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

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 25, 1870.

THE -UXBRIDGE TRAGEDY.

ARREST OF A SUSPECTED ACCOMPLICE,
[CENTRAL PRESS TELEGRAM.]

A young man, named Robinson, was apprehended in
High Wycombe, last night, on suspicion of being con-
cerned in the Denham atrocities. He came into High
Wycombe yesterday, and at a public-house he described
to several persons the position in which the bodies of the
victims lay. His description corresponded with one for-
warded to the police, and he had in his possession an army
discharge, which also led to suspicion, as the murderer is
thought to be a soldier. When taken he said he had not
been to Denham. He was brought before the magistrate
this morning and remanded.

CAPTURE 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

,uperintendent 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 pushed his 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,
dr 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 immediately recognised 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, andthe prisoner quietly sub-
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
not
is
still much excited. Jenkins declares that he is not the
murderer, but that to-day he will confess who he is.

deal of blood on the floors. There were pools of blood in
some of the rooms. One of the bodies appeared to have
been dragged from the wash-house. I then went into the
forge, which is a building adjoining the house. The
door was just closed. I found there the body of
Emmanuel, the father, lying flat on his face,
with his hands stretched out. He had apparently
been dragged. The body was covered with a sack,
an apron, and an old cost. There was a pool of blood
a few yards from the body, apd part of the poker which I
produced was lying near the body. The two pieces of
poker correspodd with the shovel and tongs found in the
parlour of the house. Some clothes were found in a room
of the house this morning, in my presence. I went up-
stairs. Three beds had apparently been used. There
was no evidence of any struggles.
Elizabeth Simpson, wife of a groom, living at Cheapside,
near Denham, said :—On Sunday morning last, having
lost the key of one of my doors, I went in search of it, and
when near the Plough Inn I saw a man coming from the
direction of the deceased's house. It was then about
seven o'clock. He had a greenish, middle sized bag in his
hand, and it appeared to be about half full. I overtook
him when I reached the main road. He asked
me if I was hurrying to meet the train. I walked with
him for about three-quarters of a mile. He at length said,
" I was nearly running over a man and his wife last night.
she had a baby in her arms, and a boy at her feet. The
husband threatened to throw her in the cut, and the boy
as well." I asked her why she did not go home, and she
said she was afraid of her husband. I said I would go a
long way to assist a woman, and I told the husband that
if he did not go quietly with his wife he would go with me.
The husband asked me who I was, and I said, " A man ;"
and I struck the man that was speaking to his wife. Ye
also added that he had spent nearly the whole night with
them, and it had taken him a long distance out of his way
to save the wife. On Saturday night at about eight oclock
I saw the deceased, Emanuel Marshall, returning home
with his wife in a cart. He had a white smockfrock on,
but there were no children. The man I met had dark clothes
on, and on leaving me he asked me where I lived, saying
he would return the key if he found it. " Why, I live
near your house," having mistaken him for Mr. Marshall.
He told me, however, that he was a stranger ; and I said,
" Then I saw you come out of Marshall's house just now."
He said, " You did. That man, his wife, his mother, and
his children are all gone for a holiday this morning." I
said, " I suppose they started by the six o'clock train ?"
and he replied, " Yes, at about half-past five." While I
was talking two men passed ; one was Thomas, the son of
Mr. Arnold, but.l did not know the other.
Job Sparks, residing at Foundry-terrace, Uxbridge, said
he was the brother of Charlotte Marshall. Emanuel
Marshall had an old-fashioned watch and a gold chain of
his father's. He had been to Mr. Butcher, pawnbroker
at Uxbridge, and saw a guard which he believed to have
belonged to Mary Ann Marshall. The shoes which
Emanuel was supposed to have worn on Saturday were not
to be found.

Mary Ann Sparks of Waterloo-road, Uxbridge Moor,
stated that Charlotte Marshall was her sister. She last
saw her on Friday night, when she came to her
house, accompanied by her sister-in-law, Mary Ann Mar-
shall, who was about to be married. It had been reported
that Marshall had two brothers away in Australia, and
that one of them had recently returned, but she was not
aware there was any foundation for the statement. She
was not aware that any unpleasantry had taken place be-
tween any members of the family. Emanuel had been
deficient of money, and he complained that he was unable
to obtain what was owed him.

At this juncture, the inquest was adjourned till Friday
next-

LATEST PARTICULARS.

Since the holding of the inquest yesterday, some addi-
tional evidence of an extraordinary character has been
brought under the notice of the police. It would appear
from the statements of several persons who will be called
by the coroner to give evidence before him at the ad-
journed inquest that last Friday evening a poorly-clad
man, believed to be the man now in custody, called at a
small shop in Bell-yard, Uxbridge, kept by the wife of
a cab-driver, named Bullen, and said that he was a
tramping blacksmith, and was in the habit of of visit-
ing Uxbridge. He wished a lodging at her house. She
allowed him to sleep in one of her rooms. He appeared
to be possessed of but very little money. On Saturday he
said to Mrs. Bullen, " I am going to call upon my brother,
for I want to get some money from him ;" and shortly
afterwards he left. When the landlady next saw him
his entire dress was altered. He was attired in a
black cloth coat that was too large for him, a
waistcoat that was so small that he could only fasten
two buttons across his chest, a pair of black cloth
trousers instead of his old corduroys, and a white
straw hat with a piece of black riband tied round the
brim. She said to him, " You have jumped into a new
suit of clothes 1" He replied, "Yes, I have ; I told you I
was going to my brother's. I went to him this afternoon,
and he has given me them." He then left the woman's
house, and other inquiries proved that he entered a
public-house in the neighbourhood.
The landlord of the Bell Tavern, Bell-yard, observed the
man, who only gave the name of Jack, enter his house,
at five o'clock on Sunday evening. The manner and ap-
pearance of the man were singular. He ordered a quan-
tity of ale, not only for himself, but for every other per-
son at the bar. Shortly bef or the house closed he called
in three young women, the names of two of whom were
Elizabeth Selwood and Susan Burton. After he had
treated the young women to a quantity of ale he accom-
panied them to a house in the Chequers-yard. All
the other inmates of the house had retired to rest,
but before they could get to sleep they were alarmed by
hearing the strange man slipping down the stairs in
his stockings and trying their room doors. When
asked what he wanted, he replied, " She won't
get me a pot of ale." One of the young women lodging
in the house then said that she would go and beg a pot
from a landlord in the neighbourhood. She dressed, went
out, and shortly afterwards returned with the ale. She
handed the can to the strange man, who took it from
her ; he then drew a new bright steel-barrelled pistol
from the side pocket of his coat, and, holding
it in front of her forehead, said, " I can now do for the
whole lot of you. I can do for every one in the house."
The man then turned upon his heels and went upstairs.
All again tried to go to sleep, but about a dozen times
during the night they were again and again alarmed by
hearing him slipping down stairs in his stockings, and
trying each of their doors.
The scene in the room with one of the women and the
man during the night appears to have been a dreadful
one. He frequently stood over her with the pistol, and
threatened to shoot her. She states that she was afraid
that he would carry his threat into execution, and it is
altogether surprising why she did not try to escape when
he left the room for the purpose of entering those of
her fellow-lodgers. In the morning the man, who said
his name was Jack, and gave no other, left the house,
and returned to Mrs. Bullen's, where he took breakfast.
To-day the prisoner gives the name of John Jones.
On being spoken to this morning the prisoner asked for
" more grub," and said if it was not given him he
would have none all day. He told Mrs. Dunham that two
other men had committed the murder, and had given him
the clothes of the murdered man, and he said with an oath
that people would now believe he did it because he
had the clothes on. The police have changed his
clothes, and have got those of the murdered man, and
those which the murderer wore when the murder was
committed. The latter are spotted with blood. The pri-
soner carries himself with much bravado.

MPERIAL PA ULU AIEN F.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—TIIESDAY.
The Lord Chancellor took his seat on the woolsack.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES ACT.
Lord LIFFORD complained of the manner in whicl:
petitions had been got up against the bill; the signature 3,
he said, in many cases being those of mere children.
RATING POWERS AND CONSTRUCTION BILL.
Earl of KIMBERLEY moved the second reading of this
bill, the object of which was to confer additional powers
on the Board of Trade as regarded the mode of construc-
tion and expenses in carrying out these works.
The bill was read a second time.
NORWICH VOTERS' DISFRANCHISEMENT
BIL.

On the motion of the LORD CHANCELLOR this bill was.
read a second time.

IRISH CHURCH ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

Lord REDESDALE moved the second reading of this
bill, the object of which was to remedy an omission in
the Act of 1869. The Act which came into operation on
the Ist of January last year directed that all monies
that might arise between that time and the present should
be paid to the commissioners, who were required to pay
the proceeds to those entitled to receive it, but where a
vacancy occurred, and no person was appointed to the
benefice, no direction was given what was to be done with
the money. The bill remedied this defect, and had the
approval of the authorities of the Irish Church.
After a short discussion the bill was read a second time.
POOR RELIEF (METROPOLIS) BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
Their lordships adjourned shortly before six o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TUESDAY.
The Speaker took the chair at five minutes to four
o'clock.

VTR HORSE DUTY.

Mr. HANBURY-TRACY asked the Sectretary to the
Treasury if his attention had been called to the circum-
stance that sixty-one farmers, who were carting mate-
rials gratuitously for the rebuilding of the Trefeglwys
Welsh Calvinistic Methodist chapel had been forced
by the Excise officer to take out licenses for their horses,
amounting in all to £3O 10s., and that the Building
Fund of the chapel had had to recoup to them that
amount ; and whether farmers were liable for horse duty
when gratuitously carting materials for building and
-repairing churches, chapels, and schools, and if so, whether
it was the intention of the Government to take any steps
for altering the law in that respect.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said his attention
had been drawn to the subject, and if the excise made a
charge under such circumstances they had been in error.
The provisions of the Act applied to horses kept solely
for use in agriculture. If a farmer lent his horse for a
gratuitous service, such as that described, no duty would
have to be paid ; but if the horses were let out and a profit
made on .the transaction, then farmers forfeited the
privilege and became liable for duty.
Mr. BASS asked whether plough-horses carrying people
to church would be chargeable with duty.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied that
whether for going to church or other places, if the service
was gratuitous no duty would be charged, but if a profit
was made then duty would have to be paid.

Mr. GLADSTONE then addressedthe House. He remarked
that his hon. friend had entered into an historical discus-
sion of great historical interest, and he was bound to say
that having been led to give some attention to that aspect
of the subject, he was not able to read the history of
Wales precisely in the same sense. He was, however,
disposed to attach greater consequences to that unwise and
anti-national policy which was pursued for a great
length of time by this country, and of which the State
church appointments were unfortunately made the
medium, than the consequences to what his hon. friend
attached to it. He was not surprised that his hon.
friend was struck by the quantity of the facts which
attached to the condition of the church in Wales. There
was to a certain extent a resemblance between the
case of the church in Wales and the case of the
Church in Ireland ; but that resemblance should
not be exaggerated, if they considered and en-
deavoured to compare them with respect to numbers. His
hon. friend said that he thought the Churchmen of Wales
might be reckoned at about one-sixth part of the popu-
lation. He believed that the Churchmen themselves
were accustomed to claim that they were about one-fourth
of the population, but whichever of these figures might
be ,nearer the truth, there was no doubt that it was
a disproportion very remarkable in the case of
a church purporting to be the church of the nation. It
was not indeed at all in correspondence with the dispro-
portion which prevailed in Ireland, because there one-
ninth or one-tenth of the people were members of the
Established Church. There was another point in which
the Welsh Church corresponded with that of the Irish
Church, and it was this, that so large a pro-
portion of her members belonged to the upper
classes which were not able to provide them-
selves with the ministers of religion, and therefore
in whose special and peculiar interest it was most difficult
to make any effectual appeal for public resources and
support. But with regard to other points the
case of the Welsh was widely different from the Irish
Church. In the first place it was quite impossible to
compare the breadth of the severance between
the Established Church in Wales and noncon-
formity, and that between the Irish establishment and the
Roman Catholics of that country. He did not mean
simply upon theological grounds, but he meant also upon
the grounds of sympathy or hostility of sentiment. The
whole case was entirely different. There was a strong
and sharp antagonism between the Established Church
and the Roman Catholic Church throughout Ireland,
and the ecclesiastical antagonism was complicated
and embittered by the mixture of political ques-
tions even graver than the ecclesiastical contro-
versy of the country, so that the effect as a whole
was this, that the several portions of the population were
placed almost in an attitude of standing social hostility.
Whatever view might be taken of the anomalous
position of the Church in Wales, his hon. friend
would be the first to admit that it would be
the most gross exaggeration to profess that any-
thing like a resemblance of the general position exist-
ing as between the Welsh and the Irish in the attitude of
members of the Church on one hand and the members of
non-conforming bodies on the other. Again, the reli-
gious differences in Ireland were based in the ancient his-
tory of the country, whilst the religious difference in
Wales was entirely modern. All these things shewed
that if from any cause the discussion of the question
of the Irish Church had led to this early discussion of
the case of the Church in Wales, still it would be a most
precipitate and erroneous conclusion to assume that there
was a substantial identity between them, even if they
confined their view strictly to what was within the limits
of Ireland in the one case, and within the limits
of Wales in the other. With regard to there
being no warrant for the existence of national establish-
ments of religion, he thought his friend had wholly failed
to prove that it was so, and he thought the proof of it was
this, that although it was quite true that Welsh Noncon-
formity was comparatively recent, yet it had taken its
root in the country, and had become the popular
religion of the country more than half a century
ago ; and at that time his noble friend would

have found it most difficult, if not absolutely impossible,
to find even the faintest trace of a controversy with regard
to the establishment of a religion. The growth of Welsh
dissent was, in his opinion, owing to the cruel anti-
national policy which was pursued even for a

longer time than the hon. gentleman had stated
in regard to ecclesiastical appointments in that
country. Mr. Gladstone went on to say that it was
not practically possible to separate the case of Wales
from the case of England. The object of the hon. gentle-
man was obvious, and he might say that they were not
prepared to enter upon a crusade against the English
Church Establishment. Government did not think it

was their duty in the first place to endeavour to determine
that question by any abstract resolution for national dis-
establishment. If there were those who considered that
national establishments were opposed under all circum-
stances to the principles of the Christian religion they did
not belong to that number.
The House divided, when there appeared—Ayes 45,
noes 209.
CONTAGIOUS DISEASES ACTS (1866-1869)