The Sun.
London, England, 1854-06-17 00:00:00

THE CLAREMONT TRAGEDY.

EMIR, Friday evening.—At 11 o'clock this morning the
mortal remains of the unfortunate little victims of this tra-
gedy were conveyed to their final resting place, in the old
churchyard of Esher. The ceremony was both imposing and
sad, and one which those who witnessed it will never forget.
From an early hour the vicinity of the deceased's residence
and the roads leading to the place of interment were thronged
by persons of both sexes and all grades, who by their lamen-
tations and wailings evidenced their sorrow on the occasion.
All the residents of the locality were present, and it was com-
puted that there were between 2,000 and 3,000 persons as-
sembled, a large number having come from Kingston, Guild-
ford, Weybridge, and the surrounding country. On the pre-
vious day the concourse of persons was much greater than to-
day, as it was fully expected that the funeral, arrangements
for which had been 'conducted quite privately, would take place
then. Precisely at 11 o'clock this morning the funeral cortege,
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half a mile aorn the churchyard, and along the whole
specter Murtell. The road which had to be traversed was
line crowds were iu waiting to witness the last sad scene,
As the funeral procession approached its destination, the feel-
ing amongst the people appeared to burst all bound
i s, and,
shoal:4 the 1'
constabulary,
no longer able to contain their emotions, they burst into one
discordant moan. Several elderly females were so com-
pletely overcome that they fainted, and had to be con-
veyed into the adjoining houses, Upon arriving at the burial
ground the procession was met by the Rev. Mr. Williams, the
curate, who, the reverend and aged rector, Mr. Harton, being
too much affected to attend, had to officiate in his stead. The
church, churchyard, and its vicinity were completely crowded.
Upon entering the sacred building the coffins were each depo-
sited in the aisle across the pews, and immediately facing the
reading desk, from whence the rev. gentleman read the burial
service, during which there was one continued sobbing through-
out the whole of the congregation, all being deeply moved,
especially those who, from being servants on the Claremont
domain, knew the deceased children well, They, indeed,
showed their grief as much as the mourners themselves, who,
as might be supposed, continued weeping during the whole
service. The unfortunate father never once lifted his head
from the beginning to the ending of the service. He buried
his face in his hands, and was literally convulsed with grief.
The usual funeral service having been concluded in the church,
the melancholy procession, headed by the reverend clergyman,
proceeded to the place of interment, where, under a drooping
cypress, a deep grave had been prepared for the little murdered
innocents. As the mournful procession passed all present un-
covered, as a mark of respect for the dead. This was the most
touching scene of all, and every one noticed that the poor
father's feelings grew more acute as he approached that spot
which, in a short time, would inclose 'all that was dear to him.
Arrived at the grave, the coffins were severally lowered in the
following order: first, Georgiaua, the eldest, then Caroline,
then William, then Henry, and lastly the twins Harriet and
George, the bodies being placed upon one another accord-
ing to the respective ages of the deceased, thereby allowing
the coffins to form two tiers in the grave. At the lowering
of the last coffin the father had to be held up to prevent his
falling forward, so great was his affliction. The service hav-
ing been concluded, the clergyman moved away from the dis-
tressing scene, which appeared to deeply affect him. Then
followed the mourners, after which they took a last farewell
look into the silent. sepulchre. The wretched father had to be
assisted from the awful scene, and Mr. Storey, of the Wheat-
sheaf Tavern, adjoining the churchyard, perceiving his sad
condition, kindly sent his carriage to convey the mourner
home. Such a mournful scene as the village presented during
the brief space of time the funeral occupied was never wit-
nessed by the oldest inhabitant. But while commiserating
the fate of the unfortunate children, and their much more un-
fortuate father, the people in strong words upbraided the
murderess and the man whom they charged with the whole
cause of the awful drama. Amongst the mourners who fol-
lowed the poor little creatures to their grave were their sister;
Mr. Limerick, brewer, of Meet-end; Mr. Hunter, page at
Claremont Palace, and two of the wretched murderess's sis-
ters. The arrangements, which were conducted by Messrs.
Allwright and Forster, undertakers, of Esher, were simple,
and quite in bearing with the melancholy occasion, the coffins
being made of plain deal, and covered with grey cloth, sur-
mounted with breastplates, on which were merely inscribed
the names, ages, &c., of the deceased. It was stated that all
the funeral expenses would be defrayed by tho ex. Queen of the
French, who throughout, together with the Prince de Join-
ville and the. other royal residents of Claremont, has evinced
the greatest commiseration for the afflicted father. The un-
fortunate woman who has caused all this misery appears now
to show the utmost indifference to the whole appallino. transac-
tion. She was well aware of the funeral taking Place this
day, and in speaking of it ordered that the mourners should
on their return from their painful duty dine in the kitchen,
and to have green peas for their dinner, and not on any ac-
count be permitted to enter her room, to prevent which she
threatened to barricade her door. The police who are in
charge of the miserable woman deny that she requested to see
her husband and was refused by the latter, and say that, on
the contrary, She begs of them not to allow her husband to
enter her room. Her disposition is very perverse ; at one time
she wishes to see this person, and the next moment refuses to
speak to any one. The Rev. Mr.. Harbin paid a visit to her
yesterday. She refused to see the reverend gentleman at first,
but after some consideration she consented, on the condition
that he would not broach the subject of her conduct, which
promise being complied with, the reverend pastor entered her
room, and read to her for upwards of an hour. She listened
to her pious instructor attentively, but it did not appear to
make much impression upon her. Subsequently, as on pre-
vious occasions, she requested Collett, the constable in atten-
dance upon her, to read out of the Bible to her, which request
was, of course, granted. The ill-fated woman bears not the
character of being at all religiously inclined, being given more
to novel-reading than the Scriptures. This coldness preyed
so much on the reverend rector's mind as to prevent his at-
tending the funeral this day. Her indifference at her awful
condition excites the horror of all who hear of it. Yesterday
among other things, she told her attendants to give notice to
the tradespeople, to whom she owed a few petty debts, to
send in their accounts, that she might settle with them before
she left, remarking that she had always been honourable in
her dealings. She further says that she knows that she will
be removed, but they will not be able to remove her for a
week. The man who is mixed up in the tragical occurrence
has entirely left the village, and has taken up his residence at
five miles distance; his wretched wife remains dangerously
ill. His house was surrounded by several of the villagers
yesterday evening, and respect for his wife prevented its en•
dre demolition.