The Sun. — 1854-11-07 (London, England)

SUSPECTED MURDER AT. ROCHESTER.  ROCHESTER, MONDAY.—i most painful degree of excitement was experienced in this city and neighbourhood the whole of yesterday, in consequence of the discovery early that morning of the body of an exceedingly fine young woman, with her throat cut, and lying in the ditch adjoining the land-wall, just above Rochesterbridge, in a place known as Mr. Wickenden's meadow, quite dead. The discovery mks made by two men, named Tidey and Walker, who, on proceeding round the land-wall, about half-past six that morning, had their attention arrested by seeing a bonnet and shawl lying on the top of the wall. It was scarcely light at the time, but after looking about for some little distance they discovered the body of a female lying across the ditch, partly out of the water, the head and face being in the slimy water, of which there was 'about a foot in the ditch at the time. Having procured the assistance of a police-constable, the body was taken out, when it was perceived that deceased had received a severe cut across the throat, but although every search was made by the constable and others, no razor, knife, nor instrument of any kind, with which the wound could have been inflicted, wrs discovered.  The body having been removed to the Queen's Arms public-house, inquiries were set on foot for the purpose of discovering who the deceased was, and in the course of Sunday it was ascertained that her name was Mary Ann Saunders, aged about 27, the daughter of Mr. Saunders, who keeps an Alton ale-house called the G,lden-cross, High-street, Chatham, and that she was last seen alive on the preceding (Saturday) evening, when she left her father's house in a rather harried manner. The place in which the body lay is a very lonely one, and far removed from any house, the landwall, as it is called, sweeping out to a bend in the river, and was built for the purpose of preventing the tide flowing over the adjacent marshes. The bonnet and shawl belonging to the deceased were found lying at some distance from each other, and the latter was covered with blood on certain parts, as if used, by whatever individual it was who inflicted the wound, to stop the flow of blood. A piece of rag, completely saturated with blood, was also found pushed tightly into deceased's bosom. There were no marks of struggling apparent near the place where the body was lying, the supposition being that deceased must have had her throat cut first, and then placed in the situation as described. On the pockets of deceased being searched, only a few trifling articles were found, but no money. This is in itself fraught with suspicion, as deceased was well known to be always with a supply Of money in her possession, being in the habit of assisting her father at the bar. During the whole of Sunday the body was viewed by several magistrates and medical men, the latter of whom. gave it as their opinion that the cut in the throat of deceased was not sufficient to cause death, and that she must have been placed in the ditch at that retired spot, where she was suffocated by reason of her head and lace being under the water.  This morning a highly respectable jury was summoned by the coroner, Mr. J. Lewis, and assembled at the Guildhall, for the purpose of investigating the circumstances by which deceased met with her death ; and the above facts having been adduced in evidence, the inquiry was adjourned until Friday next. The Coroner ordered that the keys found on the deceased should be retained in the hands of the police till the conclusion of the inquest, and gave directions for the boxes belonging to the deceased to be searched.