Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-01-01
Extraordinary Murder and snicide

Extraordinary nuroer ana
On Thursday morning, ut an early hour,
murder and suicide OF must tragIcal az =
distressing character took place at ThornrU
Heath, about q mile distant rom the tUSn
Croydon.
For some years past, Mrs. Mary SmithCr, X
lady Of some property, ami her two sons, ont
William IlstOu SDither, aged 30, and the
other Charles SmIther, aged Il, occupied the
house NJ. ~, Thornton Heath. and the fam
lily were remarka bic tor the love and affection
which seemed u suGsist between them. VIII
liam He!t N, the elder son, ha, been a clerk
in the Bank oi England, UPON which estab-
ilshment tie rece yed salary Oi Loo I er az
mum, and Charles has been engaged 10 the
factory Of Mr. Bunnitt, engineer, Deptord,
preparatory t. his entering the Bank OF Eng
land also, which he expected to do III d few
weeks.
William has been remarkable for bis stead
mess and general department, until very re-
Gently, when unfortunately total change
came over bin, and Tor some days preceding
the awful tragedy in which he was the prin
cpal actor he was known 10 drink bottle
OF brandy. This change there can be 20
doubt has been occssoned by his becominga
speculator on Change, and the Ill luck which
attended these specuatiOns. Ga one time
bargain alone he is said 10 have lost as much
AZ 7Ol, aud this sun he borrow ed in the be-
ginning OF toe week to pay over to his stock
broker. His losses it would seem were .
siderable, tor, from papers iUurd II apIl 31'
that assignments we're prepared for the
posll of some life policies, aud bill
5OOi, for acceptance from gentleman
city, were found among them.
Il had been his, Williams custom g.
down stairs, but for some cause or
for some nights preceding the u
occurrence slept with bis brox =
FIRST fjJr, a proceeding ohj9< i
mother, who insisted Oh hs
own ted and on Thursday -.
tunate lady called gu; 10 b .Il -
and asked IF William hat
room," aud tle answer, TAD =,
in the Affirmative.
Nothing, however, OccurredS |369
to excite suspicion or alarm. -
and brothers went to bed As us'I, and On
the following morning aJou' seven o'clock,
the servant. t.IHL Morgan, was aMoke Us she
thoussss by noise 10 her mlstrcosS room,
and she at once got up and commenced her
domestic work. 10 about quarter OF an
hour afterwards she heard "a knocking 1T the
bed room OF Mr.. Charles, and Oh gong Oh -
Mr. William asked her for wine <
which she tJOk to bim, and returned u
kitchen u prepare breakfast. III tVlng W
cd some time beyond the usual time at VII
toe family came to breakfast, sbe went t ~
bed room Of Charles and listened tor mo u
ment or so, and hearing 10 noise, she pushed
The door open, and the first thing that caught
her view was the cDuulenanCe OF her young
master With . quautity of cJlOred foam about
the mouth and nOS;rlls.
The sight 50 alarmed her that she retired
from the room, and at once ran to the house
next door tor as-ls ince, and returned win
the servant man. Both persons ten entered
the bedroom where they found both the
brothers perfectly liieless, and phi.i and
wine glass on the foot Of the bed. The t'st
exclamation OF the servant wAs ihat sue "as
sure the shock would Kill her mistress, and
itItcd for "a few moments a. 10 how Sue
should break it 20 her. In few moments
however, she summoned resolution, and pre-
ceeded 70 her MISTRESS BEDROOM on the same
floor, and on entering II, shocking to re
late fOuud the unfortunate lady numbered
amongst the dead also. she lay On the bed
her head resting on her right hand, the BED
perfectly unrufiIai, and II was evident that
tue potent aud deadly poison bad at i"sian-
taneous effect and that she died without
struggle.
Though 20 human aid could have been Of
the slightest avail, medical aid was sought
after, but it was quite on hour before II could
De procured, and AZ the end Of that time Mr.
Bottomley, Of Croydon. made his appearance
and pronounced all three dead.
Inspector Alexander Frazer Of the p. d.
vision of police, stationed at Croydon, wason
the spot AID took charge Of the house aud
TIE property, and 90 learning that Mr.. B'i'
tomly had taken away letter written by the
deceased, and also the phia w!,@k "ui col -
tanned the prussic hci, ne expressed some ~
constituent ard Dissatisfaction, particularly
ss he had not been able TO ascertain whether
;ne label on the bottle bore the name ot any
chemist.
Ii appears that Mrs Smther had been a.,.
ing for some days, and that Der son William
had been IN the habit OF giving her the mcd-
cine prescribed for her illness, and by this
means bad been enabled to give her the totI
dose, which must in y moment have termiua
ted her existence. Ii is the opinion OF those
who had seen bin. that the fatal drug must
have been poured into the mouth Of the
youth Charles while he lay on his back -,
that the sudden shock to the circulation
caused the foam ABBOTT the mouth and MOTT vi
IL is also believed that the quantity OF pr
sic acid taken by the unfortunate mur1a E
himself was 50 great that his death was
Simultaneous -- Tendon star. l
What Becomes OF Ola Boots
The Shoe snd Leather Reporter contains
the following solution Of the greet mystery