The Sun. — 1868-07-17 (London, England)

MYSTERIOUS DISCOVERY AT HAUL! STOCK HILL. '"  An event of a very mysterious character nas just been brought to light in this neighbourhocd, which has caused considerable excitement amongst the inhabitants, and which serves to chew that untenanted houses ought to be subjected to police supervision, for the experience of the last few years has proved how easily they may be resorted to, either for acts of violence, or as convenient refuges for starving wanderers. The facts connected with the occurrence referred to may be briefly told as follows :—On Wednesday evening last, as some boys were. playing on the pavement opposite the house 42, Queen's-crescent, Haverstock-hill, which has been for several months uninhabited, a ball they were using fell t. into the area, and one of the boys climbed over the railing in order to recover it. The door of the coal-cellar being open, and an offensive odour issuing from the interior, the boy's curiosity prompted him to enter, when, stretching out his arm in the partial darkness, he touched what appeared to be a human hand. Dismayed at this shocking discovery, he called to his companions, who related the circumstance to a man who was passing, and begged him to descend into the area. The result was that on entering the cellar he saw the body of a woman, in a sitting position, with her back against the wall and her head bent forward, and presenting every indication of having been dead several days. The body was respectably clothed, and there were marks of blood upon her head which naturally led to the suspicion that the woman had been murdered. Policeconstables James Perkins, 275 5, and William Smith, 39 5, were immediately on the spot, and the body was conveyed on a stretcher to the police-station in Albany-street, after having been examined by Mr. Tucker, a surgeon, of Ashdown-street, Kentish-town, who expressed it as his opinion that the woman belonged to the class of "unfortunates," and that she bad not died from violence or starvation, but disease. The natural supposition was that the poor woman, being benighted, had managed to scramble over the area railing in the hope of securing a shelter in the empty house, and being exhausted by the effort she was unable to get beyond the coal-cellar, where she died before the morning. That she had been dead many days when the strange discovery took place was sufficiently proved by the fact that her lower extremities had fallen a prey to the carnivore whose gloomy territory she had invaded. The body was ultimately conveyed to St. Pancras workhouse, to await the post-mortem examination and the coroner's inquisition. The appear. ance of the deceased is thus described in the police height,b years of age, 5 feet 2 inches in be lack stuff petticoat, lavender striped ook s : gown, dressed v blue plaid crinoline, brownon t Bsiloaclyili,ngws-I:itaendcorded stays, calico chemise, white cott sidespring boots." On Thursday_ evening an inquest was held on the body by Dr. Lankes'er, coroner for Middlesex, at the Elephant and Castle Tavern, in the Old Pancras-road , when, in addition to the above facts, it transpired from the evidence of one of the boys alluded to that ten days ago he chanced to be in the same sacemiaitfnosrotahye purpose ot fe rg gathering e cellar rb bones e s was and rreaNgesa whenf endeavourinnosywnesotuoa.tlfddhtieeearypt.mi eiaaretr.a atnod6innside. According to prevented meedicarlo incident;w tt )uoame tk taehnr e utnahufneso dtr tratuhhenaedav iteeceoar coroner creature vnoeedffir ctelri remarkedrs ve wee nhot ortoperformedtt fourhhae th io dtua postmortemT examination, having given evidence, the jury I rardeettidransbeeydd Ndvaipdencivt pefitlineiaisav,Lirkwec,caourdiatraet hthererediazjewaitthh—wm7iitel3. 09144 ..445""