Catherine Elms, a woman about seventy years of age, who
resided at No. 17, Wellesley Street, Chelsea, was found murdered, in her bed- room, on Saturday last. She had not been seen since the previous Thursday night, when she went to the Wellington Arms to buy some beer, with which she returned to her own house. The only occupants of the house besides herself were a woman who went by the name of Mrs. Mortimer, but whose real name was Mary Ann Eastman, and her three children. She, however, had not been at home since the pre- vious Wednesday ; but had been living with her children, part of the time, at her sister's house in Manor Street, and part with her brother. The suspicions of the neighbours were raised by seeing the house shut ap for two days together, and inquiries were made for the deceased at the houses of her acquaintance. As no intelligence could be gained respecting her, a constable was sent for, who with another man entered the house through a window. They found the murdered woman lying on her stomach on the floor, which was covered with blood all around her. She had received five wounds on the forehead, nose, and cheeks, and her throat was cut : no sharp instrument of any description was found upon the premises. Every thing in the room was thrown out of Its place, and every corner appeared to have been searched, but nothing stolen. The few valuables which the old woman possessed were left. It was clear that the object of the murderers was not plunder. The street-door was found half locked, and there was no appearance of a forcible entrance having been made into the premises. The person 'svho called herself Mrs. Mortimer insisted upon going into the room %which she had occupied. The constable at first objected, but after- Wards allowed her to go ; and he heard her say, when she opened her room-door, " My God ! the things could not have been left in this Sway." She afterwards saw the dead body; and at the desire of Mr. Eneas Macdonnell, the barrister, who among others came to view the premises and make inquiries, she laid her hand upon it and said, " So help me God, I aminnocent of any participation in this murder." As suspicion seemed in some degree to attach to her, she is detained in custody. On Monday a Coroner's inquest sat upon the body ; when some additional information was given by the pot-boy at the Welling-. ton Arms; he had observed two suspicious looking men prowling about in the vicinity of Mrs. Elms's house on Thursday night ; and he had looked for a Policeman to tell him to have his eye upon them, but.'
could not find one. The same men were also seen by a Policeman, who had inquired their business in that neighbourhood. They said, that they were waiting for a friend in the opposite house, where an ex- ciseman lived. The Policemen thought that perhaps they had infor- mation to give relative to some smuggling transaction, and took no further notice of them.
The deceased was well connected, but extremely poor. Her brother, who is a clergyman, paid the rent of the house for her ; and she sub- sisted on the small sum she made by letting part of it to lodgers.
The inquest was adjourned to Friday. No additional evidence of consequence was adduced yesterday, on the resumption of the inquest. An old man, a relation of the deceased,
was said to have exhibited signs of alarm and agitation in apublic-house where the murder was the subject of conversation. He was brought before the Jury, and denied having been in the public-house at all. Nothing was elicited to implicate him. A verdict of " Wilful Murder" against persons unknown was found by the Jury.
The son of Mr. Billing of Newart Terrace, Islington, a boy about twelve years old, gave a false alarm of fire early on Thursday morning, by way of a joke. The family were all alarmed; and his eldest sister,
a young lady of twenty, got out of a window upon the leads of the house. While there, she fainted and fell into the paved yard below, from a.
height of twenty-seven feet. Her right leg was broken by the fall, and she was so much hurt in other respects that her life is considered to be in danger.
On Wednesday morning, a Police Constable, named Samuel Bean, slipped down at the end of Chiswell Street, which had just been watered. One of Barclay's drays was passing by at the time, and one of the wheels went over his right leg, and broke it. He was taken to St. Bartholomew's Hospital, and his leg was cut off above the knee in the course of the morning. He was one of the finest men in his divi- sion, and had been in the Life Guards.
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