The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-29 00:00:00

The Murder at Chadwell-heath,

ILFORD, Wednesday.
This afternoon the inquest on the body of Amelia Blunt,
who was murdered under circumstances of great atrocity on
last Saturday morning, was resumed in the Sessions House
adjoining Ilford Gaol, before Mr C. C. Lewis, coroner for
the county of Essex.
The case appeared to have created a great sensation in
the district, and the court room was crowded by persons de-
sirous of obtaining a view of the prisoner and of hearing the
evidence against him,
Superintendent Howie had the management of the case
for the Commissioner of Police.
The prisoner, a large, heavy, morose looking man, was
brought up and placed in the dock. He listened with a half
contemptuous indifference to all the evidence.
James Warren, a labourer, living at Dagenham, said that
he was 78 years of age. He knew the deceased since she was
a baby. She lived with him for the last 11 weeks as house-
keeper. She was a widow, about 44 years of age. She had
been living with Francis Wane before she came to live
with witness. She had lived with Waine about three
years. On last Saturday morning witness left his cot-
tage at Chadwell-heath, about a quarter past ten
o'clock to fetch some beer for the deceased while she was
washing. He left her in the wash house at the end of the
cottage. He returned within half an hour, and when he
went in at the front door he called out " Milly, here is your
beer, dear—come and have it." She made him no answer.
He went in doors, and sat down at the table. He then again
called out to her, but hearing no answer he went into the
wash house. She was resting with one arm on the copper,
and the other on a sieve. He went up to her and said
" Milly, why don't you give me an answer," but she gave
him none. He put his hands round her to lift her up, and
ho found his hands wet with blood. He said, " Oh, Milly,
Milly, what have you done ?" but she made no answer. Ho
lifted her up, but she fell, and so did he, she being heavy
and he being weak. He got up and looked at her, and saw
that she was a dead woman. He ran out and told Mr.
Archer, and he then ran across the common to make an
alarm, and he met his granddaughter, who said, " What
have you done with your hands ?" They were smothered
with blood. Several persons, and the police-constables were
at once on the spat Witness knew the prisoner all his life,
and be knew the mother that bore him before she was
married. Seven or eight weeks ago witness was at the
White Horse public- house, and he saw the prisoner there.
Deceased was there also, and she sat by the side of witness
in the tap room.
Coroner—What conversation passed ?
Witness—The prisoner said, "hilly, I own myself in
fault, and if you go with me out of doors I will toll you where
you will find those clothes and things that I took away from
you," Ho said, " I own myself in fault tor breaking up your
home."' Ho asked her to go out of doors along with him,
but she said to witness, "I am afraid to go." She did go,
however, but only went as far as the taproom window. She
returned in a minute and sat down. He came in and sat
down by the side of her and said," Milly, is there a chance
for you and me to come together again ?" She said, " No,
there never will, Toddy." He was usually called Toddy.
She said to him, "You had your chance to make mo your
wife if 3 ou had used me well; but you broke my home up,
and now I will have no more to do with you," He replied,
" Milly, you will have to die," to which she said, "Toddy,
if I die you will have to die too." She jumped up and went
home, and witness went home also. Witness heard him
make no statement since, nor did he see him on the pre-
mises. Witness had a son John, aged 49. An intimacy
had sprung up between him and deceased, and the banns
were published at Dagenham Church on Sunday week.
Coroner (to the prisoner)—Do you wish to ask the witness
any question ?
Prisoner (sullenly)—l do not want to ask him any ques-
tion.

Francis Archer, the wife of a labourer living on C hadwell-
heath, said that on Saturday morning she was at a short
distance from Warren's house when her children came
running to her and said, " Oh, come down; Mr Warren
has come, and something has happened at his house." She
ran in the direction of the place and met Warren, who told
her that Milly was dead, She went into the little bakehouse
or washhouso at the end of the cottage and saw deceased
lying in a pool of blood, and quite dead. Witness knew
prisoner ever since he was a boy. Deceased lived with him
for three or four years.
The prisoner said he did not want to ask any questions of
the witness.
Mr C. Fitch, landlord of the White Horse, Chadwell••
heath, said that he knew the deceased for three years. She
was in the habit of charing at his house for three months—
ever since she had been with old Mr Warren. The prisoner
was in the habit of coming to the White Horse frequently,
and he used to be there with the deceased. :Since deceased
had been living with Warren witness had several times
heard the prisoner and her quarrel. On two or three occa-
sions she got up and left the room when he came in. Wit-
ness several times heard the prisoner threaten to kill her.
He said that so often that he ceased to take particular notice
of it. The prisoner threatened her 12 months ago.
Coroner—Did you hear him threaten her recently?
Witness—He said he would cut her throat about a month
or six weeks ago ; but he was then the worse for liquor.
Coroner—l did not ask you that. If a man says such a
thing when drunk, he is responsible for it when sober. Did
he make any other threat ?
Witness—When she was living with the prisoner the
latter had threatened to knock her brains out. A fortnight
ago I forbid the prisoner my house for making use of bad
language and falling out with old Mr Warren about this
woman. I was in the bar and heard him swearing at Mr
Warren in the parlour. I went in and said, " Waine, you
are like a dog in the manger ; you won't live with the
woman yourself, and you won't let her live quiet with any
one else." He swore at me, and said he would punch my
head. I told him to quit the house, and he did so.
Coroner—Did you see him since?
Witness—On Saturday morning, about 5 minutes to 10.
I saw him coming by Mr Moss's mills, about 400 yards
from Warren's cottage, and he appeared to be going from
Chadwell-heath towards his brother's house. His brother's
house is a quarter of a mile from the cottage. I did not
speak to him nor ho to me. I heard of the murder about 10
minutes to eleven o'clock. My wife told me poor old Milly
bad dropped down dead. I went to the cottage and saw her
lying on her left side in a pool of blood. There was a great
wound on the side of her neck. and I said, " Bless me, she
has been murdered." I sent for a police constable.
Coroner (to prisoner)—Do you want to ask the witness
any questions ?
Prisoner—l do not. He can say more if he likes. He has
been telling a parcel of lies, and he can tell more of them.
Dr Robert A. Bamers said that on Saturday morning ho
was called to the deceased about half-past 11 o'clock. She
was dead, but was still warm. He examined her and found
three severe wounds on the side of the neck. They were so
deep that with the finger the vertebra of the neck could be
touched. Such wounds could not have been inflicted by her•
self. The wounds were from the right to the left, one was
from the centre of the throat to the right side behind the
ear; another of them ran in an oblique direction towards
the shoulder, the third seemed to have been a stab more than
a cut. There was also a wound on the knuckle of the left
thumb. All the organs of the body were healthy. The
immediate cause of death was loss of blood from the severance
of the blood vessels of tbo neck. The knife produced would
most decidedly have caused such wounds.
The knife in question had a sharp blade about six inches
long, and was such as are usually used to kill pigs. Hair
was found adhering to the handle.
After some further evidence, which was occasionally con•
tradicted ny the prisoner,
The Coroner asked him if he had anything to say.
The prisoner shook his head.
The Coroner then summed up, and the jury returned a
verdict of " Wilful murder against Francis Woine."
The Coroner then issued his warrant for the committal of
the prisoner on the capital charge.

THE MIDDLESBRO' STRIKE.—We are happy to
say that the Middlesbro' turn-out is now at an end. The
person whose conduct so deeply offended the workmen has
resigned his situation, thus removing the matter in dispute.
There is, therefore, every reason to expect that the men
will at once resume work. Tho charge against the ten
men found guilty of desertion has been withdrawn,—Leeds
Mercury,