The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-28 00:00:00

THE UXBRIDGE TRAGEDY.

RESUMED INQUEST ON THE BODIES.

At 10 o'clock on Friday Mr. Clearsby, the coroner
or the southern division of the county of Bucks, resumed,
at the Swan Inn, Denham, the inquest on the bodies of
the unfortunate victims of this horrible massacre—Em-
luanuel Marshall, 35 ; Charlotte, his wife, 33 ; Mary Ann
Marshall, his sister, 29 ; Mary Marshall, the grand-
itwther. n ; and the three children, Gertrude, Theresa,
411tAtary, aged respectively four, six, and eight years. •
3- he interest in the matter has not a whit abated since
the first hearing before the Coroner, and a crowd of
Persons surrounded the inn in which the inquiry was
being held. The exigencies of the case, however, required
that only those absolutely interested should be admitted,
and a strong body of the Bucks constabulary, under Capt.
Drake, the chief constable of the county, and Superinten-
dents Dunham, Jarvis, and Denson, maintained order
both in and around the building.
The bodies of the victims have since the hearing been
Placed, the elder ones in decent elm coffins, and the younger
In the stereotyped blue sarsnet, studded with white nails.
l'he house has been visited by many thousands, and it has
required all the courage of the police upon the spot to
Prevent the curious breaking in.
The Coroner stated that the inquest had been adjourned
ter the purpose of enabling the police to prosecute the
inquiry. Since then a man had been apprehended and
taken to Slough. He (the coroner) added that in justice
to the man he had attended at -Slough, and requested
that he might be brought before this court,
and Captain Drake had given him a very
satisfactory reason for the non-attendance of the
Prisoner, he considered that in the excited state of the
Public mind he would not be able to answer for the safety
of the man. If during the inquiry suspicion pointed to
any second man, he doubted not that the jury would
grant a further adjournment,' meanwhile they would go
as far as they could with the evidence before them, and he
would state that there was most important evidence
forthcoming.
Thomas • Dunham was then called and said—l am
taPerintendent of the Bucks Police, stationed at Slough.
1- received information of the murder at Denham
Is," Monday. Witness then detailed, as stated by
"4111 'at the inquiry, that he went to the house
4,2 d found the murdered persons. Mrs. Marshall
was only partially dressed and had severe
Bounds on the head, and her sister a wound over the eye.
M•,e proceeded to the kitchen, where he found old Mrs.
arshall, lying on her left side, having severe wounds
about the head. She had one stocking on, the garter
Partly fastened, and her night dress on. Near her was
the youngest child, and the others in the fire-place. Mary
Marshall was very much cut about the head, and
ay across Theresa with her face uppermost,
and she had evidently been struggling. In the
Workshop I found Marshall. I felt the bottoms of his
blacksmith's4t°c and was sure that he had not walked across the
shop, as there was no dirt on them. I may
add that I examined the body, and found the two pockets
Pulled completely out, and hanging down.
, The Coroner : Were there serious injuries on the
'lead ?
Witness : Yes, and he had evidently been pulled back-
wards, his hose being pulled back, and his waistcoat
bundled up under his arm. His head had evidently
fallen on a machine near the door. I found blood
41,80 on the step, and on the lintel of the door outside.
The beds had evidently been slept in, and the clothes had
the appearance of having been pulled down in a hurry.
an the front room I found a pair of old corduroy
The
with a piece of blue cloth on the right knee.
fle bottoms of the trousers were smothered with blood.
(They were here exhibited, and were those usually
worn by tramps.]
t.Witness : I also found two boots in the same room.
Pon one boot is a piece of human brain
,sensation) and they are evidently those of a tramp being
rather large with rag soles inside them. In the room
facing the south I found a waistcoat and cord jacket
troduced), and also a black cloth coat, billycock hat,
„4.__,ee handkerchiefs and pieces of cloth, a blue and red
"r'Ped shirt, a smock, and a hammer. The drawers in
the rooms had been ransacked, and in the bureau was an
efa.p_ty watchstand.
Witness then detailed the information he had received
from 4. Coombes, and the action taken thereon, and con-
'JP:tied : I apprehended the accused at a lodging-house in
o"er-street, Reading, the tramps' kitchen being in the rear.
4.4 Was told he carried a pistol, and therefore used some cau-
"cm in taking him. Before I crossed the room he said, " I
never killed man woman, or child."
I`4e Coroner : Before you spoke to him?
Witness Yes. I saw his hand go to his pocket,
"uff We rushed at him and secured him, and took a pistol
out of hfs pocket loaded with powder and a slug. We hand-
;tared him and charged him with the murder. He denied it,
"41(1.1,said " Why you scroundel you've got onthe murdered
luau's shoes.' He said, " That may be ;" " and his
?cullers," said I; to which he made the same reply. I
find in his ••. • :t the purse produced. On the prisoner
found the ...ts produced, belonging to the murdered
11.4131, and a shirt corresponding with those in Marshall's
fisause, which will be identified by the person who made
",•,"‘Leta. At a shop in Union-street I found some
"'ler articles belonging to the murdered people
and the woman identified Jenkins as the man who
sold them. When I apprehended the man I said, " I
~4a,°v? you, you've just come out from two months for
now;"
stockings." He said, " That's my b name
'"°w;' he never speaks without an oath, and I never met
such a man before in that respect. The Deputy-Governor
of Reading Gaol identified him as John Jones, an old
"ender.
,I.lohn Spencer Ferris Bell said : I was called in on Mon-
,,TY evening at half-past seven to the house of the Mar-
'ails. In the first room I found the corpse of
Charlotte Marshall just inside the door, lying a
little on her left side with her face covered
with blood, her head against the wall, and the wall smeared
With blood. Close by, Mary Ann Marshall vas lying, with
her feet on the other, her face and head covered with
blood. In the back kitchen I saw the dead body of the
grandmother with her arm round the youngest child, who
was dead by her • side. Both of their heads were
Mary
with blood. In the fire-place were the bodies of
"tarY and Theresa. In the forge was the father com-
pletely covered with a sack, his legs crossed, lying on his
'Pelt, with his feet without shoes. On removing the sack
saw.
wow wounds on the back of his head. Turning him
'3ver I found his face completely smashed in. At two
but May 24 I made a post mortem examination of all
• tll4 Mary Ann and Charlotte, and next day on
,;7eria,.__ assisted by Drs. M`Namara and Pratt
;„` U xbridge, and Dr. Fox of Scarborough.
171 we were of opinion that they had been dead sixty
I-Purs, though there was still riper mortis. On the back of
-`23linanuel's left hand was a severe bruise, and the fingers
the right hand grazed, but no wound except on the
had and face. The front of the face, clothes, and body
;vere covered with grit and ashes, as though they
uad been dragged along. There were four wounds
°lf the face, over the right eye, top of the
'Lase, and left eye, and a long, large, deep
2fte over the chin. The upper and lower jaw, even to the
licine under the eye, were completely smashed, and the
nair matted with blood and ashes. The scalp had five
wounds—one over the left side of the heed, another behind
inches lon behind that a s m aller one, at the back a
,:rge wound,g sand at the right side of the head a long
lacerated wound. Neither of these fractured the skull.
,There was a fracture of the skull, right across, so that the
skull could be pulled in half, great effusion into
the brain, the scalp wounds were probably produced by
the
poker, and those on the face and skull by
Marshall
sledge hammer or back of the axe. Theresa
'wlarshall, aged six, had no fracture or bruise
of limb or body, wound of scalp and profusion of blood
;II the right side of th head, blood coing from te ear;
ace uninjured. On re moving scalp several pieces ohf
bone
Caine away revealing the brain, in fact the whole right
The of the skull was smashed, even down to the spine.
411 e whole injuries on this side were probably
l•oduced by one blow of the sledge hammer. Mary
arshall, jun., aged eight, no bruises, wounds or
Lfractures of body or limbs. Semi-circular incision five
~'lehes long, almost completely detaching the right ear from
head, Small wounds at the back of the head near which
a' scarred Cut was seen. These were made by the poker,
except the starred cut. Wound on right side of the face,
and the upper and lower jaw broken, and a punctured
fractured
corresponding with the starred cut. Base of skull
ractured, and skull divided in half. With regard
„‘'"' Gertrude Marshall, aged 4, blood came from
'Be mouth, and ears, no bruises, wounds, &c., of limbs
tir nose, mouth,
two small cuts on left side of scalp ; all the
"es on-the left side of the head completely stove in and
fractured,,, in all direotions ; frontal bone alone intact ;
-4affY fragments of bone detached • extravasation in brain,
truich injuries were probably made by a sledge hammer.
ll Mary Marshall, sen., aged 77, there was a graze on
right knee. Bruise over right and left eye, triangular
'1()1.1nd on temple. Right side of head, wound three
lehes long, behind which there was another of the same
lacerated.
Behind right ear a wound, also cuts, deep and
7,cerated. Blood oozing from left ear. Fracture across base
skull, so that skull could be pulled in half.
(-3,lch effused blood in brain. On Mary Ann Marshall
1, slight cut on upper lip ; wound, inch in length, on
°liter angle of left eye ; teeth knocked into
',),:louth • wound, inch and quarter long, down
of hair as if done by axe g; large
fracture on the right side of the skull. Base of skull
IZ,e‘fired right across, so that the skull could be pulled in
Af4.,and several pieces of bone detached. Charlotte
%ZIP nail (wife) had the left upper eyelid bruised, blood
`utcg from left ear, jagged transverse wound an inch
over right ear ; wound three inches long at back of
a,,ealt' another of same length in middle of the head ;
jagged at the left side of back of head ; human
t cid under scalp ; fracture at base of skull, right across,
that skull copld be pulled in half. Injuries done by
t.,,."ge-hammer or back of axe. A feeling of relief was
-greased in court at the end of this hideous recital.
-,-,o"Teorge Houseman M`Namara proved assisting in the
st-mortem examination, and agreed with last witness
w cPr Particular.
aryies Coombes, through whose evidence the prisoner
aa apprehended, was next called. He detailed a con-
bersation in which Jenkins said he could earn his living
Aween three and six, before they were up. (Sensation.)
This statement did not surprise the witness.
ofuoombes was then severely examined as to the whole
.the occupants of the lodging-house on Saturday. He
hsaid; There were Jenkins, Carter, and Phil. When I came
I).wn on Sunday Dan says to me, " Youwouldn'tknow the
r-acksmith." I said " Why not?" Dan said, " Why, he's got
nwoatch, a carpet bag, and a. suit of clothes." That was
ut nine in the morning. About ten Jenkins came
nnstairs. I almost stepped back with surprise. I
Mt d, " Halloa I What have you been doing." I told
w ou
ra• Balland there must be something wrong. A brother
• ld not give a man his watch and chain and strip him-