The Warwickshire Herald. — 1892-03-03 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

QUADRUPLE MURDER AND ATTEMPTED  SUICIDE.  On Monday the little village of Brodsworth, near fkincsater, was thrown into a state of excitement by the discovery that one of the residents, George Revill, aged 29. a shoemaker, had cut the throats of his four children, and then attempted suicide. The facts are very sad. In connection with the ball at Brodsworth there are small gasworks for lighting the hall and its surroundings. Opposite these works is a row of cottages, named Gas-terrace. In one of these houses lived Revill, his wife, and their four children—Ernest, aged eight; Mahe- six; Ruth, aged three; and Ethel, aged four Months. his wife, and baby slept in the front !nom, and the three other children in the back. !twill st.•ii hi, wife came to Brodsworth some six gears ag, lit-re Revill commenced the business of a boot an -.hoe maker, and, being a quiet, steady, and inoffensive man, he was fairly patronised. Ile was an affectionate husband, a good father, and, until a few days ago, a member of the church choir. : :Nome year or two ago Revill's health began to fail, aud this led to severe nervous depression. About two months ago his medical adviser, Dr. Kenyon, of Hooton Fagueil, ordered him away, and lie spent a fow weeks with his friends, which seemed to do him good. Finding his work too laborious, he took a situation as gardener in connection with the hall, but only did the lighter work, and lately, finding this even too hard for him, he arranged to canvass for the Prodential Assurance Society. On Sunday he att nded church as usual, and returning met a •ighbour—ex-policeman Garbutt—who asked him It ow he was. He answered, "Middling," but Garbutt non remembers that the man seemed somewhat ••queer." On Monday morning Mrs. Revill rose, as was her custom, about half-past 6 o'clock. She her husband and the baby in bed, Revill usually cominf; down when she had got the fire made, and t'sn bringing the baby with him. At about 7 o'elo k Hevill came downstairs, but without the bahy. He seemed neither better nor worse than it dell. Mrs. Revill asked him how he was, and he replied -Middling." Having washed, he proceeded upstairs to obtain his razor for shaving, but being away a long time his wife followed him. On poshina the bedroom door open she saw him cull lug his throat. She rushed to a neighbour's, the • • ...• on.al. 141111(0 (1114,11 q Wlin, on o•tu titin2 with her, found Revill standing by the side of the bed with his throat cut. A razor was lying it, a pool 1 blood near the bedside. Asked what bad le--n doing Nevin said, "I had to do it." Two girls, Mabel, aged six years, and Ruth, three years. lay on the bed dead, with their throats cut, whilit in a corner, on a bunk, lay Ernest, aged eight, dead, with his throat cut. In the front room lay the baby, Ethel, aged four months, also dead, with its throat cut. Revill asked for pencil and paper, and wrote the word "Farewell." Then canie something which was unintelligible, and next ill wed tlie word -worthy." Revill nearly separated his wind-pipe, and ia in a critical condition.  According ,sa later information, it seems that when Mrs. Rerill, with Mr. Garbutt, returned to the bedroom Ftevill opened his arms, and, it is believed, had he got hold of his wife he would have mun'ered her too. The baby and two girls are (knight to have had their throats cut while sleeping. The boy had evidently been awake and struggled violently. His bed 'Mews that he was attacked when lying on the right hand side, and that he managed to turn on the opposite side, but was overpowered and sank, his head falling over the bed on the left-hand side. Mrs. Revill states that when her husband first went upstairs she heard him go to the trent bedroom where the baby was sl,eping. As he was a long time upstairs, /he went to the toot of the stairs to listen, and heard what she describes as a -gurgling" sound. Thinking her husband was ill, she went upstairs and pushed open the door of the back bedroom, whither her husband had passed from the front. She then saw him near the bed hacking at his throat with a razor. When spoken to, Kevin said he had to do it, and, pointing upwards, remarked, “Better off."