The Telegram. — 1896-07-21 (Weymouth, Dorset, England)

AND MURDERED.  TERRIBLE AFFAIR.  At six o'clock Liu Tnursday night, the dead body of a young girl named Quartermass, aged 12, was found by the side of a lonely lane near Hemel Hempstead, Herts. There was every evidence that she had been brutally outraged and murdeied. A blow, apparently with a heavy sharp-edged instrument, had been inflicted on the back of her head. There Was a large tx,ol of blood in the lane, and the body had been carried some 50 yards and I hidden behind tee hedge. The father of the girl states that on the afternoon of Thursday his daughter left home a few minutes after four e'clock with the ostensible rtivott of wetting some milk from Mr. George Proctor at a farmhouse at Fieldes' End, about a mile distant. She reached there shortly alter halfpast four, and appeared to be in some hurry to reI turn. A few minutes after six a shepherd named Giger, employed at Mr. Dream 's,was going home, when he discovered the child's body lying inside a gateway. The horrible condition of the body at once disclosed the feet that she had been murdered, the face and head having been dreadfully inutitited. Identifying her at once as the child Quartermass, Giger proceeded to her home, which IS situated in a lonely spot, known as "Bud's End," where be found that her brother and sister were awaiting her return. He informed them of his discovery, and they acquainted Superintendent Frealey of the reline. Detectives were summoned from Scotland Yard, and with the local police scoured the district in the hope at being able to effect an arrest, but so far their efforts have not bo-n successful. The little victim had been struck across the back of the head with some blunt instrimaeut, and her face was terribly battered. A large pool of blood surrouuded her body, and a trail was traced along the lam, where she was found. She had evidently been attacked some 50 or 60 yards off where her body was discovered, so it seems certain that the murderer carried her in his arms away from the place where he first struck her doted, at first contemplating concealing the eorpsza._, This, indeed, lanirinvnii,- fin 'needle fie---have dropped, after carrying the body the distance specified, for, although some twigs had been thrown over it, no real attempt seemed to have been made to conceal it. It is thought by the police that the child's clothes were so covered with blood that the murderer was alarmed at this, and stopped his efforts to hide the body. Close to the body Was discovered a piece of grass upon which Was blood. It is thought that this is where the child's assailant wiped bis hands. Dr. Hubbard, the divisional surgeon, has furnished the coroner with a statement of the wounds on the child. The windpipe has been severed, and there were upwards of ten naihea on the face and heal, committed evidently with a pocket knife. No instrument that could have caused them has yet been discovered. The child's hat and other articles of wearing apparel, t ,gether with the milk can she took to Proctor's to get the milk, were found in an adjoining field. The milk had been drunk. The clothes were bloodstained. The child was well known in the neighbourhood. Her father is a hawker. He was out with his wife when he first learned of what had happened to his daughter. The girl looked 16 or 17 years of age, but was only 12. Her birthday was last Sunday. The opinion is freely expressed in the district that the crime is the work of some one who knows the locality well, other Anse it is thouwht he would not escape detection so long. Hemel Henipstead is being closely searched.