The Sun.
London, England, 1857-01-27 00:00:00

TEE DOUBLE MURDER IN IVA LIVORTH

Yesterday Mrs. Bacon made a fuller confession of the
guilt of her husband, but it does not differ widely from
that which she made on Wednesday last at Lambeth
police-court, and the reading of which caused so extraor-
dinary a sensation. If, however, the addition which she
now supplies is true—and there is no rsa-ion at present
to disbelieve it--the villany of her husband seem.; to be
of a deeper dye than the dreadful offence of cutting the
throats of his poor infant children had male it. Mrs.
Bacon now says that it was after destroying the lite of
the younger child that her husband attacked her ; and
not only attempted to cut her throat, but inflicted neve
ral scars on it. She repeats that she got hold of him by
the wrist of the right hand, in which he held the knife,
with both her hands, and thus prevented him from reach-
iug her throat. She further states that, as soon as her
husband could release himself from her held, be drew
a rope from his pocket and threw it round her neck,
endeavouring to prevent her making a noise, and forcing
her on the bed rushed out of the room. In confirmation
of her assertion on this point it is a positive fact that,
when taken to Horsernonger-lane Gaol on the Tuesday
evening (the following day) the matron of that prison
distinctly noticed a livid mark round the neck such as
would be produced by a rope or some hard ligature tied
tightly round it, and it struck her to be of so singular
a character as to induce her to call the attention of the
prison surgeon to it. The first day of his confinement
in Horsemonger-lane Gaol Bacon appeared in so frantic
and dejected a state of mind that his fellow-prisoners
were under the strong impression that he intended to
make a confession, but the next day he became more
composed, and has since gained much confidence. He
takes much pains to impress on all those about him
that ,he is innocent of the charge alleged against'
him by his wife, and expresses a strong hope and
expectation that at the next examination he will
be set at liberty. The wish expressed by Mr.
Elliott, at the last examination of the prisoners, of
Laving the body of Mrs. Bacon, sen., exhumed, that it
might be submitted to a thorough medical and surical
examination, was forwarded to the authorities at Stain-
ford, but a difficulty appeared to present itself in
carrying out the magistrate's wishes in the matter. Mrs.
Bacon appears to have been interred in the parish church
of Great Casterton, Rntlandshire, and therefore beyond
the jurisdiction of the authorities at Samford. No
positive information had yest .rdity reached Inspector
Young or the magistrate, Mr. Elliott, on the subject
but should any serious dillitsulty present itself it is in-
• tended At once to apply to the Secretary of State for the
Home Department for an order for the immediate ex-
humation and examination of the body. In a paragraph
which appeared on this subject in this paper on Friday
last, it was stated that, five days before the illness of his
mother, and which illness terminated in her death in
seven days, Bacon had purchased an ounce of arsenic
. at the shop of Mr. Patterson, a druggist in the town of
Stamford. In the Stamford Mercury of last Friday's
I date will be found the following confirmation of that
fact :
"It has been clearly ascertained that, a few days
before his mother's death, Bacon purchased half an
ounce of arsenic at the shop of Mr. Patterson, drug-
! gist, of Red Lion-square. He 'had previously made
attempts to procure arsenic on pretence that he wanted
it in his trade, but was unable to do so. When he
applied to Mr. Patterson he was told that poison could
not be sold without a witness. He then went out, and
' as Mr. Will'atn Clifton, plumber, was passing, he (galled
him in. The arsenic was therefore delivered to him,
and an entry of the fact was made in Mr. Patterson's
book, which was signed by Bacon and attested by Mr.
Clifton. That was on the Bth of May, 1355. On Sunday,
the 13th, Bacon's mother dined with him. On her return
home she was taken ill, and on the Tuesday following
she died. No suspicion as to the real cause of her death
was entertained at the time, but it is said that subse-
quently Bacon's wife, during her insanity, let fall ob-
servations which gave rise to the accusation.

The full confirmation of the recent news from China
imparted additional firmness to the tea market yesterday
morning, and several thousand chests were disposed of
at is. lid. and Is, lid., at which latter quotation there
were ultimately sellers. A good inquiry prevailed for
other descriptions, and higher prices were offered, but
holders were indisposed to realise.