The Central Glamorgan Gazette, and General, Commercial, and Agricultural Advertiser. — 1867-08-30 (Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, Wales)

DOUBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE IN  LAMBETH.  A terrible tragedy took place in Lambeth on Thursday night—viz., the murder of two children by their mother, and the suicide of the hapless woman. She was the wife of Mr. Charles Roberts, a master plumber and painter, living at 51, Chester-street, Kennington-road. They had three children—Charles, aged 12 ; Annie, aged 10; and Frederick, aged 7; and it is the younger two who have met as tragic a fate. About twenty minutes to live o'clock on the day above mentioned, Mrs. Hill, a neighbour, heard loud cries of murder, and proceeded at once to the garden in front of Mr. Roberts's house. She there met the bay Charles, who, in a very frightened and excited state, said, "Oh, Mrs. Hill, mother has killed the two, and will kill me." Mrs. Hill at once hastened into the house by the front door, and found both parlours empty. She then proceeded to the basement floor, where in one of the rooms she found Mrs. Roberts lying near the doorway leading to the back yard, in a pool of blood, and bleeding from a frightful gash on the left arm, just above the elbow. She said, "Oh, Mrs. Roberts, what have you done?" The unfortunate wOlllllll had become so weak from the loss of blood that she could scarcely articulate, but was understood to make some mention of her children. The dying woman had in her right hand a white-handled table knife. Mrs. Hill called in a neighbour, with whose assistance the almost inanimate body was removed to the hearth-rug. The alarm having been given, and medical assistance called in, it was found that the poor woman had inflicted a deep puncture in the left arm, by which the most important muscles had been divided. She was then dead. Several medical gentlemen soon arrived upon the spot. The 'amour having got abroad, a large crowd assembled in the neighbourhood, and Chester-street was so besieged by idlers that it required a large body of police to keep the thoroughfare clear. The police and medical gentlemen were induced by the expression made use of by the boy Charles to make their way upstairs. On passing through the back bedroom over the kitchen, into a smairlifinter-rooln opening out of it, the lifeless body of Frederick was found. He was lying on his left side, with his hands clenched and covered with blood. The poor boy's throat was cut from ear to ear, and there was little evidence of any struggle having taken place. In the first floor front bedroom, lying on the floor upon her left side, was the corpse of the poor child Annie, whose head, neck, and bosom were besmeared with blood. She was lying outstretched between the bed and the washstand. Her right arm was extended, and her left hand, just visible from beneath the body, was tightly clenched. The coverlet of the bed was stained with blood, as also the washstand. Here evidently a struggle had taken place between the poor child and her mother, who had, as in the case of the boy, inflicted a severe gash on the girl's throat. The eldest boy Charles, who first gave the alarm to Mrs. Hill, was afterwards taken to her house, where, on being questioned he made the following statement :—" I was playing in the garden with Fred, between four and five o'clock this afternoon, when mother come down and said, Fred, I want you.' I went with her apstairs and then heard a bump. I then ran upstairs to the back room over the kitchen, and there saw Freddy sitting in the child's chair. Mother vaa then in the act of sawing' his neck with the knie. She then threw him off the chair down upon the floor, and the blood spirted all over the place. I then rushed downstairs followed by mother. I said. What's the matter with Freddy She said He's very ill.' Mother then ran upstairs again to the front bedroom' where sister Annie was lying on the bed suffering from a pain in the chest. Mother took hold of her. Annie said, Oh, mother, for goodness' oaks, what are you going to!' Mothee said, 'I will stab you,' and then drew the knife backwards and forwards across Annie's throat. I was in the doorway and saw this. I was frightened, and ran away downstairs, through the front and back kitehen into the garden, and cried 'Murder,' and Help.' Mother stopped in the doorway of the kitchen, and I said, 'Oh, mother, what are you going to do ?' and she answered, I'll stab myself.' I then saw her thrust the knife into her arm, and then the blood spirted out all over the  Mr. Roberts came home from a contract he was carrying out in the Borough, pushed his way through the crowd, and sqpn learned the fatal news.