The Sun.
London, England, 1851-01-24 00:00:00

MURDER NEAR BURY ST. EDMUND'S.
LAWSHALL, SUFFOLK, THURSDAY.—Since the dis-
covery of the murder of Elizabeth Bainbridge facts
have come to light which conclusively show that the
deed was perpetrated under circumstances of peculiar
deliberation and atrocity.
As previously meneioned, the deceased was a mar-
ried woman, but for some years had lived apart from
her husband. She was about 30 years of age, and
appears to have borne an exemplary character. Her
parents, with whom she had resided since her sepa-
ration from her husband, are in comfortable circum-
stances, living at a small farm, and are much respected
in the neighbourhood.
On the afternoon of the day on which she met with
her fearful end she had been on a visit at her bro-
ther's house, the Harrow Inn. She left there between
three and four o'clock to return to her father's, about
a mile and a quarter distant, the alleged murderer,
George Carnt, who had been lodging at her brother's
for some days past, following her, as is believed,
across the fields. It is evident, from the tattered
condition of her dress and the state of the ground
near the pond where the body was discovered, that a
fearful struggle must have ensued between the un-
happy victim and her murderer. It is conjectured
that a refusal to comply with some improper over-
tures on Lis part led to a struggle, and that in a mo-
ment of revenge he forced her into the pond, where,
from the shallowness of the water end the position in
which she was found, it is apparent she must have
been held down with considerable violence in order to
destroy her life. The pond is in a very lonely situa-
tion, and the banks are thickly studded with bushes.
On Tuesday an inquest on the body was held be
fore Mr. Harry Wayman, one of the coroners for the
county, at the Harrow public .house.
The body of the woman presented the appearance of
a fine healthy woman of ordinary stature, possessing
rather pleasing features, and, with the exception of a
slight bruise on the side of the head, there was no-
thing to indicate that she had met a violent death.
Both arms, ; however, bore marks of having been
tightly gripped, evidently inflicted while the poor
creature was being held under the water.
James Payne, the father of the deceased, stated that
on Monday night, in consequence of his daughter
being missed, he assisted in searching after her. He
commenced the search bet Ween nine and ten o'clock
at night, Police-constable Keeble and George Farrow
accompanying him. They traced footsteps of one
person along Mr. Bigsley's pastures and across two
ploughed fields of Mr. Reeman, and then into two
pastures belonging to the same gentleman. In the
second pasture they lost the track. Just over the
stile of that field, in a pasture of Mr. Payne's, was a
pond, in which they first looked, and, not finding
anything there, they returned over the stile and went
to a pond in Mr. Reeman's pasture. They had two
lanterns, and coulsd see the clothes of a woman in the '
water. They got the body out, but before they had
succeeded in removia,g it he discovered it to be that
of the deceased. She was quite dead and cold.
By the CORONER—I bad no personal knowledge of
any intimacy existing between the deceased and
George Carnt, but such a circumstance was mentioned
to me once by a third person.
Jane Clark was next examined—l am in the ser-
vice of Mr. William Payne, the landlord of the Har-
row Inn. I knew the deceased. She was my mas-
ter's sister. Last Thursday week she came to her
brother's to assist, there being a club-feast. She
continued there until Monday afternoon about a
quarter-past three o'clock, when she left the house by
the front door, having with her a bundle. When she
left she went across the road into Mr. Bigsley's pas-
tures, where there is a footpath leading towards her
father's house, it being the most direct way across the
fields. That was the last I saw of her. She was in
very good spirits and appeared as usual when she left.
I know George Carnt, who has been lodging at the
Harrow about a week. He was in the kitchen when
the deceased left, and upon her going out at the front
door I heard the back door shut, and upon returning
into the kitchen I found Carnt was gone. I did not
notice in what direction he went. The next time I
saw him was about seven o'clock the same evening.
He came into the house by himself at the back door.
He shook very much ; his clothes were wet and
dirty. He had no hat on; his neckerchief was off,
and he brought it in in his hand. He stood before
the fire about ten minutes before he made any re-
mark, when he said, " The halter is for my neck."
My master said, " Nonsense," and asked him what
he had been doing. He made no reply. My mas-
ter was about to take his clothes off, when he said,
"Let me alone, it does not signify what becomes of
me; the gallows is my doom." My master gave him
a glass of brandy, when he said, "This is the last
drop of brandy I shall have." He then went up stairs,
my master going up with him.
By the Conormit—Last Sunday morning I saw
the deceased and Carnt together in a room about
twenty minutes. I have seen him attentive to her
upon several cccaaions. I think he liked her, and
from deceased's manner I think she liked him.
John Keeble, an officer in the Suffolk constabu-
lary, was next called—On Monday night, between
nine and ten o clock, I was on duty, and when pass•
leg the Harrow public-house at Lawshall I was
called in by Mr. Payne, the deceased's brother. Mr.
Payne produced to me a man's day clothes ; they
were muddy and wet. A pair of high shoes, partially
filled with mud and water, were likewise produced to
me. In consequence of the condition of these articles,
and of what Mr. Payne told me about his sister, I
went into a room and there saw Carnt in bed. He
was awake. I asked him what was the matter. He
made no reply. I then asked him where Elizabeth
Bainbridge was ; he made no answer. I then took
him in charge. The deceased's father was in the
room. I got a lantern, and:accompanied by her fa-
ther and George Farrow, I went in search of her.
We went across the road into a meadow, at the end of
which, by the gateway, I could see the footsteps as of
a man and woman going in the direction from the
Harrow, and the footsteps of the male person only
proceeding or returning in the direction towards the
Harrow. We then went across another meadow
through a gateway, where we saw precisely similar foot-
marks. We went across another meadow into Mr.
Reeman's ploughed fields, and proceeded over two
of them up to a stile, adjoining Mr. Reeman's mea-
dow, where there appeared the footmarks of two per-
sons, male and female, as if they had trampled about
very much. We went across that meadow into an-
other meadow, and at the gateway we could observe
similar footsteps to those first described. We went
up to the next stile, adjoining Mr. Payne's meadow,
where we lost the trace of the footsteps. We looked
in a pond in Mr. Payne's meadow, and then returned
into Mr. Reeman's meadow and looked round a pond
there, which is some six or seven rods from the stile.
I saw something on the top of the water. I touched
it with my stick, and then went into the pond. I
found it to be the body of a woman. She lay upon
her left side. I turned her over, and discovered it to
.be the body of the deceased, whom I previously knew.
She was quite dead and stiff. She had no bonnet on.
Her hair was quite dishevelled. Her gown was torn
nearly all round from the gathers. There was'
blood flowing from one of her nostrils, and
there was the appearance of a blow upon
her right cheek, just under the eye. There were
scratches about her face, apparently done by
thorns ; the pond is partially surrounded by thorn
bushes. About five yards off the pond I saw a cloak
and a bundle ; the cloak was much torn, and the
strings cut off. I took from the deceased a lace collar,
much torn. This morning I went with Superintend-
ent Death to the pond. We noticed the print of a
man's foot slipping into the pond, and where he fell.
We then went to the other side of the pond, and saw
the prints of a man's footsteps coming out of the pond.
We had Carat's high shoes with us, and we compared
them with the footsteps of the person leaving the pond.
They exactly corresponded in width, length, and the
size and form of the toe-plates.
George Farrow, a labourer living in the village,
said he was in the Harrow public-house about seven
o'clock on Monday evening, and saw George Carnt
come into the kitchen. His clothes were muddy and
wet. He had no hat on. He asked him where he
had been ? He said, " Pray don't say anything to me
about it. The halter is for my neck." Witness and
Mr. Payne went up stairs with him and put him to
bed. He was shaking when he came in, and appeared
very cold. Witness afterwards went up to him, and
asked him bow he was ? He said, "I am much better,
but the halter will be my doom, for the Devil has got
hold of me." He asked witness to give him his hand,
which be did ; and he then said, " This is the last
night I ever shall see you."
William Payne confirmed the testimony of the last
witness. be-
By the CORONER—I never saw an.Y
tween my sister and Carnt, nor has
Hartest. Her hair
mentioned the circumstance to we. eitber of them
Keifog; °entangled amongst it.
Mr. William Edmund Image; the St.
d examine _o_y of
sureoninotfirilß intimacy
Edmund's, stated that he ha
On
.t e aide of
the deceased with Mr.
was dishevelled, leaves h
of abrasion of the skin,
the face there were marks.. There
The ears were filled with In ud: .43 h right
was (Telly mosis
on the right eye; the pupils
were partially dilated.
The lips had abluish cast, and there were blue
,;tt
sh%se,
oneolbtbroutw)
bruises
si
nt
,h e
bo
autt
correspondinge rmsui dc
he
tales on the face. The rails were filled with sand
arms.n dwTje urheset
sfbkoeui,non below Pa
partly on the cheek and chin.
discoloured. Found the jaw firmly fixed, and the teeth
tightly clenched. The
iaonpfd
ibnorattehunds
y°
tongue was covered with mud
and froth, and the air passages were filled with froth
and mud. He considered that the deceased died from
suffocation, resulting from immersion in the water ;
was of opinion that she had been forcibly detained in
the water, and held down so
as to effect her suffoca-
tion.

The CORONER then summed up the evidence, and
the jury having consulted for a short time, returneci,
a verdict of " Wilful Murder ag4inst George Cara;