The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 2/2: being a series of memoirs and anecdotes of notorious characters who have outraged the laws of Great Britain from the earliest period to 1841Pelham, Camden
History
The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 2/2: being a series of memoirs and anecdotes of notorious characters who have outraged the laws of Great Britain from the earliest period to 1841
Pelham, Camden
Crime -- Great Britain; Criminals -- Great Britain; Newgate (Prison : London, England)
At one o'clock on Saturday morning, the 4th of March, the sentinel on
duty at the north arch of the Artillery Barracks observed a dense smoke
rising from Mr. Parker's house. He gave an alarm; and several of the
artillerymen rushed forth, and found the flames bursting from the
parlour window. The men rapped at the door with great violence, but no
answer was returned. The cry of "Fire" spread; two engines arrived on
the spot, and commenced playing into the window. The men then forced the
street-door, and rushed into the passage; and from thence they went up
stairs into the front room on the first floor. Here the ravages of the
fire were perceptible; the furniture of a bed had been partly consumed;
but in the bed itself there was no appearance of a human being. The men
then ran into the bed-room on the second floor, which was found in
flames; but having extinguished them, they continued their search for
the inmates of the house; but neither Mr. Parker nor his servant could
be found. It was now discovered that the flames were bursting forth with
great violence from the parlour below, and that they were spreading
rapidly to the upper floor; and every exertion became necessary to
procure their suppression. A hole was cut in the floor of the
bed-chamber, through which water was poured; and by this means, added to
the incessant playing of the engines without, the danger was subdued. In
a short time the parlour-door was thrown open, and a man belonging to
the artillery having entered, he perceived a heap of something lying
behind the door. He attempted to lift it up, when he found it to be the
mutilated remains of a human body which was much burnt. A second body,
which proved to be that of a female, was found stretched in the same
place, although not so much disfigured. A further investigation of the
premises now took place, when it was perceived that blankets had been
nailed up against every window, as if to conceal the appearance of the
flames within. Fire had been communicated in three different places--the
parlour on the ground floor; the bed-chamber on the first floor; and the
bed-chamber on the second floor. The drawers about the house were found
standing open, and articles of apparel were lying about; and in the
kitchen, some silver utensils were strewed on the floor. At break of day
the bodies of Mr. Parker and his servant were examined, and it was found
that the former was burnt nearly to a cinder; the left leg and foot, on
which there was a black silk stocking and a shoe, only remained entire.
The skull, however, although the flesh was burnt off, remained whole,
and afforded convincing testimony of murder: on the left side, towards
the back, there was a terrific fracture. The woman lay stretched upon
her face; her apparel was partly consumed, and her hair, which was very
long, was hanging around her in matted and dishevelled locks. A horrible
wound, apparently inflicted with a blunt instrument, was discovered over
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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