Against Katharine Webster a true bill has been found, but
her trial for the murder of her mistress, Mrs. Thomas, of Rich- mond, is to be postponed, with the assent of the Treasury, till the next sittings of the Central Criminal Court. In the mean- time the Treasury is prosecuting another female servant for the murder of a lady,—namely, Hannah Dobbs, formerly a servant of Mrs. Bastendorff, 4 Euston Square, for the murder, in the month of October, 1877, of Miss Matilda Hacker, an eccentric maiden lady, who, when lodging in this house, went by the
name of Miss Uish. This is the lady whose body, it is supposed, has recently been found in the coal-cellar of the house in question, after lying there apparently for more than a year and a half. The case is a very curious one. It appears to be proved that Miss Hacker, of Canterbury, has been traced to the Euston Square lodgings, that many of her possessions have been found in the hands of Hannah Dobbs, or have been pawned by her ; that Miss Hacker has never been heard of since about October 14th, 1877; and that on some Sunday at that time a frightful scream was heard next door, proceeding from this house, which caused a lady in the neighbouring house to faint away. Mrs. Bastendorff, who was examined on Monday by Mr. Poland, gave evidence showing that the bill of the lady who is supposed to have been murdered was paid through Hannah Dobbs, with a £5 note, for which change was given ; that Mrs. Bastendorff herself never saw her lodger go away, or heard her luggage carried. away ; that a day or two afteiwards, in visiting the empty room, she noticed a great stain on the carpet, for which she said she should have charged her lodger, had she seen it before she left ; and that Dr. Bond, who has analysed the colouring- matter, is stated to have declared his belief that the stain was caused by human blood. At present, of course, the case is only one of suspicion, nor is there anything to show whether the suspicion extends to any person besides Hannah Dobbs.
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