ANOTHER ISLINGTON ATROCITY.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1247, 23 January 1896, Page 12

ANOTHER ISLINGTON ATROCITY.

IS IT A JUVENILE RIPPER ? BABIES MURDERED AND MUTI- . DATED. From Our Own Correspondent . London, December 6. The atrocious murder of little Victor Dowling at Parlcfield street, Islington, which I chronicled at the time of its occurrence, but two short months ago, has been followed this week by a similar atrocity in the same locality. On Tuesday evening Willie Cattell (or Cattle), a child barely three years of age, was found cruelly, if not mortally, mutilated under much the same conditions as accompanied the Dowling tragedy. And the first person arrested by the police in connection with the latest horror was the gaunt, unkempt lad Gamble, upon whom they laid their hands when little Victor died.

The story of the second crime is as follows : —On Tuesday afternoon, about one o’clock, Mrs Burgess, who was in attendance at her stall in Chapel street, Islington, sent the youth Gamble to the stable in Sydney grove, which is used, both by herself and other costermongers, as a kind of storehouse, to fetch three sacks. The lad arrived in Sydney street about 1.30, and was seen by many of the inhabitants. He called for the key of the stable, which is kept at Cattle’s house, and stated the nature of his errand. Playing in the street were a number of children, among them being the injured boy and a little girl named Edith Snowdon, who is seven years of age. According to her statement, she was at the time at play in a van. Without warning Gamble approached the van, took hold of her dress, and endeavoured to drag her * to the ground. She screamed, and when he saw that the attention of several residents had been attracted he desisted in his efforts. He then unlocked the door of the stable and entered. THE CHILD MISSING. During this time the injured child had, according to his custom, been playing in the streets, and at 3.15, was seen by his mother to go, in company with another child, to a neighbouring sweet-stuff shop. At four o’clock, as the child did not return, the mother became anxious, and searched the neighbourhood. She did not find the child, and promptly went to her husband, who was engaged at an oyster stall in the Goswell road. The man left his stall and proceeded to Sydney grove. After an ineffectual search, he ran down to the Old street Police Station and reported the loss of his child. He then returned home. THE VICTIM FOUND. As he was entering his house a neighbour came to him and said, “ Bill, there is a funny noise coming from the stable next to your house ; it sounds like an injured dog." Cattle, bearing in mind the recent Islington murder, forced open the stable, and heard a groaning sound coming froni one of the dark corners, and from underneath a barrow. On approaching the spot the two men .found a heap of sacks beneath the barrow, but one of them., which was tied at the mouth, seemed to be full. The string fastening the bag was quickly cut, and what appeared to be the dead body of Cattle’s little child was taken out of it. Cattle placed the child in a cab, and drove it to. the Old street Police Station. The divisional surgeon was called and at once ordered its removal to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. THE INJURIES. The unfortunate child’s injuries consistod of a slight incised wound on the back, probably the result of a severe fall, the wound being just’ above the left hip. In the neighbourhood of the umbilical region there was a clean put, as though the .child had been stabbed with a pocketkifife. The lower part of the body \yas shockingly mutilated, and, according to the statement of one of the surgeons at the hospital, it can hardly be expected to survive these injuries alone. A horrible ingenuity seems to have been exercised in inflicting the wounds, which must have paused the little sufferer this most intense agony. When admitted to the hospital the child was covered with blood, chaff and mud, but the doctor was of opinion that there had been no attempt at strangulation. The chaff and mud had evidently been adhering to the bag when the chiLl was thrust into it. GAMBLE ARRESTD. Immediately the matter was reported to Inspector Leach, he turned out the whole of the officers in his department, and in a very short time they were able to report to him the suspicion that the lad Gamble was the assailant. The facts from which these conclusions were deduced were simple. In the first place Mrs Burgess had sent the youth early in the afternoon to the fetable in question, and in ordinary course he ought to have been back at Chapel street within half ao hour. life did not, however, return until nearly five o'clock. He had meantime called for the { key at Cattle’s house, opened the stable, and did not give back the key until about two hours after. The police found a witness who saw the injured child in Gamble's company. Sergeant Selby proceeded to Mrs Burgess’ stall in Chapel street about seven o’clock last night, where he found Gamble. He informed him that he waa going to take him into 1 custody, and told him the charge. The

youth replied, “ Do you think I would do such a thing as that ? Why, I have not been near the stables all to-day." At this point he was reminded that Mrs Burgess had sent him to bring some sacks from the place, and in reply he exclaimed, “ Well, I haven’t been to Sydney grove since this morning." GAMBLE IN COURT. Gamble was brought up at Clerkenwell in the course of the day. To allude to him as a lad scarcely conveys a correct description of the suspect. He is a tali, raw-boned young fellow, standing about five feet seven, and apparently capable of exercising considerable strength were it needed. He is in his 17th year. As he stood before the bench, Gamble’s face twitched nervously, and his hands kept twisting and doubling his little cloth cap, his whole pose and movements showing that he was ill at ease. His face, too, betrayed signs of tears, and for some moments it looked as though he was about to break down once more. His attire was rough and unkempt, an old red and black scarf being tied round his neck, while his waistcoat was almost buttonless, and his corduroy trousers were mudstained and very much worn. THE EVIDENCE. Mrs Cattle was the first witness. She told how she missed her little boy at about four o’clock, and had no idea of his whereabouts until she was shocked with the news of the terrible discovery at the stables. Then came a youth William Shiar, who proved seeing Gamble in the stable-yard at from four to half-past four o’clock. He made some remark about one of the horses, and then went to the door of No. 18 stable and locked it, afterwards leaving the yard and going along the street. Shiar then went to his tea, and returning at six o’clock, he heard that the

CHILD WAS MISSING. He then asssisted the father in the search. There was a woman named Mrs Snowdon there, too, and she heard a cry proceeding from stable 18. The doer was. then burst open, and the poor little child was found tied up in a sack on the top of three baskets, and between a cart and a wall, with about a dozen more baskets piled over the sack. The sack itself was here produced, and Shiar said that the moment it was cut open it was seen that the infant was all bi’uised about the face, and cut in other parts and bleeding. The magistrate: Have you any questions to ask ? 1 Gamble : There is a lot of glass over this here place, on top you see, so as anyone could get in there. That was all the reply which the young fellow made to the magistrate first, and when the question was repeated he shook his head and muttered out, “ No." The father was next called and described the search. The condition of the child was such that Mr Cattle felt positive it could not have lived FIVE MINUTES LONGER.

Dr Newton described the shocking nature of the injuries. There was a large bruise on the left temple, an incised wound on the chest, back and lower part of the abdomen. There was a quantity of chaff in the mouth, and coagulated blood on the side of the face.

This was all the evidence at present offered, and Gamble was remanded for a week. He swung himself coolly out of the dock, and passed to the cells without turning his eyes to right or left. The police have a suspicion that the outrage may have been inflicted with a piece of broken glass, of which a large quantity was found lying loose in the cart.