The Sun.
London, England, 1859-01-15 00:00:00

SUPPOSED MURDER AT DUDLEY.

On Wednesday morning a woman named Mary
Townshend, living with her husband in a small
room behind the Mormon chapel, in Dudley, was
found dead in bed, under very mysterious circum-
stances. She had been seen in good health on the
previous evening. Upon her son going to her
residence on the Wednesday morning, he was
refused admittance by the stepfather, and the door
had to be forced open. When found, the woman
was quite dead, and appeared to have been suffo-
cated or strangled.
An inquest was held on Thursday before Mr.
Robinson, when the following_ evidence was ad-
duced :—James Savage, a son of the deceased
by a former husband, stated=" he went to
the place where his mother lived (at the back
of the Latter Day Saints' chapel, in Chapel-street,
Dudley), on Wednesday morning, at eleven
o'clock. He found the door of the house locked.
He knocked and tapped at the window for up-
wards of half an hour. During that time Thomas
Townshend (the husband of deceased) frequently
called out to him to go away and not make such a
noise. Witness then asked to see his mother, but
the husband refused to open the door. He then
went away to his own house, and returned at about
half-past 12 o'clock, and again tried to gain admis-
sion. He then told Thomas Townshend that if he
did not open the door he would break it open. He
then went for a constable, who came and broke
open the door. They found the deceased lying on
the bed quite dead. He had seen her in good health
on the previous day. She had lived on good terms
with her husband as far as ho knew.

Mr. James Fisher, a surgeon, stated that he saw
the deceased at the time the door was broken open.
She was then quite dead and cold. She lay upon
her back, and her arms and hands were raised to
her throat, as if resisting something. There was
a considerable discharge of froth from the mouth,
the eyes protruded, and the cheek was much suffused.
He noticed a silk handkerchief on the bed, also
covered with froth. There was a rosary round her
throat, drawn very tight. He noticed a portable
fire-place in the room, in which there was a quan-
tity of coke not burnt out ; but he did not observe
any sulphur. He made a post mortcm examination
of the body, and found the windpipe contained a
quantity of.fluid blood ; the chest and stomach were
in a healthy state, and from his examination he was
of opinion that the deceased died from suffocation,
produced by external pressure. He noticed an ex-
tensive indentation on the outside of the neck ;
there was also congestion of the brain, which would
be produced by strangulation or suffocation.
At this stave of the proceedings a witness was
not to be found who saw the handkerchief men-
tioned above tied with three knots tightly round
the deceased's neck.

The Coroner said it would be necessary to have
the witness present, and any further evidence that
could be procured, as there was no doubt that de-
ceased had died by strangulation, which could not
have been produced by her own act. The fact of
her husband refusing to open the door was also
suspicious. The mystery that enveloped the caso
would require time to be unravelled.
The inquiry was then adjourned to Monday next.
Great excitement prevailed in the neighbourhood
of the houae. The husband is at present under
medical treatment, and Mr. Fisher considers biro
imbecile. He is stated to have preserved the most
stolid indifference to his wife's death, and to have
refused to answer any questions. The coroner gave
an order to procure his attendance at the adjourned
inquest.

THE FOG OF YESTERDAY.—Another
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witnessed
the stward of London the
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fog appeared to open, showing in the gap, which stretched
across the hemisphere, a beautiful violet sky, from which
fell a broad belt of lighikit, and as seen from Waterloo-bridge
its effect was most strng. The light Epread across the
Thames, over Hungerford-bridge, and the tide being almost
at its flow, the water was illumined as by an electric re-
flector. All around and, below the bridge: was darkness;
but above, the outline of the river, with its floating graft,
was rendered sharply clear by the rays streaming from the
sky. The phenomenon was only of brief duration as the
fog menially closed up en each side. AS the morning ad-.
vaneed the fog descended, and it was only.by the exercise
of grew' c tution that the trail. of the strews could be carried
on; indeed, in some parts of the City and the East-end, it
was for 4 time suspended, while'the steamboats on the river
were convened to cease running. At noon the fog cleared
off, iind the weather became fine and seasonable.
FIRE IN LAMBETH.—Last evening,. about a
quarter past six o'clock, flames were seen issuing from the
premises of Messrs. Collins and Ca., malt masters, situate
m Princes-street, Lambeth. In less than five minutes the
powerful engine of Messrs. Hodges' distillery was on the
spot, and by the prompt assistance of their firemen, under
the direcitien of Mr. Whittaker, they succeeded in extin-
guishing the flames. The engines of Messrs. 13urnett'a
distillery, Price's Candle Works, as also
that of the parish,
rendered efficient assistance. The whole of the valuable
property thus exposed to danger was uninsured.