SHOCKING TRAGEDY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2332, 19 March 1892, Page 2

SHOCKING TRAGEDY.

MURDER OF A MOTHER AND FOUR CHILDREN. WILLIAMS, THE WINDSOR DERER, SUSPECTED. London, March 15. The detectives have elicited further particulars with regard to William.,' visit to Lancashire. It appears that he rented an empty house in Rainhill, and duriug his residence there was frequently visited by a woman who suddenly disappeared. In the light of what has transpired of late concerning Williams' careeer there is grave suspicion in the village that her J unexpected disappearance was due to foul play. A number of persons who came in contact with Williams about the time the woman was last seen now call to mind the fact that his clothes were spattered with blood, and the landlord of the house states that Williams himself placed a layer of cement under the floor of one of the rooms in a similar manner to the layer under the hearth-stone of the cottage at Windsor. The detectives have also ascertained that after leaving Rainhill Williams and his wife lodged at a hotel in London for a few days before taking steamer for Australia. During his stay in the city he obtained manycases of goods by means of false pretences.

He also purchased a number Of file 3 aildiL drills and incurred bills at jewellers foj/" •altering .articles of jewellery, diamonds, and plate, apparently in order to change their appearance. It was noticed that during his residonce at the hotel Williams wore a large number of diamonds, and that he was not backwaid in displaying his jewels. March 16. The woman who used to be seen about Williams' house at Rainhill and afterwards disappeared, was accompanied by two children. The police are now exploring the floors of the house. When it was given up, Williams sent away heavy boxes. Later. The investigations of the police have disclosed another horrible tragedy, which will no doubt be laid to Williams' charged Under the kitchen floor of the house hi& occupied have been found the bodies of a woman and four children, ono of the latter a baby. The mother and one child were strangled, the other three had their i throats cut. All had been buried together, which points to the murders being all committed at the samo time.

When Williamu arrived at Rainhill in July his clothes were dirty and disarranged, and he had every appearance of having travelled a long distance. He put up at the Commercial Hotel in the village and engaged a bedroom. He had very little luggage with him. Shortly after he arrived he was visited by a lady, who he said was his sister. She called only once, and he afterwards gave out that she had gone to Port Said. Williams had not been long in Rainhill before he rented Denham Villa, paying six months rent in advance. The house was situated in a lonely locality, and his excuse was that he wanted it for a Colonel Brooke, who never put in an appearance. Williams paid a flying visit to Liverpool, where he purchased furniture for the house. He tried to exclude all visitors from the premises, but in spite of his efforts a woman and two or three children were observed to gain admittance. Some one remarked upon this to Williams, but he was ready with an explanation, saying thai the visitors were his sister and her children, who had gone away but returned unexpectedly. Some time after this Williams complained to the landlord that the drainage of the villa was defective, and explained that he had been repairing the floors and had employed a plasterer to complete the work of cementing the hearth. Tins was followed by a complaint from the charwoman with regard to an offensive smell about the premises. Williams then left the house and returned to the Commercial Hotel where he took up his abode, disposing of the furniture at the village for what it would bring. It was after his return to the hotel that Williams entertained seventeen of the villagers at a banquet during which he announced that he intended to marry Mary Mather. He showed the guests the amount of money he had in his possession, and displayed his diamonds and other articles of jewellery. On several subsequent occasions he appeared in military uniform. After his engagement to Miss Mather he lodged with her parents. The marriage took place hurriedly, early in the morning, and the newly-wedded couple left the village very suddenly. Strong objection was taken to the marriage by the girl's brother, but other members of the family saw no reason why the union should not take place. To-day the police broke the cement casing under the floor. After digging for over an hour they were met by a sickening smell, which almost compelled them to retreat from the vicinity. When the broken pieces of cement were cleared away a table-cloth and a woman's apron were exposed to view, and undar these they first discovered the body of a woman and two children wrapped in oilcloth and a quantity of Turkish towelling. The woman was lying on her back between the two children, who were lying with their faces downward. Further explorings revealed the bodies of a boy and another girl buried at their mother's feet. All the bodies were buried in cement. The ages of the children were nine, seven, and five years, and eighteen months respectively. The Avoman's age was about 35 years. About the time when he cemented the floor Williams must have been courting Miss Mather, and the police have ascertained that he bought four- barrels of cement, and paid for them in Miss Mather's name. The revelations have caused intense excitement in Rainhill and Liverpool, and the public wildly declare that Jack the Ripper has now been discovered. March 17. The children found under the floor of the house occupied by Williams in Rainhill had only their nightshirts on, but the woman was fully dressed, her clothes being of a particularly rich character. Her features were rather dark, and she was apparently a half caste. A rope was tied tightly round her body. Wellington, March 17. A man believed to be Williams, the Windsor murderer, was in Wellington during 1888, when he was a cloth hawker, and swindled a Cuba-street shopkeeper out of £BO. He is believed to have gone from New Zealand to South Africa.