The Sun.
London, England, 1827-07-06 00:00:00

HORRID MURDER.

Wednesday, July 4.
A more atrocious and unparalleled instance
of human butchery has seldom been recorded in
modern times ( Weare's, perhaps, excepted)
than that which took place in the neighbourhood
of this town yesterday morning, between ten and
eleven o'clock. The unfortunate victim of the
blood-thirsty assassin was the Rev. J. Joshua
Waterhouse, Fellow of Catherine-hall, Cam-
bridge, and rector of Coton and Little Stukeley,
about 55 years of age. He has for many years
resided in the rectory-house, in the latter village ;
and being of rather an avaricious disposition
and eccentric habits, only one room in the house
was furnished—the kitchen, in which the old
gentleman at all times resided. Although he
farmed the land attached to the living, he- kept
no servants in the house, and a charwoman was
in the habit of going every morning to make
his bed, and perform other little duties. The
house is situate nearly in the centre of the village
but stands alone, in the farm yard, about fifty
b
yards from the street, the only entrance used
at the kitchen door, which opens in the
yard and communicates by a long passage with
the kitchen ; and this circumstance will some-
what account for the cries of 'the unfortunate
man not being heard at the time of the murder.
Yesterday morning he arose about five o'clock,
and was occupied with his farming and other
business until breakfast time, when the charwo-
man left, and after giving some instructions to
one of his labouring men, about ten o'clock, the
deceased gentleman remained alone in the house.
Between this hour and eleven the murder was
accomplished, and in such a way that the heart
sickens at the reflection, and horror steals
through the frame.
Every circumstance leads to the probable sup-
position that the villain rapped at the door, and
immediately upon its being opened by the Rev.
Gentleman, attempted to knock him down with
the instrument he held in his hand (supposed
to have been a hatchet or bill-hook), a severe
cut being inflicted on the countenance. Find-
' ing himself thus assailed, he naturally attempted,
as he retreated backwards up the passage, to de-
fend his head and face by holding up his arms,
which the inhuman monster literally hacked to
pieces : his hands were also dreadfully cut, as
though he had vainly attempted in the struggle
to wrest the weapon from the grasp of the as-
sailant. It was impossible for an unarmed man
to stand long against another whose determina-
tion to annihilate his victim seems to have been
as strong as it was guilty and bloody ; and when
they had reached about midway up the passage,
Mr. Waterhouse appears to have been rendered
incapable of further resistance ; the ruffian then
completed his desperate purpose, by severing the
jaw quite from the ear to the chin, inflicting
several wounds on the breast, and cutting the
throat nearly from ear to ear
1 In this state he
threw the murdered corpse into a brewing-tub,
nearly
which was standing
passage, the head partly hanging over on one
side, and the ' .egs on the other ; the blood flow-
soue
or
ht the
profusion
asiirocra si
ase in
the
in
ing from wounds
to c‘'..-ver the bottom of the tub. In this posi-
tion lie was found within twenty minutes after
the crime had been done, and almost before life
was extinct, by some of his labouring boys,
who came in as usual, about eleven, for their
morning's allowance of beer. Alarm was imme-
diately given, surgical assistance in vain pro-
cured, and every exertion set on foot to discover
the murderer—unhappily without effect. In the
evening an inquest was held before William
Margetts, Esq., Coroner for the hundred,
but no evidence was adduced calculated to fix
the crime upon the party, and the inquest was
adjourned till this evening, in the hope that in
the mean time something might transpire to lead
to a speedy discovery.
On entering the house, a most horrifying
spectacle presented itself to the jury. The walls
on either side of the'
passage, as well as the floor,
were bespattered and covered with human gore,
whilst here and there lay pieces of flesh which
had been hewn from the body of the murdered
maxi. On reaching the mutilated corpse, every
one was horror-struck ; and whilst the tear of
compassion started in the eye, justice and v(in-
geance on the murderer were the feelings which
predominated in the heart.
There can be no doubt but ti
that • .ie perpetra-
tor of the foul deed was well acquainted with the
Rev. Gentleman's habits of lire, as well as the
premises ; but as plunder dces not appear to have
been his object, none of the drawers being ran-
sacked, it is supposei revenge for some real or
imaginary grieva:rice was the stimulus to the
murderous tansaction ; •and the deceased gen-
tleman's morose and unpopular disposition
amongst the villagers is not unlikely to have
provoked it.
No murder having been committed in this
county for nearly half a century, when Jarvis
Matcham was gibbeted for the murder of a
drummer-boy, committed seven years befo.:e, and
from the circumstance of its being done in a po-
pulous village only three miles from the county
town, in mid-day, it has of course excited great
consternation and intense anxiety for the
covery of the murderer, for whose apprehension,
it is almost unnecessary to add, every exertion is
diligently making ; and may just retribution
speedily light upon his head !

aygToeiblisli
eabiyilfo
lel:
vvi n g
STATE OF TRADE. Business continues itt
much the same state that we reported last week;
the demand limited, with a Partial decline o-P
price. But as this particular period of the year
is generally unfavourable to trade, the nresent
stillness ought not to be considered an indica-
tion,
great and be-
of permanent declension. We feel, on the
contrary, confident, that a few weeks will see a•
considerable improvement both in the demand
Nivnhor:creripAntoßot:ro.
for our manufactures, and in their price. We
are particularly happy to state, that the late ad,
full emPl°P:nent,
which, - •
:
nvaenficceiasiinob‘sa•abggees hinavetbporode
uireceudmstances of t:iie
but weavers,also
charm,
particu-
larly where there are two or three of them in a
_filanchester Hera id oi, rr7
7 a comfortable
j 1 iursday.
.--.
A Popish ‘.,
sewed in a piece of red cle th
, , was cut from the
livelihood.
tail of a cow in an Irish drove, by a Young ti man in the neighh h dof -
,e gen-
family, they are able tlwni
our oo Newton Stewart,
some time ago. The Owner of the t e drove, a Mr.
Lindsay; Stated that he had bought the cow
from ' b
1 assmone, the person mentioned in the
charm : ,c ttt In ncmine Patris, et Eiji et
Sanctus Spiritus.tt I order and com d
-,
man jou
,in the name of Jesus of Nazareth,
who sent Paul
to preach to 1.1-;
disciples at Jerusalem, to catch
all the char-
.,. ,ns, maladies, witchcraft, blinking, or
al-I.Y °'.,ier injury done to James Passrnone's cow,
and that the malady may return to themselvet
again. Anien.W
. i !--..Bedfast Paver.