The Sun.
London, England, 1858-10-04 00:00:00

TWO MEDICAL MEN COMMITTED
FOR MURDER.

In The Sun of Saturday it was mentioned that
two men were in custody at Manchester charged
with causing the death of a young woman, in en-
deavouring to procure abortion. The inquest was
held before Mr. A. Fonblanque, on Friday, the
name of the deceased being Martha Billborough,
single woman, aged 28. The two prisoners were
Germans, and styled themselves Dr. Wilhelm and
M. Carl Stadtmuller. The deceased has been liv-
ing for the last eight months with her uncle, Mr.
Joshua Bilcliff, who keeps the General Havelock
beer-house, Stretford-road. During the last month
she has several times sent an old woman to Dr.
Wilhelm's shop for medicines. A month since his
shop was in Deansgate, but he had recently removed
to Bury New-road. Sometimes the messenger took
a note; and she always took money, the first time
155., the second time 10s., and the third time Dr.
Wilhelm sent her back again, saying she had not
brought money enough. On each occasion but the
last the woman carried in return to the deceased a
gill bottle of medicine. The medicine was some-
times mixed by Wilhelm, and sometimes by Carl
Stadtmuller, a young man who appeared to be Wil-
helm's partner. One day a neighbour, Mrs. Wain-
wright, saw the deceased crying, and asked what was
the matter with her. She replied, " I have been
taking some medicine, which makes me ,so ill that
I can't take any more ; I'll throw it away." On
Sunday, between 2 and 3 o'clock in the afternoon,
the deceased walked down to Bury New-road, and
went to the house occupied by -Wilhelm and his
partner. She remained there until half-past 11
o'clock, when a cab was sent for, and she was
brought out of the house, looking very pale and
without her bonnet. Mrs. Wilhelm got into the cab
with her, and carried her bonnet. She was taken
home, and went to bed immediately, her uncle notic-
ing that she looked very ill. She continued very ill
the next day (Monday), but refused to allow a doc-
tor to be sent for, and only saw Wilhelm and Stadt-
muller, who called several times during the day. Mrs.
Wainwright was, however, called in by her uncle
to remain with her, and to her the deceased stated
that she had been taken ill while she was out on Sun-
day afternoon. During the evening she exclaimed,
" Oh, Mrs. Wainwright, if you knew all." Mrs.
Wainwright said, " Tell me, if it will ease you ; "
and the deceased replied, " I have done all this to
hide shame." She also complained that her shoulder
was very sore, and asked Mrs. Wainwright to look
at it. She did so, and found a large black mark,
Deceased said, " That's where they laid hold of me."
During Monday and Tuesday, Wilhelm and Stadt-
muller repeatedly saw the deceased, and were alone
in the room with her on several occasions. They
administered to her draughts and powders, and also
applied leeches. A few hours before her death on
Tuesday evening, the woman who had appliedsome
leeches by their orders noticed Wilhelm and Stadt-
muller talking together in German in the deceased's
bedroom. The latter then went to the looking-
glass, and from behind it took the medicine bottle.
He emptied its contents into a basin of dirty water,
and putting the bottle into his pocket took it away
with him. About an hour before her death deceased
was seen by Dr. A. Wilson, who prescribed for her
and discovered that she had been very cruelly
treated. She was then suffering excruciating pain.
After her death Dr. Wilson went to the Germans,
and charged them with having endeavoured to pro-
cure abortion. They denied it, and said deceased
had no medicine from them before Sunday. Wil-
helm said the deceased had told him that she had
used violence upon herself. Deceased's uncle re-
ceived from Wilhelm a certificate, signed Carl Stadt-
muller, medical candidate, from Wurzburg, which
stated that peritonitis and enteritis were the cause
of death. Dr. Wilson made a post mortem exami-
nation, and found no signs of either of those diseases.
The deceased was in the fourth month of pregnancy.
Her death had been caused by inflammation pro-
duced by considerable lacerations, which deceased
could not have done herself, and which must have
been done by instruments. Some instruments, pro-
duced by Mr. Chief-Inspector Maybury, who found
them at Stadtmuller's residence, were, Dr. Wilson
said, such as would be very likely to cause the
lacerations. They were only used by regular prac-
titioners in the most extraordinary obstetric cases.
The Deputy-Coroner, in addressing the jury, said
that if a person, in the commission of a felony (and
the use of instruments with intent to procure abor-
tion was a felony) caused the death of any person,
although he might not have intended to do any
mischief, he was guilty of wilful murder.
The jury retired, and after a few minutes' consi-
deration returned a verdict of wilful murder
against August Wilhelm and Carl Stadtmuller, for
whose committal to Kirkdale gaol the deputy-
coroner issued his warrant. _

vv
The prisoner Wilhelm was excessively imperti-
nent during the examination of the witnesses, in
the manner of his cross-examination ; and the
deputy-coroner was compelled to interfere in order
to preserve regularity. His companion, who is very
young, is unable to speak English. -

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