The Sun. — 1851-10-01 (London, England)

THE DREADFUL MURDERS AND SUICIDE AT CAMBERWELL.—(THIS DAY.) The murders and suicide in Wyndham-road, Camberwell, still continue to produce great excitement in the neighbourhood, and various rumours are afloat tending to unravel the mystery which surrounds the dreadful event. As Faucett only took possession of the business on Monday, and as the deed was perpetrated on the following morning, the neighbours had only one day's acquaintance with Faucett and his family, and therefore possess little information which is likely to throw any light on the probable causes which led to the commission of the rash and bloody act. The prevalent idea among the tradesmen and other inhabitants on the spot is, that Faucett had made an unfortunate purchase, and had been deceived with regard to the business ; but this seems improbable, as it is scarcely likely that one day would enable him to ascertain the amount or nature of the business carried on. The more correct supposition seems to be that he was labouring at the time under a fit of delirium tremens, produced by hard drinking, or suffering from an attack of temporary insanity. Some persons who visited the house in the course of yesterday, and who professed to have known Faucett, stated that he had been in the service of a grocer in Oxford-street for the last 26 years, and was always considered to be predisposed to insanity, he having on several previous occasions made attempts upon his own life. According to their account,] ho had borrowed the money to purchase the business from his employers. They also say that he had for some time given way to intemperate habits. The neighbours describe him as a tall, stout, fine-made man, of very agreeable manner and good address. The bodies of the murderer and suicide and his two little victims remain in the house nearly in the same position in which they were found, so as to afford the jury an opportunity of forming their own opinion as to the way in which the murders were committed. The surviving child, Mary Ann Faucett, is also in the house, and is attended upon by nurses. The cuts and wounds she had received on the hands, arms, and side, independent of the almost fatal gash across the throat, are very numerous, and show how the poor little creature must have struggled to resist her murderous assailant, and to wrench the knife from his hand. Dr. King visited her this morning, and minutely examined the principal wound. He thinks there are great hopes of a recovery, though tho case is still attended with great danger. Of course it has not been deemed pru lent to question her upon the subject of the sad occurrence, bat from some observations voluntarily made by her it would appear that after her mother had left the shop Fawcett told her to go and get the carving. knife out of the shop, and on returning with it he said he was going to kill her, Emily, and Frederick (meaning the other two children), and then himself ; adding, teat they would all be better out of the world, or something to that effect; and that he immediately proceeded to slaughter his children in the manner al. ready described. The distracted state of his unfortunate wife's mind may be easily conceived. The police deemed it prudent to remove her to the house of a person close by, who had kindly consented to receive her, but this was a difficult and heart-rending task, as she refused to leave the bodies of her children, who were lying weltering in their blood. The Wyndham-road runs out of the Camberwell-road, a few turnings past the gate, and and is a long straggling thoroughfare, with rows of small shops and private houses, one storey high, on each side. The scene of the horrible circumstance is the shop at the corner of Queen'splace, a small row of newly-built houses, a short distance down on the left-hand side. The shutters aro all put up, and the entracte is guarded by two policemen, who have enough to do to keep back the crowds and to satisfy their numerous inquiries. The inquest is fixed for to-morrow, but will no doubt be adjourned, after taking some formal evidence, until the mother and surviving child are in a fit state to be examined.