The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-02 00:00:00

THE DREADFi

CORONER'S INQUEST.-(THIS DAY.)

- The Coroner's- inquiry as to the deaths of Elizabeth
Youngman, aged 46, Mary Wells Streeter, aged 27, Charles
Youngman, aged 7, and Thomas Youngman, aged 11,
whose bodies were discovered murdered in the premises,
No. 16, Manor-place, Walworth, on Tuesday last, was
opened this morning at Newington Workhouse, before
William Carter, Esq., coroner for East Surrey.
The prisoner, William Youngman, son of the murdered
woman Elizabeth Youngman, who stands charged with the
murder, was not in attendance.
The jury having been sworn proceeded to view the
bodies, and on their return to the inquest room the follow-
ing evidence was adduced :
James Benham said—l am the occupier of the premises,
16, Manor-place. I have been so about six months.
There are six rooms in it. Two rooms on each
fiber besides the ground floor. I, with my wife
and three children, occupy the ground floor. The front
room is used as a sleeping room for my children, and the
back is my bedroom. Mr. Beard occupied the first floor.
The two upper rooms—the second floor—was occupied by
Mr. Youngman, his wife, and two children, boys. They
had lived in the house about three or four months. The
circumstance into which they were inquiring occurred about
a quarter to Mx on Tuesday morning while I was in bed.
About that time I heard a lumbering noise in the back room
in the top floor. Before I could get to the door Mr. Beard
knocked at my door and said, " For God's sake come up
sirs, for there's murder." I went up stairs immediately,
without waiting to dress myself, and on reaching
the top of the stairs I saw ene of the little boys
lying dead on the landing with his head towards the stairs.
I proceeded no further. I heard no more noise. I returned
down stairs, put on my clothes, and went out for a police-
man. I obtained the assistance of Inspector Dunn and
some other constables, and then returned to my house.
I did not go up stairs again. Before I heard the noise I
have spoken to I heard nothing, I wont for Mr. Young-
man, son., after I had told the police. I heard him go out
of the house about a quarter of an hour before I heard the
lumbering noise. I only suppose it was Mr. Youngman,
sen., whom I heard go out from the circumstance that he is
in the habit of going out of a morning about that time. I did
not hear any screaming or any person call out. If any person
had done so I think I must have heart it at that time in
the morning. Before I went for the police, to the best of
my recollection I saw a young man (the prisoner), whom
I knew as the son of Mr. Youngman, a part of the way
down stairs. I said, "Don't comp any further; and he
replied, putting up his hands, "My mother has done all
this ; she has murdered my two brothers and my sweet-
heart, and I in self-defence wrenched the knife from her
and murdered her." It was quite daylight. I did
not see anything in his hand.. Nothing further oc-
curred at that time. I next saw the young man at
the police-court that same day. I had a knowledge
that the prisoner had been living in the house for
about a week or ten days, but I did not know positively
that he was at home on Monday night. I have no know-
ledge of the young woman murdered. I did not know the
young man, further than passing the time of day with hinqi
I last saw Mrs. Youngman alive the latter part of last
week. She appeared a very respectable woman, of per-
fectly sane mind. She used to flog the boys very often.
With the exception of beating the younger children I never
saw her wanting in her mind.

Mr. Wm. Beard, a carpenter, residing in the first floor of
the house, 16, Manor-place, gave evidence similar to that
given at the police-court, which was to the effect

that he heard a noise • like that of children
running about overhead, and also a slight scream, but that
he thought it proceeded from one of the children who was
being beaten by their father. This feeling, however, in-
duced him to go up stairs, and the first thing that attracted
his attention was a spot of blood on the stairs, and the little
boy's head lying outside the bannisters or rails of the stair-
case, covered with blood. He went up a little higher, and
then he saw the child's throat was cut, On going a step
higher, he saw the body of a young woman lying on the
landing. Her head was inside the back room door, her
body and legs were pointing to the front room door, and
on again looking at the body he saw her throat was
cut in a frightful manner. He did not then observe any.
thing else. He had heard no noise, neither did either of
the bodies move when he saw them. Nothing occurred in
either of the rooms then to attract attention. He called up
the landlord, the previous witness, and then they both re-
turned upstairs together. Witness went into his bedrooms
and began to put his clothes on. While he was dressing
he was called to by a person from abore. On going to the
foot of the stairs he saw the son of ?qr. Youngman (the
person in custody), who had only his nightshirt on. He
was on the stairs, about four steps from the top. He said
OMr.Beard, my mother has done all this; she has murdered
my two brothers and my sweetheart, and I have killed her
in self-defence." The right sleeve of the man's night. shirt
was torn. The wristband of the shirt was then on his wrist.
The sleeve had been torn out of it. He was certain the wrist-
band was secure round his wrist as he saw it. He (witness)
told the man to remain up stairs, and he then went for the
police. On the constables coming to the house he (witness)
went lip stairs, and there saw the body of Mrs. Youngman,
who was lying on the legs of the younger female. Whet
he saw Mrs. Youngman he was certain she was dead. The
next time he saw the accused he was in the hands of the
police. He saw him in Mr. Benham's parlour, and heard
him say, " Father, mother has done this." The last con-
versation he had with the accused, which was last Sunday
morning, he appeared as rational as he possibly could
be. He (witness) had never seen the young woman Streeter
before he saw her dead with her throat cut. Had any per-
son called out loudly he must have heard it. He had
known Mrs. Youngman for some time. She never ap-
peared of unsound mind—quite the contrary. She was
kind to her children, but both she and the father used to
correct them, but not with undue severity. He had no
reason to apprehend anything of a serious nature would
happen to any of her family from her hauls.
By a Juror—Mr. Youngman, sen., hal been out about
20 minutes before the occurrence took place. The back
door of the upper room only was open thefirst time he went
up stairs.

Mrs. Susannah Beard, wife of the last witness, confirmed
the evidence of herhusband, as to the noise in the room above
theirs. She added, that she heard a fail, and that she awoke
her husband. She was certainhername was not called. She
awoke her husband because she thought it late, newly
eight o'clock, and that he would be too late for work.
Her husband went up stairs and he returned immediately
screaming " Murder, murder." The landlord went up
stairs, but he did not stay long. Her husband then com-
menced dressing himself to go for the polbe, She saw the
accused William Youngman on the stairs. He had only
his nightshirt on. He said, " Mrs. Beard, my mother done
it all, and in self defence I believe I have murdered her." He
afterwards said, " She has murdered my sweetheart and my
two little brothers, and in self •defence I murdered her." He
then held out his right arm and said, referring to the torn
shirt sleeve, " See what she's done." There were spots of
blood on his shirt. In a short time after,he screamed out,
Mr. Beard, for God's sake go for a surgeon, as I
believe some of them are living ncw." She did
not hear anything that induced her to believe any
of the murdered people were alive. The accused always
appeared to be a nice young man in his behaviour. In his
conversation he was always quiet and rational. About ten
o'clock on Monday night she saw the young woman
Streeter. She first saw her about eleven o'clock in the
morning of the same day with William Youngman. The
last time she saw the accused was between nine and ten
o'clock the evening previous to the murder. He was
then perfectly sober. She had no reasonable doubt but
Mrs. Youngman died by the hands of her son. She always
thought she was a very harmless, inoffensive woman. The
big boy was rather troublesome, and she frequentlycorrected
him, but not violently. She never heard her make use of
any threats. She was a very sober woman.
John Varney, 333 P, said he was on trutY in Manor-
place on the morning of the murders He was in-
formed of the circumstance, and then entered the house
No. 16. On going up to the second floor he saw
the body of a boy, and at its feet the bodies of two women.
They were all in their night-dresses. At this time he saw
a young man standing in the doorway with nothing on but
his night-shirt. His right shirt sleeve was torn, and a por-
tion of it was hanging at the back of his hand. He said,
" Oh, policeman, here's a sight; my mother has done all
this. I own I struck nay mother in my own defence, wouldn't
you have done the same, that's the law." There was blood on
his right hand, his right knee; and his feet. The persons
lyin ong the landing were quite dead. The young man
walked about in a very excited state, and repeatedly said
his mother had done it all. Up to this time witness saw
no instrument with which the murder might have been
committed. On the arrival of his inspector he went
into the front room, and there the body of the other
child was found lying on the bed quite dead. There
was a great quantity of blood about both the door-
way and landing. The accused repeated several times to
Inspector Dunn that he had struck his mother ill
self defence. Witness took possession of the night
shirt the accused wore, and on asking him for the wrist-
band which was missing, he said be did not know where it
was. Constable Lack found the wristband inanother room.
By
positive he used the words, a Juror—Witness was
" I own I struck my mother."
The Coroner here said he proposed to examine constable
Lack, and the father of the accused, and the father of the
youngoman Streeter, and leave the mattor for that day.
l hadwoman
directed the body of one of the children to be
opened, in order that they might have positive evidence
of
weret so he use of death, as in the other cases the injuries
cause
that a post 'florin): examination was quite

unnecessary.
Constable Lack, No. 132 P, said, when he first saw the
accused on the landing, he pulled up his shirt sleeve and
Exclaimed, " Here's a job, my mother has done this," and
pointing down to the eldest of the females, he said, " Here
she is, I struck her in my own defence " Witness looked
down, and there saw the bodies of the females with their
throats cut. He found the knife produced near one of the
bodies. (The knife was here produced, the blade and
handle being covered with blood). He asked him if the
Young woman was lying there when he struck his mother,
and he replied, "He did not know." He found the wrist-
band of the shirt behind a box in the back room. It had