Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1887-03-19 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

TERRIBLE TRAGEDY IN KENTISH  TOWN.  _ & murder and an attempted robbery were perpetrated at a shop in the Bartholomew road, Kentish Town, the other afternoon, Mr. Samuels, the husband of the murdered woman, carries on business as a dairyman at 92 in the abeve-named road, which at this spot is very quiet, being surmunde d by large houses, and faced by a dead wall. Adjoining the shop is a small parlour, and from the door of this room anyone inside can command a view of the shop. It was at the door of this apartment that Mrs. Sernuels received her death-blow. It appears that shortly before four o'clock several men were seen being driven down the Bartholomew-road in a small trap towards the dairy, hut before they reached it the horse was brought to a standstill. There is a public.-huse a shbrt distance off, and it may have been supposed that the men were going there. At any rate, no particular notice was taken of the men at the time. It would appear, however, that, although there is at present no witness to prove it, the men, instead of going to the public-house, entered the premises of Mr. Samuels, where their presumably pre-arranged plan of operations was to be carried out. Judging from the circumstances under which the body of Mrs. Samuels, and the iron safe, which the men endeavoured to carry away, were found, it is surmised that one man took up his position at the door of the parlour, whilst another crossed the counter to the shelf where , the safe, which weighed nearly two hundredweight, was standing, and that the third man waited on the public side of the counter, no that he could convey the safe into the street, and there place it in the trap; and then, if unobserved, make good their escape. Setae constables who have been communicated with think that Mrs. S irouels, on seeing the men enter, made an effort to come into the shop from the parlour, but was struck down by a blow on the head from a crowbar or some other such instrument by one of the men. There appears to have been no scuffle, and the only things that were moved were two quart milk cans which were standing on the counter and the iron safe. The safe either proved too heavy for them or they were surprised by someone approaching, for they had left it in the doorway. It was some minutes after when a person pausing the shop noticed the safe in the doorway; and, his suspicions being aroused, he entered the shop, where, lying between the door of the parlour and the end of the counter, was the body of Mrs. Samuels, with her head in a pool of blood, and fearfully battered in. The man went in search of assistance, and communicated the fact to the police at the Kentish Town Station. Several constables and the Divisional co'ice surgeon were despatched to the shop. Mr. Samuels, who was out on business, was sent for, and on his arrival home at a quarter-paat four he found his wife, who was 58 years of age, in an unconscious condition, the back of her head being completety smashed. The medical man ordered the removal of Mrs. Samuels to the hospital, and a cab having been procured she was con. veyed to the University College Hospital, where she was examined by the house surgeon. She was found to be still alive, though unconscious. She was removed to one of the wards, where she lingered until 25 minutes past eight in the even:ng, never having regained consciousness.