The Potty Murder In February 1883 two men arrived at Matlock by train. They were the Reverend Julius Benn, 56, and his son William Rutherford Benn, 28. William had been suffering from serious emotional problems. His father had brought him to Matlock for hydropathic treatment and rest. They booked in at a small boarding establishment, Harley House, at the bottom of Steep Turnpike. Six days later the guests failed to come down for breakfast. The proprietor, George Marchant, went up to their room. The Reverend Benn was lying obviously dead, with a heavy porcelain chamber pot nearby. William Benn was in a dreadful state of confusion. He had tried to cut his own throat and there was blood everywhere. William later confessed to beating his father to death with the chamber pot but he was too ill to be charged with murder. He had suffered a severe mental breakdown. The bloodstains on the bedroom floor at Harley House were still there when the house was sold in 1995. You can read about William’s fate on the next page. Read More >> More Pictures Crime & Punishment