The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-12 00:00:00

THE RECENT MURDERS.

The bodies of the Hunts and their children have been
identified by several relations on both sides of the family.
Mrs. Hunt's father is a cab iriver, named Blake, living in
St. John'-street, Smithfield. He fully confirms the reports
of the neighbours as to the frequency of violent quarrels
between Hunt and his wife. Blake's daughter (Mrs. Hunt's
sister) states that about a month ago Hunt made an unsuc-
cessful attempt to poison his wife. Latterly he used to beat
her severely, and the sister ascribes the wound on the un-
fortunate woman's foot to a blow from a poker, given to
her by Hunt. I'he house in which they lived is a small
six-roomed cottage, somewhat poorly furnished, and bearing
every mark of a household going to ruin. It has been
represented that Hunt had fitted up a room in the house as
a laboratory wherein to experiment on poisons. This is
not the case ; the only signs of drugs or chemicals in the
house are a number of bottles on the back parlour mantel.
piece, most of which are empty, the remainder containing
a few such harmless substances as borax, camphor, flavour-
ing for pastry, and a few other similar preparations that
might be found in every household in the kingdom. It is
certain that Hunt well knew the properties of the deadly
substances which he used with such terrible effect, but the
knowledge was doubtless acquired by him in the course of
business. When roused by the police he was in lied reading
" Tom Brown at Oxford," and came down to the officers in
his night shirt. He must have swallowed the aconite im-
mediately he found that he was pursued,for the bottle, con-
tainiag perhaps a couple of drops of the poison, was after-
wards found in a cupboard in his bedroom. The story he
told to the police about Mrs. Hunt having an uncle at
Southampton named Campbell, who had given her £5O, is
a pure fabrication from beginning to end, the unfortunate
woman's friends being all poor hardworking people, living
in London. Hunt's body lies at his house, awaiting the
coroner's inquest, which will be opened to-morrow. A post
mortein examination will be made to-day by Dr. Puck►e.
The guilty man's countenance is most forbidding. A re-
ceding forehead, singularly massive frontal bones, and a
firm-set mouth inspire one with no very favourable opinion
of their possessor. The cabman, Gould, who took the Hunts
to the Shoreditch station from Camberwell, went to St.
Mary's Hospital yesterday evening to identify the bodies
lying there. A great deal has been said about the mous-
tache which was worn by the man in the cab, and sworn to
by the cabman, but there seems to be every probability that
Hunt wore a false one in order to disguise himself. Hunt
must have had some other means of procuring money be-
sides that afforded by his business, for not only did he leave
15 months' salary in the hands of his employers, but £4O in
notes was found on his person after his death. At pne time
he kept a bookseller's and stationer's shop at the corner of
Warner-street, Camberwell New-road, but did not succeed
in.business. It is also said that he was formerly in business
as a chemist and druggist on his own account.