The Sun. — 1845-01-16 (London, England)

ATTEMPTED MURDER OF A WIFE BY HER HUSBAND, AND HIS SUICIDE. Yesterday, John Clements, a wool-stapler, of Little George-street, adjacent to the Grange Toad, Bermondsey, attempted to murder his wife by cutting her throat, and afterwards destroyed himself. It appears that Clements was in the employ of Mr. Elkerton, wool-stapler, in the Grangewalk, Bermondsey, since June last, and that he occupied, with his family, consisting of a wife and three children, a ready-furnished first-floor, at No. 24, Little George-street. For some time past he had exhibited depression of spirits. He complained of being unwell yesterday morning before he went to work, and returned before his usual time, between ten and eleven, and requested his wife to make him some tea. At this period their eldest son, about thirteen year's of age, was in the room, and he was sent to the public-house for a pint of porter. In about a minute after the lad quitted the house the landlady, a Mrs. Pudner, was alarmed' by hearing a loud scream, followed by the noise of some person falling heavily on the floor immediately over the room in which she was sitting. There was a knock at the street-door at this moment, and a young man named Bond was let in ; as he entered, Mrs. Clements came running down stairs with her throat cut, and the blood gushing from the wound. When she got into the passage, she fell from exhaustion into the arms of Bond, ejaculating, " For God's sake, call a doctor !" Bond then carried her into the back parlour, and hurried away to the police-station. Two policemen were immediately sent to the house, but, upon their entering the room, Clements was disoovered lying on the floor in a pool of blood, with his throat cut nearly from ear to ear, and a razor, with which he perpetrated the deed, lay at his side. A medical man speedily arrived, but the unfortunate man was quite dead. Mrs. Clements was conveyed to Guy's Hospital, and will probably recover. Her account of the occurrence, as well as she could recollect from the haste in which it was carried into effect, was, that her husband had been complaining for some days of his head, and being in arrear of rent to his landlord, it seemed to weigh on his mind, and on the preceding night he awoke out of his sleep in a fright, and said to his wife that the officers were going to apprehend him. When he subsequently returned from his employer's premises, and while she was engaged in toasting a piece of bread at the fire, be suddenly turned upon her and drew the razor across her throat. She felt the blood trickling down her neck, and with an effort she rushed out of the room, before he had time to repeat the act. The unfortunate deceased must have destroyed himself immediately afterwards. It appears that the deceased cause up from the country about seven months ago with his family, and that he was a sober and industrious man. He had no previous quarrel with his wife.  FIRE and LOSS of LIFE at 13.4 TH. In the course of yesterday forenoon, accounts were received at the several fire-insurance offices in the City from the agents at Bath, respecting a very destructive fire, unhappily attended with fatal consequences, which took place in that city on the morning of Monday last. It appears that the attention of the police was drawn to a quantity of smoke issuing from the crevices of the parlour-shutters of the Horseand Jockey public-house, in the occupation of Mr. Kilson, situate in Barton-street, Queen-square. The inmates were promptly apprised of the danger they were in, and on the landlord coming down stairs and opening the parlour-door, he discovered that the whole of the interior of that apartment. was on fire. Owing to the sudden draft of air, the flames quickly spread through the premises, and after it was thought that the residents had all made their escape, it was ascertained that a Mrs. Ann Cross, a bedridden old lady, 78 years of age, was lying in a helpless state in bed in a front room on the first floor. One of the servants made two attempts to save the unfortunate creature, which proving unsuccessful, a workman, by means of a ladder, entered the room by the window. He succeeded, after much difficulty, in getting the afflicted woman out of the bed, but owing to her great corpulency he was unable to lift her from the ground, and finding that the floor was giving way underneath him, he was forced to leave her and make a hasty retreat by the window. In a few minutes afterwards the fire gained the room, when her cries were distinctly heard—" Oh save me, oh save me," which created the deepest sensation. The flames continued to rage with unabated fury, and in less than an hour the whole building was consumed. In the course of the day the burnt remains of the poor sufferer were collected. An inquest was held, and a verdict of "Accidental death" has boon returned. The premises were insured in the Sun Fire office for 1,000/.