Murder At Bronti-Place, W...
The Times, 1824-11-22T00:00:00

-oft$ tat'7nior ngn, sarl liirse wat',WA eT at-tbdfIc1 t 1!.q.,o-COr9ner log Surrey, to inq4ire usto,the c9iie,ofpc!h9 4seaitW of.-L1!r(lizip-,;hcr wh~O, It w.s~~ sctatd, ba4 b~an-a*ujdjeie by. hot TtiLlUiiVy- bcing~ swo-ri, 'adjourne dto l3eontl4pltlpto VieeeO the- be.'fiedrasd hchp indisgn hro 6t frst :iTh r uptea~ lne. d06ged 1ici posw s qibkTle to decii thbfe'1ig Aof6 the J.ffoss witnessing:the 'sjwctacle that presented `itselt..to their- view. Theltcddinnocenit Jay. on its,bptck~ its head andfacersbockinglvdls. .figurtei'by blood'and ~xlirsns,- llorn thfe f4ce to tha feet -there wa's scarcery a lice free fromn Ainjusy. Ti'hk. jury cxelaibied, "1Good God I whsata-dreadful sightl!" On' their eetura to the jury-room the followFing evidence was taken:- JobnAdarrns'sworn.-l am a shoemaacer, rexldinginBronti-placc, Bant-street, Camberwell. I saw the child after It wag mlurdered-I mean dead. ekcusci,myusing that.XpexASaion, I am iiucts agitated. 'The child 'was citered wzith blood, and alive wlien I first saw - it. It Was a most shocking sight. [This wiitness hiere became very faint, afnd wouldl hiave falleithad not some of the jury, prevented h1im he was removed into the air.] Mfrs.. Adams, the wife of the laiit witnless, wasicalled, and she stated-On Wednesday last, about five o0clock, Mlrs. Dewhsirst, tehc mnother of the decesed, came to my hiousie to seek shelter from the -violence of -her husband, wvho, site saidl, was going on in such a way, 'that shec begged that I wvouldI Lo with her to hier house. I Wefill withi her, and' kniocked at the cdoor, and her husbandl opere.d it; he wvs wvithout his hat'and coat, h'is hair appeaTed to stand on end, and he looked as if hie were crazy. On MrsI. Dlw hi rs't attem ting to chter the house, he kicked at her, and struCk her a blow on the breast. Mlrs. Dewhirst asked for her bonnet; arid hesaid, "You may come in, but you shall not have yAur bonnet." He held thle deceased in his sins at this timne, anid tzok her up stairs to'bed, and then came dlown. MIrs. Dewhirst asked me to watch her lbus. barid ,aana I put on a bonnet anti shawl, lent me by a nieighbouir, to disguisie myself that he nmighit not kniow me, and I saw him come from his house and go up. Bronti-place; he looked let nme very hard, anl got out of my sight. I'went back, to M1rs. Dewhirst, anid accom- panied her, at her request, to search for her husband, whio wAs some time afterwards found'drinking at the MAlson~' Armis, East-lane. About half-past, 1i the samie night Sil ra. Dewbirest came to me again, in companly with a watchman, and begged me to let her and lier daugh. ter, a girl abouit scven years of age, stay in my hou.9e, as hier husband was like a madmran, Anid was beating the7 infant now~ deceased. MrIs. DewhivSt renueBted the watchman to cone in anid inform her wken her husbandl was gone from home, which he could discoverby the lighit bring removed from the front rOOM. ,Seon afterwadrd the watchmianicatTie and said the ligkt was'gofie, aiid Mlis. Dewlbirst went'with hiim; s'ite returned in' a few mintites, and be-ggedl me to go ithhertoherhoue,andgeta octor. She said Mlr. Dew. hirt, he as frad, ad aidon hebaby anti strangled it; and Sir.Swif, th sureon,was rougt to see thie child. I went up stairswith Sir Swift. nd foundch deceased lying!, quite nake onthefloo ina bck rom.Herface was all over black and bluie, and the blootd was issuiing from hier mouthtl. Ti'lere was blood about the floor in several places, anti also against the wall, lhalfa yard from the floor. Mir. Dewhirtst was standing in the roomn at this timie, in his shirt-tileeves, lie said the baby hiad fallen down stairs-tlhat he picked it up, anid had done the best lie could for it.. Juror.-W,as there any blool on the stairs ?-None-it was all on the room dloor. The surgeon, Mlr. Swift, begged Mr. Dewhirat to let him examine the chilul, andhe told Mr. Swift thatbhe should not. Somne warm water was protured, and I washed the bloDclofl' thechnildl'. face, head, and neck,. Iremnained till between 4 andc 5 in the morning, andI the childi was then alive. Jnros.-WVhere was the mothier from tdie time the surgeon arrived till 5 O'clock ?-She was in the house, down stairs. CoRosxEn.-Do you mean to say that the inother tlidi not go up stairs at all during that time ?-I do say so ; I went baclc to the Iorebten10 and II o'clock in the morning, and the childl was ,tig;Istopped till it dlied. (Witness was much aff'iected.) Juror.-Waus the tiiother presenit when the infant expired I- Witness (whio burst inito tear,i). No, Sir, she was niot. . OON e a.-Dld AIr. Dewhirst remnain in the roomi with the child till four o'&lck in the morninig ?-No, Sir, he was taken into Cus- tody somie tinie before.' Juror.-Did Ai'., Dewhtirst. make no observation ?-Yes, wvhile I was lighting the fire to boil some water, Air. Dewhirst was dowvn .5tairs, and beggedl the door to he closed, as lie diii not wishi his neigbbotirs to be disturbed, hut lie did not m-indI himself or faimily. Thud watchmen were in the houise-at the time. MUy hiusband said, "1 Whlat a horrid sight this is 1" Air. Dewbiirst replied, "1 A sight, youa Call it, do you:0, Foreiman.-When yani first enterea the roomi up stairs, and saw the child lying, on ithe floor, dlid MNtr. Dcwhiirst miake noobservation ? -Yea;, he sad " Poor dear, how still it Is I" Jur.r.- Rad you not a childi of' Mlr. Dewbiirst's to nurse ?-Yes-, I had another chiild to nurse for about two moniths, and it died at my hiouse. Corotter.-WVa'cthe father fond of thtat chjild ?-r can't say, he was; he never came to see it while I uitersetl it, till it was dying. Mrs. Dewliirst at that time showed me bruises about her person, caused, as she said, by blows given by her husband ; and she also told me that her husbiandl had no-aflection for deceased. Alary Ann 'Adams, a girl aged 15 years, the daughter oiflast witacas, sworni :--Or, WeAnesday' evening last, about half-past eight O'chuIk, I went, by thie direction of my mi-other, to MNr. Dewhirat's1 hOuse, upon the application of Mirs. Dewhirst. I found Mrs. Dewhirst and four children in cite baclk parlour. I remainedl there tillrpast eleven o'clock, when I went up-stairs, and saw the deceasedI lying on the floor on at blanket, coveredI withi a piece of carpet. I said, " Bless her dlear hieart,Ihow good she is V" an,d I saw she was then awake and quite well. I then caine down sitairs, and Mlr. Dewhirst climbed over the gate, and knockedl at the door; Sirs. Dewhsirst opened it. le saw me, antI said that lie would niot come in till the house wras cleared. SIrs. Dewhirst then told mie to go home, and go so bed, andI I dlid so. It was then near twelve o'cl ock, anid when I left the hottise Mlr. Dewhirst enitered.' Iwaprpsedl to c44ll a little boy, the brother of the deceased, named Trthu ~whirst. lie was said to be only 9 years of age. This boy Wa4 iniod6'e'JThtod thue jury roomi, he was overwhelmned in tears, and som etime elapsed befocre he could spe-ak. He was examined as to thie itature of an oath, and gave most clear andi satisf'actory answers ; but some of the jurY opposedi his being exitmined, oacunofhs youthand conisangctioiniy to the accused. Si.Silver, a surgeon, in Charlotte-street, Blackfriars.readi, in- formed the -oroner that Mrs. Dewliirst was in the hiouse, and was ready to he examinedl. He said he had attended the fitrmily pro. fessionallv, and was satisfied that Sir. Dewhiirst was in a state of in- sanity wbien he committed ithe horrid decil. Tite Coroner said that he should not examine Slrs. Dewbirst. Johin Mlaclaurin, a watchmnan in Bronti;place, in addition to tite evidence he _gave oti the exarmination of thie accused at Union-hall, said- I exaimined the premises about .half.paat 11, and wasl going awvay, when Mrsq. Dewhirst asked tue ` to be near diec spot, as she didl not know what mighit happen." About haltf an hour otfter char, Sirs. Dewhirst camie to at box wvith a girl. and said, I WVatchman, conic ouit, for Sir. Dewh'irst has threatened to cut my throat." I went withi them to the gate, and Mrsy. Dew. hirst saia, "1 I ami afraid ketwill murder the child (the deceased) that is uip stairs." I adivised hier to apply to the neighbotirs, acud she went to Sir. Adaims's house;, and she told me, whien I saw the light was out to come and inform her. Ars. Dewhirst toldI me "1 that lier huisbaad had struck the chiild with ia f%ist a day or two before, said it could not see out of one eye, and alie thought that he had mnurderedI it aLt that tiune." Mfr. Sibree.-Tisat took Place on the Mlonday. Witnesis continued.-M'is. Dewhirst rang tite gate-bell. of her house several times, and I hecard the chiildren cry out "1 Father V" Mlrs. Dewhirst called "1 Arthur," and the children came to tite front window, and they appeared greatly alarmed, ond 1 thiought thevy would hiave thrown themselves out of the window. Sirs. DeNhiirst asiked the cliilidreti to came down anda open- the door, and not miake a noise. The Children openied the door and garden gate, they were niaked, except their shiirts, anid they cIting arouind me in a state of terror. Sirs. Dewhirra ask,:d the children where their fatker waas? and they said they did not know. She went into the house to get a lighit, and on feeling about - she found her hus. baad's booits, and shie said that lie tunit be somiewhere in the bouse. One of' the boys said, " Oh, mother, my f'ather hias kickedl Cary (thie deceaseJ), and knioc'ked her abouit the room." I had no lighit at thatt time, hut as I wasn staniding at the dioor, I heard a faint cry, or moaning, whtich I thought was chat of a chiild, atnd the little boy cale o iS,"Cary, what is the mnatter with vou?" The boy said smtigaboutthe chiild being hurt, and Ilsaid I would go to another watchmnan for a light,and ireriuested Sirs. Dewhirstand the children to Wait there till I Tettirned. ''e wouild not, and insisted on ac- companying me, and they all walked wlith me, naked as they trere. atdwtotshoes, thirough the mtid, to SIr. Adams'si lious. On the way there, I toldi SIrs. Dewbirst that I thought hier husband hadl near-ly mnurdlered thne child, andt she replied," Oh,,for God's sake don't say any thinz about that, but go atlid get a lighit, and say that at child is taken ill." I told her th,at I would see all was righlt. She told me ttiata tier husband was very Passionate. After I had got a lighit, I went tip stairs, and saw Mr. Dowhirst ly-ing an the dloor in a baclc room. I did not'see asiychild at that timie. I wentdlowii,and Ales.Dewbirst went up stairs, and I hieard her exclaim cOht,Dewhirst, you hiave smothered,the child." Airs. Dewhirst tame downl stairs, cad went out oftliehiouqe, andrIdid not seeher for an hour afterw,ards. I sRid to jay mates, "Cotse. -We mnust see into this," and wve went up stairs. Air. Dewbirat called Out, "'Who comes here ?"1 I said, "1The watch." He defied us, andI said we shiould not come in. We enter- ed the room by foree, and I had some words with M4r. Dewbiirst. fie asked tue II how I couild do so, wlhen ke lhad behaved sio well to mne?" 1 said, "It' you were-n-V own brother,'iatsuch a sheckitig business -I hOuld do-as-I have don~.'1 Td~g, my brothier watchmlan, pulled tip a p iece of blanket.frothi ibe floor, and he said"- Hero is a child."1 SIr, Dewbirst said-, -" There is nothingT thie matter with the child." lirePlied, " Youi a f'ather, and say so ! the childI is -ovejed with bl&od and 'bruises." 'The blood then was issuinig ftait. nose, moutb~ and - deck. SIlr. D)6whirst then loo6k up a' Piece -of rag, and wiped - the -child's face, and' said, " Now - what fis the matter, there is nothiing the matterwith that child; I have been doing all I could for it; it fell down stair,; . andi he said - smething about a d tay or two biefoiii." Mlr. Swift, the surgeon, then came in, and he gave Aer. De'whirst Into my,- charge,, as he could not examine the infant while he 'was there, and I'took him away in-custody. I desircd-'Dewhirst toput his Icoat 6n cad he was in a terrible rage, alid-swore heo woadid no Kooto u om said, it nt ea-net go out by fair meansi he should by foul. He-said' ihat he had, pt aomething aboEit him that would soon settle u. I .said we vo,ultry that on. He then grew more cali, and-was:taken to the watchhouse. - By iaJuror.-I Wt say-Alr. Dewhirst was in lipuor; he was in. a get fury., altsyIr Mlr:-John Swift a- zsurgeon of Newin ton,swornAOp Widnes- day mornhng I was called'by 'Iru. Dewhirst-and Irs.--Adarnsi who requested I wvould come to ldr. Dewhirst'sihouse immediately. She said ,she %hatight her buishaisd was.tipsy, and had- lain upon the chui2 ntLsuffvcated it, and ,hewas afrail,t:if-ias dead. - I went with jier. o' thehouse, anid enterefl a' backf robni up stairs, nad siaw Mr. Dewbhirat standing in the raltJdle oifthe r'oom, in a violent alteca.. ti4n -slith iw woatchmen; X Sfr. Dewll'st unshed mue witwt I waited' 'thicre? UL told him 4 came to- see Ia,-child. ie said he would be cuisedi ifi' I should seae t. I toIl him, if lie did not treat ras witlh sivility, Ishoutld 4uit his botaste - -0#1ib0ing about the room, I saw thchdld; it was tien alive -andtcovered over with ' ug.. I took, it qf1; and, otn seetn thechild'sconditionItold iMr. Dewbirst,tbatif! hc did lhot sit dotwn and condltet"hirnseWproperly while 1 examined it.il should give hium in chtrge. 'He swvore heisould:fndt, and I gave him if, chavge, andhe was taken' down stairs, I tliei cxacinned the chl11d, and found consix.able violesnce had been 'used upon1 the hlghs7 leRgs artd ams, parttkularly alongthlespinalcelimn and but- tock * he whole external part of- tbe head ancl.4'ace weren mats: of 'violence,-wbichs was ofrecenr infliction.--On looking round tbe idoin, I sawv seseral 'large pitches ofben 'Doop0 the -floor, n nd sonic of thlem bad-the appearance of being. juat wilied, ap~ ivith a piece of-i flatmel ,how'it'.happueA?,lie sat dddiiet __g; g ds tbat.the bruiew on the 'iace were caused; by iWs-}jingXvn stisra some dayq before. " Mk&tli,iiin1fi6 Polec'd cstO nothling,jbduot houssoeepling or sn~t1e4, aziti lie ltdp're :hehad not a rogue okitw 1vde sidhe knew thiheliad doane 6onse- -thingthat would h'ng li -rs'DcvhirstajidthaYl,ethusband had lied twoc-6udles,- ara4 in his i' tthem. The little candle i hcl at fit, having bbsned *i$ a ai hour without a lightaor re. When l procurdd a light and bet water, I put the child into a bate, and it was then in a dying rtate The pupills of the eYe aere dilatcd, sdd ii appeared to 'bdi uxdeT a compression on the brain. It *ai affeted with rattling 'iri the tbroat, and continued in that state till even o'clock, wlspp it d;cd This evening I opened the head, in company with snothir man. I found ten or twelve ounees of bloodlon the brain,;ae}cor-' responding marks of violence on the excernal asurfcab-cto:heskuli. The pressure of the blood onz theb brain caused'dIeaith., th're sias suffilcient externsal-violence to cause death. l ibund.in' the middle' of the room, a leather strap, isbout a foot and a htlf- loi;g* an inch and a, half whle, and a quarter of an inch thick, upotn'whiels there were an.rks of blood. Jctrot.-Pjd Fnot Mrs. Dewhirst see thethild at all ? I went away for somec timwe-after I h3d put the child in the ,bgth, 4nd [told ASrs. Dewhirstc to try to administer a little brapdy antd water dlurnn mny absence. After l had bean i7. bed about h31fP an hour, Mr's. Pew- hirat sent for rne again, and shc said that Xhe had tried to put some brandy and water in the child's mouth, but could not, as it had got the rattling int its throat, and I could not ge. her to go up to rhecislild Thlomnas Trring, a watchmann in E:ast-lane, Wanlworth, ?onilhined the evidence of lUaclauren, as to his accornpanying his~ to Dewhirst'a house, about two b'clock on Thursday miorning, and continued.-We found the outer gate fastened, and Illaclauien got over it. (The witness described the opposition made by Duwhirst to their admissioa into the room). MIrs. Dewbirat went up stsairs. and exclaimed, " Oh G1od ! my husband-has m urdered my child," and she came dowrn stairs. On our going into the reom, M r. DPew-. hirst said, ".-.n eheNehild, there is nothting the matter with it;* no father in the world could have done better for it than I l:ave donc." He also said, " the child had been out- at nurse, antd he had paid Ba. a wteek for 13 nmonths." I asked him the cause of the bruises on- the chtld's heatd, face) &c. i and lie said that- the child had fallen- down stairs. r asked how' long since? and he said a week ago. [This witness produced a strap, and a bundle of child's wearing.ap. par-el very much torn acid bloody. 1 Mbrs. Sar3h Adams satid, that she nur.sed the deceased for 13 months: the fatlher called only once to see it. On her going to .Mr. Dewhirat to get her snoisey, the child wvas not loeked upon scarcely. John Ailats being again examined, said that when the childreiiof MIr. Dewhiirat cam?e to his hoasr, one of themn said that their father had dashed the child againlst the- ground,' and the other staid he-had' killed poor Caroline. Joseplh Snow, thie night-constable, sworn.-On Mtr. Dewhirst being brough1t to the watchhoute-, about tour o'clock on Thursday morning, I asked him what he had to say to thle charge ?.and he said it was not a proper place to answer the question. I searched himl, and took a pen.knife from himn, and a button., He said, "You do not stsppose I am. going tO rnake away with-mnyself - or to szwallow the bu'tton ?" He said that he hopsed X wotihd j end tor Dr. Sibree, of I3hackfriars.road, to examine the child, adrt. he-shotild be satisiled with his decision. I then locked himn up in the c age. Dur.. ing this time, lie foamed at the mouth. On the samve miorning about 9 o'clock. I went to see the child, and found a pair ofPchihld's stays with, blood on them,s thu strings of which were tied, and 'they appear.. ed to have been torn oPr the person. who wore them. Mir. J. Thlompson, as trunk.maker of L.ong..acrc,. sworn._l laave known the accused for two years: within the last six months he hatt been in euwbarrassed circumstances. He called a meeting of his crc.. ditors and gave up all he had, andi thiecrettitors took a conipositloa, all except one. Hie called on me two m onshs ago, andi infensned me that tbe hlouse wh1ich refuseuh to compoundl with the rest of the creditors had issued a writ against him. On Sunday last he called on me: he wias cxceedicngly wild: lie said he should go to a -prison. that his fam ily were atlirving, aiid that his brother had gone oust of towvn without seeing him. 1 believe th.at MUr. Dewhirst has beein de. cidedly insane for two mon,ths. 1 menrioned to macny persons, be. fore this circumstance took-place, that he was insane. Mr. Dewhirst kept a earpet.warehouse in Blackfriars..road. Artinir l)ewhirst was again examined by the Jurors, lie stated he did not tsee any one strike the deceased. She slept in the back roomw. Juror.-Where did you and the other children sleep ?.In the front room. .Turor._Did the deceased alwvays Sleep alone in the back roorn.?- Not alwaygs; she sometimes slept wvith Us in the front. The CORO?NEst addressed the jury: .he said, that the child bad died from the most extraordinary violence committed on her person, was a fact beyond dispute ; and nt only remained for the htry to eay who vsas the person or persons w/ho conimitted it. The .Jury retired for a few minutes, and on our re-admissIon, the foremtan read from a paper the following verdict:_.." We are of olpainion thahti thte ,child was killed by the vivlence of its father, WIil- The CORtOXERt hound over the witnesses to give evidence on the trial, at Iiingston, and issued his warrant against this acCUsed. MURDBR AT BRONTI-PLACE, W4L WOlRVH.