the wood that surrounds the desolate valley, and
put cn those of the husband. Many hours were
spent in search without avail. People from all
quarters visited the scene on Sunday. Suspicion at
one time attached to the husband, but there appears
no ground for it, as he was even at his work, halts
mile off, all the morning, and he immediately gave
the alarm on his return to dinner.
The person suspected of the murder bears the fol-
lowing description :--He is a tramp, calls himself a
Spaniard, about 30 years of age, has an impediment
in his speech; sonietinies appears to be dumb ;
always begs at houses in lonely places; is about rift.
Sin. high; dresses in a sort of brown dirty clothes.
He had been begging at the cottage on the Monday
previoua, and was relieved by the inunlerel woman
with bread and potatoes. He has a limping walk.
A man of this description was seen by the shepherd
boy going along the bottom, with a bundle, in the
direction from the cottage on the morning of the
murder, and was seen by a fanner to cut across a
clover field to avoid, apparently. the village. The
deceased was a stout lusty woman, and very clean in
her habits. Her husband was supposed to possess
money, anal it was supposed by some to be in the
house, but no money was taken ; and it has since
transpired that there was money in the clock not
touched. One of the coats taken is remarkable, it
having been presented about two years since to the
husband, George l'rowbridge, for long service. It is
made jacket fashion, and has gilt buttons, with
plough, two sheep, and wheat sheaf, with the
words "Our country's dependance," which must
lead to detection. It is a large coat. Trowbridge is
a tall man, being six feet high.
FURTHKR PARTICULARS.—One of the most brutal
murders that we have had to record for a long time
took place on Thursday morning week, at Ashcombe
Bottom, in the pariah of Dunhead. Ashcouabe, as its
name imports, is IL little valley, or combe, in the
range of chalk downs running from Dorset into
Wilts, and is about one mile from Ferne House, and
about six from Shaftesbury. In this valley George
Trowbridge and his wife have lived for many years
in a cottage nearly a quarter of a mile from any
other house, but within sight of one. George Trow-
bridge is a gamekeeper in the employ of T. Grove,
Esq., of Ferne House, and has been in the service of
the Grove family upwards of 40 years. Both he and
his wife have borne good characters for honesty,
sobriety, and industry. The husband some time
since received a coat from the Sturminster Agricul-
tural Society for length of servitude. They had no
children, and are supposed to have saved seine
money. On Thursday week the husband left his
home, and, with two other men, was employed in
repairing a road not half a mile from the cottage, nor
yet out of sight of it. He left at the usual time to
go home to dinner, and, according to his own state-
ment, found the door fastened, and looked under the
front window, expecting to find the key, his wife
being accustomed to put it there if she had occasion
to leave the house when he was from home. He says
he could not see his wife through the window, and
went round the house to the hack window ; and,
looking through it, saw her legs as she lay on the
floor. He then broke some panes, opened the case-
ment, and got in, when he raw his wife covered with
gashes and blood lying on the floor, with a law near
her. He took up the saw, which was an ordinary
handsaw, and hung it on the nail where it usually
was put, and then broke open the door and gave an
alarm. Mr. Grove's bailiff, the men he had been
working with, and amine others WWI came. The
bailiff at once rode off to Fenn; House and informed
his master of the dreadful occurrence. Mr. Grove
was soon at the house, and also Mr. Foot, surgeon,
of Douhead. The body relented a horrible appear-
ance, being so cut and gashed that the features were
almost oblitemb..d. (hi investigation it would :scam
likely that she was first attacked with a razor, IMO
being found near her with the handle broken - appa-
rently in the struggle, which must have been despe.
rate, her Lando being cut in several places whilst
defending her head and face. The first cut, perhaps,
MI the gash on time left side of the face, which
severed the ear; and in protecting herself she must
have seized the razor, for her hand was cut to the
bone. 'File murderer then, it appears, must have
seized the handsaw, and with two tremendotia blows
made two gashes from the head down each side of
the face, entering through the bones, and cutting, or
rather sawing, through the eye, nose, lips, and jaw,
and cutting one tooth maples:ly out, which was
picked up on the floor. She had evidently been
preparing dinner, fir some turnips were on the lire
and sonic potatoes ready fur cooking. She had also
been engaged in ironing, the flats tieing at the tire
heating. A broken cup was on the floor, near the
door, which leads some to suppose that if a stranpr
was the guilty party, he had, perhaps, been begging
for a little water. The husband says lie misses a
coat--the one given him by the Stunninster Agricul-
tural Society, with metal buttons, on which are the
words—" Our country's dependance," surrounding a
plough, two sheep, and a cheese prers ; also, a lair
of drab cloth leggings, two sleeve waistcoats, one
with fustian front and the other with cord front, and
both with twilled sleeves and back; one white hat
with rather broad brim, and one umbrella. There
is at present considerable mystery about the murder.
An inquest has been held, at which the above were
the pnncipal facts stated ; and a verdict found of
" Wilful Murder by some person or persons un-
known." The police in both counties are indefati-
gable in their efforts to discover the murderer.
;virett I

filled

" The roe matt help, bat 11, judgement oto,thf role." Ind
Illntlln.—tN)lillntlft4lll enterprise with all 111,%1‘,.i•e
superiority is sometimes found to lead to the sub,titution
of appearance for reality. In the article of Tea, 'cool tnenn.t
tilliktllt to judge of by outward characteristioi, there is mu+
sophireation. l'omor leaves, an all klintr, eol,Ljn tliC Milmt
flavour and the greatest, strength, but the quantity of the after
crop I. much the forgesr. hence the temptation to make both
the appear and the,. get the best prim for all. To
died this the Chinese one.. all. odour Tea intended for Eng-
land. thus hiding the brown appearance of the autumn leaves
and enabling them to be mixed ..if with the hut. The acknow-
ledged superiority of Ilornionaa .17 ru.'s Tot, ho "Wllnt 1.. the
rejection of all those late growths which require isnederod
colour to hhle their brownness. The spring leaves hating no I
defects to hide, arc' always good alike.' Ibu Thal in packets
PLYMOUTH FJIIORANTS' Howx.—A second inspec- by ti I
..urnanan'a AVMS. LOCAL Dot AdVertbllni In our coluums.
tiou of the Emigrants' Hume, Plymouth, was made I
the Royal Laundry the GLIXI'I6LD I'ATII%T STARCH ho the
on Wednesday, by Mr. Murdock, chairman of the only Starch weal, and is held in such high estimation by the
Emigration Hoard, and Surgeon-Major Delmege, the gcneral plibl.e that the demand for it has Increased, and is
head of the military medical department here, Dr.faetur.rtof inferior article',, after .naklt.g abortive aittios.„;:tvi.
Freeman, and Mr. J. H. Eawles, surgeon, and ou a to Intnsluire their manufactures on their men merits, hays. g
minute examination it was found that a remarkable res.vntly connuenaal t.. Imitate the (ILLXVIILD I'AII,T sraa,u,
iniprovement had taken place in the virulence and I:dt,tr.l.^:;"lll'.:l:ll...ttr;thrkof4aarizolitiv,bel. the yr,:
malignity of the types of the diseases prevailing—the inform all purchasers that erera package Itr the gen',,i,le
owlet fever and measles. The deaths in ten days Ma a view °far original work; and the cane," 11. W,..1111-
out of 400 and upwards had been 4 from scarlet nrCION." printed upon it. The (ILIINFIZI.D . STAMM
RIIO INC It, Intl 11'111 pleue all who may yet MC It
fever,
has and IS
been uchmen
fiom mmeadesiTed, he nandumbtejrwill,mediaahow. Lecik'7l.,b.
any
other, and
when
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