The Sun. — 1870-05-25 (London, England)

THE CORONER'S INQUEST.  Mr. Charlsley, the coroner for South Bucks, opened an inquiry at the Swan Tavern, yesterday morning, into the circumstance attending the deaths of Emanuel Marshall, the father, aged 35 ; Charlotte, his wife, 34 ; Mary Ann, ' his sister, 32 ; Mary, the eldest child, 8 ; Theresa, 6 ; Gertrude, 4 ; and Mary Marshall, the grandmother, 77. A jury of 15, with the Rev. Charles Joyce, the curate of the parish of Denham, as foreman, having been sworn, they proceeded to view the bodies, and returning to the inquest room, Charles Trevener, No. 27, of the Bucks police, deposed : lam stationed at Denham. I have been there 12 months, and have during that time known the deceased persons. I have been into the house once or twice. They were all living together. Emmanuel Marshall was the tenant of the house. He was an engineer by trade. Mrs. Mary Marshall (deceased) is his mother ; Cuarlotte Marshall was his wife; Mary Ann Marshall was his sister, and the children his daughters. At eleven o'clock on Saturday morning last I saw Emmanuel Marshall at work in his shop. He came out 'and spoke to me as I passed. The children, Mary and Therera Marshall were playing in the road in front of the house. The deceased man was in the habit of working late. I have known him to work all hours of the night, and sometimes all night long. I did not pass the house again on Saturday, nor did I go close by the house on Saturday. I passed the house along the main road. On Sunday. morning I came from Red Hill into the village, which is about a mile and a half. This was about ten minutes before three. I then met a man alone. I did not perceive that he had anything with him, except a quantity of clothes on. It was just getting daylight. He had a low deer-stalker (a felt hat) on, a very old dark coat, and under that a short light one, Both coats were buttoned tightly. He had cord trousers on and thin shoes. As we were passing he said, " I wish I had seen you before, policeman." I said " What's the matter now ?" He said, " There was a man and his wife come into Uxbridge and were going along the cut, and the man threatened to throw his wife into the cut. If he had thrown her in I would have thrown him in. I asked him if he knew anything of them. He said, " No, I am quite a stranger about here." I said, " Where do you belong to ? " He said, I am going along the road from Oxford. Which is my best road ? " I told him to go along the village, and when he got fifty or sixty yards away I followed him. I called to him and he stopped, and I said, " I will show you the way." He thanked me, and after I had directed him, he bid me good night, and went. Coroner ; How far was he from the house where the bodies lie ? Witness ; About a third of a mile. He was near this house, Which way was he coming?—From Uxbridge. How did you know of the murder first ?—A young man came down to the village and told me that the house had been found open, and the bodies had been discovered. I went to the house and found the doors open. I found two bodies—the wife and the sister—lying just inside the door. The head of the wife was lying towards the door, and the sister's feet were towards her head. A petticoat was over over them. About two feet from them was the sledge hammer produced, which is covered with blood. I then went into the workhouse and found the bqdies of the three children and the grandmother. Near two of the children who lay together I found the axe produced, which is also covered with blood. The bodies of the children were not covered with anything,but there was something covered over the grandmother. All'the deceased persons with the except tion of the wife, had night clothes on. The wife had her dress partially driven on over her night-dress. There were extensive wounds on the heads of all the bodies, and a great