The Sun.
London, England, 1864-08-29 00:00:00

1861

Suspicious Occurrence at Mile=end,

On Friday night information was received by
Police-Sergeant Bailey,l H, that a crowd of several
hundred persons had congregated in the neia•hboura
hood of the house No. 21, Albert Cottage:, near the
Metropolitan Chambers, Church-streot, Mil emend
New Town. Upon proceeding to the spot he was
Informed that the parlour-door of the house in ques-
tion bad been broken open by several persons, in
consequence of a suspicion that something wrong
had taken place. It was then between 10 and lI
o'clock ri t night. Upon the front parlour being en.
tered a woman, bet xeen 30 and U years of ages Was
discovered kneeling at a couch. Ihr head was buried
in her hands. She was dead. Lying at full length
on the floor was seen the body of another woman,
also dead. A portion of her body Jay in the back
parlour. Upon proccedir.g to the adjoining apart-
ment the persons entering were horrified to discover
the partly naked body of a man lying at full length
on the floor. He wt:e not dead, but he looked at
those who entered with an idiotic stare. Dr. Champ.
neye, the surgeon to the workhouse, was instantly
sent for, and his assistant arrived without delay.
Upon making an examination of the bodies of the
two women who were discovered in the front par-
lour, he pronounced life to have been extinct for
some hours. He could not, of course, state the pre-
cise cause of death without a post mortem examina-
tion. But it was understood to be that gentleman's
opinion that the lives of the deceased had been sac-
rificed by poison. Upon interrogating the man it
was found impossible to obtain from him any state-
ment as to how the deceased women had lost their
lives. It has since been ascertained that the deceased
women were sisters, and that one of them w as the wife
of the man who was found in the back parlour. The
family were considered respectable. The house in
which they lived they held under a public company.
The name of the married woman is Frances Back-
ingham, and her age is 41 years. Her sister's name
is Mary Gribbin, and her age is stated to be 31
years. The husband of Mrs. Backingham has for
several years past been unable to attend to any
business in consequence of his having been con-
sidered insane. Tne coroner's officer has locked up
the house. The man being completely imbecile has
not been arrested by the police ; but he has been
removed from the house to the residence of a relit_
tive, who is stated to hold a good position in the
district. A post-mortem examination has been
ordered, and until that takes place the nature of
their deaths or the poison used cannot be discovered.
The following are some additionsi and later par.
titulars of the affair :

The circumstances of this extraordinary case are
still involved in mystery, although the authorities
have been untiring in their efforts to discover the
motives for the commission of the crime by which
it is supposed that the two sisters, Frances Back-
ingham and Mary Ann Gribbin, lost their lives.
When the fact of the finding of the dead bodies of
the two women were communicated to the coroner

for the district, Mr. John Humphreys, that official I
forthwith proceeded to the house, No. 21, Albert- I
Cottages, Deal-street, wherethey lay, and caused a
most careful examination of the premises to be
mach under his personal supervision. The corpses
were still in the strange positions in which they
had been originally discovered, and it was noticed
that the clothes of Mrs. Backingham were dis-
arranged and were thrown up above her knees. She
was lying between the door and the body of Mrs.
Gribbin, which was in a kneeling position at the
sofa. The general appearance of the room indicated
that a struggle of some sort had taken place. A
hatchet lay near the head of Mrs. Backingham, but
it had no appearance of having been used as a
weapon ; but some dinner knives and an open poc-
ket knife, which together with a broken lemonade
bottle and a broken candlestick lay scattered about
on the carpet, seemed obviously to have been used
as missiles. It was also observed that the front of
Mrs Gribbin's dress was dragged from the neck,
apparently by a sudden and vigorous pull.
A. minute search was made for letters or other
documents which might, throw any light upon the
relation of the prrties one to the other, but without
success. Several manuscript books were found it
draweto and Naon otielr eb, Out they related entircls
to business matters, and the most careful examina-
tion failed to discover any papers or entry having
reference to the matter under inquiry.
The Coroner immediately ordered that a post-
mortem examination of both bodies should be made
without delay. Accordingly Dr. W. Gayton, of
Brick•lane, assisted by Dr Woodman. physician tc
the London hospital, were occupied for some hours
in the performance yesterday (Sunday), It was
found that the deceased had been dead for a much
longer time than was at first inferred in consequence
of the unusual rigidity of the bodies. It is be-
lieved that death must have taken place at least 48
hours before the discovery was made. Both bodies
were in a somewhat advanced stage of decomposi-
tion, that of Mrs Gribbin's especially so, the eyes
being in progress of decay.l On the head and on
the forehead of Mrs Backingham wise found bruises
which reached the bone, but there was no fracture
of the skull. No other marks of violence were dis-
coverable on the bodies. The brains of both were
healthy, and the heart and other vital organs were
also healthy, and that there was no natural cause
to account for death in either instance. The

heart in each case was sound, but it is right to
mention that in that of Mrs Backiegham was found
a fibrinous clot, which, it is believed, might, it
the absence of poison in her case be afterwards do
monstrated, be held to account for her death. In
the case of Mrs Gribbin no such way of accounting
for death, in view of the absence of poison, was
found to exist.
Both women appeared to have been, up to the
time of death, in good health and in good condi-
tion. The intestines, &c., in each case, were empty,
and the stomach neari; so. The stomach, the spleen,
and other portions of the viscera of each of the de-
ceased have been placed in Kmled jars, and given
into the charge of Mr A. G. Cobb, the coroner's
uffinr, by whom they will be taivm to Professor
Letheby for chemical analysis.
Until the result of the scientific anaiy saiion of the
viscera of the deceased becomes known, it is pot the
intention of the police to arrest any person on Os-
picion of having administered poison to them. It
may be stated, however, that James Backiogham,
the lunatic husband of one of the deceased women,
is under the surveillance of Mr Cobb, the eoroner'b
officer, who has received orders to have him forth-
coming at the inquest.

TRIALS FOR MURDER.—From a return of the num
ber of persons in each of the last seven years cam■
mated in the tinted Kingdom for trial on the charge of
murder, it appears that in England and Wales, out of 101
persons put on their trial in 1863, 51 were acquitted, of
whom 13 escaped on the ground of insanity. Of the 50 who
were convicted, 29 were found guilty of murder, 12 of man-
slaughter, and 9of concealment of birth. Recommenda-
tions to mercy must have been successful in seven cases, as
we find that only 22 suffered the extreme penalty of the law.
It is curious to observe how slightly the number of convic-
tions for murder vary between 1857 and 1863. In the for-
mer year the number was 20 ; in 1861, 26 ; in 1862, 28;
and in 1863, 22. There is a considerable variation however
in the number of persons executed. In 1861 12 convictions
were followed by no execution of the extreme penalty, and
a like result occurred in 1862; but in 1860 only 4 thus
escaped. From a return with regard to Scotland, it seems
that 257 persons were committed for trial on the charge of
murder, during the last seven years, of whom however only
149 were put on trial, 54 were acquitted on various grOunds,
and 17 convicted of the capital offence. Only 5 suffered the
extreme penalty of the law. In Ireland, during the same
period, 384 persons wete tried for murder, of whom 174 were
acquitted, and iu 19 cases the plea of insanity was sub-
stantiated. Out of 30 convictions for murder there were
only 15 executions.
HEALTH OF SIR JOHN RATCLIFF.—We greatly
regret to state that Sir John ltatcliff now lies at his house,
the Wyddringtons, so dangerously ill that his life is de-
spaired of. Sir John has been seriously ill tor the last three
weeks from diabetes ; but at first some hope was entertained.
On Thursday night, however, the symptoms became ex-
tremely alarming, and though the patient was a little better
yesterday, Dr Evans now holds out little or no hope of his
recovery.—Biretinjbzil Daily i'c,r.
A SOLDIER DROWNED.— As the steamsh:p
Cambria was on her passtl.ge, from Dublin to Holyhead on
Saturday morning, a soldier belonging to the 12th regiment,
who was on board, fell into the water aed was drowned
hough every exertion was made to save him. The man's'
name has not been ascertained, He was a fine youi g fellow
about, 22 yesis of age.

SECOND EDITION.

SUN OFFICE, HALF•PAST 4 DCLOCK.

DENMARK.

COPENHAGEN, Aug. 27.—The Flyr rposten an.
pounces that the Folksthing has adopte the budget
of extraordinary expenses by 73 to 13 , This vote
the above-mentioned journal considers to be due to
the menace of a dissolution from the ....`Blinister of
Finance.

THIRD EDITi ON

SUN OFFICE, SEVEN O'Ci:,OC.E..

TATTERSALL'S—This Eveniug,

-

Tilt ST. LEGER.
9 to 4 agst General Peel (take sto 2)
9to 4 asst Blair Athol (take sto 2)
9to 1 abet Miner (take 10)
100 to 7 agst Baragah (taken)
100 to 6 agst Ely (taken and offered)
2b to 1 agst Kuight of Snowdon (taken)
2.5 to 1 agst Claremont (taken and offered)
30 to 1 agat Master Richard (taken and offered)
30 to 1 agst Breeze (taken)
THE DERBY.
33 to 1 agst Olmar (taken and offered)
40 to 1 agst Wizard's dam colt (taken)
10 to 1 agat Breadalbane and Broomielaw coupled

ARRIVALS AT EXETER.
Rappel, Pelios, Endsleigh, Pearl Diver, Burgess, Todlo-
bcn, Jersey, Shrapnel], Vera Cruz, Swift, Brindini, Belle
of the Vale, Syduionton, Arai_
Macassar, and Nebuchad-
nezzAr.

ARRIVALS AT STOCKTON.
Skylark, Annolayma, Foxholes, Early Purl, Dame
Sykes colt, Finesse, Cathedral, Vanessa, Lyra, Naples,
Dubiety, Brown Bess, Wild Agnes, Wings of the Wind,
Bangle, Garotter, Molly Carew, Voluptas, Lord Eltham,
Edward the Confessor, Chicquot the Jester, Chesterfield,
Risk, Dr Rooke, Rondolet!a, Miss Emily, Flirtation,
Oppressor, Jupiter, Parafine, Lady Louisa, catalogue,
Changeable, Fair Melrose, Reinfred, Skyrocket, Wiadh4no
East Lynn, Stirrup Cup, -Windhound Lars, My ivito:),
Nothing More, Sweet Jessie, Clown, Honest John, Woad_
bine colt, Bandarilla, St. Magnus, Reveller, Tablia,„,
Bramble, Edlo, Warfinger, Pink, Alice, War. Whoop, lfiet,
Major, Miss Armstrong, and Venice.