The Sun.
London, England, 1870-07-15 00:00:00

THE DOUBLE MURDER AT CHELSEA.,

The trial of Walter Miller for the wilful murder of
Elias Heulin and Ann Boss was resumed yesterday morn-
ing, before the Lord Chief Justice.
Mr. Poland and Mr. Beasley conducted the prosecution
on behalf of the Crown, and Mr. Collins and Mr. E, St.
Aubyn were counsel for the prisoner.
John Large, a police-sergeant, said that on the night of
the 11th of May he was called to 15, Paulton-square. On
the way he met the prisoner, Piper, and a policeman.
They all went back together;and witness was shown a
green box. The box was locked, and a piece of
cord was tied round it once. Witness removed
the box, and then saw a quantity of blood. He
took a poker from the fire-place and broke the box open.
He saw the body of Ann Boss inside, with a piece df cord
(produced) round her neck. It was tied sufficiently tight
to cause strangulation. The blood oozed from the mouth
and nose and was running over the body. The box was
two feet eleven inches long, one foot five
inches wide, and one foot seven inches deep.
The box was a wooden painted one. After that he
searched the place and found a quantity of bed linen tied
up and ready for removal. He then took the accused to
the station. It was afterwards found that a key which
fitted the box was on a bunch of keys found in the
prisoner's possession.
Joseph Colles, Police-constable, 94 E, said that on the
night of the 11th of May, about ten o'clock he was on
duty in Paulton-square. He saw the prisoner and Piper
at the top of the square. (Witness here corroborated the
evidence of Piper, the van proprietor, in every important
particular.) He added that when at the station he
searched the prisoner, and found £7 10s. in gold,
9s. 9d. in silver, a corkscrew, two knives, a
pipe and some vesuvians, spectacles and case,
three gloves, a common ring, abstract from a title deed
for the house in Wellington-square. (This last article had
a large quantity of blood on it, and when produced in
court caused quite a sensational murmur.) There was
also in his pocket a rent book, a silk handkerchief, two
envelopes addressed to " Miss Boss," some pieces of glass
—as if from a broken bottle, a card with the address of
the witness Evans on it, and a bunch of keys.
Inspector Tarlton saw the prisoner searched. He
heard the evidence of the constable, and the list produced
by him was a correct one. Dr. Godrich came to see the
prisoner, who was believed to be shamming insensibility.
He was taken to St. George's Hospital, and remained
there for some hours. On the Friday he was taken to
the Westminster Police-court, and was there charged..
When the charge was read over Miller made no reply.
Witness afterwards asked him if he understood what had
had been read to him, and the accused answered, " You
said something about murder." Witness again read the
charge, and the accused said, " I'll say nothing now."
Dr. Francis Godrich, surgeon, was sent for to see the
prisoner at the Police-station. The police said the
accused was a Frenchman, and witness spoke to him in
French. The prisoner did not answer him. Witness
examined the accused, who was very weak and depressed,
and could not or would not move his head. The police
shewed witness a broken bottle, and he fancied that it had
contained laudanum. Witness gave the accused an
emetic. The vomit gave no traces of laudanum and, it
must have done so had the accused taken any. Witness
thought he was shamming insensibility.
Edward Clough on the afternoon of the Thursday went
to the house in Wellington-square with Watts, another
constable. Under the boards of the sink they found a
hat. (The hat was produced, and was much battered, and
had blood on it. It was of the shape usually worn by
clerical gentlemen). On going into the yard the witness
found a quantity of clothes, blood, and , paper
scattered about, and also noticed that a new piece of
boarding had been put down near the sink. The next
day the witness Payne was there, and shewed witness and
Watts where he had' dug the drain. Witness and Watts
dug there, and found the body of Mr. Huelin. He had
on his vest, trousers, boots, and mittens, and the coat was
underneath where the head was placed. One sleeve of
the coat was turned inside out. There was a rope round
the neck, which Watts took off. After the body
had been found, witness observed a reddish subitance on
the floor.

...._ __.
William Watts, the other constable, gave corroborative
evidence. - - -- -

Thomas A. Turner, surgeon, 182, King's-road, Chelsea,
spoke to being called in to see the body of the Rev. Mr.
Huelin. On the following day witness made a post-
mortem examination. He examined the head very
minutely, and found two small holes behind the right ear,
through which the brain matter protruded.. On
opening the head he found another large hole.
There must have been two blows. The left eye
was very much contused and the right eye slightly. On
examining the chest, lungs, and heart, which he had ex-
pected would be congested from the rope being found
round the neck, witness discovered that the parts named
presented no indication of death from strangulation.
Detective Inspector Payne gave evidence as to search-
ing the premises of the accused. He found a bunch of
keys, one of which unlocked the spirit cupboard of
15, Paulton-square, a pair of black trowsers with spots of
blood on them. The prisoner's wife was present when he
found the things named: Witness then went to the house
in Wellington-square. There were marks of blood on the
floor, as if some had dropped there and had been rubbed
over with a stone. From 24, Wellington-square to 15,
Paulton-square was 1,222 yards, which could be walked
in ten minutes. From Paulton-square to the Admiral

Keppel was 1,463 yards, and fromthe Admiral Keppel to
Wellington-square was 1151 yards.
Edward Heulin, nephew of the late Mr. Heulin, said
he lived in Lincolnshire, and his uncle had property there.
He used to go down about once a year. Witness came to
London on the 12th of May. The articles produced
belonged to his uncle. The rent book, with the exception
of the first page, was in witness's writing, and that one
was in Mr. Heulin's, the deceased. The prisoner's box,
in which Mrs. Boss's body was found, was used to keep
clothes in.
By Mr. Collins : Saw his uncle on March last. He was
a native of Jersey, and had relations there. He was on
good terms with them. Perhaps witness came in for the
bulk of the property.
By the Judge : Some of his relatives in Jersey spoke
" broken " English.
Mr. John Carter, The Vale, King's-road, Chelsea, had
known Mr. Heulin and Ann Boss for twenty-five years.
Recognised the spectacles (produced) as belonging to the
deceased. The boots were also his. (These boots were
found on prisoner.)
Mr. Collins addressed the jury for the defence. He
reminded the jury that the prosecution were bound to
make out their ease beyond a reasonable doubt, and .if
there was the smallest doubt the prisoner was
entitled to an acquittal. First of all they
must look for the motive. What motive had the
prisoner to commit the brutal murder he was charged
with? Mr. Heulin seemed to have treated the prisoner

well, and to have let him have money on account. As to
the making of the drain, it was impossible for anyone
now to say whether or not it was not dug by the orders of
Mr. Heulin, and had the prisoner intended to bury the
body in it, he—being a working man--would in all likeli-
hood have done the work himself so as to avoid
suspicion. His friend had said that the pri-
soner had shaved his whiskers to make himself
look like a Frenchman. That theory was upset by the
evidence of Mrs. Sibley, who informed them that the
prisoner was in the habit, during the summer time, of
phaving off his whiskers. The same witness was present
when prisoner came in at 3.30 o'clock, and was sitting in his
shirt, and laughed and joked as usual. Could a man who
committed two such horrible murders act in that way?
He (Mr. Collins) would say " certainly not."—The learned
counsel proceeded to argue that the prisoner was the dupe
of a person whom he believed to be the nephew of Mr.
Heulin, and that the cottage at Fulham was hired under
direction. Before Miller was in custody Mrs. Middleton
said that Miller was not the man who called on the Tues-
nay night. Then they had it from the witnesses that Mr.
Heulin was going into the country. If robbery was the
object, why not wait till he had gone? Moreover, no
article of value was found at the prisoner's residence.
Witnesses to the character of the prisoner were called.
He was described by his first master as " a sober,
humane man."

The Lord-Chief Justice in summing up the case observed
that it was entirely of circumstantial evidence. In re •
ferring to the drain his lordship pointed out that there was
already a drain in the yard, and the pri-
soner was the man who had the keys, and
also the person who gave orders for the new drain to be
dug. Who filled it in was a question for the jury. But
the case did not rest there. Clothes belonging to the
deceased, and money in gold was found in the prisoner's
possession. True, it might be that the prisoner possessed
the amount found on him ; but on the other hand no
money was found on the body, and it must be IN-
membered that the deceased was a rich man. Then the
spectacles were found on the prisoner ; but for him it
was contended that he found them, and certainly there
was evidence that Mr. Heulin had lost them. After
going through the various facts of the case the learned
judge went on to say that, if the prisoner was
proved to the satisfaction of the jury to
have assumed the part of the nephew, the case
assumed a most formidable aspect. Though Miss Middle-
ton and another witness could not swear to the prisoner
at the police-court, still he (the judge) was reluctantly
though bound to say that the evidence pointed out that
the prisoner was the man. The evidence of Piper shewed
that the prisoner at first assumed a French accent ; but in
the horror of being seized by Piper he dropped it, and
spoke in good English.

The jury retired at two minutes past three to consider
their verdict, and returned in ten minutes with a verdict
of guilty.
The Lord Chief Justice, in sentencing the prisoner to
death, implored him not to deceive himself with
any hopes that the sentence would be remitted.
It was impossible for the jury to have returned any other
verdict, or for any person who had heard the evidence not
to believe that the prisoner had been guilty of two
murders. There was no doubt he murdered the poor old
man for the miserable and sordid purpose of getting hold of
his money, and to gain his end he • had recourse
to the most subtle resources and connivances. He must
have gone with his hand almost reeking with the blood
of one person to murder the other, and he went home
afterwards and laughed and joked in• his usual manner,
exulting, as it were, in his wickedness. No language
could express the horror one felt at hearing even mention
of such a crime. His doom was certain, and in a few short
days he would be out of this world. His lordship con-
cluded by a most earnest exhortation to the prisoner to
seek forgiveness from God. Sentence of death was then
passed in the usual form.
His lordship ordered the witness Piper to stand for-
ward, and said that it was mainly due to his courage that
the perpetrator of two of the most atrocious murders ever
heard of had been brought to justice. He was glad that
by an Act of Parliament he had the power of ordering
some reward. He had great pleasure in awarding him
£5O. . The announcement was received with applause.