The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-27 00:00:00

MORE HORRIBLE DETAILS.

A fresh horror is added to this shocking massacre by the
clues which are coming in every day, and which at present
appear to point to the conclusion that the
supposed murderer is no one else than Marshall's '
own brother, returned from Australia. Every clue
as yet seems to point to this dreadful fact. The
man now in custody has passed under many names. Mar-
shall had two brothers, both in Australia. One of these
died four or five years ago. The other, believed to be the
man in custody, was sent there about eighteen years ago,
and nothing had been heard of him for many years. He
bore a bad character when he went away ; indeed he was
sent away by the murdered man as a reprobate of whom
there was little chance in England. The man in custody
only came out of Reading gaol on the Saturday week
previous to the murders. He had been com-
mitted for two months for stealing stockings at
Uxbridge. Yet the first thing he does when he comes
out is to return to Uxbridge. While in the tramps'
lodging-house he spoke freely about his going to see a
brother whom he had not seen for many years, and who
was a smith living at Cheapside, Denham. This is sig-
nificant, as Cheapside happens to be the little local
name of the very spot where the murdered family lived
and have lived for the last twenty years. They lived
there before Marshall's brother was sent away to
Australia. No one not well acquainted with the neigh-
bourhood could have known this name, and the probability
is very strong that none but a close friend of the
Marshall family could have known it. The man
in custody always said he was going to see his
brother the smith, though he never mentioned his
name, but there was but one smith at Denham, and he
lived at the little part of the road known to a few as
Cheapside. Whatever may be the ultimate result, the
police are confident that the man they have got is Mar-
shall's brother from Australia. The sister whom he has
living has been sent for to identify him, if she can.
This, however, is not easily done, as so many years have
elapsed. It now appears that the man in custody went
to the forge to steal tools, and was there attacked by
Marshall. The thief at once defended himself, and then
attacked the family who had been aroused.
The key of Marshall's house or shop, it is not known
which, has been picked up in the lodging-house at Read-
ing, where the murderer was captured. It appears
that on the day of his capture the prisoner
offered the key to anyone in the lodging-house
who would accept of • it, but they all declined,
stating that they did not wish to be taken up
for housebreaking. He then pushed the key through a
hole in a cupboard in the kitchen. Yesterday a woman
named Willis unlocked the cupboard and found the key.
She took it to the Reading Police-station, where Inspec-
tor Townsend now has charge of it. It is an ordinary but
rather large door key. The bow is a little bent, and there
is also some white paint upon it. There is no doubt
whatever that it belonged to Marshall's house.
Yesterday evening the police succeeded in discovering
the missing carpet bag, which fit has been said the
prisoner was seen carrying away from Marshall's house,
and which will form a strong connecting link with the
murder. The police give a positive denial to a statement
which appeared in one of the local papers 'that the pri-
soner had confessed to the murder. The only foundation
for it was an allusion made by him to the exasperation
manifested against him, when he said, "If I am
proved guilty I shall be scragged (hung), but don't
let them knock me about." It is, however, said that
yesterday afternoon he expressed his intention of making
an important statement before the magistrates, to the
effect that though some of the property is traced to him he
is not the actual perpetrator. The carpet bag alluded to
was found in a threepenny lodging-house in the Bell yard.
Thousands of persons visited the scene yesterday. Many
carriages came up, and some of the occupants were
anxious to see the scene of the tragedy, but all were re-
fused admittance. The seven coffins were brought
about five o'clock, and when they were placed
on the grass in front of the cottage a general murmur
of sympathy and sorrow arose. Those for the
four adults were made of elm, while those for
the three children were covered with blue sarsnet. Now
that the post-mortem examination has been made the
wounds show even more terribly than before. The bulk
of the money, namely, 220 in sovereigns, drawn from the
savings bank of Miss Marshall for her wedding, was found
yesterday at the bottom of her box, so that the property
taken by the murderer has been very little.