FAMILY MURDERED

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXIX, Issue 9652, 8 July 1919, Page 6

FAMILY MURDERED

ACCUSED'S CONFESSION.

LONDON, May 9

Henry Perry, alias Beckett, the man ■who was arrested at. Jilast Mam in connection with the Forest-gate murders, was brought before the_ West Ham magistrates on Saturday 'charged with murdering Walter Cornish, aged 42, Alice Cornish, aged 38, Alice Cornish, aged 14, and Marie Cornish, aged live, at 13, Stukeley-road, on April 28. The prisoner is a short man with a brown moustache, with something of the appearance of a gipsy. When he was taken away from the police court at the'end of the hearing he had to be guarded by the police from a large and hostile crowd. .When arrested the prisoner had in his possession a sovereign, £5 in Treasury notes, lls in silver, 11s 6d in bronze, three gold rings, 11 coins of various*kinds, an ordinary razor in a case, two safety-razors, a wristlet watch, a mirror, two pocket knives, two pairs of scissors, a knife, fork, and spoon, a fountain pen, two tooth brushes, a piece., of bloodstained rag, a matchbox which was bloodstained, a photograph, of '.Himself and father and mother when he was a baby,l an Army Haversack and ration bag, two pipes, and a tobacco tin.

Divisional Detective-inspector Hall related that on April 28, at 8.30 p.m., He went to 13, Stukeley-road, and described how he found the bodies of Mrs Cornish and her two daughters. At noon on Friday he went to East Ham Police Station, and there saw the prisoner. He said to him, "I understand you give your name as Jones?" The prisoner said, "No, my name is Perry, Harry Perry. 1 am known as Beckett. I am the man you are looking for." Ho was then cautioned, and when told the charge which would be preferred against him, he merely said "Quite right."; He was wearing a wedding ring, and when asked for it he handed it over with the remark, "That is not the one-I:-took •■from .her. 1 gave that to a woman in Stratford on Monday might." He then added, "1 will tell you all about it," and after being duly cautioned he made the following statement, which was taken down in writing :— THE STATEMENT. As far as I can remember I was born az Chatham. My father was a sailor, and he died when I was young. My mother married a hawker named Beckett. While I was still very young we used to travel the country in a caravan.

On November 29, 1916, I joined the 3rd Suffolks at Bury St. Edmonds, and did my training at Felixstowe, and was drafted early in : 1917 to Egypt, and was stationed near Alexandria for about six. weeks: ■ We were then sent to Palestine, on the Gesrea-Beershcba front. Some time in May, 1917, 1 went to get some water, when I got lost. 1 rambled about all night, and the next morning 1 was overtaken by some Arabs, and while walking along I was fired at by a Turkish Beduin. I was slightly wounded in the left leg, just above the instep. I was taken prisoner and taken to a Turkish camp. I was five days in hospital, and was then taken to Jerusalem. I left there, and was taken to Damascus, where 1 had typhoid fever. About November 4, 1917 1 left the hospital, and was sent out with a working party on a railway with other British prisoners. I was taken to different "places, and finally to Constantinople, where we were taken over by the British. Colonel Cummins was in charge. I vwas sent to South Italy by the steamship Coutembre, ': an Australian boat, and was detained in hospital I remained there a week, and then went to Genoa. At Bordighera, suffering from syphilis, I remained six weeks, and when I was cured "they sent me to England oA a paddle-boat from Le Havre. We disembarked at Southampton on February 26, 1919. /' I went to the office of the A.P.AI., Horseferry Road, and told a lot of lies. I represented that I belonged to the Australian Expeditionary Force. The A.P.M. disbelieved me, and sent me to a detention barracks. I was taken to Scarborough, where I was four days under arrest, and was then given a ■warrant to proceed to my. depot at Bury St. Edmunds,, but instead of going to the proper depot I went to the new infantry barracks. I was then directed to report myself to Quarter-master-Sergeant Shilling. I did not <r 0 but went to my sister,- Mrs Lome Smith, of 4, Tower Hamlets-street, Ipswich. . While I was there I went to 8, i'nn-cess-street, a War Office insurance place. I represented I was a returned prisoner of war. I gave them some papers which I had, and which they kept. They gave me £5. I then wont to my step-aunt's, Mrs Cornish, at 13, Stukeley-road, Forest-gate. The address was given me by my sister, Mrs B. Bird, of 36, Ropewalk, Ipswich. She recognised mo by my photograph, which she had received from one of my sisters. She asked me in; it was about 9 p.m. Mr Cornish was there. They made me welcome and comfortable for the night. I. stayed there for five weeks . That would be near the end of "March. I stopped with them until the Saturday after Good Friday. "ARRANGED TO GET MARRIED." Whilst there I became acquainted •with Mrs Sparks, and we arranged to

get married. I had some words with Mr and .Mrs' Cornish, and they turned mo away. I left the'house, and went to Warley. , When I got there I changed my mind, and returned to London. I called at Whitehall Recruiting Barracks, and tried to get j some money, as wo wore, hard up. I stopped in the barracks, that night. The next morning. Saturday, April 26 : j I returned to Mrs Sparks, and remain-! Ed with her until the Monday. I left her at about 10 o'clock. 1 roamed about till 12 o'clock. 1 got some beer, and at about 1.30 p.m. I was passing Mrs. Cornish's door. I She called me in. gave me one or two I rough words, and asked me to stop to dinner. I lost my temper and knock- ■ ed her down with the kitchen poker, and carried her into the shed at the bottom of the garden. She was not dead, but unconscious. I hit her with ! the pick-axe- and went back into the house, got a carving fork from the drawer, and stabbed her in the throat. This would be between 2 and 3 p.m. I covered her over with some boards and rubbish, and then went back to the house and remained there. When the little, girl Mario came in from school I hit her on. the head with a hammer in the passage. She fell down, and I struck her again, then picked her up, and threw her down the cellar. Soon afterwards Alice came in from school. I let her in. ,'She went into the kitchen. I struck , her on the head with a hammer. She I fell down, and then I hit her on the j throat with an axe and earned her ; into the cellar. I I waited until Mr Cornish came in I from work. Ho said to me: "What ; game are you having ?' .1 am going ito hand you over to the police." We had a few words, because he was annoyed at me being there. Tie turned his back, and I hit him on the head with the same axe as I hit the girl Alice with. I struck him a second time, but he got away. ■ I was frightened and went out of the house. Before Mr Cornish came 1 had gone upstairs and took L 3 in notes and Ss silver., the two half-sovereigns which were in Mi" Cornish's purse on the dresser in the kitchen; also 4s 6d silver. 1 cut off Mrs Cornish's finger with a table knife and took away the ring, which I gave to a woman i met the .same night. Mefore "Mario came home Mrs Gallagher called, and 1 told her Mrs Cornish was out shopping. On Monday night I we at to a clothes shop at Stratford and bought a jacket and waistcoat and coi'd trousers, which 'J am now wearing. I gave 37s for the jacket, vest, and cap, and lZs Cd for the trousers— altogether it came to £3 Os od. I took the clothes down to the docks and took off my uniform, removed the stripes, and changed into plain, clothes. I met some sailors and went gambling. I I have been sleeping about the docks ever since.

Last night with a sailor 1 broko into some schools at North Woolwich and stole some of the coppers found --on me. The sailor had a revolver. Some one came into the place to make the fire up. The sailor then threatened to shoot- hinrif he came near him, and we got away. This statement has beer voluntarily made after 1 was duly cautioned that it miglit be given ir evidence against me. It has been read over to me, and it is true. Detective-Inspector Hall concluded his evidence by saying that the-.pri-soner <i<^ned the statement "Henn Perry." and that it was witnessed by Chief Inspector Neil. Chief Inspector Neil, of New Scot Innd Yard, corroborated the evidence of the last witness. He .said that_ after he made his statement the prisoner said:—"Mrs Cornish received a Tetter from her sister-in-law at Colchester. and it was' after that they 'twitted' me and toM me to clear out, and 1 was annoyed."

Mr J. W. Jackson (the Clerk).— Did he hesitate ab all in the long statement he made?—No, he told his story straight off. Tho prisoner was remanded.