MURDER. IN GREAT CORAM-STREET. - This morning or last night a mysterious murder was perpetrated at 12, Great Coram-street, Russell-square. The victim is a young woman, known as Clara Burton, aged twenty-seven, who only three weeks ago took apartments at the above address. She was, it is said, in the habit of accepting engagements as a supernumerary at the various theatres and music-halls; but at all events this much is certain, that she regularly frequented the Alhambra, the Argyll Rooms, and other places of entertainment.
On Tuesday night, according to her usual custom, she left her apartments about ten o’clock, having previously borrowed a shilling from a fellow-lodger named Nelson. About midnight she returned with a foreign gentleman, supposed to be a German, and, in conversation with the landlady of the house and others, she appeared to be unusually lively, and talked in a pleasant manner. She stated that the gentleman who had accompanied her home had presented her with a quantity of oranges and nuts, which he had purchased after they had left the Alhambra, and the fruit she entrusted to the care of the landlady. She then went upstairs to the second floor back room, and directly afterwards returned with half a sovereign, from which the landlady deducted 9s. on account of rent, and gave the remaining shilling to the deceased.
The unfortunate young woman appeared as if she had been drinking, and spoke rather loudly. but there was nothing in her demeanour to excite much attention. Shortly after she had retired to her room, she again came downstairs, and asked the landlady for some bottled stout, which, however, it was impossible to obtain, as all the public-houses were closed. Nothing more was heard of the deceased and her companion until this morning about half-past six, when a man was heard cautiously descending the stairs and proceeding along the passage, and instantly the front street-door was hurriedly and violently slammed. No notice whatever was taken of the circumstance; but about midday the son of the landlady, a young boy of eight years of age, went to call the deceased and provide her breakfast. There was no response to the call, and the landlady, suspecting that something was wrong, summoned the other lodgers in the house, and burst open the door, when a ghastly sight presented itself.
The deceased was found in bed, weltering in blood, her throat being cut in two places. Her clothes were found strewn about the room, but otherwise there was no appearance of any struggle. The door had been locked on the outside, and the key cannot be found; but there are no marks of blood on the door or on the walls, or any indication that blood had spurted from the wounds inflicted. The face of the victim was perfectly calm. On the forehead, however, there was the distinct print of a thumb, and a little lower down that of the palm of a hand, as if after the first wound had been inflicted, the poor creature had been held down by the left hand while the second wound was given. The pillows were completely saturated and steeped with congealed blood.
The most careful examination of the room and its surroundings failed to throw any light on the means by which the deed had been committed. A basin and can filled with water had not been touched, but in a second large can there was a mark of blood. In front of the washstand there were ten large drops of blood, and on the towel a mark as if a small pocket-knife had been wiped, and this was the only clue to the kind of weapon used for the accomplishment of the deed.
The suspicion is, therefore, that the murderer wiped his hands on his handkerchief. There were two empty match-boxes on the table, one of tin, used generally for carrying wax vestas, and on that were two spots of blood. The blinds were down and the windows closed, and no marks of blood on either, so that it would seem, at all events, that the weapon was not thrown out at the window.
Searching inquiries have resulted in learning somewhat of the past history of the deceased, whose real name, it appears, is Harriet Boswell. She had a child eight years old out at nurse, and only came to her lodgings on Tuesday, to spend the Christmas. She resided for three years in Manchester-street, Argyle-square. She was on good terms with the people of the house, and was always supposed to be an actress. She left there a few weeks ago, and went to live at 34, Regent-square, where she seems, from a bill that has been found, to have paid 33s. a week rent.
The motive for the murder is not at present known. It is, however, supposed that the man who went home with the deceased might have imagined a woman living in such a house would have jewellery, clothes, or money. The matter is in the hands of Superintendent Thompson, of the E Division, who is doing his utmost to elucidate the mystery surrounding the murder; but at the time at which we write, at the close of the year, with no effect whatever. The inquest disclosed nothing.
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