In February 1869, news broke of a horrendous double murder that had taken place in the Poplar district of East London.
The Nottinghamshire Guardian covered the story in its edition of Friday the 12th of February 1869:-
THE DOUBLE MURDER IN LONDON
Great excitement prevailed in the neighbourhood of Poplar on Sunday night last upon the spreading of a report that a double murder had been committed.
It appears that a man named Taffe, a wheelwright, who had been employed at Messrs. Green’s shipbuilding yard, Blackwall, resided at a house in Russell Place, near the Blackwall stairs.
Shortly after nine o’clock on Sunday night, a neighbour heard the door of Taffe’s house slammed to, as though someone was leaving there hurriedly or angrily.
FOUND THE BODY OF MRS. TAFFE
A short time after, the neighbour went and knocked at the door, but receiving no answer, she opened it and entered the house.
She was horrified at finding Mrs. Taffe lying with her throat cut.
HE HAD ALSO ATTACKED HER FATHER
She was even then in a dying state, but she did manage to say that her husband had cut her throat and after that her father’s, who was also found in a dying state.
Both Taffe’s wife and his father-in-law died shortly after the neighbour entered the house.
The police were sent for, and, in a very little time, a great crowd had assembled in front of the house.
The murderer has not been taken into custody.
THE INQUEST
An inquest on the bodies of the murdered victims was held by the Middlesex coroner, yesterday, when evidence was taken as to the position in life of the deceased, Peter Pearson and his granddaughter, Mrs. Cooper; and also as to his finding the bodies dead in the house.
Evidence was also taken as to the hearing of cries from the house, and the sudden departure from the place of Cooper immediately afterwards.
The inquest was then adjourned.
A DESCRIPTION OF THE SUSPECT
The following is a description of Cooper:- He is an engineer, 26 years of age, five feet six inches in height, complexion florid, hair and whiskers brown, and he has lost the thumb of his left hand.
He was dressed in a black cloth frock coat, blue cap with a French peak.
THE POLICE AT WORK
The detective police who are acting under the orders of Inspector Smith are actively engaged, not only in trying to discover the whereabouts of the man Cooper, who disappeared on Sunday night, but also in attempting to unravel the mystery which surrounds the sad tragedy which resulted in the death of two persons.
NOT HIS BODY
The dead body of Cooper has not, as was reported, been found in the river.
The body discovered in the Thames was that of a man who had two thumbs on one hand.
He did not answer to the description of Cooper, besides which Cooper had lost one of his thumbs.
A REWARD OFFERED
The Home Office have sanctioned the offer of a reward of £100 for the apprehension of the murderer with the conditional pardon to any accomplice.