The Sun. — 1851-10-01 (London, England)

DREADFUL MURDERS AND SUICIDE BY A FATHER. A most distressing affair occurred yesterday morning about eight o'clock, in Wyndham road, Camberwell, which produced the most intense feeling in that usually quiet locality (a brief account of which appeared in The Sun of yesterday). The perpetrator of the dreadful tragedy bears the name of Faucett. Ile had recently commenced business as a grocer and cheesemonger, at the corner of George-street and the Wyndham-road. On inquiry, it has been ascertained that the lives of two of his own children have been sacrificed, and that a third child has been so dreadfully wounded as to render its chance of recovery exceedingly doubtful. From the intense excitement prevailing in the neighbourhood, it was extremely difficult to obtain accurate particulars, but the following may be relied upon as authentic, to which is subjoined the report of the surgeon, Mr. King, of Addington-place, Camberwell-road, who was first called in to attend the victims of their misguided and doubtless maniacal parent, and also the latter, who had become his selfmurderer. Faucett, it seems, had lately purchased the business of a Mr. Stockham, and only commenced on his own account the day previous to the lamentable occurrence. Nothing particular had been observed in his conduct indicative of insanity. Yesterday the shop was opened at an early hour, and several customers were served by Faucett. Just previous to breakfast-time he called to his wife, and said he wished her to take two letters to the post-office, and on her return to call at Mr. Lewis's, a baker, and purchase some dcugh, to make a cake for the children. Previous to leaving the house she gave the children their breakfast. After a quarter of an hour's absence she returned home, and was surprised to find the shop door fastened on the inside:; and, being unable to obtain admittance by that entrance, she proceeded to the private door. On knocking, the door after a short lapse of time was opened by her eldest child (a girl about nine years of age), from whose throat blood was at the time copiously streaming from two frightful gashes. Upon rushing into the house, she was quite paralysed on discovering her youngest child, a boy, aged one year and nine months, lying on a bed in the back room of the first floor, with his head nearly severed from bis body, and of course quite dead. She then proceeded to the back parlour, and discovered another of her children, a girl, between four and five years of age, also lying a lifeless corpse, a deep wound having been inflicted in her neck, completely dividing the main arteries. The distracted mother ran back to the shop of Mr. Lewis, the baker, who, accompanied by several persons, proceeded to the house. They, on hearing a slight noise, went into the back kitchen, where the murderer was seen leaning over the sink, and on approaching to apprehend him, it was found he had inflicted upon himself a wound in the throat from five to six inches in length. He was immediately conveyed into the back garden and laid upon the ground, but before surgical aid could be procured be had expired. Mr. King promptly attended, and gave it as his opinion that the two younger children must have died instantaneously. The eldest girl, who opened the door to her mother, had received two severe wounds, one on each side of the neck, her life having been preserved only by the desperate resistance she was able to oppose to the attack of the murderer, and the providential return of her mother, whose knock alarmed the wretched man, and thus, for the present at least, saved the life of one of his intended victims. At this moment it was that Faucett rushed into the kitchen, and completed his atrocity by terminating his own existence in the manner already described. The weapons with which the horrible crime was committed were a knife used in his business for cutting bacon, a carving knife, and an ordinary table knife, all of which appeared to have been previously sharpened. The struggle between the father and the surviving daughter must have been one of the most desperate description, as, in addition to the wounds inflicted on her neck, her hands and arms are dreadfully mutilated. On inquiry at six o'clock P.m., the reporter ascertained that the symptoms of the surviving child had taken a more serious turn, and that considerable danger was to be apprehended. The house is at present in possession of the police, and will so remain until after the inquest.