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

Suspicious Occurrence at Mile-end,

On Friday night information was received by
Police-Sergeant Bailey, 1 H, that a crowd of several
hundred persons had congregated in the neighbour-
hood of the house No. 21, Albert Cottages, near the
Metropolitan Chambers, Church-street, Mile-end
New Town. Upon proceeding to the Spot he was
informed that the parlour-door of the house in ques-
tion had been broken open by several persons, in
consequence of a suspicion that something wrong-
had taken place. it was then between 10 and 11
o'clock at night. Upon the front parlour being en-
tered a woman, between 30 and 4) years of age, was
discovered kneeling at a couch. Her head was buried
in her hands. Sho was dead. Lying at full length
on the floor was seen the body of another wcman,
also dead. A portion of her body lay in the back
parlour. Upon proceeding 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 wee not dead, but he lcoked at
those who entered with an idiotic stare. Dr. Ceamp.
net's, 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 was 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. Tile 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 rela.
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 additionai and later pare
ticulars 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
forthwith proceeded to the house, No. 21, Albert-
Cottages, Deal-street, where they lay, and caused a
most careful examination of the premises to be
made 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 die-
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.

& minute search was made for letters or other
documents which might throw any light upon the
relation of the parties one to the other, but without
success. Several manimript books were found in
drawers and upon shelves, but they related entirely
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 to
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 decomposie
tion, that of Mrs Gribbin's especially so, the eyes ,
being in progress of decay- On the head and on
the forehead of Mrs Backingham were 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
m;ntion that in that of Mrs Backiegham was found
a .fib.rinous clot, which, it is believed, might, if
the absence of poison in her case be afterwards de
monstrated, be held to account for her death. In
the case of Mrs Gribbin no such way of acccuating
for death, in view of the absence of poison, was
found to exist.

Both women appeared to have been, np to the
time of death, in good health and in good condi-
tion. The intestines, &c., in eaoh case, were empty,
and the stomach nearly so. The stomach, the spleen,
end other portions of the viscera of each of the de-
ceased have been placed in sealed jars, and given
into tilt: charge of Mr A. G. Cobb, the coroner's
officer, by whom they will be taken to Professor
Letheby for Oemical analysis.

Until the result of the scientific anaiy satin of the
vibee,:a of the deceas‘.'d becomes known, it is not the
intention of the police
picion of ha.'ing o arrest any person on sus-
administb.red poison to them. It
may be stated, i:ewever, that James Buckingham,
the lunatic husband of one of the deceased women,
is under the surveillance of Mr Cobb,. the coroner's
officer, w,lto has received orders to he him forth-
coming at ti:se inquett.

TRIALS FOR MURDEIi.—From aretPrn of the nom•
ber of persons in each of t►L.e last seven years come
mitted in the tinted Kingdom fo; trial on Mb; charge of
murder, it appears that in England end Wales, out of 104
persons put on their trial in 1863, 51 were acquitteJt of
whom 13 escaped on the grotzud of insanity. Of the 50 who
were convicted, 29 wore found gt,ilty of murder, 12 of man-
slaughter, and 9of concealment et. birth. Recommenda-
tions to mercy must have been successt6:l in seven eases, as
we find that only 22 suffered the extreme pe1...41tY of the law.
It is curious to observe how slightly the numbs.'r of convic-
tions for murder vary between 1857 and 1533. 1L 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 101 12 convictions
were followed by no execution of the extreme ;-,enalty, and
a like result occurred in 1862; but in 1860 on:.,v 4 thus
escaped. From a return with regard to Scotland, it s,"enis
that 257 persons were committed for trial on the charge 0..`
murder, during the last seven years, of whom however only
149 were put on trial, 54 were acquitted on various grounds,
and 17 conviete lof the capital offence. Only 5 suffered the
extreme penalty of the law. In Ireland, during the same
period, 334 persons were tried fur murder, of whom 174 were
acquitted, aid in 10 cases the plea of ini-anity was sub-
stantiated. Out of 30 convictions fur murder there were
only 13 executions.
HEALTH OF SIB JOHN RATCLIFF.—We greatly
regret to state that Sir John Ratcliff now lies at his house,
the Wyddringtons, so dangerously ill that his life is de-
spired of. Sir John has been seriously ill for 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.—Bireling hem Daily Post,
A SOLDIER DROWNED.—As the steamship
Cambria wes on her passage from Dublin to llolyhead on
Saturday morning, a soldier belonging to the 12th regiment,
who was on board, fell into the water accl was drowned,
hcugh every exertion was made to save him. The rualf
name has not been ascertained. lle was a fine youag fellow
about 22 years of age.