THE STORY OF A PILLOW-CASE

Evening Star, Issue 3033, 8 November 1872, Page 4

THE STORY OF A PILLOW-CASE

The following is extracted from the Poll Mall Gazette of July 2o Nothing could be more satisfactory than the exculpation of Mr Prico, Humphreys, who, having been taken into custody on the charge of uttering a counterfeit florin, was suspected of having committed the Hoxton murders because there were marks of blood on his waistcoat, and because a strange-looking article, supposed to be a bag, was found in his possession, also covered with blood stains. It appears from the statement made by the police at the Clerkenwell Police Court, that the bag turns out to be a pillow-case, and that Mr Price on Saturday evening left home with the view of purchasing the Sunday’s dinner for himself and his family, taking with him the pillow-case empty. When he returned homo, after an absence of some time, the pillow-case was full, and no doubt there was joy in the domestic circle when, on its contents being discharged, they proved to be two lambs’ heads. Well would it have been for Mr Price, if, after this successful venture, he had stuffed the pillow into the case, and laid his weary head upon it after his day’s labor, and dreamed of the morrow’s repast; but, flushed with triumph, he expressed his intention of making another expedition, in search for epmo peas and potatoes, and the pillow-case was again brought into requisition for the purpose of bringing home these agreeable adjuncts to the lambs’ heads. The rest of the painful story is well known. Rightly or wrongly, Mr Humphreys was charged with passing bad money, the blood-stained pillowcase was found in bis possession, and for three days he was suspected of being guilty of the most brutal murders of modern days,