The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-16 00:00:00

THE LATE MURDER and SUICIDE

AT BERMONDSEY.

Last evening, Mr. W. Carter held an inquest at the
King's Arms, Hickman's-folly, Bermondsey, on the
bodies of Henry Thomas Parker, aged 21, and Matilda
Griffin, aged 19, some particulars of whose dreadful
deaths appeared in this journal on Wednesday.
Mary Ann Griffin said that her husband was a cooper,
and resided at No. 6, Hickman's-folly. The female de-
ceased was her daughter, and followed the occupation
of a laundress. _ The deeea!ied male was an assistant

linendraper and lodged in her house, She had known
him about sixteen months. He was acquainted
with witness's daughter and kept company with her.
On Tuesday afternoon, about a quarter past four o'clock,
her daughter went up stairs from the kitchen to the
attic for the purpose of making the beds. Parker at
that time was writing a letter in the back room on the
ground floor. Shortly afterwards Parker came into the
kitchen, and asked witness to give him a piece of sealing.
wax to seal a letter. Witness asked him to whom he
had written the letter, and he replied, to his sister.
He then left the kitchen, and in the course of a few
minutes went up stairs. About twenty minutes after
that period she went into the back parlour to see if her
daughter had come down, but finding she had
not, she went up into the back attic, and
found Parker lying on the floor, and also her daughter.
The latter was lying on her left side in a quan-
tity of blood. She called for assistance, which
brought up some of the lodgers to the room. It was
ascertained that both parties were dead. He came in
and out during Tuesday morning oftener than he had
been in the habit of previously doing, and refused to sit
down to dinner, and looked so at her daughter as to ex-
cite her suspicions that he contemplated something:bad,
and she told her daughter to be careful of him. Whilst
she was standing at the door she came to witness and
said, " Mother, what do you think Henry says ? He
threatens never to leave the house unless he is carried
out." Witness expostulated with Parker, and told him
that perhaps he would meet with some one he liked
better than her daughter; but he answered, " No; if I
live for seventy years, I shall never forget her."
The CORONER—Did you hear him say anything about
cutting throats? Witness—No; but, I have heard him
say that it'she did not become his wife, she never should
be the wife of anether.

The CORONER—Having heard that, did it create in
your.mind any fear ? Witness—Not at first; not until
I saw him look so strangely through the window.

_
The CoßoNEß=Then, havinefound your daughter
dead, what is your opinion as to who caused her death?
Witness—My impression is that Parker did it. I have
no doubt on that point whatever.
By .the COROIII—My daughter told me that she had
been tQ the fancy fair with a hair. dresser named Thomas
Neville....On Monday last Parker had` a suspicion that
she had been in Mr. Neville% company, and he- fold me
on Tuesday morning that he believed she had been out
with him. Parker was naturally of a jealous dis-
position. He had been out of employment about a
fortnight.
Some other witnesses having described the circum-
stances under which the bodies were found, the razor
was produced, and identified by Mrs. Griffin as being
one her husband borrowed on Sunday morning last, t,
shave himself with, and which was deposited on a shelf
in the kitchen. Parker had access to that rocim.
Mr. Charles Martin, surgeon, of the Neckinger House,
Bermondsey, who was called to the deceased, said that
the female had an extensive wound in the throat, which
had divided the whole of the principal vessels. Upon
Parker's throat there were no fewer than three deep and
extensive cuts. He thought the man had first cut the
female's throat, and afterwards his own. . . .

A litter, written by Parker, was read, in which he
alluded to the dreadful deed, but of too disgusting a
character to be made public.
The jury returned the following verdict :—" That
Matilda Griffin was wilfully murdered by Henry Thomas
Parker, and that he, the said Henry Thomas Parker, did
feloniou,ly destroy his own life, he being, therefore,
guilty ofjelo de se."
The CORONER ordered Mr. Slow, the beadle, to take
charge of Parker's body, and he would send up his war-
rant for its interment oa Friday night without Christian
rites.

DELAY OF THE OBSEQUIES OF

O'CONN ELL.

A letter has been received from the Rev. Dr. Miley,
dated Sienna, July 3, 1847, from which we have been
favoured with the following extract:—
We are unfortunately' detained here by the sudden
illness of the Hon. Member for Dundalk, Mr. Daniel
O'Connell. This will explain the contretemps which has
caused the sailing of the Montrose steamer from Genoa
without the remains of O'Connell."