The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1892-03-17
A FIENDISH CRIME
The Terrible Secret of an Eng
lish Fireplace Discovered.
FIVE PERSONS FOUND MURDERED
-Four Had Their Throas Cut and One Was
stranged to Death.

Been Arrested in Melbourne. Australia
The victims Supposed to be His wife and
Children.
LONDON, March IA tragedy unparal- !
leled in the history of British crime
came to light yesterday through a most
singular chain of circumstances. In
July last man of the name of Arthur
Williams lived in the Dinham Villa, in
Bainhill, 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 bach
elor.
He courted Miss Mather, young wo-
man generally admired for her beauty
and other attractions, and recognized as
local belle They got married and went
TO Australia, where they were supposed
to be living happily. The people of
of Rainhill were shocked, few days
ago, by the news from Australia that
Williams had been arrested there on
charge of numbering his wife and chill
dren.
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 occupied
the Dinham Villa. They remembered
that one day woman and two children
had visited the villa to see Williams and
from the moment of their entering the
place no one had seen them again The
affair caused some remark at the time,
but nobody thonght OF murder, and the
matter was dropped with the suppostion
that the three had gone away without be-
ing seen.
| 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 concluded that no harm
could be done by investigating, and they
proceeded to the Dinham Villa yesterday
and began to dig up beneath the fire
place They noticed, as they began
signs that the place had been disturbed
within a comparatively recent period, and
certainly since other work had been done
in the interior of the villa.
they hardly expected, hover, to dis
cover anything, and their amazement
was great when, 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, when
killed, was about Z years of age, and
the other was apparently about . years
of age.
Both bodies were wrapped in damask
table cloth and both had their throats
cut The remains were in fair state of
preservation, aud neighbors who had
seen the woman 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 upon another body.
This, upon heing unearthed, was found
to be a woman. The throat was also
cut.
The police kept digging, while outside
the newS spread and the excitement
grew and thousands rushed to the scene
OF the tragedies.
A new force of police was called upon
and Gordon established around the
villa 1t was now waning toward even
ing, and the digging proceeded rapidly,
for rumor grew ON rumor and other re-
collections suggested that there were
more victims in the sepulchre beneath
the fireplace,
The next body unearthed was that of a
girl of IL years. Unlike the former vic
Tins she had evidently been strangled,
and it was evident, also, that her death
probably dnlG-udbtu bhdb VI bu0 NOhitlll
and two children. The girls body was
removed and the search kept up. A
, baby about year old, and with its
throat cut was reached next.
Even the hardened policemen could
not restrain an exclamation of horror as
the tiny and shrunken body was lifted
| up TO view.
The work of concealing the bodies was
carried out carefully. After deep hole
had been dug the bodies of the woman
and two children We're thrown in, and
cement was poured upon them. Then
the bodies of the two elder children were
thrown in and more cement was poured
into the hole. Next the hdg-stones wele
laid over the top of the hole and, finally,
over all, was applied d layer OF SIX
inches of cement, extending over The
entire kitchen,
Up to this hour no more discoveries
have been made. The news has caused
almost frenzy in Liverpool, and tine
multitude have rushed to the conclusion
that Williams must be Jack the Rip
per-" There is no known evidence
however, to sustain this theory, as the
victims were not mutllated otherwise
than stated above. At least such is the
statement Of the police.
lhe people in Rainhil believe that the
woman and two children who disap
peared upon visiting the villa, and whost
bodies were undoubtedly among thos'
discovered, were former wife of vii
liams and their two children, ana tha
Williams had got them to visit the villa
] for the purpose of getting rid OF then
in order that they might not be in th
way Of his IN ,rriage to Miss Mather
Tins, however, is only an impression
based on the circumstances.
Al the time OF the murder of Mis-
Mather. the wife with whom he went tC
Australia, Williams and his wife were ii
Melbourne, and il is there that he i
under arrest
Although Williams appearance CORE
spends with one description of 'Jacl
the Ripper the general Impression
that the TWO men are not identical. ia
wounds on the bodies already discovered
moreover, show iew, il any, Of the ana
NJ tomical features of the clipper" mur
p ders
q The digging to-day in the kitchen