The Sun. — 1851-06-30 (London, England)

SUSPECTED MURDER NEAR  NORWICH.  A murder of a most atrocious description has been discovered during the last week in the neighbourhood of Norwich. The circumstances of the case are as follow :—On Saturday forenoon last a young man named Charles Johnson, son of a Primitive Methodist preacner, residing at Trowse, accompanied by his dog, passed down what is known as Mrs. Martinau's-lane. This lane extends from Trowse-road to Lakenham, and is of a sequestered character. About two hundred yards within the lane, commencing from Trowse ends, stands a small plantation on the left hand side, and when the youth arrived opposite to this, his dog, which had been running among the trees, sprung .over the hedge to the road with something in his mouth, which his master thought was a bone or a piece of carrion. A stranger, who was passing near, authoratively commanded the dog to "drop it ;" but, instead of doing so, the animal ran home to Trowse. Here it was discovered that the object the dog had found was a human hand, and young Johnson, on his return shortly after, was horrified to learn what the dog had brought. lle detailed the circumstances under which the animal had possessed itself of the hand, and it was then taken to the station-house and deposited with the police. A search was immediately instituted by the police, and a number of labourers with dogs, and on Sunday morning a human foot was found about 200 yards further down the lane, in Mr. Jervis's plantation, by two young men, named J. Spruce and T. Dent, and a dog. A portion of the vertebras was also discovered in the same place by Mr. Warner's coachman, and a second portion in a sawpit, not far distant, by Simon Finch. On the same morning a dog with Spruce and Dent found the pelvis. A black striped waistcoat was also discovered concealed in the hedge near where the hand was found, and a quantity of waste cotton, such as is used by mechanics and others in cleansing machinery, the latter being smeared with blood; also part of a roller such as is used by weavers. On Monday the search was continued—the police, assisted by labourers and dogs, minutely examining the hedges and every portion of the ground extending for a considerable distance round the lane. Every heap of manure or rubbish likely to conceal any portions of the body was turned over and inspected. Nothing further, however, was discovered on that day. The mayor and magistrates of the city examined those parts of the remains that had been discovered on Monday afternoon, The hand, which belonged to the right arm, was firmly closed, the muscles appearing to be contracted as in the case of a person who had suffered great pain. From the appearance of the skin, it also seemed as it it bad been placed in water. The toes of the foot were likewise contracted. The foot is small and delicate, with a high instep, and from the appearance of it and the hand a person would imagine that they belonged to a girl of fifteen or sixteen years of age. Death, whether natural or by violence, could not have taken place above a fortnight, or three weeks at the utmost, as decomposition had not fully commenced. The ligaments attached,to the joint of the pelvis were perfectly elastic, which would not have been the case had they been severed fur a long period. The. ribs appeared to have been sawn from the right side of the vertebra with a saw, in a rough and clumsy manner. On Tuesday the tollowing were found :—A fibula, at the lime-kiln, on the Hellesdon,road (distant about two miles from the place where the hand, &c., were discovered, on the opposite side of the city), by a man named W. Noller ; a humerus, near Dir. Manning's garden, Lakenham, by police-constable Wooller; another fibula in a field near the Hellescionroad, by police-constable Moore; three pieces of human flesh, at the same place, ono of which would probably weigh a potwd, awl the others probably less,