The Sun.
London, England, 1860-07-31 00:00:00

EXAMINATION OF THE ACCUSED.

This morning, shortly before twelve, the prisoner,
Edward Youngman, was placed at the bar of the Lambeth
Police-court, charged with the murder of Mary Young.
man (his mother), Mary Streeter, a young woman about
26 years of age, and Charles and Thomas Youngman (his
brothers), of the respective ages of 8 and 11.
On being placed in the dock he did not betray the least
emotion on being charged with the horrid crime. He was
very respectably dressed, and his appearance was that of a
mild-tempered gentlemanly young man.
The first witness called was

Inspector Dunn, who said—Thismorning, on information
of the murder becoming known at the police-station, I pros
ceedsd to the premises No. 16, Manor-place, Walworth. On
going upstairs, on the second-floor landing, I found the bodies
of three murdered persons, two females and one malo. The
elder of the murdered females was Mrs. Youngman, the
mother of the prisoner, Mary Streeter was the name of the
other, and the little boy was the prisoner's brother. I saw
the prisoner standing inside one of the rooms. I asked him
who had committed the murders, and he said his mother.
He said she had murdered his sweetheart and his two
brothers, and she was coming to kill him and had struck
him, but he had overpowered her and killed her in his own
defence. I told him he must consider himself in custody.
The crime could not have been long perpetrated as the
bodies of the three persons were warm. On proceeding to
the front room I there found the lifeless body of the other
child. It was lying, with its head nearly sewed from its
body, on the bed which was saturated with blood. I gave
him in charge to the constables in attendance, and we re-
turned to the station.

Mr. Elliott—To the prisoner. Do you wish to ask th

witness any questions ?

Prisoner—No. I have told the truth about it.

William Peard said, Treside at 18, Manor-place, and am
a carpenter. The prisoner's father and mother occupied
the second loor. I lived in the rooms beneath. The pri-
soner had been living with his father about a fortnight, he
had been a footman, but he raid he did not like that kind of
life, and Le meant to go into the farming line. Last nigh.
he returned home and with him the young woman Streeter
who I undesstand was about to become his wife. This
' morning, after the prisoner's father had gone out to work,
I heard a noise overhead as of children running about, and
shortly after a slight scream. Thinking that some of the
children might have been taken ill, I went upstairs, and
was horror-struck at beholding the murdered body of the
young woman and of the children. On proceeding further I
saw the body of Mrs. Youngman, and then the prisoner said,
"This is my mother's doings. She killed my brothers and
my sweetheart, and I have killed her in self-defence." I
gave the alarm, and on the arrival of the police the prisoner
again said his mother had committed the murders.
James Pilham said—l am landlord of the house in which
the murders have been committed. Shortly before six I
was awoke by the last w ituess calling out " For aocrg cake
come up, here's murder been committed." I immediately
jumped up, ran for a surgeon, and told the police of the
occurrence.

Police Constable 306 P, said- -I went in company with
another constable to the scene of the murder. Immediately
on the prisoner seeing me he said, " Here's a sight, police-
man, what shall I do, my mother attempted to murder me
as she ha4done the others, but I killed her in self defence
which was the law." I asked in which room he slept and
he said the front, and that the young woman had slept
with his mother in the back room, his father having
given up his bed to make room for her. He was standing
with but his shirt and trousers on. I told him to dress
himself to go with me to the station. He took oft the
shirt he had on and put on a clean one. The shirt taken
off by the prisoner was taken possession of by the police.
Mr. Elliott—Did you find any weapon with which the
murders might have been committed P
Witiess—l did not, your worship, but another constable
did.

Mr. Elliott (to prisoner)—Have you any questions to ask

shis witness ?

Prisoner—No, none.

Police-constable 232 P said—This morning a little before
six I receivo3 information that four persons had been mur-
dered at No. 16, Manor-place. I went there in company
with Inspector Dunn and the last witness. On going up
stairs I saw three murdered people—a little boy and two
females. Between the bodies I found the knife produced
(a long Spanish knife). It was open. I picked it up on
the landing. I saw the prisoner standing in the
back room of the second floor, just by the head
of the younger female. His right 'shirt sleeve
was torn, and on seeing me he said, " Here's a job, my
mother's done all this." I said where is your mother, and
he said, " there she lays" (pointing to the body next to
that young woman.) " I struck her in my own
defence." I said, " Was the young woman lying there
when you struck your mother ?" and, after a little
hesitation, he said, " I don't know." I went into the other
room, and saw a little boy lying on the bed with
his head nearly severed from his body. The
prisoner's hands were covered with blood. The in-
spector told him he must consider himself in
custody, and when he was about to dress himself to go out

it was discovered that one of the wristbands of his shirt
was missing. I asked him where it was, and he
said he did not know. After I took him to the
station I returned to the seene of the murder, and
found it hidden behind a box in the back room. The
knife is in the same state as when I found it. [A portion
of the blade was broken off.]

This was the whole of the evidence against the prisoner
at the present time.

Mr. Elliott (addressing the prisoner)—Do you wish to
say anything at present in answer to the charge against
you ?

Prisoner—No. I have nothing more to say than
what I had already told the police. I should like to ask
one of the witnesses a question, as to whether he did not
hear me call out murder.

The witness was recalled, but said he did not hear any-
thing of the kind.

Mr. Elliott said he should remand the prisoner for a
week, and he was then removed from the court, which,
during the whole of the investigation, was crowded almost

to suffocation.

A SUPPLY FOR THE THIRSTY.—At the e:ose of
the half-year, a month ago, there were in our bonded ware-
houses, waiting to pay duty and be delivered to the con-
sumers, 74,252,1171 b. of tea, 19 411 7111 b. of coffee,
3,878,7751 b. of cocoa, and 2062,28'7 'cwt. of sugar, all of
them larger quantities thanwere in the warehouses a year
before. For those who like a stronger beverage there were
10,459,989 gallons of spirits (against 8,535,533 a year be..
fore), and 12,005,749 gallons of foreign wine (against
9,847,695); the wine in bond from France, which at the end
of June, 1859, was only 435,520 gallons, was 1,154,406 gal-
lons at the end of June, 1860.
OUR ANCESTORS.—Mr. Darwin, whose treatise
on the development of species has. been the book of the
season, did not appear at the British Association. His
place was, however, well filled by Mr. Huxley, who had to
,
do battle for the new doctrine. ' If I may be allowed to
4
inquire," said the Bishop of Oxford, would you rather
have had an ape for your grandfather or grandmother ?"
" I would rather have had apes on both sides for my an_
cestors," replied
naturalist, unabashed, "than human
, beings so warp pd bth y
p e
rejuchee that they were afraid to be-
hold the truth."