The Sun. — 1832-08-07 (London, England)

SUICIDE OF THE MURDERER.  (FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.)  STOCKPORT, AUGUST 6.  On Sunday morning, between the hours of 2 and 3 o'clock, as the watchman was going his rounds in the Higher Hillgate in this town, his attention was attracted to a confused noise, and half-suppressed shriek', which issued from the house of a fancy silk-weaver, named Thomas Songe, situate in Small-street, a few doors from the Hillgate. He immediately proceeded to the windowshutters and listened ; he thought it was somebody beating a woman, and took but little notice of it ; but just as he was going away, he heard a cry of " Murder," and some one say that Songs bad cut his wife's throat. A number of persons congregated about the house, and Mr. Rayner, a surgeon, entered with others, when a scene presented itself shocking to behold. Mrs. Songe was extended on the bed, a lifeless corpse, completely inundated with blood up to the shoulders, with her throat cut in so horrible a manner, that, when lifted up, her head hung from the trunk apparently by a piece of skin. By the side of the murdered woman lay the cruel murderer, Songe, with his throat also cut, and most terribly mutilated. Mrs. Songe was quite dead and nearly cold, hut her wretched husband showed signs of life, and attempted to rise in the bed, but he was held down by the surgeon, who stopped the hemorrhage of the blood, which was flowing frotn his mangled neck. His eyes were fixed and glassy, he was not able to speak, and died in the utmost agony in about an hour after the entrance of the surgeon. A bloody razor lay by the side of the murderer in the bed, with which he, no doubt, committed the revolting and cruel double murder. The most shocking circumstance connected with the horrid affair is, that there were six children of the unhappy pair in the house at the time, one of whom, a little girl about eleven years of age, was in the same room and saw the murder committed, but was compelled to be silent in consequence of a threat that Songe held out to her, that if she spoke a word he would murder her also. The room was dark, and, according to the account of the child, it appears that the murderer knelt upon her mother whilst be cut Iter throat, having previously got up from the bed and fetched a razor from the cupboard. The other children were asleep in an adjoining room. The cause for the committal of the horrid deed assigned is, that Songe was jealous of his wife and Ilia two apprentices ; and the child states that soon after her father and mother went to bed she heard a long conversation between them, in the course of which they quarrelled, and Songe taxed his wife with having cuff-red the apprentices to take liberties with her, which she denied, and spoke of the absurdity of such a charge, and said, that he had no reasons for suspecting her of incontinence. He told her he was confident that such was the fact, and that if she confessed he would forgive her ; but if she persisted in her innocence, he would murder her that night. She replied that, not being guilty, she would not confess to guilt ; upon which he jumped out of bed, and ran to the cupboard for the razor. The child here screamed, and begged of her father not to put his threat in execution; but he said that if she did not hold her tongue, he would cut her throat. The child got out of bed, and joined her younger brothers and sisters in the next room, being afraid to speak. It would appear from the statement of a person for whom Songe worked, that the diabolical deed was premeditated in the day time; fir on the Saturday this person met the murderer on Ardwick Green, Manchester, going towards Stockport, and they stopped and spoke. He asked Songe whether he would weave him a piece of fancy goods of a certain pattern, to which Songe replied that he would neither work for burn nor any one else, as he did not intend to work any more. Songe then walked on ; he did not appear to be in liquor, nor in the least de• ranged, but was just as he always seemed to be, thoughtful, and from inquiries that have been made, it does not appear that he was the least intoxicated when he went to bed ; indeed, he was a remarkably sober man, but in his religious opinions he was an infidel, and a follower of the Carlisle persuasion. The jugular vein anti the carotid artery of both were completely severed. The cut in his wife's throat was a very clear one, but the gashes in his own were jagged, for it appears that in inflicting the wound upon his wife, the rivet of the razor handle came off, and broke it, so that he would have to press upon the back of the razor to effectually destroy himself. Both bodies lay in the house where the murder was committed, and an inquest will be held before Mr. Hollins, the coroner, on Wednesday next. Songe being well known in the town, the dreadful affair has created the most intense interest, and today the house is surrounded by crowds of the curious. He was considered to be one of the first fancy silk-weavers throughout the whole of the manufacturing district, and did a considerable deal of business for large manufacturers, who gave him the raw material to manufacture into pieces. The poor woman, who has been thus cruelly murdered through the influence of the " green-eyed monster," was a steady, hard-working creature, and was much respected in the neighbourhood in which she resided ; and there appears to have been no cause to suspect her fidelity to her barbarous husband. Six unhappy children are left Orphans upon the world, and it is to be hoped that a feeling and generous public will sub. scribe something !or their support. The age of Mrs. Songs was 35, and that of ber husband 40. They bad been united 15 years.