The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-25 00:00:00

THE UXBRIDGE TRAGEDY.

ARREST OF THE SUPPOSED MURDERER.
Last evening a man named John Jenkins was arrested
at Reading, on suspicion of being the perpetrator of the
seven murders at Denham, near Uxbridge. The follow-
ing particulars have been collected :—lmmediately
after the police at Reading had received telegraphic
details of the murder from Superintendent Dunham,
of the Uxbridge police, Detective Tolman saw a man
cross the bridge near the police-station. He did not then
interfere with him, but went on further, expecting to meet
Superintendent Dunham, who was to come by train. He
met the superintendent some few hundred yards further,
and having given him a description of the man he had just
met, they went together and followed him up London-
street. The prisoner was then in company with
a well-known bad fellow of the town, and two men were
kept in view by the superintendent and detective as they
wended their way into Silver-street, a low resort of
thieves and prostitutes. Jenkins and his associate en-
tered the Oxford Arms, where Detective Tolman saw
them sitting in the tap-room. Immediately the prisoner
saw Tolman.he put his hand into his pocket. The detec-
tive seized his hand and pushedhis own hand into the man's
pocketa and pulled out a loaded pistol. Superintendent
Dunham put on the handcuffs, and said to the prisoner, " I
arrest you on a charge of murdering seven people at Den-
ham." Jenkins replied, " I never murdered man, woman,
or child, but I know who did." Prisoner was then brought
to the police-station, followed by some hundreds of people
who closed round the gates, and soon increased to a mob.
Prisoner was at once placed in a cell, and two of the police-
men locked in with him. In his pocket were found seve-
ral slugs, which looked as if they had been cut off an iron
rod. Prisoner was dressed in what are said to be the mur-
dered man's clothes, which consisted of a skull cap, white
blouse, and boots. He is stated to be , a boiler-
maker, and in appearance he looks like an engine-
driver. Not long after he had been placed in the cell
a cabman recognised the prisoner as a man who had offered
him the ticket of a watch and guard for sale in the Great
Western tap, near the Reading Railway Station. The
cabman said he was half-inclined to purchase the dupli-
cate,but did not do so. The cabman when he looked through
the lattice, at once said " That is the man." The prisoner
looked up and said, " I am the man, what do you want ? "
He came and put his face to the lattice, and asked if they
would give him some beer. Sergeant Robey told him they
did not allow beer. The prisoner continued to press his
face to the lattice, and endeavoured to stare the reporters
out of countenance. He is apparently between forty and
fifty years of age, and has very jet black whiskers,and dark
piercing eyes. Evidently he was getting more excited
as the 'evening wore on. There is little
doubt that the prisoner intended to shoot himself if it had
not been for the activity of the detective who took the
revolver from him. Jenkins arrived in Reading about 11
yesterday morning and was seen hanging about the town
all day. It is stated that when passing near the scene of
the murder early on Monday morning he accosted a
woman, and afterwards a policeman, and told them that
there had been a fearful row between a man and his wife.
Prisoner was then dressed in ragged clothes. The friends
of the deceased afterwards found some clothes in the
blacksmith's shop, and on these being shown to the police-
man he immediatelyrecognised them as those he saw on the
man who had accosted him. The prisoner next spoke to a
tramp, and was dressed then in a dark suit. He slept
with the tramp that night ; and it appears that the tramp
afterwards gave information to the police, and Superin-
tendent Dunham at once proceeded in the direction of
Reading, accompanied by the tramp. Superintendent
Dunham, Tolman, the detective, and the tramp
afterwards proceeded to Silver-street to obtain an entrance
to the Borough Arms. They pretended that they were
searching for a woman, and thus gained the tap room.
Immediately the prisoner saw the tramp he recognised
him and put his hand in his pocket for his pistol. During
the day the prisoner sold some clothes to a Mr. Lyon,
a dealer in second-hand clothes, Union-street, Reading.
The clothes consisted of a tunic and waistcoat, and he
received ss. 6d. for them. This money was found on
him. The prisoner when in the cell continued to assert
that 'he neither murdered man, woman, nor child.
Mr. Boyes, the deputy.governor of the county gaol,
has recognised him as a prisoner who had served eighteen
months in Reading gaol, which sentence only expired
four months ago. It is stated that the prisoner only came
out of Coldbath-fields one month since. By 8, the chief
constable of Bucks having arrived, preparations were made
for conveying the prisoner to the railway station. The crowd
outside the police station had become very clamorous, and
the fact that the prisoner was to be removed caused many
hundreds of people to assemble at the railway station.
Detective Tolman was then despatched for a cab. Six
strong men went into the cell, and the prisoner quietly:qr.],
mitted to de handcuffed with an additional pair of irons.
He then requested that they would be quick and be off.
He was then conducted to the cab, surveying with evident
fear the swaying crowd on the bridge as it pressed forward
to catch a glimpse of him. Superintendent Purchase,
however, had well placed his men, and the prisoner was
escorted safely to the cab amidst the groans and hisses of

the multitude.
At the railway station a still more excited crowd
waited to receive him. The railway officials were on the
alert, and the prisoner was quickly and safely transferred
from the cab to the railway carriage, which, after some
delay, was attached to the eight p.m. train. The town is
still much excited. Jenkins declares that he is not the
murderer, but that to-day he will confess who he is.