The Sun. — 1846-02-18 (London, England)

MURDER AND SUICIDE AT CAM BE R WELL. Shortly after seven o'clock on Monday lemming Mae neighbourhood of Southampton-place, Camberwell, was thrown into the groates t consternation by the screams of a woman, who had just made her escape, by the back door of No. 5, Wellington-place, a small cottage residence. only two stories high. The first person who repaired to the spot was Mr. Pratt, a surgeon, who resided at No. 4, and who, upen entering, was horror-struck at the scene which presented itself. In an upper room, upon the floor, lay the lifeless body of M. Dinarete Homan, a Frenchman, aged 53, with his throat cut from ear to ear ; on the bed, his son, aged 13, quite dead, shockingly mutilated About the throat; and in a lower room, another sow, aged 11, with his throat cut, a wound on the cheek, and his hand much lacerated, who was at first supposed to be dead, but afterwards showed some symptoms of life, but totally unable to articulate or give the least account of the dreadful catastrophe ; and in a short time afterwards a female child, aged eight months, was found dead in a water-butt which stood in the garden, but having no wounds whatever about its person. It appears that the unfortunate man had resided at No. 5 for the last twelvemonth, supporting his family as a teacher of languages. lie had been in the habit of rising about seven in the morning, and usually took down stairs with him one of the twin infants, who slept in the same bed as he and the mother. Yesterday morning, on dressing himself, he did the same thing, taking one child with him, and leaving the other in bed with the mother. In a few minutes the mother, being alarmed, by a loud shrieking, went to the room, and on opening the door was met by the younger boy, who immediately ran down stairs bleeding, at the bottom of which he fell down apparently lifeless; and on entering the room Mrs. Ilorean sawher unfortunate husband in the act of caning his own throat, and before she could interpose he had fallen down a corpse. On looking farther, she discovered her eldest sou dead in the bed, but could not perceive any traces of her infant child, who was, however, shortly afterwards discovered to have been drowned in the water-butt. There is no doubt whatever but that the unfortunate father proceeded to the garden instantly on leaving his bedroom, and having drowned the child, then ascended to the children's room, where he afterwards perpetrated the other murders, committing suicide the moment an alarm was raised. As no vital organ has been severed, hopes are entertained that the youngest boy's life will be saved, although, of course, there is great danger that he will not survive the shock. There seems •to be little doubt but that. owing to their privations, temporary insanity was the immediate cause of this shocking affair, as his pecuniary embarrassments had for some weeks past induced great depression of spirits. The widow states that she believes it was her husband's intention to have murdered her, and all the children, before he destroyed himself; which he doubtless would have done, had it not been for the screams of her 8011 Philarete. Such pree..ations had h. 11.3,n, (h.,* anor-chain was found twisted that she could not open the street doer, escape, had he made an attack upon her life. She says that she has been married nearly twenty years ; that the deceased was formerly a schoolmaster at Leicester, but had of late been obtaining a scanty subsistence for his family by teaching the French and Italian lanSaages. In the back room, first floor, were a crib bedstead, an old mattress, and scarcely any clothes to cover the children. There were neither chairs, tables, or any other article of furniture. In the adjoining room was an old mattress, on which the man and his unfortunate wife, with her twin children, slept. Tile* was no bedstead, only three old chairs and a table. The whole of the other rooms were perfectly empty.