The Poole Telegram. — 1881-05-20 (Poole, Dorset, England)

BRUTAL MURDER.  A shocking murder has been conmied at Eltham Kent, by a man named Hunt, a native of Crewkerne, aged 31, residing at 1, Bathurst-place, Etharn, employed as a laboure- at the sewer works at Prickend, Chiselhurst West, a short distance from Camden House, late trn residence of the Empress Eugenie. On Saturday afternoon a'ter receiving his wages, he was met at Chiselhurst by his wife Sarah Jane Hunt, aged 32, and they appear to have drunk at several publichouses together. After leaving the Gordon Arms. beerhouse, Chapel-lane, they started for home; and on the way, when between the Bee-hive public-house and Pope-street railway-station, on the Dartford loop line, they quarrelled over a dog he had, she accusing him of loving the dog more than he did her. This appears to have aroused his anger, and he attempted th strike her, upon which she ran away on to a pee° of waste land by the side of the road. He followed and caught her, pulled her to the ground by the hair of her head, and with his he .vy boot kicked her at the back of the head, behind the ear, with such force that she died in a few minutes. A man pa-sing at the time gave information of what had occurred to a police-sergeant who was on patrol duty along the road, and who galloped to the spot where the woman was lying lifeless, took Hunt, who was eta ding by, into custody, and conveyed him to the residence of Police-sergeant Thomas Hawkins, who resi les at Brentwood Cottages, near the Beehive. Leaving him in the custody of that officer, he rode with all speed into Eltham for Dr. Ford, who resides next the police. station, and returned to the spot where the woman was lying. The doctor, upon examining her, pronounced life to be extinct, and, by his directions, the body was conveyed to the house of Hunt to await an inquest. After being taken into custody the p.isoner said to Wade What I have done I must suffer for," which he repeated several times, adding "I'd sooner be hung than walking about, If she's dead I'll give in that I killed her. We have had many a thousand quarrels before, not half s bad as this. " He afterwards asked 'ls she dead ?" and receiving a reply in the affirmative, said "Can I see her ?" and was told by the Sergeant he had better ask at the police station. He was taken by Sergeant Hawkins to the police station, and on Inspector Pryke proceeding to fill up the charge-sheet, and a-king him his name, he said " I have got no name; I ernisted for a soldier once, and I sold my name for a shilling. Is it right she is dead ?" The inspect 3' told him he had better sit. down and remain quiet until the doctor arrived. He shortly afterwards sad " Can I go and see that woman ; you know that I should like to see her. I should not care if I got 15 years if she is living." A post martene examination of the body was made on Sunday morning by Dr. Ford. Hunt is a Somerset man, and comes from Crewkerne, and had only been a short time employed at the sewer works at Prickend. The murdered woman was a widow when he married her, and there are no children of the merrier, but the deceased has a daughter, aged 13 years, residing at Crewkerne. The prisoner was charged at the Woolwich police-court on Monday afternoon with the murder. The medical evidence showed that death resulted from effusion of blood on the brain, and prisoner was remanded till Wednesday.