The Sun.
London, England, 1834-09-10 00:00:00

THAMES POLICE.

Yesterday a seaman, named Ferguson, applied to Mr.
BALLANTINE for a warrant against the chief mate of the
Lady Flora West Indiaman, for shooting at him with a
gun and lodging eight shots in his body.
The sailor stated that on or about May last the ship to
which he belonged (the Ludlow) was at anchor off Jamaica,
and he was sent by the second mate with a message to the
second mate of the Lady Flora. After he had delivered
his message he stepped into the Ludlow's boat for the pur-
pose of returning to the ship, when a seaman belonging to
the Lady Flora also jumped in, for the purpose of going
on board the Ludlow. They had pulled a few yards, when
the chief mate of the Lady Flora called them back, and
swore if they did •not return he would fire upon them.
They took no notice of the threat, on which the chief mate
went below and returned with his gun, and presented it at
them. It twice missed fire, and the steward of the Lady
Flora begged of his officer to desist, but he pulled the
trigger a third time ; the gun went off, and the contents,
after passing through the hat of another seaman belonging
to the Ludlow, who was in the boat, lodged in his (the
applicant's) body. He fell backwards, and was taken to
the hospital, where he remained five weeks before he was
enabled to return to his duty, no less than eight shots
having entered various parts of his body. The seaman, in
confirmation of his statement, produced his shirt, which was
covered with blood'and pierced with shot.
Mr. BALLANTINE immediately granted a warrant for the
apprehension of the mate of the Lady Flora.

MURDER of a WIFE and FOUR CHILDREN
AND SUICIDE OF THE HUSBAND.

Yesterday a sensation of horror was excited in conse-
quence of a report being widely disseminated that a man
named Steinburge, a whip maker, of No. 17, Southamp-
ton-street, Pentonville, had murdered his wife and family,
consisting of four children, and afterwards committed an
act of self-destruction.

It appears that Mr. Steinburge, the perpetrator of the
deeds, was about forty years of age, and was by trade a
whipmaker. Some years ago he received a patent for in-
venting a whip of peculiar construction. About 12 months
ago he took the house No. 17, Southampton-street, Pen-
tonville, as tenant-at-will, of Mr. Cuthbert, of Liverpool-
street, Battle-bridge, and he entered with his wife and fa-
mily, and carried on his trade as usual. He was a Ger-
man, and a few months ago he received intelligence of the
illness of a relative living in Gazendor, in Germany, to
whom he instantly proceeded with his family, leaving his
business under the direction of a young man who had
worked with him for a considerable time. He took with
him a girl named Harriet Pearson, who had been in his
service previously. On Saturday afternoon last he re-
turned from the Continent with his family and the girl
last alluded to, and again took up his residence in South-
ampton-street. He appeared cheerful, and exhibited his
usual marks of affection towards his wife and children. On
the following morning Harriet Pearson, the servant, over-
heard Mr. Steinburge talking rather loudly and angrily to
the young man he had left to transact his business, and it
appeared subsequently from the statements of Mrs. Stein-
burge, that during their absence the young man had been
acting extravagantly, and that things had not been attended
to with that vigilance that he expected, and he was dis-
charged on the same day. He was ordered to call on the
Sunday evening for his clothes, &c., but this, it seems, he
has neglected to do. On Monday night last, about eight
o'clock, the family were sitting together in the kitchen,
when the deceased Mr. Steinburge was very cheerful, con-
versed affectionately with his wife, with whom the servant
never knew him to quarrel during the twelve months she
lived with them. The servant, by his desire, fetched a pint
of beer and a quartern of gin, and as soon as she handed the
liquor to him he complained of being very tired, and said he
would retire to bed. At a little after half-past eight o'clock
Mrs. Steinburge ordered the girl to go home and see her
mother, telling her to come back at six o'clock on the follow-
ing morning. Mr. Steinburge suggested that she should
sleep in the house, but the girl, who is only 15 years of age,
preferred going to sleep with her mother, and she was allowed
to leave the house. Next morning at six o'clock, the servant
arrived at her master's dwelling, and knocked at the door
several times, but she received no answer, and she went home
again, thinking the family did not wish to be disturbed. She
returned again at 9 o'clock, and continued knocking at the
door until between eleven and twelve o'clock, when a gen-
tleman, residiag at No. 16 in the same street, conceived it
to be very strange that she could gain no answer ; and,
having used every effort to make them hear, he concluded
that Mr. Steinburge had left the house clandestinely, to
avoid the payment of rent and taxes, both of which he was
in arrear. The gentleman hastened to Mr. Cuthbert, who
we have before observed is the landlord of the house, and
acquainted him with the circumstance, on which they pro-
ceeded together to the building, and being still unable to
make any one hear they broke open a door at the back of
the premises, and on going into the kitchen they were
struck with dismay and horror at beholding Mr. Steinburge
lying on his back, with his head nearly severed from his
body. The kitchen and the whole of the deceased were
covered with blood, and a large and long butcher's knife
was lying by his side. He had nothing on his person but
his shirt and drawers. They immediately called Joseph
Rolls, 215 N, and took him into the kitchen to witness the
dreadful sight, after which they proceeded up stairs to the
bedroom in which the deceased man usually slept with his
wife and infant, seven months old. Here an appalling spec-
tacle presented itself. Mrs. Steinburge, who was a fine-
looking woman, twenty-five years of age, was lying on the
floor in her night dress, covered with blood, and her head was
nearly cut from her body. She was lying on her face, as if she had
struggled and fell out of bed after she had received the wound.
Her innocent little infant was lying at her feet, with its head
completely separated from its body. The bed and bedclothes
were completely saturated with blood. The pillow was
marked with blood as if the deceased man had grasped hold
of it to reach over for the infant, which it is conjectured he
placed on the floor to cut its head off. These awful sights
were sufficiently horrible and distressing, but still the tra-
gedy was not yet closed. On proceeding to the second
floor they found a small cot and a bed. In the latter Henry
Steinburgeb a fine boy, four years and a half old, was found
with his throat cut from ear to ear, and quite dead. A lit-
tle further from the spot Ellen, his sister, two years of age,
was found by the side of the cot with its head almost se-
vered from the body. This little creature, it appears, was
murdered by her unnatural father in the same manner as
the infant that slept with its mother. It further appears
that Henry slept in the same bed with his brother John,
who was five years and a half old. He, however, was not
in that room ; and on Mr. Cuthbert and the other parties
proceeding to an adjoining room, which had been used as a
workshop, they were petrified at beholding him on the floor
with his throat cut, his head being nearly severed from his
body, which was otherwise most horribly mutilated, and, to
all appearance, he must have struggled and made a resist-
ance against the attack of his murderous parent. It seems
that when he was in bed with his brother Henry he
saw his father killing his brother and sister, and he
jumped out of bed (he being found in his night clothes),
and rushed into the other room, thinking to escape.
One of the poor little fellow's fingers was cut off
the left hand, and it was found about four feet from
the body ; and the flesh was cut off the top of his right
shoulder, as if a dreadful blow had been aimed at him with
the knife as he was endeavouring to avoid his father. This
part of the affair was the climax of the heartrending catas-
trophe. The persons who witnessed the spectacle were
melted to tears, while their mingled indignation was excited
against the assassin parent. The circumstance being so
peculiarly awful it was momentarily spread like wildfire, and
the excitement caused, especially in the immediate neigh-
bourhood, cannot be accurately described. Information of
the transaction was forwarded to Mr. Miller, an intelligent
inspector of the N division, who instantly made every in-
quiry into it, and he went instantly to the house where the
bodies were lying, and examined every person who it was
thought could throw any light upon the melancholy
From the evidence which he (Mr. Miller) obtained it ap-
peared the deceased Mr. Steinburge was generally upon the
happiest terms with his family, and was extremely domesti-
cated in his habits, 6114 seemed to possess a humane dispo-

sition. He had no friends and few acquaintances in Lon-
don. He has several brothers, who are large farmers in
Germany.
•On looking over the place nothing in any part seemed
to be disturbed. No papers or letters were found belong-
ing to the deceased to give any explanation why he should
have contemplated or committed such dreadful acts, and,
judging from the general appearances of the places, the
doors being fastened, &c., there is no doubt the deceased is
the author of his own and family's deaths. A piece of car-
tridge paper, on which stood a pen and ink, were upon the
kitchen table, and a chair was placed in a position as if the
wretched deceased man had intended to write something,
but he did not do so.

The address of the young man who left Mr. Steinburge
on Sunday is not known, and up to the time of our writinc,
the foregoing particulars he had not been discovered, al-
though very active inquiries were being made after him by
order of Mr. Miller, who is anxious that he should be pre-
sent at the coroner's inquest. No cause whatever could
be traced for the accomplishment of the acts of murder
and suicide committed by the deceased man, whose manner
and demeanour it is said were unchanged up tq,the time
that he ordered the servant to fetch the beer and gin on
Monday night last. The interior of the house, from top
to bottom, is one mass of human blood. Let the eye
glance wherever it would, blood was to be seen, and the
ghastly mutilated corpse of one or other of the family struck
every beholder with a chilling thrill of horror. On viewing
the bodies the most melancholy sympathy was felt, and in
the streets many persons were observed to shed tears freely
on hearing the particulars. _

Mrs. Steinburge, we are informed, was an English woman,
and it is not at present known whether she has any relatives.
Crowds continued to assemble round the house up to a
late hour last night, and the officers were left to guard the
place.
The coroner, it is presumed, will summon a jury to in-
vestigate the matter this day.

ANOTHER ACCOUNT.

The following dreadful detail of the murder of a whole
family, by the father, is, perhaps, unparalleled. The perpe-
trator of the horrible affair is a German, of the name of
Steinburgb, who resided with his family, a wife and four
children, the eldest but five years and a half old, at No. 17,
Southampton-street, Pentonville. On Monday evening, a
little girl, named Pearce, whose parents live in Edward-
street, Battle-bridge, was, at the request of Mrs. Stein-
burgh, paid the wages which were due to her for her service
with them during their journey to and from Germany.
Previous to the girl's leaving, the deceased gave her a
raspberry tart, and did not appear to be labouring under a
depression of spirits. On Mrs. Steinburgh's desiring the
girl to come at six o'clock on the following morning, the
latter states that she saw the husband, who was leaning
against the dresser of the front kitchen, smile, though he
made no remark. The girl had previously put the four
children to bed, and was upon the point of leaving, when
Steinburgh observed to his wife that he was both tired and
sleepy, and made use of the following expression :—" Shall
we _not go to bed, my dear." She replied that it was too
early. He then pressed her to take a little brandy, which
she declined, stating it made'her sleepy. The child then
left the house. On yesterday morning she went to the
house, as desired, at six o'clock, and knocked, but was
unable to obtain admittance. She returned several times
up to nine o'clock, but without effect ; she then returned
home. The fact of the girl's having called several times at
the house without obtaining an answer, became known to
the neighbours ; suspicions were entertained, and the house
was eventually entered by the police. The husband, we
understand, was about 48, and the wife not more than 25
years old. The cause of this horrible act cannot be assigned
by any person who appears to know any thing of the affairs
of the deceased family. We learn that they lived to-
gether upon the most affectionate terms, and the little girl
who attended them to Germany states that she never saw
them quarrel.

THE BUILDING TRADE.

MEETING of MINOR MASTERS and OPERA-

TIMES.

Yesterday a Meeting of Small Masters and Operatives
employed in the various branches of the building trade was
held at the Mechanics' Institution, Southampton-buildings.
T. DUNCOMBE, M. P., having been called to the
Chair, explained shortly the object of the Meeting. There
never was, he said, a time when the state of the masters
and operatives demanded a more calm consideration than
the present. On the happiness of the middle classes •f
tradesmen and of the working men, the happiness of the
country must depend. He had lately an interview with
the master-builders and the operatives, and he lamented to
say that it was ineffectual ; that they left the question as
they found it, in consequence of the refusal of the masters
to give up their declaration. He thought the masters
wrong in requiring such a declaration. He must say that
nothing could induce him to sign such a document. He
trusted the result of this Meeting would be more successful.
Mr. LOVETT came forward to move the first Resolution,
which went to declare that the Meeting viewed with regret
the employment of capital in a manner calculated to injure
the working classes, and called upon Noblemen, Gentlemen,
shopkeepers, &c., to support the artisans who refused to
sign the anti-social declaration required by the master
builders. He was, he said, once rich, but was now poor.
He experienced the evil of the way in which capital was
employed, for he had been deprived of the fruits of the
sweat of his brow by the great hucksters in monopoly. He
would sooner see the wife of his bosom and his child in the
cradle want food than sign the declaration required by the
master builders. They said is was not their object to re-
duce wages. He felt confident, however, they would do
so the moment the operatives signed the declaration. He
would state one fact. To all work done for the Board of
Works a list of prices was attached. The wages of a
plasterer from April to October was ss. 4d. a day ; those
of a labourer 2s. 10d. A decent plasterer could not be
had for less than ss. a day. Now he could mention an in-
dividual who took a large contract 17 per cent. under the
wages on the list of the Board of Works. He must,
therefore, lose one shilling a day by each plasterer. From
whence, then, could his profit come ? He must soon be-
come insolvent, or else reduce the wages.
Mr. GALLOWAY seconded the Resolution, which was
unanimously agreed to.

Mr. ROBERTS proposed the second Resolution, declaring
it to be the opinion of the meeting that the carrying on of
the various branches of the building trade by the same in-
dividual was an unjustifiable monopoly, and pledging the
meeting to exert themselves to reduce the business to its
legitimate sources.
Mr. WINTER seconded the Resolution. There was a
great mistake upon this subject which ought to be removed.
There were employed in the building trade from 35,000 to
40,000 men. Many gentlemen lately dropped their works
from an idea that the operatives turned out against the
masters. This was a mistake. There was no turnout, as
appeared from the fact that, out of the whole number just
mentioned, there were only 3,000 out of employment.
Gentlemen might have then work done as cheaply as it
could be done by the great monopolists.
Mr. HARRISON said the great monopolists were enabled
to do business upon terms favourable to themselves by
taking a great number of apprentices, and obtaining work
at low wages, promising that the work should be constant.
If one of these great monopolists undertook to do a work
for less than would afford a profit, the difference was made
up by the whole body at their club. The object of this
was to keep out the knobsticks.
Mr. WINTER denied that a good man could be had in
the building line for less than ss. a day.
The Resolution was agreed to.
Mr. PIERS proposed the third Resolution, expressive of
regret that Noblemen, gentlemen, shopkeepers, and other
classes, had not their work done by separate masters in
each branch of the building trade, 'in place of having all
done by one great monopolist. One of these monopolists
had been the ruin of all the little tradesmen in his neigh-
bourhood. It was highly to the credit of those who held
out and refused to sign so cruel a declaration. He had, by
accident, lost one hand already, and would sooner lose the
other than sign it. The 40 great monopolists had destroyed
hundreds of small masters, and their object was now to ruin
the men.
Mr. MunritY seconded the resolution. In place of em-
ploying the great monopolists, Government, in the public
works, should employ different tradesmen, each in his own
line. They were advised by a Morning Paper to give up
their Unions, and then the masters would give up their de-
claration. The moment they gave up their Union,. they
gave up their strength. It was by Unions men were taught
that they had power to controul everything by combination.
Mr. OWEN thought their proceedings would lead to no
good. He would explain his views more fully at another
time.—(Some persons cried out that they had quite enough
of Mr. Owen's theories.)
A person in the meeting mentioned that a monopolist
obtained the contract for colouring the houses in the Re-
gent's Park, and that not being able to perform it, in con-
sequence of the declaration, the Woods and Forests gave
the job to small masters, and work was thus obtained by all
the turn-out painters.

The Resolution was agreed to.
It was then resolved that the Meeting should form them-
selves into a society for the protection of the operatives, and
a Committee was appointed to forward the object of the
Resolutions.

Thanks were then voted to the Chairman, and the meet-
ing separated.

The Rev. Peter Hall, M.A., late Curate of St.
Edmund's, in this city, has been instituted to the Rectory of
Milston cum Brigminston, Wilts, vacant by the death of the
Rev. John James Toogood, 13:D.—Salisbury Herald.