DISCOVERY OF THE MUTILATED BODY OF A WOMAN IN THE THAMES.

Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 247, 9 December 1873, Page 2

DISCOVERY OF THE MUTILATED BODY OF A WOMAN IN THE THAMES.

An atrocious murder of a woman, it is supposed, has been perpetrated on or near the Thames, and the body, hacked to pieces, has been distributee! over the river. A Thames policeman on Sept 5 found in the mud off the Battersea Waterworks Hie left quarter of a woman's trunk, which was taken to the Wnndbworth Workhouse, where the divisional surgeon saw it, and pronounced it to be the portion of a body which had not been in the water more than twelve hours. The next discovery was made by n policeman in the employ of the South-Western Railway Company, who, without knowing of the previous discovery, found the right side of the trunk near the Nine Elms station. Tins part corresponded with the first part found, and the headless trunk, it was apparent, had boon levered with a very sharp knife, and a saw had also been used. Soon after a portion of the lungs was found under an arch of old Battersea Bridge, and the other part near the Battersea railway pier. The search was now continued for the other parts of the body, and the next day the face, with the «calp of a woman attached, was found off Limehouse. It was evident at a glance that the murderer or murderers had taken revolting precautions to prevent identification, for tho nose was cut from the face, but still hung attached to the upper lip. Thcro was the mark of a bruise on the right tempie, evidently from a blow, it is thought, was the cause of death. It will be observed that several portions of the body were found in the neighbourhood of Battersea, below where tho Wandle empties itself into the Thames, and at a part of the river whero trading barges enter it from the v\est; while another part was found at Limehouse, near where the barges enter the Thames. The first suspicion was that the woman met her death at tho bands of people connected with the barge trade — a matter which has yet to be ascertained It is the opinion of the medical men who have seen the remains that they do not belong to a " subject " used for dissecting purposes, but that they belong to a woman who has met a violent death. The woman 1 ! age appears to have been about forty ; she had dark hair, very thin, and cut short (as would be the caso with a woman recently ill or recently discharged from a pr'aon) and there was a scar, as of an old burn, on the left breast. The following report has been issued by tho medical men who examined the remains : — " I have examined the left quarter of the thorax of a woman of fair skin and somewhat fat. Death has taken place within a few hours. The head, arm, and other side of the thorax and rest of the body have been separated with a knife and saw, and that is an unscientific manner. Tbe body has not been dissected for anatomical purposes, but has been cut up immediately after death. The vessels are all quite empty. I have also examined the scalp and portion of the skin of the face of a woman, aged presumably about forty. The integument has been separated from the bone with a sharp instrument, a>nd was- cut irregularly in several places. The head was covered with short dark hair, very thin, the eyebrows are dark, and there is a very thin dark moustache. The ears are somewhat coarse, and pierced for earrings, which have, however, been torn out. Ihe end of the nose has been severed from the root, and is attached to a portion of tho upper lip. It is short, thick, and round at the extremity There is a large biuise on the right temple, which was caused by a blow from a blunt instrument or substance shortly before death. The scalp was divided at the upper margin of the bone,, but I cannot determine whether before or after death." The search of the polloe being continued, two more portions of the same body were found, the right arm being picked up in the river off Woolwich, and the right shoulder, with part of the arm, off Greenwich, the latter part being smeared with tar. The piece picked up at Woolwich is the only one whioh has found its way below the entry of the canals having London traffic; and another remarkable fact is that each piece has been brought to light ou an ebb tide, each lower and lower down tbe river. This would seem to indicate that the heavier portions at least were committed to the river not very far from the place where the Wandle enters enters the Thames, and had washed down with the tide to where they were found, one to Battersea, which is a couple of* miles from the Wandle, and the other part a little below that, at a few hours later. It is now established beyond a doubt that the body was cut up but a short time befere it was committed to the water ; that death was caused by a blow on the right temple,— a blow, the scalp shows, hard enough to crush in the skull, and cause instant death. Fram the the number of people who have been making inquiry, it would seem that there are many missing womtn of about forty jears of age at this time in London and its ueigbourhood. One applicant stated that his married daughter, who was about thirty-nine years of age, had been missing for three weeks. Ilor husband, he said, three weeks ago went into tho country to bury bis mother, and the applicant's daughter at that time wenc away in drink, and has not since been heard of. He was taken to the dead-house, where the severed breasts where taken from a shell and put together, and tho ghastly face having tho severed nose with the scalp, thinly covered with air, was taken from a jar of spirits and laid before him. Tne bust was that of a woman, in prime of life, and in robust health, and the face, though terribly hacked about, must have been a characteristic one, the features being most marked. When the surgeon asked him if he remembered any wart or mole on tho right breast, he said he did not, nor did he remember his missing daughter to have been burnt in childhood on the chest, in such a way as to leave a life-long scar. His daughter had amolo on her cheek, and he looked at the face to show whero, but that part of the cheek was cut out. He said that his daughter was nearly bald on the top of the bead, as was the deceased ; that she was very dark, and that she was a fully developed woman, in which particulars the body of the victim corresponded. If there is any weight to be attached to the theory that the murder was committed on a bargeor by persons connected with a barge, it is worthy of notice that the applicant gave as his addross and as the address of bis daughter, where she lived with her husband, places in the neighbourhood of which thero is a canal having direct connection by Limehouse with the Thames. Some further portions of the remains of the body were found September 9th. Early in the morning the left forearm was discovered lying on the bank within a short distance of the Chelsea railway-bridge, at Battersea ; and part of the pelvis of a woman was found near the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. Towards evening the right thigh of a female was also discovered at Battersea. The discovery in each instance was reported at once to the police authorities, and the remains were subsequently forwarded to the Wandsworth Workhouse, where the divisional surgeon inspected the remains and found them to fit and correspond in every particular with the other portions that still lie for identification. j Suspicion is directed to a certain barge, to the movements of which, within a short time prior to the discovery of that i portion of the remains found at Batter»ea, the attention of the police has been called. There were two barges lying off Battersea early on the day on which the remains were discovered ; both had discharged cargoes of bricks, and on one of thorn, which was, it is said, worked by the owner, who is represented to bo of a violent temper, there was a woman on board, who seems to answer the description of the one ■upposed to havo been murdered. It is said that when the barges in question were 6een to leave, the woman iv question was not observed on board. An inquest has been hold on the remains which were discovered in the Thames, and the Government have offered a reward of £200 for the discovery of the offenders. In connection with this remarkable case it may be stated that a woman residing at Battersea last week positively identified the remains as tnose of a Mrs Caylcy who had lodged with her. The police, however, had strong doubts in this matter, and after some trouble they succeeded in finding the identical Mrs Cajley alive and well. On being questioned as to the reason why she did not come forward, and so have saved the attention of the public and the time of the police, she excused herself by saying that sho had been to Scotland with a gentleman, and that she was so horrified w ith the story of the murder on the Thames that she had refused to read it or to listen te any account of it. She was taken to her old lodgings in Battersea-fiehls, where her landlady saw again in the flesh the woman she had identified as the mutilated body. Thit is one of tho strange phases of this terrible crime, but it is one to which the polico give but poising attention. They have been constantly engaged in dredging the Thames in tho hope of finding some clothing, which may have got stopped round the moorings of a craft, and in directing inquiries into circumstances which have come to light regarding the movements of persons in various parti. They are hoping and working, and every conceivable means is being token to trace out tho mystery. Innumerable enquiries are constantly being inado by persons who have friends missing, and every day the polico receivo suggestions in writing or otherwise. Hitherto all has been unavailing, and tbe trrnblc mastery is as profound as ever. The police, however, continue their enquiries.

It is reported that Mr J. Rostron, of Lancashire fame, has been entrusted with the »nanufacUiro of the bridecake which is to grace the royal breakfast table on the occasion of the marringe of the Duko of Edinburgh with the only daughter of the Emperor of Russia. The cake, winch is described as a chef d'ftuvre of the confectioner's art towers to the height of 7 feet G inches, and weighs upwards of 230 lbs. It is m «k tiers, and resembles the famous porcelain tower at Nankin. Ihe cake is covered with u fretwork of flowers and shells of snow white purity, *hile gracefully depending from a vase of exquisite design, at the summit a, a profusion of oivii"e blossou'.