The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-01-29 00:00:00

MURDER AT HORFIELD, NEAR BRISTOL

(From the Morning Herald of Yesterday.)
BRISTOL, Jan. 26.—The village of Horfield, situate about
a mile and a-half from this city, was yesterday made the
scene of one of the most horrible and revolting murders that
has been perpetrated in this neighbourhood since the memo-
rable assassination of Mrs. Lewis, at Stapleton, in Septem-
ber, 1834. The discovery of the horrid event produced the
utmost degree of alarm in the village, and within an hour of
its discovery it was generally circulated for miles round this
country. The name of the unfortunate victim was Martha
Shedden ; she was an unusually hale woman, between 66 and
67 years of age, and was wife of Mr. Alexander Shedder], for-
merly an apothecary carrying on a large busiuess in this
city, but who had retired some years since on a small pro-
perty, and is now residing at Cheltenham Cottage, Gloucester-
road.

Upon receiving intelligence of the tragical event this morn-
ing, I repaired to the spot, where a scene of the most re-
volting description presented itself. The body of the unfor-
tunate lady was lying in the position in which it was first
discovered on the floor in a back room of the house. The
head presented a truly frightful appeaarnce, having almost
literally been torn to pieces. The whole of the right tem-
poral and a portion of the right parietal bone had been beaten
in ; the skull had also been driven in on the top of the head
at the left side ; in addition to which there was an extensive
cut over the right eye, one on the upper lip, and several on
other parts of her person. Her clothes were literally deluged
with blood, a large pool of which flowed from beneath the
chair upon which, in all probability, she was sitting when the
fatal injuries were inflicted. The medical gentlemen who were
called in are of opinion that the wounds were inflicted with a
hammer; but the police seem inclined to a different opinion,
as a heavy iron riddle which was found in the fire-place was
spotted with blood in several places. I have examined this
implement very minutely, but I can find no traces of blood on
the edges or interior, and the spots on the back (the part
turned towards the chair when it was first discovered) ap-
pear to have been spirted on it. There are also large
spots of blood on the walls and ceiling, and a considerable
quantity on the cushion of the chair, in which I imagine the
deceased to have been seated. The following are the parti-
culars of the discovery, &c. as ascertained on the spot; be-
fore giving which, it may be as well to premise that a young
man named Charles Rudge, who had been occasionally em-
ployed in the family of Mr. Shedden, but had latterly been
discharged on account of the discovery of some petty thefts,
was last night apprehended on suspicion or the murder, by
two constables of the Gloucester police, in which county
Horfield is situate. At about 10 o'clock yesterday morning
Mr. Shedden left his house for the purpose of coming to Bris-
tol to see his sons, one of whom is a clerk in the Custom-
house, and the other occupies a responsible situation in the
office of one of our respectable solicitors. As he came down
the Gloucester-road towards Bristol he met .Rudge proceed-
ing in the direction of his house, but he did not for the mo-
ment suppose that he was goieg there, as from the evidence
afterwards addUced before the magistrate would seem to be
the case. Having completed his business in town, he, at
about seven o'clock, returned with his son Henry to Horfield.
He knocked at the front door as usual. Having waited for
several minutes without receiving any answer, he proceeded
to the back of the house, and as the back door is usually kept
fastened, he knocked there. After waiting about five minutes
without having succeeded in making any one hear, it occurred
to him that his wife had gone to the house of a neighbour.
He was accordingly proceeding in that direction, when his
son, who had in the meantime tried the door and found it
open, called to him. He then returned, and having entered
the room, which was in complete darkness, walked for a few
steps, and then stumbled against the body. His first im-
pression was that she had fallen down in a fit, but on obtain-
ing a light the horrid spectacle presented itself to his view.
The poor woman had apparently struggled with her murderer,
for some of the furniture and her wearing apparel were very
much disordered. She was quite cold, and had evidently
been dead for some hours, as the blood was completely con -
gealed, and the fire quite extinguished. The motives which
could have led to the horrid act are as yet enveloped in com-
plete mystery. Two are suggested ; the first robbery, and
the second revenge; and the evidence of facts as affecting both
are equally slight. With reference to the first, it is stated
that two old-fashioned pockets which she usually wore (and
iu which she only carried a small sum in silver), and her
wedding-ring and gold keeper, have been removed from her
person ; but with reference to the latter, it is admitted that
her habit was, whenever she was at work, to take them off
and put them away, and she has been repeatedly known
to adopt the same course with reference to her pockets. The
facts, which would seem to deny such a motive, are, that
some silver spoons exposed on the dresser had not been re-
moved, and that none of the drawers and boxes in the house
appeared to have been opened. As to the grounds of malice,
they are equally slight. It appeared that the supposed mur-
derer had some time since lent her a book which had been
lost, and concerning which a few words had occurred ; but,
excepting this fact, I can find nothing, as it is clear from the
evidence of a lad, named Shakespeare, that Rudge had been
re-employed by the deceased in the morning. As soon as
Rudge was taken, he was conveyed to the house, where
he burst into tears, and exclaimed, " Good God ! how do
you think I could have murdered Mrs. Shedden?" On
the following morning he was again taken to the house,
when he again protested his innocence, saying, " Oh my
God ! I did not do it, though you might think I did ;" he
also said that he left Horfield at eleven o'clock in the
morning, and that he could get a dozen witnesses to prove
it. When lie was taken into custody, his clothes were
seized, and on his trousers there were a few spots resem-
bling blood, but it is difficult to say what they are. The
surgeons seem to be of opinion, that the person committing
the murder must have been much marked with blood. A
diligent search has been made, but as yet no hammer has
been found ; but is not improbable that it has been thrown
into some of the neighbouring ponds or fields. The hour
of the occurrence cannot be fixed with any accuracy. The
man who had been usually in the habit of supplying deceased
with milk, states, that when he knocked at three o'clock he
could make no one hear ; but a next-door neighbour asserts,
that she heard the deceased talking to some one after that
hour, The accused and his father say that they can
prove an alibi, extending from twelve o'clock in the day till
ten o'clock at night. This afternoon, a partial examination,
for the purpose of remanding the prisoner, took place before
H. W. Newman, Esq. In addition to the testimony of the
husband, and the constable who apprehended the prisoner,
two boys were examined. The first, Edward Shakespeare,
deposed, that as he was coming towards Bristol, between 10
and 11 o'clock, lie saw the accused proceeding up the road
towards Horfield. Afterwards, at about 12 o'clock, he saw
him in the garden of Mr. Shedden's house, assisting deceased
to beat carpets. Shortly afterwards he saw him laying down
ashes in the garden, and again, at about four or five o clock,
met him coming into Bristol, by way of a road called Cut-
ler's Mill-lane. He had his hand in his pocket, and a
pocket-handkerchief hanging out. A boy named William
Furze also spoke positively to having seen him go up the
road at about eleven o'clock, and return again towards Bris-
tol at about three o'clock. The prisoner still solemnly pro-
tested his innocence, and then fainted away. Since he has
been in custody he has repeatedly expressed a desire to see
the Rev. Mr. Clifford, the incumbent of the parish, but says
it is not about the murder. He also told the constable (168)
that he had dreamt in the night that he was murdered with
a hammer.

The inquest was held on Wednesday morning, at the
Beer House, Horneld, before William Joyner Ellis, Esq.,
coroner for the county of Gloucester.—The jury, after hear-
ing the evidence, returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder "
against Charles Rudge.

R. A. Reynolds, Esq., will, it is most confidently ru-
moured, be very shortly restored to his rank in the army,
and, some say, to his old regiment.—Brighton Herald.
The Hon. Miss Devereux, only daughter of Viscount
Hereford, has been appointed by her Majesty to succeed
Miss Spring Rice, as maid of honour to her Majesty.
A new job is in contemplation, which will make its ap-
pearance very shortly, by which. unless we are deceived,
provision will be made for 20 whig-radical barristers, as local
judges, and some twice as many more commissioners, &c.^.
John Bull.

A general move is in course of being made in the various.
parishes in the metropolis against that most odious impost,.
the window tax. It would be well if a similar agitation were•
originated in the provinces, for of all taxes that upcorthe light
of Heaven is the most harsh, impolitic, and uncslted for.
Mr. Alexander Grant, of Carnousie, the ministerial midi—
date for the Elgin burghs, committed suicide on Monday.
last, the 18th instant. Deep speculatiokis in tea are said to,
have turned out unfavourably, and to hove prompted the un-
fortunate gentleman to this rash act. Sir Andrew Leith Hay.
was also in the field for these burg/114, but'Mr. Duff, of Haddo .
meetihnitorit'athl
ine RthoeyaalppAligeraitciounltuorSoci of
on the conservative interest. bps. been the favourite since the-
starting.
W. S. Dogdale, Esq. M.P. transmitted
t o the so-
cietyalon,two fields on his estate in Warwickshire,
nitAratteaorlawstude
a lighp gravelly soil, and the other a stiff clay, as well as
Englatnhde,resu4 4.
saltpetre ant
grass land. In every case a decided superiority- at-
one
on some
ended the use of the citrate of t se a d •
is the inoreasa of wheat
nd,abundant crop of bay.