The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-27 00:00:00

Murder and Cannibalism in Bohemia,

News comes from Bohemia of a revolting crime committed
there on a widow lady in her 66th year, named Conrad, who
resided at Eidlitz, and lived upon the rents of a little landed
property which she possessed, in that neighbourhood. On
Sept. 7 she left Eidlitz on a pilgrimage to Quinau, situated
between four and five miles distant from the former place.
She passed the night of the 7th with her two married
daughters, who resided in the intervening town of Komotau,
and at half-past 5 o'clock on the following morning set out
again on foot over the hills to take her offering to the mass
at Quinau. She never returned, and search was made for
her. Late in the evening of the following day a party of
the searchers, who included many of the villagers residing
at Quinau and the vicinty, came upon the horribly muti-
lated and perfectly naked corpse of the old lady. Her arms,
legs, breasts, and other parts had been cut off and wore
nowhere to be found. The corpse lay in a thicket at the
end of the wood, near the hamlet of Sperbersdorf, and as
there was not a single article of clothing nor any traces of
blood to be found at this spot, it was concluded that the
murder had been committed in some remote spot and the
corpse dragged to the spot where it was discovered in the
night after the commission of the crime. 'Up to the evening
of the 11th no trace of the murderer or murderers could be
found. But on that day suspicion rested on a wan called
Triseh, or Antony, but better known by the name of Russ,
derived from his fellow-countrymen who had deserted him
at Komotau in the year 1813, just before the battle of
Leipsic, when he was an infant. He was notorious for his
wild and rude character from his infancy, and had been
imprisoned. He gained his livelihood as a bricklayer, and
was a good workman when he was in the humour. On the
morning of the 12th the police arrested him while at work
upon a house. When charged with the perpetration of the
murder he at once confessed his guilt with the utmost readi-
ness and indifference, and took the police to his lodging,
where he gave up to them the clothes he had stripped from
the murdered woman, with her umbrella and five florins in
money. He was immediately taken before the local magis-
trate, and then made the facet confession of his crime, re-
lating its most horrifying details with the greatest coolness.
According to his own account, he wished to marry a young
woman to whom he was engaged, and intended to gain his
living for the future by the help of a barrel-organ, for which
however, the licence was refused, as the police would not
give him the certificate of good conduct requisite in such,
cases in Austria. Hereupon his " bride " deserted him and
married another, and his only thoughts were now bent on
vengeance. In this state of mind he went out towards
Quinau at 6 o'clock on the morning of the 81h, and re-
solved to murder the first woman he met, whoever she might
be. Chance brought the aged widow Conrad across his
path shortly after he set out, and he at once compelled her
to go with him into a lonely part of the forest, where, after
committing violence on her, he took her life by throttling
her with his hands. She died in three minutes. He next
stripped her to the skin,cut of various parts off her body, as
above particularised, and carried the fragments of human
flesh, together with her clothes, the umbrella, and five
florins, with him to his lodgings. The next day—and this
is the moat hideous part of the story,—he boiled the haman
flesh with some potatoes, and consumed the whole of it, with
the exception of the fat, which he skimmed from his canni-
bal stew and poured into a bottle. The latter he put in his
pocket and then went coolly to his work as usual, which he
pursued until his arrest took place, three days subsequently.
At 9 o'clock the remains of the unfortunate woman were
interred in the churchyard of Komotau, almost all the in-
habitants turning out to follow in the procession. Soon
afterwards her murderer was escorted to the Town-hall of
Ko.notau, on his way to the prison of Kaabcn, where he
now lies awaiting his trial.

The Atrocious Murder at Chadwell Heath.

EXAMINATION Ol' THE PRISONER.

Yesterday morning Francis \Vaine, aged 40, was placed
at the bar, before the local bench of magistrates at Strat-
ford, Mr J. Gurney Fry presiding, charged with the wilful
murder of Amelia Blunt, a woman with whom he formerly
cohabited, and whom he is alleged to have slain through
jealousy.

_
The court and its precincts were densely crowded by per-
sons desirous of obtaining a view of the prisoner.
The approaches to the court had to be kept clear by a
large body of police. The case created great excitement
throughout the whole district.

Mr Superintendent Howie, of the K division, kid charge
of the case.

The prisoner, on being placed at the bar, manifested self-
possession. Ile is a tall, powerful man, of about 6 feet in
height, and he was dressed in workhouse clothes, his own
having been removed in consequence of their having marks
of blood upon them.

The first witness called was Jas. "Warren, who deposed—
I was at my house, at Warren's Cottage, Chadwell Heath,
on Saturday morning, at a quarter past 10 o'clock, and a
female caLled me. That female was the deceased, and she
lodged with me. Iler name was Amelia Blunt. She asked
me to go for a pint of beer. I then left tho house, leaving
her in the washhouse. She then gave rue 21d. to pay for
the beer. I went to the Wnite Horse public-house. The
deceased was a widow. She lived with me to keep my house,
I was away from the house about halt an hour. I had left
the house by the back door. When I returned I entered
the cottage by the front door. I called, ".illy, here's the
beer," I received no answer. 1 called out again. T then
went through the house into the bakehouse. I had first
laid the beer on the table. Upon reaching the bakehouse I
saw—(here the witness 1.)..!e1nk: d reply aff-,cte.d, and he
"I wish to tell all")—I saw Milly standing, lean-
ing with one arm on the copper, She was covered with
blood, which was oozing from her throat. 1 said, "
what have you done ?" She gave a deep groan. I lifted
her cff the copper in my arms, I stood with her in my
arms for a moment. She was covered in a pour of blood.
My hands and dress then became bloody, and the front part
of my dress also became covered with blood. I was very
weak.

[The witness was an old man of about SO years of ago.
Re entered the court leaning on a stick, While giving
his evidence he supported himself by means of the rail of
the witness-box.]
Witness continued—She was a shotr stout woman. She
was very heavy. I fell on the ground with her in my arms.
I then became insensible, Row long I lay on the ground
in that state I dont know. 1 wish to tell all I know. lam
telling the truth.

The Magistrate— I believe you are telling the truth.
Witness—Milly groaned once while she was lying on me
on the ground. When I recovered from my insensible state I
got up and went to the house of Mrs Archer,who lives about
60 or 70 yards from my door. I said to Mrs Archer " Milly
has fallen down in a fit, for she lies in a pool of blood." Mrs
Archer then left the house, and she wont to her sister's. I
then ran across the common for assistance. I saw Jue
Bardelnoy, and he went back with me to my house. I found
Police-constable Dunmow, 331 K, and a Mr Fitch there.
My eyes are very bad and I cannot tell who were there. I
then went indoors and sat down, I was overcome. I had
marked the gate of my house with my bloody hand as I
went out.

The Magistrate—What has become of the woman ?
Witness—She is lying in the bakehouse as I fouud her.
The Magistrate asked the prisoner if he would put any
questions to the witness.
Prisoner—Yes, sir. Did you see me do anything, or did
you see me there ?
Witness—l never saw you on my premises.
Magistrate—Any more questions to ask?
Prisoner—No ; no other.
The witness fainted in the court, and he had to be carried
outside.

Mr Charles Fitch said—l keep the White Horse on
Chaiwell-heath, in the parish of Dagenham. About five
minutes past 10 o'clock on Saturday morning I was crossing
Chadwell-heath, in the direction of my own house, I saw
the prisoner Francis Waino close by Chadwell Mills, corn-
ing towards me. Ho was walking as if coming from the
high road, Warren's cottage is on the heath. Where I saw
the prisoner is about 200 yards from the cottage, but ho
was not going in that direction. I went home, and had been
at home about half an hour when Mr Warren came to my
house, and asked for a pint of half-and-half. He brought a
jug with him. I then went out in the garden at the back of
my house to see one of my children. I remained with the
child half an hour. In consequence of information I re-
ceived I went over to Warren's cottage and looked through
the window, I saw the deceased lying on her side in a pool
of blood. There was a great deal of blood about. I said,
" Why, this woman has been murdered." I got a horse
and cart, and fetohed Dr Bowers, of Itomford. I met him
on the high road. I went with the doctor to Warren's cot-
tage, and saw him examine the body of deceased. I observed
four gashes in her throat. I then, in company with Dr
Bowers, traced very peculiar footmarks in and out of the
cottage. The footmarks were those of a short foot. They
were made in ploughed land, about 20 yards to and from the
cottage. We could see where some one had got over a gap
into the field. Some of the footmarks were in the direction
of the cottage, and none of them were going from it. I said
to the doctor that I thought the footmarks were those of the
prisoner. There is a peculiarity in the prisoner's feet and
walk. There is a very faint impression of the toes. The loft
footmarks appeared to lie opposite to those of the right foot.
The steps made in going towards the cottage were longer
than those made going from it. It was 5 minutes to 11 when
I went to the cottage. There seemed to be no heel to the
right foot.

Magistrate—Do you wish to ask this witness any ques-
tions ?

Prisoner—None, sir. Ido not milt to ask any.
Mr Robert Arnold Bowers deposed—l am a surgeon. I
reside at Rc,mford. On last Saturday morning I mot Mr
Fitch on the high road leading to Chodwe!l. From infor-
mation he gave ine I went with him to Warren's cottage.
Wit. n I arrived there I was shown into the back washhouse.
I there saw a female lying on her left side, on the floor, in a
large pool of blood. I examined her and found three large
wounds on the right side of her throat. One transverse, the
other Cunning obliquely from that one. The other one was
just above the collar bone. Everyone of the wounds deeply
penetrated the muscles and the carotid artery, and I passed
my finger down into the wound, and I felt the vertebra).
Magistrate—Was it possible for the deceased to inflict
those wounds upon herself?

Witness—lt was impossible for her to have inflicted them

herself. There was a cut over the left thumb above the
knuckle, as if done in self-protection of the right shoulder.
I am clearly of opinion that they were not self-inflicted
wounds. The body was quite warm, and she had not been
dead an hour.

Magistrate—Was there any appearance of a struggle ?
Witness—She had apparently laid hold of the back of the
copper in the struggle, and the mortar in front of the cop-,
per had given way. Her hair was very much disordered in
the struggle. I accompanied the last witness into the field,
and I saw the footmarks on the ploughed land. Tho wounds
inflicted upon the deceased would cause instant death. The
marks have been correctly described by Fitch.
Magistrate—. Do you wish to ask the doctor any questions ?
Prisoner—What questions can I ask him? I know nothing
about it.

John Turner, labourer, Romford, said—On Saturday, at
a little before 10 o'clock, I saw the prisoner in a road which
leads from the main road near Chadwell. I noticed the pri-
soner walk out of the road into his brother's field. I asked
him how was it he was not at work for his brother. He
said, "No, I don't know that I want any. If you wait a
little while, you will soon hear of something up." He then
walked up the field. He came back and took something out
of the hedge and put it under his jacket, but I do not know
what it was. He then walked up the road towards Chadwell
Mills, on Chadwell-heath. He added nothing after he said
" Hear of something up." I thought he was going to work
at his brother's, and I told his brother so afterwards.
Magistrate—Prisoner, have you any questions to ask?
Prisoner—He has been telling all false.
The prisoner was ultimately committed to Ilford gaol.