Above photo 1930s, kindly sent by Michael Mirams.

Above photo, circa 1920s, kindly sent by Gerry Bigland.

Above map, 1849, kindly sent by Bob Lee.

Above map,1872, kindly supplied and annotated by Bob Lee.

Above photo, date unknown by Darkstar.

From the Borough of Greenwich Free Press, 23 April, 1859.

THE RAMSGATE MURDER. RAMSGATE, Saturday.

By the exertions of the police sufficient light has been thrown upon this sad occurrence to lead the belief that it is a case not of murder but of deliberate suicide. It will seem from what follows, that the object of the deceased was to conceal his identity, and this would explain almost all the mysterious circumstances connected with the case.

The deceased landed at Southampton at the end of March from America, and went to the "Hotel de L'Europe," in that town. He there gave a name which sounded like "Maitinger." He left Southampton for London on the 31st of March, and there put up at "Hahn's Hotel," America-square. where he remained till the 7th of April. He wore his left hand in a bondage, and said it had been injured on board ship. On leaving the house he stated that he was a German, travelling for pleasure, and that he intended to make the tour of Scotland before returning to Germany, but must first go to Paris. The people of the hotel believed him to be a native either of Baden or Wurtemberg. During his stay he appeared perfectly rational, but on an occasion when asked to write an address card he said he would do it at once, as his memory had been very had since he suffered so severely from brain fever in America. On the 7th of April he left by the South Eastern Railway for Dover, and as has been already stated, in the same carriage with Mr. S. Kidd. It has been said that Mr. Kidd noticed two of the deceased’s finders to be wanting. The fact was, however, that Mr. Kidd only observed that the fingers were bandaged — that is to say, concealed, as they were at the hotel in London. On the 8th, the deceased bought the hatchet at Mr. Green s shop at Dover, as described, and stated himself to be a Russian. There is now no doubt that he was a German.

On the same day he went from Dover to Deal by omnibus, and while on the wav the deceased being the only inside passenger, a German Bible was thrown or dropped outside the omnibus, and was picked up by a travelling hawker, who sold it at the "Swingate Inn" adjoining. The Bible has been examined by the police, and contains no name or marks. The motive of deceased in getting rid of it was probably because the possession of the book would have pointed out the country to which he belonged, and thus have given a clue to his Identity, for from this time the deceased always declared himself to be a Russian.

On arriving at Deal the deceased went to the "Walmer Castle Inn," stayed there on Friday night, and on Saturday came from Deal to Ramsgate by train. On arriving At Ramsgate he had his beard and moustaches shaved off. He then put up at the "Royal Oak." While there, a gentleman in the coffee-room addressed him in French and in German but he shook his head saying, "Me Russ, me Russ." On Sunday he visited Margate, as already described, and after dining at the "Elephant and Castle" went to the house of Braiser. He then went for a walk with his carpet-bag under his arm, and returned to the railway without it. The bag was found near Westbrook empty, and near it two shirts and a white handkerchief with the marks picked out. He returned to Ramsgate the same afternoon, and at half-past five o'clock entered an oyster shop, where he partook of some refreshment. At a quarter to seven he was at the inn at Broadstairs, and at a quarter past seven he was seen near Sir Moses Montefiore’s wall upon the cliff. At a quarter past eight a man whose clothes and hat (the latter of large size and peculiar shape) exactly resembled those of the deceased, was seen by a young man named Jackson at the eastern end of the Parade on Mount Albin. The man walked rapidly, with his arms folded and his eyes fixed on the ground. Here all trace of the deceased is lost till he was found at six o'clock next morning, dead, under the East Cliff.

The following are among the circumstances which point most directly to suicide. The spot where the body was found was twenty-five feet from the cliff, and the tide had risen some feet above it, high enough to have washed the body to the place where it lay. About eighty yards lower down the beach in nearly a direct line, cuts were found in one of the chalk rock exactly corresponding with the blade of the hatchet found close by. The rock would be covered as soon as the water rose above half flood. Now half flood on Monday morning was about half-past one o'clock, and the death consequently took place between a quarter-past eight and half-past one. The rick is as high as a chair, so that a man might easily have knelt beside it, placed his fingers upon it, and chopped them off. The hatchet, fingers, boots, and umbrella (the articles moat likely to sink) were found near this latter spot, while the clothes were found among the seaweed near the body, It is stated by experienced boatman that if the deceased add chopped off his fingers at the rock alluded to, and had then stabbed himself to the heart and fallen instantly dead, his body would have been washed by the regular set of the rising tide right in shore, and a little to the northward, or exactly to the place where, in point of fact, the body was found. The knife, which has been searched for without success would probably have been knocked out of the wound by the body washing against the low rocks, and if the knife had a wooden handle, as many sailors' knives have it might have floated and been carried out to sea. The medical evidence was that that the skin was frayed, which would have resulted from the body washing up the beach.

Why, It may be asked, did the deceased chop off his fingers? The answer is, for the same reason that he had previously bandaged them, viz., to conceal his identity. One joint of the first finger and two joints of the second had been amputated some years age, and were perfectly healed. By this mark the deceased would be recognised, and therefore he determined to take all his fingers off. There was no sign of disease or other injury upon his hand to requires a bandage. The absence of his watch and ring is now easily accounted for. Both being of peculiar appearance, and likely to lead to his identification, he would destroy them. If there was a name written inside his boots, to cut off the tops would effectually get rid of it. The wristbands of the shirts were torn off and the marks picked out with a similar object. The unfortunate man, however, forgot a scrap of paper which was found near the body in the storehouse. and which there is no reason to doubt belonged to the deceased. It contained these words, written in pencil in indifferent German:— "Dear Mother, here are five dollars — little, but from a good heart. Henry Mattereigh.

The fact that the deceased's money was gone has led many persons to believe that a murder had been committed. Now, when the body was found the tide was two hours ebb, and long before that time country carta may have gone down to the beach, as in frequently the case, for gravel, or persons may have been, as one was known to be, looking for shells. It is not improbable that the deceased was robbed after death. The pockets of his coat were turned inside out and two front pockets in his angola shirt were ripped open. We may add that it is very doubtful whether the deceased had so much money as has been represented. The few words addressed to his mother led to the belief that be was poor. His cloth es were scanty, much worn, and of the coarsest description. He never paid in gold, always in silver and his watch was silver and not gold, as has been stated.

Had the unfortunate man been murdered there are three ways by which the body must have been carried to the beach, viz., past the harbour, where police are stationed all night, down Augusta stairs, where a coastguard is stationed, or by Dumpton stairs, where there is another guard. To suppose that the man was murdered on the beach is contrary to all the evidence to suppose that he was carried down past the guard is nearly incredible; or indeed that it should have been attempted, when the body might so much more easily have been dropped over the cliff.

The facts point, we think, clearly to the conclusion that the deceased returned from America a disappointed man, reduced in means, and that this circumstance, affecting a brain previously weakened by disease, led him to determine on suicide. At first intending to send his mother some little money, he changed his mind, and endeavoured by the means we have described to do away with all trace of his identity, and thus lead his family to the belief that he had perished at sea or in a foreign land.

Melancholy as such a solution of the mystery is it in some satisfaction to know that what at first appeared an atrocious murder can be thus explained. No circumstance that has happened for many years has created so deep a sensation in East Kent as this shocking affair.

At the adjourned inquest held on Wednesday the jury found the following verdict:- "That deceased died from a wound in the left breast, but by whom it was inflicted there is not sufficient evidence to show."