The Sun. — 1852-04-14 (London, England)

PUTNEY. " -r"Y morning a lengthened investigation west taken before Air. W. Carter, the coroner for Ea urrey, and a .highly respectable jury, at the Queen's Head public house, ° Wandsworth-lane, Putney, Spankhurst touching the years, a basketmaker, of Barking, in Essex, and his two sons, Nathaniel Joseph Spankhurst, , aged 3y deaths or Nathaniel John aged 10 years, and William Spankhurst, ing of Good Friday aged G years, who were found drowned on the mornlate Vice-Chancellor, under circumstances of a very painful nature. last near raneeairaplelyrcesviednetncaeppoefartehde Full particulars of in this journal on Saturday last, and it will be remembered tbat the bodies were discovered in a small piece of water near the river, under the high bridge, adjoining Barns Elms, The two bay* were fastened  together with string passed round their waists. They were face to face, and about six inches from each other. The legs of the min were found tied together, and he also bad a ligature round his throat. The jury having viewed the bodies in Putney Churchyard, returned to the inquest-room, and heard evidence of the finding of the deceased. Elizabeth Spankhurst was afterwards examined, and she deposed that she had been married to the deceased, Nathaniel John Spankhurst, for about sixteen months. The two boys were his sons by a former wife, and there was a little girl still living. About two months after their marriage the deceased attempted to cut her throat with a razor, and he had on various occasions threatened to destroy her and himself. Latterly his business had been dull, and he had given way to habits of intemperance. When intoxicated he had frequently ill-used her, and had given her black eyes. He bad also threatened to take the children from her. Witness missed her husband and the two boys on Wednesday, the 7th inst., and she heard nothing more of them until she received the following letter :  " April 7. By the time that you receive these few lines, or hours before, me and my boys will be locked in the arms of death; and I am very unhappy to think that my girl is not with us ; and you have no one to thank but your own temper towards me, and I made up my mind what I should do as I lay on my pillow this morning before I started. And I have but little comments to make, but your temper has been that to me that it has preyed on my mind for some time. But it is finished before this time. I hope that my girl will groww ag ov and ern be your a good happy if that I had her here with us. I hope you tempergirif and I should have been or the future, and you have no one to thank but yourself for this, and I hope that you will do well. God bless you both for ever. N. S." The witness further stated, in reply to the coroner, that the deceased bad been a very unhappy man for some time past, and she had been compelled to put all the knives and other weapons out of his way, as he had several times threatened to take her life. His business had been very bad indeed, and his being embarrassed had affected his mind. He had always treated her cruelly, and had often struck her when she interfered to prevent his violence towards the children, he had some time back been under medical treatment for nervous fever. He was a man much given to drink, and when intoxicated was as if deranged. Henry Hall, apprentice to the deceased, confirmed the evidence of the wife as to his drinking habits, and said that when in liquor he was in the habit of abusing and speaking against her, but that when sober he spoke very highly of her;to everybody. When he left home on Wednesday he was quite sober, and appeared very rational. Mr. Superintendent Bicknell said that after making every inquiry, be could not learn that any cry for help, or as of a person in distress, had been heard by any of the constables on duty near High-bridge on the Thursday night or the Friday morning. The coroner summed up the evidence, and the jury returned separate verdicts, to the effect that the deceased children, Nathaniel John, and William, had been wilfully murdered by their father, Nathaniel Joseph Spankhurst, and that the latter afterwards committed suicide by drowning himself, being at that time of unsound mind. This melancholy occurrence caused a painful sensation in the neighbourhood, and a large crowd assembled in the vicinity of the inquest room during the inquiry.