The Express.
London, England, 1857-12-11 00:00:00

SHOCKING TRAGEDY NEAR CROYDON.

Yesterday morning at an early hoar, a shocking
murder and suicide took place, at Thorntontheath, about •
mile distant from the town of Croydon.
For some years past Mrs. Mary Smithies, a lady of some
property, and bee two eous—one WlSlam Belton Smithery,
aged 88, and the other Charles Smithery, aged ift—ocer,-
pied the holes No. 49, Moreton-heath ; and the family
were remarkable for the love and affection which seemed to
subset among them. William Helton, the elder son, has
been a clerk in the Bank of England, from which
establishment he received a salary of 2001. per annum, and
Charlie has been engaged in the factory of Mr. Bennett,
engineer, at Deptford, preparatory to entering the Bank.
William bas been remarkable for his 'Medlars and general
deportment until very recently, when • total change came
over him. For some days preceding the tragedy in
which he was the principal actor, he was known
to drink a bottle of heady. This change, it is
sesumed, bas been cordoned by his becoming • speculator
and by the &lack which Weeded him. Oa one time-bar-
pin alone he le mid to have lest as mach as 704., end this
awn he borrowed from • friend in the beginning of the week
to pay over to his stockbroker. From some papers secured,
It appears that megnosenta were peeparsd for the disposal of
some life policies, and • bill for 6004: for acceptance from a
gentleman In the City, was ansonget.thent. It had been his
(Williams) custom to sleep dowestairs, bat for scene meets
other he for some nightspreordegthe tusforemide recurrence
slept with his brother the first floor. The was ob-
jected to by his moth", who insisted on his resting
in his bed, and last sight the unfortunate lady called
out to her younger eon, and asked "It William bed
gone to his own room ?" The same, though not true,
was in the affirmative. Nothing, however occurred on that
night to excite suspicion or alarm. The mother and brother
went to bed es usual, and on the following morning about
ems o'clock, the servant, Eliza Morgan, wee swots,
as she thought, by a soles in her mistress's room,
and she at once got up and commenced her
domestic work. In stout a quarrter of an hour afterwards
she heard • knocking at the bedroom of Mr. Charlie, and on
going there Mr. William asked her for a wine glam, which
she took to him, and returned to the kitchen to prepare
breakfast. Having waited somewhat beyond the usual time
at which the family came to breakfast, the went to the
bedroom of Charles, and listened for • moment or so, and
hearing no noise she pushed the door open, and
the first thing which caught her view was the
countenance of her young master, with • quantity
of coloured foam about the mouth sad nostrile.
She at once ran to the hones next door for maideace sad re-
turned with the servant maid. Both entered the bedroom,
where they found the brothers wholly helpless, and • phial
and a wine glass on the foot of the bed. The ant mei...mates
of the servant was that she was sere the shock would kill her •
mistress, and she hesitated for • few momenta as to how she
should brisk it out to her. After a short Interval, however,
she summoned resolution and proceeded to her mistress's bed; ,
room on the same flour, and on entering it she, shocking to no-
' Isla, found the unfortunate lady numbered aancept the dead
also. She lay on the bed with her head resffn on her right
band, the bed perfectly unruffled, and it was evident that the
potent sad deadly poison bed an instantaneous effect, and •
that she died without • struggle. Though no assistance
• could have born of the alighteat avail, medical aid was
sought, but it was quite an hour before it could be procured,
and at the end of that time, Mr. Bouourley, of Croydon,
made his appearance, and pronounced all three dead.
Inspector Alexander Fraser, of the I' division of police,
1 stationed at Croydon was soon on the spot, and took cheep
of the hones and the property, and on learning that Mr.
Bottomley had taken away a letter written by the deceased,
and also the phial which had contained the prussic acid,
, he apnoea some astoeiehmint and disedieseumi, whoa-
lady as he had sot bean able to ascertain whether the
label on the bottle bore the name of any chemist. It ap-
t pears that Mrs. Smithery had been ailing for some days, sad '
16 that her son William bed been in the habit of giving her the
r medicine prescribed, and by tale means had been enabled to
• give her the fatal doss, which mast, in • moment,
have terminated her existence. It is the opinion of
those who had sem him that the fatal drug mast
have been poured into the mouth of the youth
r Charles while he lay on his back, and that the redden shock
t W the circulation had mead the foam about the mouth sad
nostril'. It is also believed that the quantity of prussic acid
) taken by the unfortunate murderer himself was so great that
his death was momentary.
r Information of the noestrag haa been forwarded to Mr.
Curter, the °caveat, but ee Is yet mentioned for the
boils( el the Inquest