The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-09 00:00:00

Supposed Murder in a Cab,

A cabman named James Parker was plying for hire near
the Great Eastern Railway Station at Shoreditch on Satur-
day evening about half-past 8, when he was hailed by a re•
spectably dressed man, who got into his cab in company
with a women between 30 and 40 years old, and two little
girls of the ages of seven and four respectively. The man
directed the cabman to drive to the Royal Oak,Westbourne-
grove, on his way. When they
reachedrove,
the Bayswater,mid d takingl eof iisthhe
op
so a City
te
street the man got out
and procured a pint of half-and-half from a publichouse, of
which the occupants of the cab partook. Then then drove
on as far as Furnival's Inn, Holborn, where the man got
out once more, paid the cabman his fare, and walked away.
The cabman drove on to Westbourne-grove, as he had been
directed by the man, and stopped at the Royal Oak tavern.
On opening the door of the cab he was horrified to find the
woman and the two children lying apparently dead on the
straw. A surgeon was sent for immediately,who pronounced
life to be extinct in all three cases. Lite cabman then drove
with his terrible load to St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington,
where the bodies now lie. A post mortem examination will
be made this morning, and the inquest will be opened in the
course of the day.
From a cursory examination made at the hospital the
poor victims seem to have been poisoned by prussic acid.
This possibly was administered to them in the beer which
they drank in Bishopsgate-street. The woman appears from
her dress to be a respectable shopkeeper's or mechanic's
wife. She is fair complexioned, has light brown hair, is of
medium height and somewhat stout, and apparently about
35 years of age. She was dressed in a black alpaca dress,
black woollen shawl, fastened with a small plated brooch, a
red striped petticoat and a black straw bonnet. The two
two children are also fair, with light brown hair, and
were dressed in black. In the cab was a brown leather
hatbox containing a few figs and biscuits and a black
bundle of ordinary clothing. In the woman's pocket was
found a brown leather portemonnaie, in which was ss. in
silver and a few halfpence. The cabman describes the man
as being dressed in black, slightly built, about 35 years of
age, sft. Sin. in height, of a dark complexion, with black
hair, beard, whiskers, and moustache. He says he could
identify him again if he saw him, The bodies were not
identified at a late hour last night. The linen worn by the
woman and the children were unmarked; a handkerchief,
however, belonging apparently to the eldest little girl, was
marked with the letters E. M. M."
The following
descriptions of the woman and children
were circulated by the police throughout the metropolis yes-
terday :—" Description of a female and two children found
dead in a cab at Westbourne-grove, Bayswater, on Satur-
day, Nov. 7, at 9.20 p.m., and now lying at St. Mary's Hos-
pital, Paddington. The female is apparently about 34 years
of age; complexion, fair; hair, light brown; dress, black
alpaca, black woollen shawl, red-stripped petticoat, brown
crinoline, two flannel petticoats (new), calico chemise, white
stockings, cashmere side-laced boots, with patent leather
toes, black straw bonnet ; wore a small (plated) gold brooch.
Ist child—A girl, about 7 years old, fair complexion, light
brown hair, black frock, black sealskin jacket, two flannel
petticoats, two calico chemises (one new), white stockings,
leather boots with bright buttons, white straw hat trimmed

Iwith black ribbon, wore hair in a net; on her person was
found a white comforter and a white cambric handkerchief,
E. M. M.' 2d child—A girl, aged 5; fair complexion,
light brown hair, wore a black frock, a grey cloth jacket,
with pearl buttons in front, a black silk cape, two flannel
petticoats, two calico chemises (one new), white socks,
leather laced boots, light comforter, and a speckled straw
hat, trimmed with black velvet and ribbon."
With so few facts it would, of course, be idle to speculate
on the circumstances of this horrible affair. As the
matt'tr stands at present the suspicion falls very strongly
upon the man. However, the woman may possibly have
administered the poison, first to the children and then to
herself, As is always the case in such matters, the neigh-
bourhood of the Royal Oak was visited by thousands dur-
ing the whole of yesterday, all anxious to obtain informa-
tion about this mysterious and horrible affair.
The bodies have been stripped, and in the breast of the
woman was found a box of ointment, for the healing of sores
and wounds. It was labelled " William Hunt, Camberwell
zinc ointment," the words "sine ointment" being written.
The police have waited upon Mr. Hunt, and ho at once said
that the ointment had been purchased at his shop, and that
the writing was his own, but he could not remember to
whom he sold it, as it was an article that was frequently
asked for. From the clean appearance of the box Mr. Hunt
informed the police that he had not the slightest doubt but
that it had come from his house within the past few days.

The cabman has made a statement to the police to the
effect that he did not think the parties had arrived from the
country, for although he was engaged in the station-yard
yet the woman first came from the " departure" side, and
not from the " arrival" side. His impression from the
hurried way in which he was addressed was that the woman
had missed the train and WAS anxious to hasten home. The
police have had four pots handed to them by Mr. Parsons,
of the Green Dragon wine and spirit stores, Bishopsgate
street Without, one of which, it was stated, was the one
taken out by the cabman. They have been examined, but
nothing poisonous has been found in them; but this may
be accounted for by the fact which the cabman states that
when the man handed him the pot from the cab window
he held it upide down, so that the dregs went on to the
pavement. No notice was taken of the pot by the landlord
when it was taken inside.

The cabman, in answer to inquiries as to whether he eaw
who drunk from the pot, replied that he could not say, as
he had a small quantity of gin, for which the man paid, and
while his passengers had the pot inside he was standing at
his horse's bead. To account fur his not seeing whether
the woman and children wore alive when the man got out
at Furnival's•inn, he states that the man, when he got out
shut the door, and went and spoke to him on the box.
There was nothing particular in the man's appearance to
excite his suspicion, and when ho handed him the additional
sixpence he did so in a joking manner, and told him to be
sure and drive fast, In the inside of the cab a small cork
was found, but no bottle coul i be discovered.
Last evening, about 7 o'clock, a person from the railway
attended at the dead-house, but failed in identifying the de-
ceased, and the police are as far as ever from getting any
clue to the murder. _ _

In addition to the description of the deceased woman
given by the police, it may be stated that she wore false
curls, had a scar on the right side of the head just behind
the ear, as if from a scald or a burn, and had very dark
eyebrows and eyelashes. The woman and the children
were stout, and ware apparently in perfect bodily health.
While the police were engaged endeavouring to appre-
hend the man who was in the cab, information was received
at the police-station that a man answering the description
given by the cab-driver had been found dead in bed at a
coffee-house in Southwark, and that he had committe(3
suicide by taking laudanum. The cabman was as soon as
possible taken to the coffee-house, but he at once said that
the deceased was not the man who rode in his cab.

THE MERSEY IRONCLADS.—WO believe that in
accordance with instructions from the Government
the steam rams El Toussin and El Monnassir have been
valued. The valuer was Mr. C. W. Kellock (Curry, Kel-
lock, and Co., of Liverpool), assisted by Mr. Jordan, sur-
veyor to the Live•pool underwriters, and Messrs. Luke and
Hobbs, of the Admiralty. We hear that El Toussin was
valued at £106,000, and the unfinished El Monnassir at
£30,000. The builders' measurement of each vessel is 1,800
tons. Messrs. Laird refused to disclose the contract price.
It is stated that the British Government wish to purchase
the vessels from the French owners, Messrs. Brevey. El
Monnassir will probably be taken into the river to• day,
ANECDOTE OF KING GEORGE'S DANISH
MENTOR, M. SPONNECK, indicative of that gentle-
man's promptness of decision when thwarted by minute re-
gulations. On his late pahsage by packet from Copenha..
gen to Hamburg his log was dashed overboard. Stoppage
of the ship was refused, on the ground that mere animals
were not entitled to rescue, the by-laws only applying to
passengers or crew. In a twinkling M. Sponneck jumped
overboard, and claimed for self and dog the benefit of the
lanneh-boat.