The Kenilworth Advertiser. — 1873-09-11 (Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England)

SUSPECTED MURDER IN LONDON.  It im believed that an atrocious murder of a woman has been perpetrated on or near the Thames, the body hacked to pleas, and the pieces distributed over the river. Such is the horrible crime apparently brought to light by discoveries made on Saturday and the preceding day which seem to leave no doubt as to this conclusion. A. Thames policeman on Friday morning found in the mud off the Battersea waterworks the left quarter of a women's trunk. The discovery was immediately made known and the mutilated part taken to the Clapham and Wandsworth Union workhouse, where Dr. Kempeter, the divisional surgeon, saw it, and pronounced it to be the portion of a body which had not been in the water more than twelve hours. The police at once commenced a minute search of the river, but the next discovery was made by a policeman in the employ of the South-Western Railway Company, who, without knowing of the previous discover'', found the right side of the trunk off Brunswick NVharf, near the Nine Elms Station. This part corresponded with the first part found, and the headless trunk, it was apparent, had been severed with a very sharp knife, and a saw had also been used. Boon after a portion of the lunge was found by Inspector Marley, of the Thames Police, under an arch of old Battersea-bridge, and the other part near the Battersea railway pier. The search was now continued for the other parts of the body, and on Saturday the face, with the scalp of a woman attached, was found off Limehouse. It was evident at a glance that the murderer or murderers had taken revolting precautions to prevent identification, for the nose was cut from the bee, but still hung attached to the upper lip. There *us the mark of • bruise on the right temple, evidently caused by a blunt instrument, and this blow, it Is thought, was the cause of death. It will be observed that several portions of the body were found in the neighbourhood of Battersea, below where the Wandle empties itself into the Thames, and at a part where trading barges come; while another part was found at Limehoune, near where the bargee enter the Thames. This fact has dot escaped the attention of the police, and the first suspicion was that the woman had met her death at the hands of people connected with the barge trade. It is the opinion of the medical men who have seen the remains that they do not belong to a "subject, used for dissecting purposes, but that they belong to a woman who met a violent death. The woman's age appears to have been about 40; she had dark hair, very thin, and cut short (as would be the case with a woman recently ill or recently discharged from a prison), and there was a sear, as of an old burn, on the left breast. Dr. Kempster, the divisional stageonehas made the following report "I have examined at the Battersea Police-station the left quarter of the thorax of a woman of fair akin and sommetur fat Death has taken place within a few hours. The head, arm, and other side of the thorax and rest of the body have, been separated with a knife and saw, and that in an usscientific manner. The body has toot been directed for anatomical purposes, but has been out up immediately site death. The vessels are all quite empty." Upon the other portion of the remains Mr. KemPetea reports as follows "Batteries Police-station, Sept. S. " I have e ambied the scalp and portion of the skin of the face of a woman, aged presumably about 40. The integument has be n separated from the bone with a sharp instrument, and was cut irregularly in several places. The head was covered with short dark hair, very thin, the eyebrows are dark, End there is a very thin dark moustache. The ears are somewhat coarse and pierced for earrings, which have not, however, been torn out. The end of the nose has been severed from the root and is attached to a portion of the upper lip. It is short, thick, and round at the extremity. There is a large bruise on the right temple, which was caused by a blow from a blunt instrument or substance shortly before death. The scalp was divided at the upper margin of the bones, but I cannot determine whether betore or alter death."  On Monday morning, at half-past ten o'clock, the right leg of a womad was picked nb by the Thames police off Woolwich, and Pik.= to the dead-horst%