In December, 1832, London was shocked by a terrible murder that had taken place in Clerkenwell, just to the north of the City of London.
The Northampton Mercury gave full details of what had occurred in its edition of Saturday the 22nd of December 1832:-
HORRIBLE MURDER IN CLERKENWELL
On Sunday morning the inhabitants of Clerkenwell were thrown into an indescribable state of alarm and excitement in consequence of report which prevailed that a most barbarous murder had been committed in that neighbourhood.
Upon inquiry, the following particulars of this horrible affair were collected:-
It appears that, at about eight o’clock on Sunday morning, a boy, who is in the employ of Mr. Williams, an extensive soap boiler, of Great Compton-street, Clerkenwell, applied for admittance at the gates of those premises.
For a length of time no one answered him, and after repeatedly ringing the bell, he was very much surprised on the door being opened by Mr. Cheney, the foreman, in consequence of the deceased, who also resided there, having invariably answered the bell.
THE BODY ON THE FLOOR
The boy, on entering the yard, found the front counting-house door ajar, on which he pushed open, and on going into the counting-house he found the body of Mr. Sheppard, the clerk, lying on the floor, saturated with blood.
He immediately made an alarm, and, before the body was touched, a messenger was dispatched to Hatton-garden Police Office, and Lloyd, an officer, immediately went to the premises, and on his entering he saw too plainly that the unfortunate man had been inhumanly murdered, his head being literally smashed to atoms, the brains protruding, and a piece of skull, from the back part of the head, lying about two feet from the body.
At a distance from the deceased a poker, with which no doubt the murder was committed, was found covered with blood, brains, and hair, and blood was found spattered on the ceiling of the room, and on the door of the iron which is six feet high.
THE SURGEON ARRIVES
Mr. Whittle, the surgeon, of Myddelton-street, was sent for, and, on examining the deceased, and comparing the poker with the wounds, he gave it as his decided opinion that the deceased had been murdered with that weapon, and that, from the awful condition of the room, a severe struggle must have taken place.
THE SCENE OF THE CRIME
The murder is involved in mystery, and no clue has been had as to the party or parties implicated in the bloody deed.
The deceased’s watch and a bunch of keys only are missing.
The unfortunate man “was highly respected” by his employer, in whose service he has been a confidential clerk upwards of twenty-seven years.
THE INQUEST HELD
On Monday, at twelve o’clock, Mr. Stirling, the Coroner, and a Jury composed of the most respectable inhabitants of the neighbourhood, assembled at the Blue Last public-house, in Compton-street, Goswell-street, upon view of the body.
Great excitement appeared to have been produced in the neighbourhood by the horrible occurrence, and not only the Jury-room, but every part of the house, was filled, and a crowd collected in the street.
THE JURY VIEW THE BODY
The Jury, having been sworn, proceeded to Messrs. Williams and Co’s counting-house to view the body of the unfortunate man, and a more appalling spectacle, perhaps, has not been seen since the body of Ware, the man murdered by Thurtell, was exhibited to the Jury at Elstree.
He lay on his back, with his legs drawn up as if in the last convulsive struggle, and his head was almost literally beaten to pieces, one wound in the skull being, on the surface, two inches in diameter and an inch and a half in depth.
Particles of the brain were remaining on the surface of the skull, having been forced out by the violence of the blows, and two pieces of the skull were still lying on the floor, near the legs of the deceased.
The floor was covered with blood around where the body lay, and the walls were also much bespattered with the same fluid.
His left arm was dreadfully fractured, and on the right hand, across the back part, there was a deep wound; and again, a little above the wrist, a blow had been inflicted which had removed six inches of skin.
WILLIAM SMITH’S EVIDENCE
On the return of the Coroner and Jury the following evidence was taken:-
Mr, William Smith, of 79, Goswell-street, surgeon, sworn.
“I was sent for about eight o’clock on Sunday morning to Messrs. Williams’s to see the deceased, who, the messenger said, was very ill, and it was not known whether he was dead or dying.
I went immediately, and found the deceased exactly in the same situation in which the Jury have just seen him.
On raising the head, I discovered a very extensive fracture of the skull.
He must have been dead some hours, for the body was perfectly stiff and cold, and evidently in the position in which it had fallen.
There cannot be the slightest doubt that the wounds he had received were the immediate cause of his death, and that these wounds were inflicted with some heavy blunt instrument.
HAD HE FALLEN?
It was not my impression at first that the deceased had been murdered, nor was it that of the other three persons who were present, and who endeavoured to explain that in all probability, from the position in which he was found, he had got upon a chair for some purpose, and had fallen backwards with his head against the lock of the iron safe which was in the room, and which appeared to have been bruised.
The poker with which the injuries are supposed to have been inflicted had not been found.
THE STATE OF THE BODY
The deceased had a remarkably thin cranium.
I yesterday extracted a triangular portion of the skull, and there were other portions lying about.
Both arms were fractured.
I saw the body again this morning, and, from all that I have observed, I know it to be perfectly impossible that the wounds could be inflicted by himself, or that that they could have been the result of an accident.”
The beadle here produced the poker, to which some human hair was still adhering, and some marks of blood; it had the appearance of having been thrust into the fire while the blood was still wet upon it.
The edges of the lower end were very sharp, and the instrument was bent about half double.
Mr. Smith went on to state that the blows inflicted with that poker would be likely to produce the injuries which he saw.
THE TESTIMONY OF HENRY RAWES
Mr. Henry Rawes Whittle, surgeon, of 77 Myddleton-street, Wilmington-square, sworn.
“I was sent for at half-past ten on Sunday morning by the superintendent of police, and, on entering the counting-house, I observed the blood upon the floor and the ceiling, and walls.
I examined the head of the deceased, and found a most severe fracture of the skull.
The covering of the brain was ruptured, and a portion of the brain protruded, and there were likewise detached particles of it to be seen in two or three places.
The poker was produced and shown to me, and I am convinced that the injuries described were inflicted with that instrument. (The poker was again produced.)
The right arm was very badly fractured above the elbow, and that probably was done upon his rising to defend himself.
The attack must have been a most determined one.
BLOWS TO THE BODY AND SKULL
There were several cuts on the skull, crossing each other, and altogether the deceased must have received at least two dozen blows.
He had eight distinct blows on the skull, eleven on one arm, and three on the other, besides others on the body.
I have no hesitation in saying that the time taken in inflicting these blows would alone be five minutes, independently of the time occupied by the resistance of the deceased.
It is probable that he was struck several times while on the floor.
Much of the hair on the poker was clotted with blood.”
A Juror observed it was a mistake to suppose the poker had been put into the fire since the murder, there had been no fire in the counting-house.
DENNIS FINN’S TESTIMONY
Dennis Finn said that he was labourer, in the employment of Williams and Co. and on Saturday evening, about seven, he was paid his wages, 18s. by the deceased, at the counting-house.
He afterwards found that a half sovereign which deceased had given him was not a good one, and he went back between nine and half-past nine to get it changed.
He was let in by the deceased who readily gave him other money.
The dog barked when the witness was let in.
There was no one then on the premises but the deceased that witness saw.
A PLEASANT MAN
In answer to questions from the Jury the witness said that the deceased was very pleasant in his manner on Saturday, when he paid the men, indeed as he always was, and he was perfectly sober.
A Juror remarked that he was a particularly abstemious man.
The witness said that he knew of no dissatisfaction amongst any of the men, and there had been only one man discharged, which was nearly two years ago, when one of the labourers, who was called Sam, was dismissed for forging beer tickets.
The witness had never seen that man since.
Witness first knew of the death of the deceased at twelve o’clock on Sunday, when the police came to search his place, and they examined all his clothes, and went away satisfied.
They went to the dwellings of all the other workmen in the same way.
WILLIAM MILLER’S EVIDENCE
William Miller, a boy employed at Messrs. Williams’s, said that he saw the deceased in the counting-house alone about eight o’clock on Saturday evening.
There were only some stablemen then on the premises.
Witness saw no one lurking about, nor could he account for any person or persons having got or concealed themselves about the premises.
About a quarter past eight on Sunday morning witness went to the factory, and was told by the head carman to go into the counting-house, and speak to Mr. Sheppard.
He found the counting-house door open, and was surprised, Mr. Sheppard never leaving it so except for a moment.
WHERE THE BODY WAS FOUND
Witness went into the counting-house and saw the body of the deceased lying on the floor, and the blood on the boards and walls as before described, and saw that he was dead.
He ran and informed the carman, who immediately said that he thought there was something the matter, as he had been ringing the bell at the gate a long time, and he and his mate were obliged to get in through the next house.
Mr. Sheppard did not sleep in the counting house, but lodged next door to the warehouse gate, at Mr. Cheney’s.
It was his custom to lock the outer door and bolt it after the beer was brought in, which was at nine o’clock.
Witness found the key inside of the counting-house door, and the counting-house candlestick, with a small piece of candle in it, was in the gateway.
Witness slept next door, and did not hear the bell ring during the night.
THE TERRIER BITCH
There was a terrier bitch loose in the yard all night, and witness did not hear her bark on Saturday night.
Juror:- “Would she be likely to bark if anyone of your master’s men went into the yard during the night?”
Witness:- I think not.
Juror:- “If a stranger went in would she?”
Witness:- “She certainly would.”
RICHARD CHANEY’S EVIDENCE
Richard Chaney stated that he worked at the factory, and left the deceased in the counting-house on Saturday night.
He saw the door open on Saturday night at eleven o’clock; but it was frequently so.
When he saw the wicket gate and the outer door open he rang the bell three times, but no one answered, and he shut them both.
The candle was not extinguished.
A MAN NAMED SAMUEL NEWLAND
About four weeks ago, at eleven at night, a young man named Samuel Newland came to the premises, and asked for Mr. Sheppard, stating that the latter had arranged for him to come there to see him that hour.
He went into the counting-house, and sat down with Mr. Sheppard for about twenty minutes.
When he came out the witness heard him mutter something in a grumbling tone.
The deceased said that he never desired to see this young man, for that he was continually begging assistance from him.
Witness had heard that a person answering the description of this young man was seen lurking about the gateway on Saturday night.
The terrier was very much attached to Newland when he worked at the premises.
He was the person who was discharged for forging beer tickets.
Witness could stow away nearly 200 persons in the premises at night, and no one else would know that they were there.
OTHER TESTIMONY
William Neal, a carman, corroborated the statement of the boy Miller, as to what occurred on Sunday morning.
The witness Chaney was recalled, and, in answer to questions from the Coroner and Jury, he said that the young man Newland was a person of dissolute habits and bad character, and had recently lived at a grocer’s in Hampstead.
NEWLAND BEING SEARCHED FOR
The superintendent of police for the division here stated that since the murder every pains had been taken to trace the perpetrator, and, having learned the fact that Chaney had just stated, he had dispatched men to Hampstead, and he believed to almost every grocer’s shop in and about London, but they had not as yet been able to find Newland.
CORONER’S SUMMING UP
The Coroner, in addressing the Jury, said that there could be no doubt that the unfortunate gentleman was murdered, and that under circumstances of atrocity that almost made the blood run cold while listening to the details.
The great difficulty was to ascertain by whom the deed was committed.
At present there was no evidence beyond slight suspicion against any party, and he thought it would be extremely proper that a reward should be offered the Government as well as by the parish for the apprehension of those who had committed this terrible murder.
THE VERDICT GIVEN
The Jury returned a verdict of Wilful murder against some person or persons unknown.”
The deceased was of short stature, and upwards of 60 years of age.
It was stated that he had no family.
He had been great many years in the service of Williams and Co.