The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-13 00:00:00

BRUTAL MURDER.

The romantic village of Nempnett, Somerset, situate
near the Mendip hills, and about 11 mike' distance
fr m Bristol, has just been thrown into a state of us-
woeted excitement by the perpetration of a most brutal
murder. The crime, as will be seen from the details
subjoined, is one of a very atrocious character, and was
perpetrated under circumstances of peculiar daring. In
broad daylight an aged inoffensive couple were set upon
in their own house, and within a stone's throw of seve-
ral of their neighbours, by ruffians, who we are happy
to state have since been secured, and such was the mur-
derous nature of the attack that one of them only sur-
vived a few hours, and of the recovery of the other but
very slight hopes are entertained. From a lengthened
inquiry entered into on Tuesday the following narrative
of facts was elicited:—
It appears that between nine and ten o'clock on Sa-
turday last two man, named John Wiles and John
Smith, entered the house of Mr. William Wilkins, who
kept what is termed a general shop at Nempnett, and
asked for a loaf of bread. While Mrs. Wilkins turned
to reach it, the elder man, Wiles, struck her over the
head with an iron shod stick which he carried with him.
He then rushed upon her husband, and making use of
very bad language, also struck him over the head seve-
ral times, and seizing a spaCe which was in a cor-
ner of the room dealt him several blows with this
likewise—the younger man, Smith, at the time keeping
watch at the door. Having rendered the aged couple
insensible they cut off the pocket of Mrs. Wilkins from
her gown, and took from it the small quantity of silver
it contained—eight shillings, a half-crown, and a six-
pence. They then went to the shop, took several pack-
ages of tobacco and a loaf of bread, and made off.
Soon afterwards, some of the neighbours on going in
were horrified at discovering Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins lying
on the floor in a pool of blood. An outcry was raised,
and a messenger dispatched for medical assistance; and,
on arriving, the surgeon found Mr. Wilkins suffering
from a fracture of the skull, and blood was flowing pro-
fusely from an artery at the left side of the head. The
artery he secured and stopped the bleeding, but it soon
became evident that concussion of the brain had taken
place, and in a few hours he expired. Mrs. Wilkins
had also received several severe wounds in the head,
which were dressed, and she was put to bed. In the
meantime a man named Thomas Radford, who had seen
the two men, Wiles and Smith, coming from the spot
soon after the murder was committed, tracked their foot-
steps from the house and followed them to Blagdoe,
where he found them in a public-house eating and drink-
ing, and gave them into custody. On the elder prisoner,
Wiles, besides some money, was found a knife, which
has since been identified by Mrs. Wilkins as her property.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins were over 70 years of age.
On Tuesday an inquest was commenced on the body
of the deceased, before Mr. Uphill, one of the coroners
for the county of Somerset, and adjourned for a post
mortem examination of the body to be made. The two
prisoners were then examined before one of the county
magistrates, Mr. W. J. Addington, of Langford-court;
and the following is the most material evidence that.was
adduced:—

Mrs. Wilkins, who made her deposition at her own
house, in the presence of the two prisoners, stated—" I
am the widow of William Wilkins. About 8 o'clock on
Saturday morning the prisoner came to our house.
Wiles asked for a loaf of bread. Knowing him I did not
give him any. He then asked the younger Lan (the
prisoner Smith) for money to pay for the loaf. The
younger man said, I have not got any money.' The
elder man (Wiles) then struck me with a stick. As far
as I could see, it was a stick with two iron caps' on it.
Then he went and caught bold of my husband, and
struck him with it a great many times, and at the
same time made use of very rough language, and
afterwards struck him with the spade. The
younger prisoner stood by the door just coming into
the house. My husband was sitting on the bench
in the corner of the room. The elder prisoner
(Wiles) struck him two or three times while he was
standing, and then dragged him out on top of me. He
then struck him several times with the brass Italian iron
produced. I had scoured it in the morning, and there
were no bruises on it then. I can swear the
two prisoners were the same men, for I had
seen the elder prisoner before. He worked for some
days at Mr. Highatt's, the carpenter's shop; he worked
as a blacksmith. The knife produced is my property;
it was in my pocket the morning the prisoner came. I
have had it for the last twenty years. When I had it
first there was a piece of silver in the handle, with my
name on it, but I believe this was worn out. I believe
there were two half-crowns in my pocket, but I could
not swear to this. I cannot say whether the younger
prisoner struck any blows, seeing he was on the door
step. I cannot say whether he came in or not. Wiles
struck my husband with the spade when he was sitting
in the corner, but afterwards, when he was down on the
ground, he struck him with the iron short thing.
Cress-examined by Wiles—l did not follow you out
with the loaf further than the door of the passage. I
thought you were going to have the bread.
Benjamin Cox, constable, deposed—l saw Wiles after
he was in custody. I said to him, " A halter will be
your doom." He said, " I think it will—it is a bad job."
Wiles contradicted this. He admitted that he had
said it was a bad job, but not that he thought a halter
would be his doom.

James Clark, constable, of Blagdon, deposed that the
prisoners were given into his custody on Saturday, be-
tween 12 and 1 o'clock in the afternoon. Ile searched
them and found four packages of tobacoo in Wiles's hat,
and in his trousers' pocket he found two pieces of paper
with tobacco loosely tied up, also a pair of spectacles.
He also found on him a half-crown and other silver
amounting to ss. On Smith he found ss. in silver, a
halfpenny, a black•lcad pencil, and two pieces of sealing•

Thomas Jackman Hawkins, surgeon, of Compton
Martin, deposed that he was called in to aee the de-
ceased about 2 o'clock on Saturday last. He found him
and his wife_ in a -state of fever, arising from their
loss of blood and their wounds. Each of them had
several wounds, which seemed to have been made by
a heavy instrument. When he went to the cottage au
artery at the side of the head of the old man was
bleeding. It was on the left side of his head.
He secured the artery and stopped the bleeding.
The wounds in the head of the deceased were lacerated
ones, and he had many violent contusions, especially on
the left side of the head. Witness thought he would
hare died immediately. He gave him stimulants, and
he rallied a little. He lingered till ten o'clock at night,
when he died. Ho was not sensible all the time. He
had no doubt that death was caused by the blows and
the loss of blood. The wounds appeared to have been
recently made—he should say some two or three hour*
before he saw them. There must have been concussion
of the brain to have produced insensibility. The loss of
blood, judging from what he saw about the room, v
have been very considerable. Ho should say concussion
of the brain and loss of blood must have been the CMG
of death. On examination of the wife, Sarah Wilkins,
he found a very severe wound on the top part of her
head; it was cut in two places. If she had not put her
hand up to save her head her skull must have been
broken. The skull was depressed from the violence of
the blow. She had other bruises. There were cuts over
both her eyes, and the wounds appeared to have been in-
flicted with a blunt instrument. Her right shoulder was
also very severely bruised. She was now in very great
danger. The spade appeared to hare been used sideways
from the cuts.
The following confession has been made by the pri-
soner Smith :—" We came up to the house on Saturday
morning lash--Wiles and me I mean—up to Wilkins.
house. Wiles, coming up said, It is a little shop, and
there are only two old people living there, and,' he said,
I will go in and get something before I come out
again.' This was between 8 and 9 o'clock in the morn-
ing. Wiles went to the door and asked for a loaf; a
omunidnstiode,mbeutalnddidsainodt hineara
in there at
lowww woman's
ma
ttaosnnh'
tone
rsoonfliCde.v
oailnciese,wte.urTrendheedrheri
is a
man
sitting
his breakfast, and it will not do now.' Then he asked
me for 6d., and I said, I have not got one.' Wiles said
to me, What did you send me on such a fool's errand
for, then?' This was said loud enough for the woman to
hear. We then both of us walked away; we went across
the fields to a certain house to try and get some bread.
I did not go with him into the house, but I stood
in the road, and Wiles told me he had got a bit
of bread at one of the places. We had then been
about three quarters of an hour away from Wil-
kins's house, and then Wiles said "I will go back there,
the man must have gone out from breakfast to his work
by this,' and he added, I will go in, and I will have
something before I come out again.' We then came
down the road as far as Wilkins's house, and Wiles went
in and said, ' Now, mistress,;' have got a few halfpence
Ithe outside, and when I heard the old
owiiifetwheithflioot trh,
and lam some back for the loaf.' When the blows took
place was on
s ade• I
ing the old man • took the spade out of
his hand, and then ee. took
. up an Italian-iron lying
man scream Murder' I went in. Wiles was then best.
close by, and struck him with that, and he struck ths
e sstrtruacikghtlite
bloweanlacist.thenThhige
turned up her gown and broke her pocket off Before
that blow she was on her hands and knees •
trying to
get up. I turned to go out of the house, and d I saw
mistress
knockedo hlie
Wiles go into the shop. He took up n
a loaf, and then
what he did I do not know, for I
walked
on and he came
after me. Ido not know what he •
did with the pocket;
I believe he left it in the house, I never th.
, for saw
pocket after he was out of
the house. After this, going
down the fields towards 1.7 1
p ey, we began talking, and
Wiles said, I have got a little
money, but it is but •
little.' He took out eight shillings, a half-crown, and •
sixpence, and he gave me ss. Gd. and said There is half
of it for you.' lie had also two bits of tobacco, I sun".
it must have been half-ounces before they were opened.
This is all I have to say."
The evidence, with the exception of that of Mrs. Wil-
kins, and also the confession of Smith, was taken at the
school-room of the village. The iron ,short instrument
used by Wiles was produced; it is a most murderous
weapon, and both it and the spade were p
com lately co-
vered with blood. The prisoners at the close of the in-
quiry were sent to Shepton Mallet gaol to await the
result of the coroner's investigation. The utmost excite.
ment prevails in the neighbourhood, and the room where
the inquiry was held was crowded almost to suffocation,
large numbers having congregated from the surrounding
district.

, particularly a coal fire. The stimulus
E ES•.--------14iing into the fire isCARE OF THE r •
beat united soon destro •
the eyes. Looking at
alight and
molten iron will soon destroy the sight. Reading in the
twilight is injurious to the eyes, as they are obliged to make
great exertion. Reading or sewing with a side light injures
eyes, as both eyes should be exposed to an equal
injurious to the eyes
the
degree of light. The reason is, the sympathy between the
eyes is so great, that, if the pupil of one is dilated by
being kept partially in the shade, the one that is most
exposed cannot contract itself sufficiently for protection, and
will ultimately be injured. Those who wish to preserve
their sight, should preserve their general health by correct
habits, and give their eyes just work enough, with a due
degree of light.