The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1882-11-04 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

DREADFUL TRAGEDY IN LONDON.  Last Saturday morning a shocking discovery was made at Kentish town of the murder of a woman and two children, and subsequently it was ascertained that the supposed murderer, the husband of the woman, had committed suicide. It appears that a butterman named Hiram Meakin, with his wife and children, a boy aged two and a girl aged five, resided at 2, Dunollie-place, Kentish-town, oceuppying the ground floor and letting the other rooms to lodgers. About nine on Saturday morning a female lodger wanting some butter for breakfast knocked several times at bileakin's kitchen door, but no one answered the knock. Mrs. Mackenzie, another lodger, having her curiosity awakened by this circumstance, entered the front room on the ground floor, used as a sleeping apartment, and was shocked to see Mrs. Meakin and her daughter Emily, who was beside her, lying in a bed in a pool of blood, with their throats cut in a frightful manner. The police, being summoned to the house, proceeded to make a careful inspection of the bedroom. They found that, in addition to the mother and daughter, the little boy had been similarly murdered in his cot. Searching beneath the bed, they came across a shoemaker's knife and a big hammer, both besmeared with blood. According to Dr. Goodchild, a neighbouring medical man, who was fetched to examine the deceased persons, the absence of any appearance of a struggle having ensued prior to death indicated that they were, in all probability, killed whileS they were sleeping. They had evidently been dead some hours. No noise seems to have been noticed by the other inmates of the house during the night, nor was any one heard to leave the house. Nevertheless, Meakin, who was last seen in the passage of the house the preceding night, was found to be missing.  A description of the missing man was forthwith telegraphed by the police at Kentish-town to the metroixthtan and provincial police stations, and on Saturday night information reached the Kentish-town station that the body of a man answering in every respect the description given had been found floating in the Thames near Londcn-bridge and removed to the mortuary at Guy's Hospital, where it was afterwards identified by his sister-in•law as the body of the missing man. Meakin, who was only 2,6 years old, is described as having been a quiet, inoffensive, wellconducted man. Both he and his wife were total abstainers, Meakin being a member of the Blue Ribbon Army. They had been married some six or seven years, and apparently lived happily together.  The deceased man when last seen alive is stated to have been in his usual good health. Latterly, however, he has been embarrassed in money matters, and was apprehensive that he and his family might be impoverished. Hence he grew despondent, and, in an impulse of despair and desperation, it is conjectured, he determined first to destroy his wife and children and then himself, as the readiest way of getting rid of the difficulties under which he laboured.  The following account of the recovery of the body of the supposed murderer has been given :—" On Saturday morning, several hours before the discovery of this dreadful tragedy was made, Hiram Meakin the supposed murderer, committed suicide at London-bridge. It appears that shortly after six a. m. the police were attracted by a scream to one of the parapets on London. bridge, and they then discovered that a man had leaped over and fallen on the buttress below, but instead of the body rolling off into the river, it rested on a ledge below the chamfered portion of the buttress. Efforts were made as soon as possible to reach the body, but owing to its being low water at the time, the only way of getting to the spot was by obtaining a stout rope and a constable, who volunteered to be lowered down from the bridge. This was accomplished between eight and nine o'clock, and, in the presence of a large concourse of spectators, the body was brought up and removed to Guy's Hospital, where it was subsequently placed in the mortuary. At that time no one had the slightest idea who the deceased man was, A sum of £2 17s. was found upon him, but there was nothing upon his person to lead to his identification. The Thames police in the course of the morning circulated a description of the man among the metropolitan police stations, and the officials at Kentish Town at once recognised the deceased as that of the missing man Meakin. Sergeant Miller was thereupon dispatched to the only known relative of the family in London, Mrs. Green residing at Camberwell, and she accompanied the officer to Guy's Hospital about eight p.m., and at once identified the deceased as Hiram Meakin."