The Express.
London, England, 1852-08-03 00:00:00

HORRIBLE MATRICIDE NEAR LIVERPOOL

(room ova owx aarowria.)
LIVERPOOL, MONDAY, AVOLAY 2.
Yesterday the inhabitants of Birkenhead, as well
as of this town and the adjacent ti:hges on the Cheshire
shore, were thrown into a state of frarlial excitement by an
alarm which proved to be, unfortunately but too well
founded, that a most appalling asunder had but
committed
on the previous night in the vill.ge of l'renton, on the
Cheshire side of the Mersey, under circumstances of the
most harrowing description. A mother had been murdered
by the hand of her own son, while sleeping by the side of en-
oils( r son, a lad of only Hilo yeah old, the head being
nearly severed from the body by one frightful gash of a
moor, and the body buried in the garden of the deceased's
residence within an hour from the commissions( the terrible
act

As Coon as the news of the occurrence reached Liverpool
our reporter repaired to the spot, to institute the necessary
inquiries into the circumstances attending the melancholy
crime, and the following natrativo may oe relied upon as
authentic
The deceased, Mrs. Thomas, • widow, resided with her
three sons; William, the eldest, and the perpetrator of the
horrid deed, being about 22 ; Joseph, from 19 In 20 ; and
Samuel, the lad before referred to, about U or 10 years of
an. Their house was situated at Trenton, in the parish of
Woodchurch, bring one of three cottages inhabited by the
Amities of agricultural labourers.
On Saturday night William and Joseph had been drink-
ing together at Hough's public•house, Prentondane, en:o
10 &dirk, when William returned home, leaving his
}molter
brother Joseph behind. On arriving at home he
his mother, who bad been anxiously expecting their
Morn. Ile asked her why she was sitting up, adding that
dlie might go to bed, as he intended to remain up witne
MM yet. She replied that she was waiting for Joe, the
liner son. lie then told her to go to bed, as he would re-
Min up until Joe returned. She then went to bed to her
youngest son, who &le slept with her. It is supposed
that, immediately on her proceeding up stairs, her son
went into the garden and dug a grave ; so short a time in-
tervened h.recen the cominicsion of the deed and its dis-
covery that the grave could only have been dug between the
time of the unfortunate &menet leaving her son and Idl-
ing asleep never more to awoken in this world.
having returned to the house, the unhappy young man
armed himself with • razor, a heavy bladed black-handled
instrument, and with one b'ow nearly reeered the head of
his mother from the body. The little boy was awakened
by what appeared to hint to be his mother falling violently
against him, and on opening his eyes he discovered his
elder brother engaged in the set of murdering their only
remaining parent. Ile scream, d out in his fright, but the
'murderer took him up in his Orion, told him not to make •
noise, and having carried him to the bed usually occupied
by the two elder brothels, kissed him twice, and left him-
saying he would attend to him presently.
He then returned to the bleeding furtn of his murdered
mother; tied her hands togedier with a Iniudkerchiee
wrapped her up in the counterpane, bound a rope round
her waist, and theu carried her down stairs, through the
kitchen or scullery, over a wicket gate !retain to the
garden, up some high and almost perpendicular stone
Mope, to the grave which fee must have already prepared.
The young man who hail been left at the public-house
eon alter thew: events had taken place returned home ; it
111116 thus not inure than eleven o'clock ; yet, in the interval,
Ida mother had been murdered, her grave hail been dug.
mad the soil trodden down as hard and apparently as firm
as the ether ground surrounding it.
Os opproseliins the house, Joseph was somewhat alarmed
et
Mies a light in the garilcu, and called out, " Halloo,
'dist are you doing there with a candle ? " The murderer
nOistl, "Is that you, Joe?" Ilia brother answered,
"Yee. Where is mot her ? " "Oh," rejoined the un-
happy man, " I've killed her, and buried her in the garden.
She's better off now."
Horrified at the terrible nature of the confession, Joseph
snatched the candle from his brother's hand, being still
unable to bring his mind to the reality of the fearful crime,
zed rushed into the house and to his mother's room. There,
indeed, the evidence wail found that n most uunatural deed
bad been perpetrated. The ceiling and walls were stained
with the blood, which had spirted from the death wound,
end near the bed was the razor, still reeking, with which
the fatal wound had been inflicted.
The murderer hau followed him close, and stood by his
brother's side in the room. Perceiving, then, for the first
tim.o, that his little brother was also missing, Joseph in-
spired, with some degree of trepidation, Where,' Sane?"
Raving learned where the little fellow was, he hastened to
ham, took him out of the bed, and proceeded with him to a
maighbour's house, with the twofold object of placing him
gat of danger and of creating an alarm. As he was leaving
the house, the murderer called out, "Don't make thyself
That soft; it's all right now, and she's better off. You came
home half an hour too soon, or it would have been all sided
IF"
The neighbours were speeilily alarmed, and several men
neared the murderer, for the purpose of taking him to
• place of safety. lie, however, remained quiet, saying,
...There need net be two cr three of you to take me ; I will
go quietly ;" and afterwards adding, .1 should like to be
▪ as the trial ;" and wanted to put on his best clothes.
TM Muscular strength which the man exercised in carry-
ing the body must have been Herculean. Yet he appears
la be but slimly built, while the deceased was a fine stout
woman, and it required the united exertions of three men
to carry the body from the garden to the kitchen. Mrs.
Thomas was 48 years of age and
.the mother of eleven
children ; there are several daughters now out at service,
and the young man Joseph is a remarkably intelligent good-
looking young man, while the murderer, though by no
swans repul,ire in his appearance, exhibits all indications
of an organization liable to be thrown from its mental
Wince the most trifling cause.
From the neighbours our reporter learnt that the pri-
asset and his mother lived
The
on terms of the
greatest
harful tragedy was the especial object of his mother's affec
alsa, and tower de her he generally evinced the highest filial
'ward and attention. It was stated, however, that a short
thee since his mind became affected, and he was unable to
continue the exertion which hail hitherto aided to increase
the family comforts. He had always carried the results of
his week's labour to his mother, of whom be was so fund,
that he would not allow her to undertake menial drudgeries,
which he thought would be too severe a tax upon her
strength, and the strong sympathy which existed between
them naturally rendered the anticipated dilapidation of his
mind the cause of heavy grief to the deceased, though there
was nothing in his conduct to warrant his being placed
under restraint.
EXAMINATION OF THE PRISONER.
This forenoon the accused was brought up in custody, at
the Town-hall, Birkenhead, before J. D. Case, Esq.,
Shaw, Esq., and J. S. Jackson, Esq., magistrates. Towards
the close of the proceedings Sir Edward Cust also made his
appearance on the bench.
Upon being told the nature of the charge, the prisoner
said " I didn't do it to my recollection."
The first witness examined was the little boy Samuel
Thomas, • mild-looking child, who was intensely affected
with grief. He deposed that he was sleeping with his
mother at the time of the fatal occurrence, and narrated
those facts which we have above recited, so far as his own
observation was concerned, adding that when he awoke he
saw his brother steadies over the murdered body of his
mother, with a lighted candle in one hand, and an open
razor in the other • and that when he (witness) screamed
out the razor dropped from his brother's hand, and fell
tVis (the boy's) knee.
ether brother, Joseph Thomas, was the next witness,
Witham deposed to the circumstances we have narrated, in
atlAg— the time of the occurrence, the Boding of the
11111106111 d lady of his mother buried in the price, and the
OMMOMM4genset of the prisoner that he had committed the
asL Om wain out with his little brother to raise an alarm,
Ow
phew" mid, " What's the use of being that soft; she's
letter off ; you came home too soon by half an hour, or it
Mold have been all aided." About a week ego witness
saw a groat difference in his brother's behaviour ; he did
aelleriadbe that he had been in his right mind for a year
pat, but he was very violent, and was not placed in
try asylum, He hadw
his motherpm "Li
e slid
was the
Mme, and his oddness showed itself rather in being foolish
than violent. During the last week he got more excited
than usual.
On being caked if he had anything to say in answer to
what his brother had stated, the prisoner replied, " No, I
have no questions to ask him at all." During the exami-
nation Joseph spoke in • low tone of voice, evidently
caused by the conflicting emotions of grief and anxiety, on
observing which the pruner called out in a clear, sharp
tone, " Speak up, Joe ; what's the good of talking like
that ?"
Mr. George Royden, a farmer residing in the neighbour-
hood of the deceased's residence, deposed that he was called
up on Saturday night by the alarm of murder. Oa going
to Mrs. Thomas's be found some people digging in the back
garden. They soon came to • body, and witness helped to
nil it up. It was the body of the deceased, Elizabeth
Thomas, who resided in the cottage with the prisoner asd
her other two sons. He observed there and then that the
throat was cut. There was a large gash, and nearly all the
parts were severed. The body was taken into the house, where
the prisoner was sitting quietly in company with a man who
was placed there to guard him. After some time, witness
took charge of the prisoner, for the purpose of bringing his
to Birkenhead • but on the road they met Matthews, a
county constable, to whom the prisoner was given up. Re
remained perfectly quiet for an hour, and made no attempt
to escape, but got up and came straight away with wit-
ness, walking half a mile without evincing any excitement,
when they met the constable, by whom he was conveyed to
Bridewell
Being sated if he bad any questions to put to the wit-
ness, replied, " 06, no, not me."
Hughes, a constable of the Cheshire force, de-
posed that be heard of the murder on Sunday morning,
when he went to the house of the deceased, and saw the
body of Mrs. Thomas, with the throat cut all round. The
shill remained cm, and was all covered with blood. Wit-
ness produced a rope, which was tied tight round the body,
and which he was obliged to cut, to get it off. On going up
stairs he found, in the track bedroom, a striped shirt with
the sleeves rolled up and very much stained with blood.
There was also a pair of trouser., with the marks of blood
on them ; likewise an apron, a handkerchief, a pocket, and
a blanket—in the latter of which the deceased had been
buried—and all stained with blood. In the feint bedroom,
on the chimney piece, witness found a black-handled,
henyddeded rasor,which the prisoner'sbrother identified an
belonging to William • as also the shirt and trousers. The
other articles belonged to 'he unfortunate deceased.
Mr. Isaac Byerly, surgeon of Upton, deposed that he was
called in on Saturday night, when he found the body of
Mrs. Thomas at her cottage at Prestos. He had pre-