The Sun.
London, England, 1867-08-23 00:00:00

The Dreadful Tragedy at Kennington.

LATEST PARTICULARS-THIS DAT).
This morning at an early hour numbers of persons
visited the house, No. 51, Chester-street, Lower Kenning-
ton-lane, for the purpose of trying to get a look at the
rooms where Mrs. Anne Roberts, aged 40 years, murdered
her two children, Anne, aged nine, and Frederick, aged
seven, yesterday afternoon. The would-be sightseers were
disappointed, for strict orders have been given by the police
to admi:, no one whatever into the rooms until Mr. Coroner
Carter opens the inquest. For some hours afterwards the
street in front of the house presented a very animated
appearance. The crowd divided into small groups, and
every item of intelligence was eagerly sought after and
received, but it is needless to say that information given
to the people under those circumstances was not of the most
reliable character, for the individual who knew, or
pretended to know, most of the details connected
with the horrible tragedy gained the largest and most atten-
tive audiences. Stories of the most improbable character of
the previous life of the unfortunate victims and their
wretched mother were told with a circumstantiality of
detail that was positively amazing. During the narrative
of one of these stories, au inmate of the house was seen to
come to the door, and seeing the crowd outside that party
was observed to shed tears, and the police at once ordered
the crowd to disperse, and informed her that they could
see nothing, and that by remaining in groups outside they
were only wounding the feelings of Mr. Roberts, who
was then in the house. The crowd behaved with great
decorum, and moved a short distance, but only to return.
As it was stated that the mother had been seen chasing
her son Charles, aged 12, round the front garden with a
knife in her hand, the front flower garden where the
horrible chase took place was much looked at, but
as the flowers had.been uninjured, there was nothing to in-
dicate that the son had such a narrow escape of losing his
life in that place. It is stated by a neighbour that when
the mother, who was intent upon committing a third
murder, found her son leaping over same flowers,
and getting out of her way by taking a bound over
the fence, she threw the knife, which she had
in her right hand, after him, and it narrowly
missed striking him in the back. About half-past nine
o'clock this morning that boy was in so weak a condition
from the shock which his nervous system had received,
that when he was leaving a neighbour's house to walk
throigh the crowd in Chester-street he had to be sup-
ported as he proceeded down the street. He is a very in-
telligent-looking lad, but to-day he was very pale, and
looked like a person who had suddenly awoke
up out of a horrid dream. His mother yes-
terday afternoon, ;when she caught hold of him by
the shirt, which fortunately, tore, said, "You are very
unwell." She then tried to plunge the knife into his
abdomen. The boy struggled, his clothes tore, and ho
eluded her grasp a second time, and then the race between
the mother and the son took place.
It is stated that Mrs. Roberts has for some time past been
brooding over some imaginary wrong. Tho alleged
wrong is stated, but as there aro the feelings
of another party still living to be taken into
consideration it would be most unfair to state it at pre-
sent. We are informed that the conduct of the deceased
woman did not give rise to uneasiness in her husband's
mind, but she was morbidly jealous of him.
The mother of the wretched woman died raving mad.
We have been informed that soma person told the
deceased of the circumstances of an occurrence, which
that busy-body alleged had taken place a week before, and
the relation of that story no doubt either totally un
founded in part, or partly exaggerated, preyed upon the
deceased's mind, and she gradually worked herself up into
a state of madness.

The crime, it is now thought, was premeditated, for the
murderess waited until all the lodgers in the house had
left before she killed her two children, or sent for her son
Charles.