The Sun. — 1869-06-29 (London, England)

TUE MURDER OF A FAMILY.  Investigations are still being made into the murder'of a family in -the City of London. Some facts have now been discovered of the antecedents of the murderer. Walter James Duggin was a member of a well-todo family living at Bristol. When he was fourteen years of ag elle was apprenticed to a silversmith, and when he was twenty-four years of age he met a young German woman, who was two years older than himself, and after a short courtship he married her. They lived happily together for four years in Bristol, but business there failing, they ca-me up to London, and took lodgings in Smithfield. The 'than obtained employment at Mr. Adams's, a master Silversmith, in Hosier-lane, and in order to be near his business,. he took apartments two doors off. A short time .go it was suspected that some property had been stolen at his master's, and it is stated that one of his fellow employes was dismissed. 'that fact preyed upon his mind very much, and since then some of his neighbours noticed his anxious looks, but as he appeared tohave the confidence of his employer, it was never thought that he was engaged in anything dishonest. On Saturday evening he returned from his work and he then looked rather sad, and his wife told a female neighbour that her husband had been dismissed from his employment, and that they had also received entice to leave their lodgings at 17,, Hosier lanA, at twelve o'clock on Monday.  The way in which the murder was committed seems pretty elem.. Duggin got two ounces of prussic acid from the chemist's on Saturday, probably assigning his business as a use for it. He also bought on Sunday night a quart of ale, at the Wheataheaf Tavern, in Hosierlane, and it is most likely that he caused his children to drink the ale with the poison in it. Dr. Wilson, of Farringdon-street, made a post-mortem examination of three of the bodies—namely, the mother, the eldest girl, Emma Duggin, 13 years, and the youngest boy, George Henry Duggin, aged about 3i years. In the intestines large quantities of _ prussic acid were discovered, especially in the stomach of the mother, which contained no food. This poison was easily traceable in the bodies of the children, who had taken food evidently Late on Sunday night. The letter which was written to the inspector of police of the Smithfield station, stated that full particulars would be obtained upon application to Duggin's brother at Bristol. Mr. Superintendent Foster, of the City police, at once telegraphed to Bristol, and ascertained that the brother of the deceased man did livo in Castle-street, Bristol, A replywas received in London later in the afternoon that the mother of the unfortunate woman, Mrs. Duggin, would be in town in the evening. It is thought that the children were first poisoned, Dr. Wilson giving it as his opinion that some of them were poisoned whilst asleep. This conclusion is arrived at in consequence of the peaceful expression of their features. When discovered the mother and children were Pll found undressed and in bed with the clothes over them. Duggin was also undressed and in bed in the back room. In the sitting-room was found on the table a Bible opened, which it is supposed he had been reading • before going to bed. It is said Duggin was a Unitarian, and that he was a kind and loving husband and father. Wbethei the wife aided in the commission- of the deed is not ascertained. One account states that the facts tend to shew that she did. The doctor says, for instance, that the bodies of the woman and the man were both warm when discovered ; but the truth of this can only be settled by the evidence given at the inquest.