The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-21 00:00:00

THE INQUEST.

The inquest was taken at the Fort, on Saturday,
at 2 o'clock, before Blake, Esq., Coroner for the
Isle of Wight, when the following evidence was
taken : .

John Diash, sworn, stated he is sergeant in the
Isle of Wight Artillery, stationed at Sandown. He
knew Sergeant Whitworth and his wife. He was
master gunner at the fort—in fact, in charge of it.
Witness had seen the bodies but could not identify
the whole of them. The wife and two elder girls
he knew well. He last saw the mother and infant
alive on Tuesday last. The family lived in a tene-
ment inside the fort. On the previous day, while
on the parade at the barracks, which is half a mile
from the fort, Whitworth was seen running up.
He staggered in his gait. Several officers were
standing together. He ran up to Capt. Robertson
and fell on his knees. He had his hands clasped
to his throat and talked in a very excited manner.
He took some papers from his breast pocket, which
he gave, with other things, to Capt. Robertson. He
then ran into the officers' quarters. He speedily
came out again, when Major Gordon called for some
men to take him to the hospital. Witness went
with him. Observed his face and hands were
bloody, but could not see his throat. Witness then
ran down to the fort and went into the house.
There were footmarks of blood in both lower rooms
and on the stairs. He went into the bedrooms, and
on the floor he saw an old sword, some papers, and
pools of blood all round. He found the body of the
woman and three children on one bed, and on the
other three other children. The throats of all of
them were cut, and they were cold and stiff. They
were all in their night-clothes except the mother—
she was dressed with the exception of her boots
and cap. She was lying on the bed with her
breast out as if she had been suckling the baby
lying near her. They looked as if they had not
been disturbed in their sleep, as they were all
more or less covered with clothes. There was
a large quantity of blood on the bed, particu-
larly on the pillows. The second eldest girl had
blood on her feet as if she had been standing in it.
There was also a white-handled razor lying on the
floor. Blood had spurted on the walls, bedpost,
and window. There were also handmarks of blood
on the doorpost and handle. There were two foot-
marks in blood down stairs, one appeared large, as
if made by naked feet, while the other was much
smaller and appeared to be the mark of a foot with
a stocking on. Witness saw Whitworth again in
the hospital in the evening. He was talking to
the men attending on him. He said, " Poor little
Bobby is gone." The man then asked him the
names of his children. He said, " Ellen, Lizzy,
Molly, Freddy, Willie, and Bobby," and that the
eldest was 12 years old. In witness's opinion the
sword had not been used.

Captain Whichcote Manners, sworn, stated he
was in charge of the fort. He knew Sergeant
Whitworth. He was an odd man. He always
appeared to have some grievance, mostly against
Engineer officers. He once said he possessed some
forged documents, which, if exposed, would trans-
port some of them. He had a great desire to remain
at the fort, to complete his time of service, which
wanted only about nine months. About two
o'clock yesterday he ran into the barrack yard in a
very excited state. He threw himself on his knees,
and exclaimed, addressing Captain Robertson,
" For God's sake, sir, preserve me." He then got
up and handed some papers, his watch, and some
money, to Captain Robertson, and then said, " He
has used me dreadfully, he held a pistol to my
head, and threatened to shoot me if I did not cut
my throat," at the same time puffin., down hiscoat
collar, which was bloody. He was then taken to the
hospital. Several started off with witness for the
fort, where the words were too truly verified. On
seeing him again in the hospital, in the course of
his talk, which was incoherent at t imes, he said,
"My wife was a good woman. I have nursed
her for a fortnight, and she has nursed me. We
were a loving family." He rambled about the state
of the fort. The gates of the fort are shut every
night at half-past 9 o'clock. On Thursday evening
witness came into the fort with other officers about
10 o'clock, and finding, on inquiry, that all were
in, ordered the servant in charge to go to bed. The
officers sat chatting for about two hours before they
retired. They heard nothing of any kind to call
their attention. He had since looked over all the
papers found in the house, bat there were none
which in any form justified the remark which Ser-
geant Whitworth had made.

- Robert Hoar, a commissioned boatman in the
coast guiad service stated that when on duty yes-
terday in the high road he saw Whitworth running
and asked him what was the matter. He put out
his hand and said, " Horrid ; they have murdered
my six children and poor wife. I have been watch-
ing these two nights, and there is a man standing
down there with two pistols in his hand. They
are all dead. I am going to the barracks and will
see you when I come back." Witness ran to the
fort immediately, where he met the other witness,
and found things as described.
A sword and razor found in the house, and both
covered with blood, were produced.
Robert Henry Leesen, sworn—l am a surgeon,
practising at Sandown. Yesterday, about three
o'clock I saw Sergeant Whitworth at the barracks.
He had a severe cut across the throat, made with a
somewhat blunt instrument. If this razor was used
it would make the wound I found in his throat. I
think it was done with the right hand and self-in-
flicted. He has not separated any important vessels
but he must have lost much blood, My attention

was directed to the wound, and though I made him
speak I did not heed what he said. He seemed un
conscious of his actions. He was in a partial state
of collapse when I saw him, but he had been much
excited. I then came down here and saw the
bodies of his wife and children. I examined them.
I found the woman with the windpipe completely
severed, together with the larger vessels and the
nerves. The wound was six inches long, and very
deep. I found no bruises or punctured wounds.
The hands were not cut nor did there appear any
sign of resistance. If it was done when she was
asleep she had not time to wake up, as the wound
would cause death in two or three minutes. In the
same bed I found the body of a boy two or three
years old. He was in a doubled-up position, such
as might have been caused by pain, or by being
doubled up while warm and thrown there. His
throat was cut from ear to ear. I also found on
the same bed a girl about eleven years old. She
was lying with her head on a pillow at the opposite
end of the bed. Her throat was cut eight inches
long. I should say that after the skin was severed
several cuts were made to so sever and separate the
integuments and all the large vessels. There was
also a young child lying on the same bed with a
very severe cut across the throat, extending from
side to side behind the angle of the lower jaw to
the end of the same jaw. It gives one the idea
that the child was held in an upright position, and
cut with the sword. It was not possible to inflict
the wound in a lying position, nor with the razor.
I ought to remark that the eldest girl on this bed
had blood on her feet. I then examined the bodies
on the other bed. The first was a girl about 13
years of age. I found her on her side as if she had
thrown herself on the bed in despair, or had been
thrown on. I found a severe wound in her throat.
It was a mutilated wound. Either of these instru-
ments drawn more than once across the throat
would have done it. I found stockings on her feet
saturated with blood, her toes protruding from the
ends. I also saw footmarks down stairs which cor-
respond with the size and shape of the foot, and
distinctly showing the web and fabric of the stock-
ing. On the same bed was a child about three
years old, a boy. There was a wound in his
throat most likely inflicted by the point of a
razor. It was a cleaner wound than the other. I
think the child must have been asleep when it was
done. There was also a girl about ten years of
age in this bed with a wound in her throat about
six inches long, dividing the large vessels and
nerves. It was a jagged wound, and might
have been inflicted by either of these instruments.
I think very likely he used the pillows to smother
their cries, if any. In each .case the wounds I have
described were the cause of death, and they were
not self-inflicted. In addition to the child's foot-
prints of which I have spoken, I observed also some
of a man's foot. I have examined Whitworth's
foot, and the footmarks correspond, It is also evi-
dent to me he walked about both with and without
his stockings. The stockings produced would,
from the nature of the fabric, have left the impres-
sions I have noticed. I should say the bodies had
been dead about fifteen hours when I saw them. _

Superintendent Campbell produced a letter which
he found in the house in Whitworth's handwriting,
addressed to the general commanding the south-
western district, requesting he might be allowed to
remain during his time, as when he was last moved,
not having a War-office warrant, he did not get his
expenses. He also produced another paper found
on the floor of the room, written in pencil, which
ran thus :—" Infernal plot. Sandown, May 17,
1860. Sergeant Whitworth's wife and six children
all murdered."

The Coroner having addressed the jury, they re-
tired, and shortly returned a verdict of wilful mur-
der against William Whitworth in each case.
He was committed under the coroner's warrant.