The Express.
London, England, 1863-11-10 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS,

THE TRIPLE MURDER IN A STREET CAB.

THE INQUEST.

The inquest apes the bodes was opened last evening at
the board-room of St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington, before
Dr. Lankester, the coroner for the Middlesex Central Divi-
nes, and • jury of 19 inhabitant households, of the parish.
Mr. H. T. Swatton (captain 4th City Rile Volunteers) was
dome foreman. The jury having been sworn proceeded
with the ooroocir to view the bodies, which see lying in
the dead-room of the hospital, where they were placed en
their first admission. Neither the woman nor the children
exhibit any appearthces of having died a violent death.
There is no detortioa, but ea the contrary, a placidity of
00Unnenit000 is them all. The mother appose to have
been a fine, well-made woman, and the children well grown
for the age at which the medical men set them down—viz.,
seven or eight the alder and four or five the younger.
On the return of the coroner and jury to the board-room.
Inspector Bedroll, in reply to a question, stated that no
identification of the bodies had takes place.
The following evidence was then called :
Edward Gwyn, the first witness, maid—l live at 12,
Mornington-street, Marylabona lam a coachman. I was
standing at the Royal Oak, Weetbournogrove, on Saturday
means at about • quarter past 9, when • railway cab drove
up with the Great Eastern arms upon it—a Great Eastern
cab. I thought I knew the drives. I stepped up to the cab
and opened the door. The driver said, " I think I've got a
queer job here ; the woman is et the bottom of the eab."
When I opened the door I saw • woman lying at We bottom
of the cab, and • child untlerosath her. She was lying side
ways on the child. I lifted her up, and told the cameo to
take the child up. He did so, and took the child in his arms.
I west to look for a polioeman, but I did sot find one, and
on my return in two or three minutes I taw a policeman
at the cab door. I saw a second child lying es
the seat of the cab as if asleep. These was
• bat-box in the cab. I thought the woman was drank at
fine, and told the cabmen so. There was some vomit on
the woman's clothes. I sew no bottle, or paper, or any-
thing of that sort. There was • doctor at the cab when I
tame book, who mid they were dead. The doctor was
passi By ng by aad stopped.
hea • Juryman— S the cabman mid he thought he had
• queer job he was in the sot of getting off the ob.
The Juryman—Then he muss have known before that
there was something wrong.
Witesse-1 don't know about that.
Examination resumed—The cabman was not the man I
at first thought that he was, bet • Anew to me.
By the Conger —The cabman had not bees looking into
the cab when he told me he thought he had a queer job.
Before I opened the cab door be told me that ne had a
woman at the Saes of the cab. I am sure he said be
thought he had a queer job before I opened the orb door.
Jasna Parker, examined by the Ooroeser—l live at No. 2,
Quote-street Chesteretreet, Bethnal-green. I am a cab-
driver, No. 220. I drive • Great Eaters cab, and geserany
ply at the Great Eastern terminus. I was plying backward'
and forwards there all day a Saturday. The-last tiros I
eft in the evening of that day wee 20 minutes past eight.
I had not been on the stand more than half an hour when
1 got my last fare. I was waiting for the nine o'clock train.
A lady and gentleman and two children came to me mit of
the departure side—that is, from the departure platform
next Bboretlitch. The gentleman hailed me. There an
other lines comet in at that terminus. Them ate several
short trains minus in then between a quarter
before eight arid nine. All passengers coming in
by any of the lines are put dowa et the arrival side.
The gentleman told me he wanted to go to the Royal Oak,
He did not ask me what my fare was. I heard ao never-
satire pas between him and the lady or the chianti. I
did sot hear either the lady or the ohildron spank. He
ordered me to go through the City. Wheel got Into
Hishopepteetreet he ordered me to pull up. He had not
told sae before we started to atop at • publirlieum. We
pulled up at the sign of the Green Dragon, and be told me
tore him • pint of the beet half-end-half, and told me to
get what I liked fur myself. I had three halfpenny worth
of gin. I mat into the public house. got the bier, sad
gave it to the gentleman in the tab, and Shea
went to my hose's bead. I did Dot bear any
coevereetisu inside the *Lb who I gave the
geatlenea the beer. He gave me • wag when he mat
me for the beer, and I gave him back the when he
gave me back the pot. It was a pewter pint pot. I heard
something drop on the pavement out of the pot when he
gave me the pot like the drainer of some liquid. He
turned the pot upside down when he gave it me back. The
dropping was not like anything solid, but like boor. The
cab door was shut thaw Oa are aide the window was down,
the other was up. I saw the woman and children then. The
✓atline& wee a the mar side, sad the lady by his
Ste. The two ftw were *ling on the front seat. I
did not see them drink myth*. I put the pot on the bar of
the public-home when I took it back. The gentleman then
ordered me to go thrash the City, down CurnbilL He
pulled me up at the top of Holborn-hill, near Purnivaraisa.
He put hie head out of the window and said, "Hold hard,
cabby, I will get out hers." 1 pulled up, hat before I did
so he had opened the door and got oat. He was cm the
pavement before I pulled up, ead he said. " What is the
fare, cabman!" I said 4s. He rid, " Well, bore u 4a. 6d.,
that is ed. fer yourself." I did not hew anything or
the people inside. did net bid them good nht, bee
said to me •`O a Take them all right to the Royal igk." He
was • assn about 5 ft. 5 in., not very stout, with black
whiskeys, moustache, area beard. His moustache
was very busby, bet his whiskers were short.
I did not notes if be bed any beard underneath
his chin. He looked like • foreigner, bat be spoke like an
Englishman. lie wee dressed in a black frock coat and
black Women. Hs looked like a chemist or something of
that. (A laugh.) He did not look like • clerk or • working
tradesman. He did not run away, but walked away slowly.
I did not tare to see whisk way he west, bet it was towards
Holborn—down the bill. I then drove straight to the
Royal Oak. I stopped opposite the door, and got down. I
maw the last witness before I got down. He did not open
the door. I opened the door myyslf —h• stood by the side
of me. When I opened the door I said to him, " Look
here, thole is inewithing very queer here." I saw the
woman and child lye; at the bottom of the eab before I
said that. The worn bad the child in her arms. I *odd
not see her face. She was lying an her face. It was the
eldest child she bad in her arms. There was • leather hat-
box in the cab, and I saw the policeman pick up
• shilling and • puree from the bottom of the mkt.
I did not see that the woman bad been sick. I took coed
the children out of the cab, arid bad it is my arms That
was the child that was in the woman's arms. When I had
the child in my arms, I rid, " For God's sake mad for •
policeman and &doctor. There is something wrong hers."
The woman appeared to be dead, and the child also. The
bead of the child fell back when I held it is my arms, as
though the neck was broke. There was • crowd round the
cab when the policeman and the doctor came up. The
doctor came up before the policemen, sad was there before
the woman and the other child were got oat of the cab. I
drove the bodies away myself. I took them to the hospital,
under the directions of the policeman. The last witness is
mistakes when he say' that I told him before I got off the
tab that I had a queer job. I could not see into the cab
where I sat. I had sot looked into the cab till I got down
at the Royal Oak. When I got down I looked into the
cab, bet could sot see anybody at all inside till I treed the
door. The lest witness had not opened the door or touched
it before I hail got down.
Thema Jones, poi hie-constable 274 D, deposed I was 011
duty at the Royal Oak at twenty minutes Fait nine. A
civilian creased over to me and said, " I think you are wanted
at the cab on the opposite aide." I went over sod found
15 or 70 people standing round • cab- There was a medical
gentlemen there, Mr. liallmark, looking at the bodies. He
mid to "They are dead." There were two children and
a woman in the cab. I felt them, and found that they
were warm. but I meld hardly believe they were dead. I got
into the cob, and toad the driver to drive as fast as he could
so at. Mary's Hospital, where they were received. I searched
the cab. and !mod in it a leather hat case, with some figs
and small sweet cakes is it, a man's new cloth sip, lined
with brown or red silk and leather. There is • ticket in
the cap with "71 " oa it. There was no number or oans in it.
It is • mat's size. The cap is • heown one with • very small
black check or stripe. It is what Scatted an Amide sloth cap.
There were in • black wrapper the skirt of a lilac cotton
dries and two pidfores, sod • white pocket handkerchief.
There are initials on the basdkerehief, but not distinct
enough to decipher. The cap was lying at the bottom e(
the eab. 1 found a small piece of a newspaper alao in the
cab, but as it is the bottom of the page I camel say whet ,
newspaper it was part of. (The venous articles towed were
handed in.) There was also a brown leather pork- ',summit
with steel binding. It contained • half-crown, a shilling, 1!
and sit peoes in silver, is oopper,and two poe= stamps.
I toned likewise la. locos on the bottom of Om When
I brought the thing■ into the hospital I found a cork on the
table, but whether it fell from the they or not I cannot
say. I handed it to the medical gentleman, who said that
there was no trace of poison on it. On the hack of the cab
and on the seat there was some white vomit. It looked as if
one of the children had been eating some of the cakes and
bed vomited it up. The cabman told me next day that he
had damped it away. I did not see the first witness at the
tab door, but be might have been there.

Mr. Klamath, surgeon, 46, Prison-muare, Westbourner
the medical man who Stet saw the bodies at the cab door,
wan east examined. His teetimony was to the following
offect—On Saturday, at a quarter ;met nine, I was palming
the Royal Oak, and law r crowd mood a cab. A bystander
told me there was e trainee and child dead. I went op to
see if I mad be of any amistatios. I went to the cab door
end basked ie. The tint thing that struck me wen a *Moog
mall al prank acid ie the cab. There was the body of a
child as the front mat is a sitting posture, and at the
bottom of the cab a mama of clothes. Oa examining there I
loud the body of another child. I raised it, sad lot It as
the took seat ; and also at the bottom of the gab was the
body of a woman. The worm. was warm, and the child
was cooler. The child on the front seat wail very nearly
cold. The other child wee a little warmer. There was so
pals.aiin either of them. There was no sign of spasm. The
were quite passive. I did sot smell their mouths.
The child at the bottom of the cab had vomited, and cow
of the matter emitted remained on my hand.

r. C. P. C•mboo, i 100•1 *awes of Bi. Mares Bawl-
kik ilepord that oa astaiday, at • gooier p•s4 Was, • lab

arrived at the hospital, containing three dead bodies. They
were received into the hospital. I have • since ete-
rnised their. They ware quite deed rnhen ad-
mitted. I smelt the mouth of each of them.
There wee • particularly 'Moog small at hydrocyanic or
prank acid in the mouth of the mother and the youngest
child especially. It was mach lees distinct in the elder
child. There was no appearance of spasm. There wee no
rigidity, the bodies were flexible. I examined the pupils of
the eyes of the mother. They were not dilated, and there
was nothing remarkable about them. Something came
from the mouth of the mother which smelt intensely strong
of prussic acid. There wen also • smell of beer. It ap-
peared as if prussic acid mixed with porter bad been adnu-
endued to the mother. I did not examine the children so
closely. Dr. Sanderson had made • post. Norton examination
of the bodies tod I assisted him. When I examined
the bodies on Sunday I found some slight haulms on the
left arm of one of the children. There was also a slight
bruise on the mother's arm. There was • sore on the instep
of the mother's foot near the great toe, for which ointment
bad been used. There was • box of ointment found
in her pocket which had been evidently recently
wed. The postmortem was med. at 3 o'clock
this afternoon, about forty-two hours after death.
The brain of the woman wu congested, and the intestines
smelt very steungly of prussic acid. There wee about half
an ounce of fluid in the pericardium. The right ventricle
of the heart wee flaccid. The left ventricle was empty. The
Image were healthy. The stomach has not been opened.
The kidneys were much congested. Her other organs were
healthy. On opening the eldest child there was • smell of
prussic acid, but slight. The stomach of both children, as
well as that of the mother, was tied and removed for ana-
lysing. The kidneys were congested. The small of prussic
acid was much stronger in the younger child. The general
aof the lungs and heart was healthy in both
children.ae The woman wee about 35 years of age, the eldest
child about seven, and the youngest about four. There is
no doubt that the woman had borne children, sod I assume
that she was the mother. Them was the mark of • ring on
her finger, but so ring. There is a strong lawmen between
the woman and the two children. The stomachs and the
intestines will beexamined by Dr. Matthiesoo. I have applied
a few testa to the contents of the mouth of the mother,
and one of them gave indications of prussic acid, but not
✓u/hciently so as to enable me to speak with certainty. My
attention was not directed as to whether amide of potters-
slum was need triad of prussic acid.
In reply to the Coroner,
The witness dated that the postmortem examination
had gone fer imaagh to allow the warrant to seas for
bury vag the bodies, but it was 'tweeted that the interment
shouldlus deferred as long as possible to afford facilities for
Identification.

111 r. G. H. D. Mahon, a hoollo4Urgeoc of the hospital,
who was present when the bathes were admitted tato the
hosPitsl, deposed to finding a bundle in the woman's breast,
containing the box of ointment, some hot and strapping, a
child's glove, and a piece of paper. On the box was the
name of W. Hunt, Camberwell, printed, and " Zinc oint-
ment" was written on it.

Befsii B ;;;Ii ;I the detective forte, proved taking the
bog ointment to Mr. Hunt, • chemist, at Camberwell-
poi), who duetted having supplied it within the peat three
days to some parson, but he did not know whom.
Mr. J. T. Pareceill landlord of the Grua Dragon, Bishops.
40e-duet Without, recollected the cabman coming for
the beer on Saturday night, and generally confirmed
Parker's evidence ou this point. Whose, looked out towards
the cab sod saw him give the beer to a gentleman inside.
The gentleman was • very dark mu weer a fun beard and
moustache. Witless did not examine the pot on its being
returned, sad beer was drawn in it for other pieties after.
wards before toe polies came to make inquiries.
Inspector Mnckrell, of the D division, deposed to baying
examined the clothes of the woman and children, ad con-
firmed the dcuription published. The 'wide of the tongue
oleos of the children's boots wu marked with the name of
"Nicholls," and • white handkerchief, found on the
younger child, was marked E. N. N. Witness added that
the woman's basset was of black straw, not of black
Tin
as previously dated.
The inquiry was them adjourned until Monday, ifith inst.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

TATTERSALL'S. -MONDAY.

Settling on the past week's racing and the disposal of a
few outstanding amounts on the Houghtm Meeting occu-
pied the attention of members until late in the day, when
some monistic's took place on the Liverpool Autumn Cup,
for which Catch--'em-Alive was in great faros, 7 le 8 having
beat takes about him to money, but later on 4 to 1 was
laid several time, although at the close 100 to 30
woe the highort price obtainable. Golden Pledge
wee slightly under a aloud, u although there were frequent
offers to lay 5 to 2 on the field, the (needs of . • The
Pledge' did not even any anxiety to get em sad at the
finish 3to 1 was offered without a roman,. Irakwater ins
very firm at 6 to 1 taken, and Blithfield was eetreeted with
mown mosey at Bto 1. Aid of Surrey sad Bah= were
tech supported at 10 to 1. There was a little spurt as the
Derby, Ist no very heavy blow was streak, with the wisp-
tine of 500 to 30 bang had three times pleat Oambomem
Closing prices :