Feb.] 



CHRONICLE. 



15 



house. On their entrance into 

 the passage, a most shocking 

 spectacle presented itself. The 

 body of the housekeeper was 

 lying on its face in a shocking 

 state, her scull driven in and 

 fractured in a most inhuman 

 manner : the horrid act had been 

 perpetrated by a blunt instru- 

 ment. On proceeding from this 

 scene of horror, another equally 

 horrible presented itself. In a 

 parlour adjoining the passage, the 

 body of Mr. Bird was lying on 

 its back, with his arms stretched, 

 and his head more fractured than 

 that of his housekeeper : his fore- 

 head was driven in about an inch 

 deep, and the wound as large as 

 a crown-piece ; these wounds 

 had also been inflicted with a 

 large blunt instrument, supposed 

 to be a bludgeon, employed by a 

 powerful man, who apparently 

 must have been left-handed. 



A candle was found in the 

 passage close to the housekeeper, 

 and it is supposed the murders 

 were committed late on Saturday, 

 or at least before ten o'clock, as 

 that was the hour Mr. Bird con- 

 stantly went to bed. The house- 

 keeper always had the chain of 

 the street-door up when she 

 answered a knock, and there 

 being no doubt but that the mur- 

 derer entered by that door, it is 

 supposed that she must have 

 been induced to open it, under 

 some false pretence, or because 

 she knew the person, who, as soon 

 as he gained admittance into the 

 passage, knocked her down and 

 inhumanly murdered her. It is 

 supposed that Mr. Bird was read- 

 ing, and that on his hearing the 

 attack upon his housekeeper in 

 the passage, he left his fire-side 



to proceed to her assistance, as 

 his body was found between the 

 fire-place and the door of the 

 room, with his spectacles near one 

 hand, and a candle close to the 

 other. 



The horrid discovery created a 

 very considerable degree of agita- 

 tion and alarm in the town of 

 Greenwich during the whole of 

 yesterday. Mr. Bicknell, the 

 solicitor, sent off an express to 

 the public office. Bow-street ; and 

 Adkins and Lavender, the officers, 

 arriving with all possible speed, 

 proceeded to examine the pre- 

 mises, and to endeavour to dis- 

 cover suspicious characters, but 

 without finding any trace of the 

 murderer. There is no doubt 

 but the object of the attack was 

 plunder. The keys of the 

 drawers and boxes had been pro- 

 cured, and it is supposed they 

 were taken from the pockets of 

 the deceased, as they were stained 

 with blood. 



It has not been ascertained of 

 what property the premises have 

 been robbed. In a drawer which 

 had not been opened were found 

 Bank-notes to the amount of 31/. 

 which were ascertained to be the 

 amount of a dividend he received 

 at the Bank on the 20th of Jan- 

 last. The murderer also left four 

 silver salts, several table and other 

 spoons, and a soup ladle. It is 

 supposed the murderer did not 

 take wearing apparel away. 



PROCLAMATION OF THE NEW 

 KING OF SWEDEN. 



9. Stockholm. His Majesty 



King Charles XIII died on the 

 5th of February, at 14 minutes 

 past 10 in the evening, after a 

 painful illness and Christian edify- 

 ing ju'eparation. 



The 



