The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1870-05-28 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

FURTHER PARTICULARS. CXBRIDGII, Tuesday Afternoon.  There seems now to be a slight clue to the perpetrator Of the terrible murders at Denham, which eclipse in horror the celebrated murders of the Marrs and %Valiant., or even the more recent atrocities of Tropinann. At first it was rumoured that the poor man Marshall had murdered his family and then committed suicide in a tit of homicidal manta, and this would have been the least repulsive feature of such a crime, but there is now no doubt that Marshall was himself the first victim. His skull was t bat:ered that the hr des protruded from the base, his jaw woe token in two places, his hands were scratched, anti there were some ;slight but strong evidences of a short violent struggle having taken place In the little forge which adjoined his house and communicated with a Above all, the :oily was concealed by sacks thown over, and even tucked beneath the body, The notion of suicide, therefore, Is utterly impossible. The whole family were murdered, and, front all that can he divined, were murdered by one man. Whether the motive was private malice or mere robbery, or both cambilled, can only be conjectured. Two watches are missing. One has been treced and found pawned at a Mr. Butcher's, a pawnbroker in Uxbridge, for a few shillings, on Monday morniag. Of the other watch there Is yet no trace. The cescription of the man who pawned this watch is somewhat vague, for little notice was taken of hint, even the identity of the watch itself is almost doubtful; hut the brother of the murdered nian thousht he could identity the chain attaeled to the watch as having belonged to :Mary Maratha'. With this slight clue, and shght description 41 the man who pawned, other traces were soon found by the police. They ascertained that anion answering somewhat to the description of a kind of m Inman tramp had been in Uxbridge two or three da)s previously. anti bad slept at a lodging-house in the same room with another man to whom he was unknown. This man has conic forward and given the police every aid in the way of description which lie could about his temporary hut unknown companion. The most Important fact of all which he states I. that the supposed murderer was absent all Saturday night, so late that he did not blow the time that he returned, being asleep'. bat on the Sunday he noticed that he had new and different clothes to those he wore the day previous. In the house where the murdered family were found was discovered a loose heap of things, cousisting of an old worn coat, a waistcoat, and trousers, all stained Wita blood. A coat, waistcoat, hat, trousera, and other articles of nten's wearing al p trel are missing front the cottage. Whoever did the murder took the clothes and left We own behind. The house to which the poor fanely lived is in a very pretty spot, about two miles beyond Uxbridge, and close on the Or ford.road The cottage stands a little back from theroad, aed is almost s. verity yards distant front any other house Adjoining ills a hale fi age where Samuel Marshall worked as an engineer Mal smith in a small way. The man was COMf,rt Ibly ill, sober and industrious, workbag early and late. Beanie the forge where his mutilated body was found, and ricer it was a bar of iron or poker bent, broken and stan.ml sulk blood and hair. Here sm-ms some clue to the time of the murder. M ershall was a very early riser anti very early to bed. At this time of the year he used, itt. red t, to guilty between three arid four in the morning to let his horse out to graze. Ike body, when found in the forge, had a clean shirt and clean stock. ions on it, evidently the beginning of the Suuday dress of a small mechanic. _ . .  o. —0..-...0. Mrs Marshall's body was found at the bottom of the stairs in the cottage. Her gown was partly on her and partly off her, just as she most probably had hurriedly thrown it on to know the meaning of cries and struggling in the forge. Possibly the murdered man may have called to her. At all events there must have been sufficient anise to alarm the house, for by her side, and partly across her, lay in her night dress the body of her slater. itelaw, who was to have been marri.d this day. Both had their skulls completely shattered by the blows of a sledge hammer From this it WOW(' seem that Mrs. Marshall first heard the noise of the butchery in the forge, anti throwing her dress round her, called to her sister-in-law and woke her, and then rushed downstairs and met the murderer at the foot, who slew them at once, and apparently withint trouble, for there was no sign of any struggle or doorder. 'I he heads were beaten in with several ilows, and tin y lay at the f sot of the stairs In a pool of blood. The three children, little gins aged three, six, and nine, were evidently murdered asthey rushed downstairs on hearing the cries. The bodies of two wero, it is statec. found almost under the fireplace in the kitchen. The grandmother, the mother of Marshall, was found upstairs. She had, no doubt, been brained in her sleep. All had evidently been killed with the same weapon—a hammer. This implement was found in the house, covered with blood, hair, and portions of brain. With it was found a Joiner's one, which was also bloody. That the murders were done before the Sunday morning there seems no manner of doubt.  Tt.e little clean things belonging to the children were all untouched, and their little shoes, left cleaned for Sunday wear, remained as they had been placed on Saturday night. The young man who waa Cu have been married to-day to Marshall's shder arrived at Uxbridge by tho first train this morning. Ile had heard nothing of the murders, and when some friends who were waiting at the station broke the news In him he seemed quite Overwhelmed.