The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1880-11-06 00:00:00

DOUBLE MURDER near CHISLEHURST.

A most brutal double murder was committed near Chia-
lehurst early on Sunday morning. The following partieulars
are given respecting it :

It appears that Joseph Waller, aged 24, a labourer,
after, it is said, being turned out of a public-house
on Saturday night, where he had created a die.
turbance, was found in a pigstye on enclosed pre-
mises belonging to a farmer at St. Mary Cray, and
the owner gave information of the fact to the police,
who in consequence proceeded to the cottage of
Waller for the purpose of apprehending him on
the charge of being on the premises for a supposed
unlawful purpose. On Waller's arrival there he
was met by Police-constable Palmer, who said that he
was going to Cray, whereupon Waller replied, "I am
going there, too," and the pair together went to the
police-station. inspector Iliggins and Police-constable
Mackay were on duty there when, at 5 a.m., Waller was
brought in. It seems that at about four o'clock Police-
constable Mackay had heard shots in the direction of
of a gaine-keeper's lodge, and, going thither to ascer-
tain the reason, saw Waller standing outside the
house of Edward Ellis, head gamekeeper to Mr. R.
R. Berens, J.P. He said, in answer to a question,
that he was waiting for "Old Ned Ellis.' At the
police-station, the charge of being on enclosed pre-
mises having been stated to him, Waller said to
Police-constable Mackay, "You have a good change ;"
and then to Inspector Higgins, "If you have eight
men and two stretchers' you go to old Ned Ellis's,
and there you will find two dead bodies." The in-
spector asked, "Who are they?" Waller replied,
"Ned Ellis and his wife. You go in at the big gate,
down Ned's ride; there you will find Mrs. Ellie with
her husband's truncheon under her."

Inspector Higgins at once proceeded to Ellis's lodge,
and on searching the adjoining woods discovered the
dead body of Mrs. Ellis a quarter of a mile from the
house, and that of her husband half a mile away. The
heads of both were frightfully battered, and it is sup-
posed that Waller had first fired a shot from a gun and
enticed Ellis away from the house under pretence that
there were poachers in the wood, and then murdered
him by a shot from a revolver found on him at the
station, completing the deed with the gamekeever's
own truncheon. It is . surmised that Mrs. Ellis,
anxious at her husband's long absence, went out in
search of him, met the prisoner returning, and shared
at his hands a similar fate.

Ellis was 74 years of age, and had been 50 years in
Mr. Berens's employ; his wife was 60, and had been
cook 20 years in the same service.
The motive of the murders was, without doubt,
plunder, as Ellis was reported to be wealthy and to
have money hoarded in his lodge. Medical assistance
was promptly obtained, but Drs. Matthews and Bull
pronounced life extinct. Mrs. Ellis's fingers were
broken, and her husband's frightfully smashed, for
Ellis, though old, was an active and determined
man. Both had horrible gashes upon their foreheads,
and each had evidently struggled desperately with the
murderer. The scene of the murder was visited by a.
crowd of people millignday. Waller had been em-
ployed throughout tWvhole of last winter by Edward
Ellis.

The prisoner was brought up on Monday morning in
charge of Inspector Higgins to the Petty Sessional Court at
Bromley, which is about four miles nearer London than the
scene of the murder. The serious nature of the crime caused
a large attendance of magistrates, who were—Mr. G. W.
Motley Colville, Sir E. H. Scott Alexander, C. 8., chairman,
It. B. Berens, master of the murdered people, and Mr. W.
Waring. Before the proceedings commenced, Earl Sydney,
Lord Lieutenant of the County, took a seat upoh the bench.
orased- young, fellow, blew his nose 'with an arranicevidli
air when put into the dock, and on the charge of wilful
murder, by shooting with a revolver, being read over, said,
"Let us have it read over again." On this being done, he
made no reply to the charge.
l'Hay, a police-constable, 77 R, said on Sunday morn-
ing he was on duty in the road in which prisoner lived, and
saw the prisoner standing within two yards of Ellis, the
deceased man's house. I went to him and said, "Good
morning," and he replied, " Good morning, WlCay."
This was at four am, and it was dark. I then said,
"Hallo, what's up," seeing he had a lantern, and he
said, "Old Daddy Ellis and myself have been after
six poachers; old Ned is down the lane in rear of the
house." It is a road or drive through the wood. I said,
"How are you getting on, Wailer?" He said, "All
right." We stayed there about 20 minutes, then the pri-
soner said, "Axe you going my way?" I said, "Yes," and
went in the direction of Overest's Farm, thence towards his
father's house. During the twenty minutes interval the
prisoner said nothing more about the deceased except that
he had the old man's lamp and belt. Opposite his father's
house I met Palmer, 108, who had some charge against the
prisoner. I then told the prisoner I had a charge against
him of being on enclosed premises at twelve on the previous
night for an unlawful purpose. We then took him to the
station: then he said, You are not going to put handcuffs
on me?" I said, "No, not if you go quiet." He went
quietly then to the station. He said, "Well, Maay,
you have got a good charge." Inspector Higgins was
going to question about the charge when the prisoner_said,
"Well, Mr. Higgins, you have got a good charge," and then
he said where he should find the deceased. The inspector
told me to search the prisoner, and I found the revolver
produced. I asked him if he had anything upon him, and
he put his hand in his pocket, and produced the revolver.
He had nine pieces of sugar, and the lantern and belt, a
watch chain, and four keys, with a whistle and five coins in
a purse. (The prisoner interposed here with "Beg your
worship's pardon—" but he was told a further opportunity
would be afforded him to speak). Witness : I did not examine
the revolver. The inspector asked him how he came by the
revolver, and he said he had it, and then he spoke
about the deceased Mrs. Ellis. " ILyou go up the lane you
will find her with Ned's staff under her head, and old Ned,
or Ellis, you will find down in the wood." He volunteered
these remarks. He did not say whether we should bud them
dead or alive. I did not hear any shots fired. I went
towards Ellis's house, which is out of our section, because I
heard the dogs barking so much.

On the prisoner being asked if he had anything to say, he
replied, " I should like him to give his evidence straight-
forward." He then proceeded to cross-examine the witness
as to what had passed between them, but nothing new was
elicited.

Inspector Higgins said the Prisoner was brought in on
Sunday morning, at five o'clock, by the last witness,
charged with being on enclosed premises for an un-
lawful purpose. He replied, "I suppose for stealing a
pig." I told him he would be detained on that charge,
and asked him if he had anything on him. He then
produced six cartridges and the revolver. He turned round
to M'Kay and said, " You have got a charge, and
a good one." I then examined his hands and found them
covered with blood, and prisoner said, "That is human
blood." I asked him what he meant, and he said,
"All I say is, it is human blood." He then produced the
whistle and keys and chain, and said, "that is Old Ned's." He
added, "Let me have a blow for the last time." He then
tossed up a penny piece, looked at it, and said, "Gallows."
He was wearing a leather belt, and asked me it I knew
whose it was. He then said, "11 you take eight men and
two stretchers you will find two dead bodies." I asked
whose bodies, and he said, "Mr. Ellis and his wife." He
said, "You go into the gate, turn to the left, and in one
of Ned's rides you will find Mrs. Ellis with Ned's truncheon
under her." A doctor then was then sent for. I recognised
the bodies, when I saw them, as those of Mr. and Mrs.
Ellis. Under the body of Mrs. Ellis, when it was turned by
the doctor, I found the long portion of the staff I have pro-
duced, and the other portion under Mr. Ellis. Mrs. Ellis
was found 300 yards from the cottage, and the body of
Mr. Ellis a quarter of a mile away, but in a different direc-
tion from the cottage. Fe chambers of the revolver had
been discharged. Two of the six cartridges found on him
fitted the revolver. I returned to the station, and about
ten in the morning I told the prisoner I had been to
the wood and found the two dead bodies, and I should
charge him with the wilful murder of Me. and Mrs.
Ellis. I entered Me charge, and read it over to him,
but he made no reply. About six I got some clothes for
him to change, and the clothes produced are what were
taken from him. There is blood on the whole of them, and
the 'prisoner said, "You have got a bundle of murderer's
clothes." Prisoner said he did not wish to ask the inspector
any questions. The. woman lay on her left arm, and her
face was very much battered. Ellis was lying on his left
side, with his head much cut about by blows, apparently
with the staff. I could not tell whether there were gunshot
wounds.

- ---
Henry Phillips Titmens, 240 It, was called and said
on Sunday morning lie went to the wood to search for
the bodies and found at 200 to 250 yards from the
cottage on the left of the private roadway, the body of
Mrs. Ellis, in the parish of St. Paul's Cray. I had
known her previously. She was lying on her face and
hands with a shawl over her head. I lifted up the shawl
and found her head very much battered -about with some
blunt instrnment. I replaced the shawl and pursued my
search, and afterwards found the body of Mr. Ellis, a quarter
of a mile from the cottage in the private roadway. Both were
quite dead.
Prisoner, during the hearing, leaned on the bar of the
dock, apparently very muck interested in the proceedings.
He is a diminutive man, active and athletic.
He was then remanded till Monday next.