THE GRAFTON STREET MURDER.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4938, 30 April 1894, Page 2

THE GRAFTON STREET MURDER.

[rKOM OUB LONDON COBBBSPONDBNT.j London, March 24. The scene of the Grafton Street Murder •—the sensation par excellence of the present week —is an ordinary fourstorey building of the respectable lower middle-olaes lodging house order. It is rented by a Mrs Fabe, and managed for her by her eon-in-law, Mr Symonds. Tbe top floor is let to a young married couple named Holmes, the second floor has for some years been occupied by a Mrs Hutching, her two daughters and a sister, and the ground floor is rented by Mrs Bicknell and her daughter. A fortnight ago the first floor was taken by a little foreign woman named Herminie, who said Bhe was a music mistress, and who " kept herself to herself." Mrs Hutchins, a fussy old gossip with an eye to everybody's business, received a polite snubbing from the newcomer, and took a strong dislike to her in consequence. She decided Madame Herminie was no good, and even went so far as to confide dark suspicions concerning her respectability to the landlord, Mr Symonds, however, merely laughed. He had, he said, excellent references with Madame. She had lived two years in her last apartments, and her late housemates pronounced her quiet, respectable and altogether inoffensive. With this Mrs Hutchins had to be satisfied, but there can be no doubt she kept an informal watch on Madame from that moment. Nothing of import occurred till Thursday evening. "On that night," eaid Mrs Hutchins to a reporter, " it happened that I was up a little later than usual. About eleven o'clock, passing by the rooms beneath me, which were occupied by this woman, I heard the sound of a man's voice. I should not have taken so much heed of that, perhaps, because during the day the woman had said that her husband waß coming to see her in the evening, but I heard that a quarrel was going on, and, though that made me feel convinced that they must be husband and wife, I overheard words which made me think at once that SOMETHING WAS WRONG. Titty were talking in low tones. No one j in the house could have heard them but my- ; self, and I should not have heard had I not been passing the door. Then what I heard, and my suspicions of the woman, compelled me to Btop and listen. " I heard they were quarrelling about money in the first place. ' What about that £5 ?' asked the man. ' I will account for that just now,' the woman replied. And the quarrel went on. Then I heard blows, and a muffled voice cry, but very lowly, 4 Oh, do send me to Albany Street.' After that all was quiet for a long time, and I grew exceedingly nervous and afraid. I felt convinced something serious had happened, but though I could stand on my own stairs and listen, I dared not go past the door, and every time a step came near I was so frightened that I fled upstairs. All the time there had b_en no cry out, no noise, no alarm, or call for help; nothing but the low quarrelling, the sounds cf blows, then the sound of something pulling along the floor ; and after that silence. Soon after the woman came out of the room, went downstairs and got a bucket of water, and after she had returned I heard the sound of the swilling of water, as though something was being wa3hed. I determined to watch, and the whole of the remainder of the night I sat up and watched. NO MAN LEFT THE BOOM. Next morning, when I went down to the sink in the yard there were marks that looked like blood on the stairs. Just outside the woman's door was a dark ring from the bottom of a bucket, which also looked like blcod. I spoke to the landlady's son, and showed him these marks. He scoffed at me. But I was not satisfied, and felt that I was in duty bound to continue my watch. I did. Throughout the day (Friday) no man left the woman's room, nor waa any voice heard ; but the woman went out Beveral timeß and seemed to be drinking heavily. Each time she went out j she lockerl har door behind her. All night I long on Friday I kept up my v<atch on the

woman's door. Still no man went- out. Ob Saturday morning the woman went oat. When she returned she paid a week's rent in lieu of notice, and aboat four o'clock two men came and took awaj her things. Ifelt at 11 more and more agitated, and hardly knowing what to do, I followed the things to the house whither they were remoTed, and then went to the police*. 6taticm." r THK COB--* XS TECH TftUNff. Only half crediting Mra Hiite___w r _F strange story, the police proceeded! to* Grafton Street, where they discovered blood-staras ott the floor. They then vißited Madame _ new quarters, and after some search found a corded trunk, and! within it, huddled up in ghastly fa.hion, the corpse of a man. This was presentlyidentified as one Stevens, a cab pronrietor in the neighbourhood, who had' been missing since Thursday night. At Marlborough Street Police Court, *vh re she was charged with murder on Monday afternoon, she looked dirty and w< etched as Bhe stepped into the dock, and her black dress and loose three-quarter jacket were exceedingly dusty, whi'h dd not asßist her appearance. She is a short,, petite woman, but not so small as-some of those who have described her bave made out, neither, though short, ia she particularly Blim. Her dark brown hair was loose and untidy, the Blight fring* over the forehead not appearing aa though it had recently been subjected to the curlingtongs, and the little knot at the back waa evidently a rapid twist up. She is a sallow, dirty-complexioned woman.. A.' striking feature about her, however, iB her long, thin nose. Superintendent Reed went intc the' wi.neßß-bo__. THB WOMAN WATCHED HIM' carefully, holding tbe front rail of the iron dock all the time with her left band,,©* which she wore a wedding ring. Before* the officer began to give evidence Mr Hannay asked if the woman was represented, and was told that Mr Arthur Newton had at first been instructed, but. the woman had afterwards withdrawn her instruction, and now refused to be represented at all. Superintendent __<-e>l described how he went to 51, Grafton Ftreet, on Saturday evening, about six o'clock, and in both the front and back r.->oms on 11 c first floor found several trac-s of what apije >red to be blood. Then he went to 56, Great Marylebone street, and there saw the woman who waa now in th« dock. He Baid to her, "We have been to the rooms which you have justcease*_.o occupy in Grafton street. Can you account for the bloodstains on the floor** there P"" "Yob," replied the woman. Superintendent Seed then said, " Where is the large trunk removed with your furniture from that address to-day P" At that the woman pointed to a box that was uuder the window in the room. Eeed and Sergeant Kane examined that box and found nothing but old tin kettles in it. The superintendent, not Bali-fled, sent hia sergeant over to Grafton Street to get a witness to identify the trnnk which had aroused suspicion. When Sergeant Kane returned he had learned that Madame occupied Wo rooms in the hous?. She had herself deolared on the arrival of the police that she occupied only one room. On going into the front room tbe officers found a large trunk tightly corded and locked. "Is this your trunk P" asked the inspector. The woman quietly handed him a bunch of keys. But there was no key on that bunch that wonld fit the lock. " Where ia the other bunch ?" demanded the officer. "I 0 the other room/ the woman replied. A search was made, but it was fruitless. Then the officers, as is said above, cut the cords and forced the , lock. A piece of carpet waa the first thing i that was seen. On removing that I THE DKAD BODY of a man was exposed. Then came the box. 1 a large wooden, round-topped trunk, bound with iron -bands. The top is covered with embossed leather, very old and worn, and on it are the letters "H. C." Its production created the greatest sensation in the court, whioh was densely crowded, whilst each doorway was thronged by a clamouring mass, whom the police had some difficulty in keeping in order. Superintendent Eeed went on to state bow the woman was at once taken into custody, and at tho station was at first charged witb. murdering an unknown man at 51, Grafton , Street. A little while later the body was identified, and the charge was then again made to tbe woman with the name of the > victim inserted. No further evidence was taken, and after a momentary consultation with the chief detective in charge of the case, Mr Hannay remanded the further , hearing for a week.