The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1892-03-17
FEARFUL MURDERS
The Mystery Which an australian
Tradegy Revealed.
4 TALE OF TWO CONTINENTS

Heartiess Monster in nm English |
Town Buried Beneath the Fire
place.
LONDON, March ia tragedy nm
paralleled in the history Of British crime
came to light yesterday through most
singular chain Of circumstances. In
July last man named Arthur Will
Jams resided in the Dinham villa, in
Rainhill, a fashionable suburb Of Liver
pool. Not much seems to be known
about the antecedents Of Williams He
seems, however, to have been received
in society, and passed as well TO do
bachelor. He courted Miss Mather, a
young woman generally admired for her
beauty and other attractions. and Tecog-
nized as local belle. They got mar
ried aud went to Australia, where they
were supposed to be living happily. The
peopIe of RainlniE were shocked few
days ago BY the news from Australia
that Williams had been arrested there
on a charge Of numbering his wife, and
that he had concealed the body of the
murdered woman beneath the fireplace,
carefully covering the place again with
cement There the authorities had I'M
earthed the remains.
As soon as these facts became noised
about in Rainhill the people called to
mind queer suspicious that had been
afloat about Williams when he occu~
pied the Dinham villa. They remenl-
bered that one day lady and two chill
,dren had visited therilla to see Williams,
and from the moment of their entering
the placeno one hadseen them again The
affair caused some remark at the time,
hut nobody thought of murder, and the
matter was Dropped with the slpposi-
EitiOn that the lady and the two children
had gone away without being observed.
Now, however, the neighbors began to
suspect that there might have been foul
play, and they determined to state the
facts to the police. The police con
l,oluded that no harm could be done by
investigating, and they proceeded to
the Dinham villa and began to dig mp
beneath the fireplace.
Mother and Children Dead
They noticed as they began. that the
place had been disturbed within com
paratiyely recent period, and certainly
since other work had been done in the
| interior Of the villa. They hardly ex-
pected, however, to find anything, and
| their amazement was great when
shortly after they had removed the
outer covering they came upon the
bodies of two children. The body of
one child indicated that the little one
killed was about 7 years of age. and the
other was abort5 years of age. Both
bodies were wrapped ina damask table
scloth and both had their throats cut
| The remains were in fair state of pres
4
seen the lady and the two children at
once concluded that these were the chill
dren.
The digging then proceeded with
greater energy than before, and the
/ searchers soon came up on another
body. This, upon being unearthed, was
found to be woman. The throat was
also cut, and the body wrapped up before
/ interment. 1t was said to be that of the
! lady who had accompanied the two
children The police kept digging, while
! outside the news spread and the excite
/ ment grew and thousands rushed to the
| scene IF the tragedies. "A new force Of
police was called upon, and Gordon es-
| tablished around the villa. 1T was now
! waning toward evening, and the digging
proceeded rapidly. for rumor grew on
runner, and other recollections suggested
/ that there were some victims in the
| sepulcnre beneath the fireplace.
Two More Bodies
The next body nnearthed was that Of
ia girl of IL years. Unlike the former
l victims, she had evidently been
ltstrangled, and it was evident also that
her death had antedated that Of the
lady and two children. The girls body
was removed and the search kept mp,
"A baby about | year old and with It's
throat cut, was also found. The hay
dened policemen conld not restrain an
exclamation of horror as the tiny and
shrunken body was lifted up to view.
! Up TO this hour no more discoveries
have been made. The news aroused the
people to frenzy in Liverpool. and tie
multitude have rushed to the conclusion
that Williams must be Jack the Rip
per-" There is no known evidence. how
ever, to sustain this theory. as the victims
We're not mutilated otherwise than.
stated above. AT least such is the state
ment of the police.
Police Theories.
The people III Rainhill and the police
believe the woman and two children
who disappeared upon visiting the villa,
and whose bodies were undoubtedly
found yesterday, were the former wife
of Williams and their two children and
that Williams had got them TO come to
the villa for the purpose of getting rid
of them in order that they might not be
In the way of his marriage to Miss
Mather. This, however, is only an i'm
preston based on the circumstances.
AT the time of the murder Of Miss
Mather tthe wife with whom he went to
Australia Williams and his wife were
in Melbourne, and it is there he is under
arrest.
Latest advices from Australia confirm
the belief that the first three bodies dis
covered were those of Williams wife
and his two children, whom he had de-
serted in Liverpool. Mrs Williams, it
is believed. discovered his abiding place
and presented herself with the children
at the Dinham villa As he had in the
meantime been counting Miss Mather be
at once got nd Of them by murder.