The Sun.
London, England, 1834-08-19 00:00:00

MURDER OF MR. HENWOOD.

(From the Devonport Telegraph.)
Since our last publication, the son of the unfortunate
man who we then stated had been assassinated under ap-
palling circumstances, has been apprehended. The state-
ment as :published by us last Saturday was substantially
correct. The following are more detailed particulars of
the horrid crime :—Mr. Henwood occupied a farm called
Trelay, in th& parish of St. Martin's, near Looe, which he
had nearly .50 pears. His family consistFd of his wife, se-
veral daughters, and an only son, who was in the habit of
attending the market at Kingsand, as a butcher every Sa-
turday ; the remainder of his time was occupied on his
father's farm. It appears that on the morning of Thursday
se'nnight, the deceased, who was about 72 years of age, and
much respected by his neighbours, left his house as usual
to look after, and give directions to the workmen. In one
of his fields he found his son preparing some manure con-
trary to his directions, for which he remonstrated with him,
and his not receiving what he thought a proper answer,
told him that if he would not attend to his directions he
had better leave the field. The young man immediately
threw down the shovel he had in his hand, and looking
angrily at his father, said, " you are like a young bear, all
your troubles are to come"—and immediately left the field.
The son shortly after returned to the house, when he was
met by his mother, who, surprised to see him come from his
work in the mi▪ ddle of the forenoon, asked him " what he
had come for ?" To this he replied, " That owing to the
rain he had left his job, and was going to make some straw-
bind for thatching•
." He then took a jug from the kitchen
and drew himself some cider, which lie drank, and replaced
the jug on the dresser. He was afterwards heard at his
chest in his bed-room, from whence it is suspected he took
the powder, as it was not known to be in the house. From
thence he must have gone to the ox-chall, where he kept
his gun, and loaded it, as the shot-belt was left in the chall.
From thence his footsteps were traced by the hedges of the
fields to the corner of the orchard, the spot where his
father was shot. A quantity of rain that had fallen the
night before rendered the footmarks of the wretched man
more distinct than they otherwise would have been ; and
showed that in his progress he crept along by the hedges
to avoid being observed. At the inquest a medical gentle-
man who had examined the body stated, that he found the
chest, upper part of the abdomen, the left side of the neck,
and the left cheek, shoulder, and arm thickly covered with
marks of the shots, lodged in them ; that the cavity of the
chest, was filled with blood ; two of the ribs on the left side
were shattered' several shot had perforated the lungs, and
that four shots had passed through the heart, and two were
lodged in it ; he said that he thought death was instanta-
neous. Several shots had entered the neck of the horse he

was riding, which, taking fright at the discharge of the
gun, fled full speed down the lane, where it was met by one
of the deceased's neighbours, who, fearing some accident,
hastened up the lane till he came to a spot where he found
the victim weltering in his blood. Having obtained as-
sistance the body was taken to the house, when the ago-
nised wife exclaimed " where is John ?" meaning her son,
whom she instantly suspected of the crime.. A person was
sent on the farm in search of him, but without avail. The
suspicions were increased when it was found that the son's
fowling-piece was gone from the ox-chall, and his shot-belt
had been discovered on the spot. The footsteps marked as
above stated, were further traced from the spot where the
murder had been committed to the banks of the Seaton
River. No further trace could however be obtained until
the afternoon of the following day, when the son entered
a field of Mr. Jewry, adjoining his father's estate, where
Mr. J. and his men were engaged in cutting barley, and
asked for some cider as he was very thirsty. After he had
drank, he expressed a wish to go to see his mother, from
which Mr. Jewry dissuaded him, and took him to his own
house, where he partook heartily of some tea. While there
Mr. Jewry asked him where he had secreted himself, when
he replied, " in the copse close by," about a quarter of a
mile from the spot where he had subsequently confessed
he had shot his father. A constable, who had been sent
for by this time, arrived, and the prisoner was asked where
the gun was, when he described the spot, where it was
found together with a powder horn. He was subse-
quently asked " why he had done so to his poor father ?"
to which he replied, " I ought to have done so long be-
fore."—A coroner's inquest was held on the body on Fri-
day last, and a verdict returned of Wilful Murder against
the son, for whose committal a warrant was made out, and
he has been removed to Bodmin, to take his trial at the
next Assizes.—He is believed not to be in his right mind.