The Sun.
London, England, 1828-12-16 00:00:00

HORRID MURDER.

On Friday last the village of Cheam, in Surrey,
and the places adjacent, were thrown into a consi-
derable state of excitement, in consequence of a mur-
der having been perpetrated in the immediate
vicinity of the above-mentioned place. Between
seven and eight o'clock in the evening of the day
specified, a noise was heard in the dwelling of a
Mr. Wittman, by an individual who was passing at
the time ; soon after which .Mr. Wittman himself
appeared at the front door of his house, which he
shut up, and proceeded to that of a neighbour,
whom, on seeing, he immediately exclaimed that he
bad shot his wife, Mrs. Wittman, adding, that she
had given him great provocation, and that, in the
heat of passiou, he had shot her through the head.
The report of the murder having been committed
soon spread over the village, and in a short period a
number of pea-sons were collected. Previously,
however, Mr. Wittman, on communicating the cir-
cumstances of the deed, urged those to whom he
made known the fact to accompany him back to his
house, and on their entrance he guided them into
the kitchen, on the floor of which his wife lay ex-
tended, apparently dead. Her features were not
visible, owing to the quantity of blood which cover-
ed the entire of her face, the upper part of which was
dreadfully shattered, apparently from shot discharged
from a gun or some such weapon; the floor on
which the unfortunate woman was lying presented
an appearance of its having been the spot on which
she had been deprived of life; the blood flowing
copiously on each side of the body. Mr. Wittman
appeared exceedingly agitated during the time he
remained in the apartment where his wife was lying
dead. Mr. -Harris, the constable of the village, was
soon afterwards sent for, who immediately made
him a prisoner. Mr. Wittman formerly held a si-
tuation in the Excise, and resided while in employ-
ment in Penton-place, Walworth. It seems while
living there, he and his wife led a very unhappy
life, frequent quarrellings and biekerings between each
other occurring.
Since his retirement from the Excise, having
amassed a handsome independence adequate to the
support of himself, his wife, and child, he quitted
Walworth some time ago and took a neat cottage
at Cheam, where they resided. Subsequently to
their departure from town, and while in their new
abode, it was particularly observed by the neigh-
bours that Mr. Wittman and his wife lived very un-
happily together, and it is strongly rumoured in the
vicinity of their dwelling, that he was exceedingly
jealous of his unfortunate wife.
The day subsequently to the murder (Saturday)
an inquest was held on the body of the deceased, at
the residence of Mr. Wittman, Isefore R. CARTER,
Esq., the Coroner for Surrey, and a respectable jury.
Matthew Steadman, of Nonsuch-park, in Surrey,
on Friday last, about twenty minutes before eight
o'clock, was at Mr. Willis's cottage. He heard
some person scratching against the side of the house;
went out to see what it was, and found Mr. Witt-
man there. Witness said " Holloa," upon which
Mr. Wittman said that his wife had struck him
twice with a poker, and he bad shot her, and that
she ,was dead. That he requested witness to go to
his house with him, which he at first refused to do,
until he got William Perkins and Daniel Deacon to
go with him ; that they all three %vent to the house,
and Mr. Wittman went foremost into the garden,
and asked them to follow Linn up to his house. Mr.
Wittman their got in at the parlour window, and
witness and the other persons followed him. They
then walked through the parlour into the kitchen
and found the deceased in the kitchen lying on the
floor dead. Perkins inquired of Mr. Wittman where
the gun was that he had shot his wife with, when
the latter replied, " Here it is," pointing to it.
Perkins took the weapon into his possession, upon
which Mr. Wittman said, my wife struck ins on the
head twice with a poker; blood was then running
down his face. Witness also saw the blood runniNg
down his face when he came to Mr. Willis's cottage.
William Perkins, of Sutton, farmer, corroborated
this testimony,
William Prosser, of Cheam, plumber and painter,
lodged with Mr. Wittman for three months, and
also boarded with him ; Mr. Wittman had been for-
merly in the Excise, but now lived on his property.
Witness dined on Friday (the day of the murder)
with the deceased and her child in the kitchen. Mr.
Wittman was sitting in the kitchen, by the fireside,
at the time. Witness went to work before two
o'clock, and returned about twenty minutes after
five, and Mr. Wittman and the deceased were both
at home at :hat time ; the former purchased a goose
at the gate, and gave it to his wife. Witness
thought at the time she was in liquor, and she said
the ivas tipsy; and in a few minutes afterwards she
went to bed, 'Witness saw some gin on the kitchen
dresser, and gave Mr, Wittman a glees of it, which
he drank. Witness left the house in a short time
afterwards, and returned home a quarter before nine
o'clock, and forted Mrs. Wittman lying dead on the
kitchen floor. .4P the time witness left the house
to .4-o to the Harrow, Mr. Wittman appeared tipsy,
The witness added, that Mr. Wittmeti was conti-
nually shooting about the garden, and the gun was
frequently brought into the house loaded. Witness
1.l(p(1. him if he loaded the gun hi his passion, and
he ro
plied,
placed t
that
be
theridsiz 4r, mud 014' was loaded,
a
The Jury, after a few minutes' consultation, re-
turned a verdict of " Wilful Murder" against the
accused, who was forthwith committed en the Co-
roner's warrant to Horsemonger-lane-gaol.

nigiDA,UNthlEgEh.—t—he A w
...
storm. of most tmommon ap-
pearance arose here on Monday. Daring the previous
boisterous, the forenoon of Monday was calm. Betwixter,
eather, was occasionally rainy and
the horizon, which, at its western verge, prffentpd 'Fames
"""d t") kqWPver, thick darkness suddenly overspread
of par tentous looking clouds, tinged with fiery red. . Soon
after rain fell in torrents, the wind blew a hurricane, and
the appearance of the Tay was as if the water had been
eonggling against a rocky and uneven bottom. The sea,
striking. against Newport-pier, was seen frost Dundee to
rise perhaps twenty feet high. Luckily no boats were out.
--Edinburgh Eveninp Courant,