THE TRAGEDY AT OXFORD

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2552, 13 June 1882, Page 3

THE TRAGEDY AT OXFORD

The following is a more detailed aooount of the murder and suioide at Oxford, a brief notioe of which was given in our issue of yesterday : Yeßterday morning it was reported Tin Oxford that one of the surfacemen on the railway named John Horn, who was well known in the district, had been murdered by one of his mates named John Grenfell, and the latter had subsequently committed suioide in a deliberate manner. The facta as gleaned from the remaining members of the gang, which cor« ; sted of four, are as follows. The two deceased men, with the ganger Mr Frederio Pegnatz, and Mr Stephen Daly, had gone to work as usual, and were proceeding at 8.15 to load a trolly with tools and requisites for making a stop block which had to be put on the line They were near the building formerly used as the immigration barracks olose to the railway at East Oxford. Dily had put on a small box atd a hammer, Orenfell was standing near with a newly sharpened new adze in his hand, Daly made way from the trolly to allow deceased Horn and Pegnatz to place a sleeper on the carriage and had gone back about five yards to pick up some other article. Horn had placed his end of the sleeper on the trolly, and Pegnatz was pushing it a little further on, Horn was in the act of raising his bead, and taking a step back from the trolly, when Grenfell said, "You b , I'll do for you, and with one determined blow chopped at Horn, driving the blade of the adze two and a half inohes into the poor fellow's neck, nearly severing the head from the body, and he fell to the ground. It is more than probable that Grenfell meant to aim the blow at the back of Horn's neok, but in turning, the latter received the blow in the left side, Pegnatz did not see the blow struck, but saw his mate drop. Daly also turned round and saw him fall. He called to Grenfell, " Jack, Jack, what have you Grenfell, excitedly lifting the adze covered with blood, called out in a fiendish manner, " And I'll do for you too," making for him with the adze in the air. Daly ran for a distance of twenty-four yards, Grenfell following, when Daly looking round thought it beat to wheel round and try to disarm Grenfell. As Daly did so Grenfell gave him a blow on the head, inflicting a small bruise on the left side of the top of his head. Daly, however, soon Beized the adze and jerked it from Grenfell, when the latter made off across a paddook. Pegnatz had turned his attention to the deceased, Horn, and was vainly endeavoring to staunoh with a towel the blood whioh was flowing from the wound. On Daly's return to tho dying man assistance was sent for to Oxford, as well as a messenger despatched for the police. The deoeased, Horn, never spoke after the fatal blow, and died in about seven minutes after, while being held up at the time in the arms of the ganger. Drs. Weld and JJowley were promptly on the spot, but their services were of no avail. Search was immediately instituted for Grenfell, and Daly and Constable Lawler made a search over a large grass paddook belonging to Mr W. F. Pearson. Well away from the fenoes, in fact 20 ohains from the nearest fenoe, quite in the open, they found his lifeless body, deceased lying face downwards, with all his f«ce in a pool of water, whioh Daly describes as about 3ft. one way and 18in. the other way across, and trying the depth with his hand the water did not reaoh above his extended finger, namely, about 3Jin. There remained no doubt but that Grenfell had thus oommitted suicide by drowning himself in this way. The bodies of tho unfortunate men were conveyed to Hale's Oxford Hotel, where they await the inquest. The murdered man Horn was over forty years of age, and a wife and family of ten ohildren remain-to mourn his loss. It will be remembered that a session or two ago he was fined at the Supreme Court for irregular registration of a birth. He was a tall man and of a dark complexion, a somewhat quiet disposition, a native of Scotland. He had been employed on the Oxford section of the line about seven years, and was well liked by everyone with whom he came inoontact. His body, except for the gash in the neck, presents otherwise an undisturbed appearance, and death with him seems to have been imme. diate. It is said that during his residence in Oxford he has been a careful man, and haß a little property of eighty Bores. Grenfell, a native of Cornwall, arrived in the co'ony five years ago, was a short stout man with black hair and whiskers, and rather swarthy. He was about thirty five years of age, and leaves a widow and four little children. He has been working on the line about three years, and was an extremely quiet inoffensive man. It is said his family will be badly provided for. It is difficult to assign any cause for this act, as Pegnatz and Daly both aver that tbo members of the gang were on the best of terms, and Horn was the least likely to have given any offence or cause for affront to Grenfell. They say tho latter has been rather reserved for some weeks, and quieter than usual, but th->re was nothing in his manner to load them to infer that he would commit any aot aoproaobing murder. In tho morning first thing after bidding Pegnatz good morning, Grenfell said he was not well. Pegnatz told him he might go home. Grenfell replied, " I think I can manage," but Pegnatz did not then notice anything unusual about him, and said " Very well, you and Horn can get the sleepers for the work." Horn and Grenfell that morning came to work together on the trolly, and were both standing upon it, tho vehicle travelling down hill when Dily met them and bade them gocd morning. Ho also had not the least suspicion of anything being amiss with Grenfell. Mrs Grenfell states that the only thing which appeared to have vexed her husband was his having been chaffed about falling off a train. She had noticed ho was queer in his manner, and that day on leaving home he said, in reference to some remark about falling off the train, " I'll make that all right to-day." She further states she had made up her mind if her husband did not get better to send for the doctor, as he seemed to be strange in his conduct. THE INQUEST. [By Tbiegwaph.] OXFORD, June 13 An inquest was held at tho Oxford Hotel, boforo O.j Wbitefoord, Esq., coroner, on the bodies of J. Horre and J. Grenfell. _ Mr G A. White was ohosen foreman of the jury. Slephen Dally was the first witness o&lled, and bis evidenoe was a corroboration of that reported in this day's issue. The police and Packnetz also gave evidence, but nothing fresh- was elicited. A venfiot was then given to the following effect:— "We find that deceased, John Home, oame by his death from a blow from an adze given by John Grenfell, who afterwards drowned himself, and that the said John Grenfell wbs at the time suffering under a fit of temporary insanity.''