The Barrow Herald and Furness Advertiser. — 1879-05-31 (Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England)

TKE EUSTON SQUARE MYSTERY.  Hannah Dobbs, 24 years of age, was on Monday brought up at Bow-street Police Court on a writ of habeas corpus, charged with the murder of Matilda Hacker, whose remains were recently discovered in Euston-square. Mr. Poland opened the else for the Treasury. When arrested on the charge of murder she said, " It's not me." The . _ . . .  prisoner was fashionably aitired in black, and is a fine, well-made woman. Mr. Poland said the deceased lady went to live at the house of Mr. Bastendorf in August, 1877, when prisoner was the servant there. In October the prisoner told Mrs. Ba.tendorf that "Miss Nash," the name under which the deceased lady hired the rooms,..was leaving, and tendered her mistress a five-pound note, from which the rent owing, together w:th two shillings for a broken glass, was taken, and a receipt made out. The prisoner said that Miss Nash then left, and she had not been seen since. The prisoner had pawned her watch and other articles. Evidence was then given in corroboration of the counsel's statement; and the prisoner was remanded until Wednesday next. It was stated in London, on Saturday afternoon, on very good authority, that the woman Katherine Webster, who is at present charged with the murder of Mrs. Julia Martha Thomas, at Richmond, in March last, had two years ago resided as a servant in the house at 4, Euston Square, where portions of the body cf a female suppo3ed to be Miss Hacker were found. Mrs. Eastendorff was visited by a representative of the Press Association, and, in answer to his inquiries, she said that she was positive that no woman answering to Webster's description was ever employed by her, and that she had no recollection a having had a lodger of Webster's appearance. On Sunday afternoon Mr. Bastendorff was seen, and he fully bore out his wife's statement, adding that the only servant he ever had was Hannah Dobb. He observed that he saw but little of his lodgers, Dobb being entrusted with the duty of letting the apartments. At times he had come in contact with some of them, and he was sure that if the police confronted Webster with him and his wife they would be able positively to assert whether or not she ever lived in his house. Up to the present time, however, he had had no communication with the authorities on that point. From inquiries made by a representative of the Press Association it has been ascertained that there is no truth in the statement published on Saturday evening that a Thames waterman, named John Gaston, had that morning discovered the head of a j woman in a black bag in Deptford Creek and haa I landed it at Penn's Wharf.  A contemporary says : "The Euston.square mystery and the thirst of the public for news of the progress of the polkas investigation are szeitin;  London newspaper rei.orters wilh a spirit of dangerous rivalry, and these gentlemen, or some of them at least, are not pArticularly careful as to the methods by 'which they obtain their " further particulars." An instance of enterprise of the kind has been communicated to me. Mr. Hacker, as the brother of the lady whose remains are supposed to have been discovered. Fa s naturally been an object of considerable interest for both reporters and detectives. Mr. Hacker, who lives in an old mansion in the suburbs, received visits from one or two reporters, to whom he confided all he knew. His solicitor, however, warned the old gentlemau that it might be as well to hold no further communication with the representatives of the Press. The hint was taken, and Mr. Hacker declared himself at home only to detectives. The next day a man was introduced to his preserve af4 a detectiveinspector from the Intelligence Department. of Scotland Yard. The visitor supported his identity by producing a lock of hair, which he represented as belonging to the remains. Mr. Hacker spoke freely. The interview lasted some time, and then the man retired with his hair and his notebook full of jottings. It is needless to say that the enterprising gentleman was not the person whom he represented himself to be. Half an hour afterwards the real detective-inspector presented himself, and, I understand, was refused admission to the house on the ground of being an imposter. Of course there is a tremendous row in Scotland-yard, and now we have a startling diversion, for the pursuit has been doubled by the collateral mystery of the sham detective, and the necessity of running him to earth, that he may be prosecuted for his audacity."