The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1869-09-25 00:00:00

A FEARFUL TRAGEDY.

A tragedy, horrible in its details. basbeen committed
in a quiet, sequestered country district, near the town-
ship, of Mossley, some ten miles from Manchester.
The scene of the awful occurrence i 4 the "Cites," a
'luster of two houses and a farm, situate on the hills
famoding the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and
Cheshire, and in a very lonely spot. In one of the
o fttages resided James Sole Mehl and his wife Alice,
who were both engaged in woollen weaving by hard-
lootna Schofielii and his wife were in their 60th year,
led had each been twice married, their last union
ing wane ten years ago. The husband had chil-
dren by his first marriage, but his wife had stone by
hers, and she adopted a boy, who is now married
At:1301141 and his wife lived rather unhappily together
04. Friflay the wife left inane, agaiost her hu-band's
eishes, to visit her adopted son, who resides a few
rules distant, aril dii not return horse until &nodal
•fternooo, On Monday the hoshand mis ~way
friiie
hitne all the f,,renoion, but returned to dinner. aod 1)4 4th
-p and his it ifs eat d .WII ii, 01'4 I OMAN, seal at tW..
Ov, the It% ong patio.. of toe d veiling is 44
handier in will -h are two very large heats for flo
-caving of won'leo, the framework bedr g made of
etroog woo len beam+. Between the 14.11 sic the bed
n whioh the couple slept. Ale-ut three o'clock in the
Itemoon a resident at the form was passing
,och. field's door. when he noticed that S hofield aid
-is wife were loot to be seen, and that, toe ha mai wen'
etoppeel. This was quite an unusual etc unstance at
hat time eft eloy, arid the fanner, WIIIISe 11,11110
Greases, noentioined it to his wife, AIM they is-oh wen,
toto Sehotield's house. Upon opening the door thet
eltserve 1 that the house was empty, Ana the oilier
was only disturbed by the trickling of blood through
-he ceiling from the loom-chamber above. Mr. Greases
ran upstairs, and was-horrified to see 111ra. Schofield
'ying in a pool of hi-oil under theloom generally worked
hy her. Ile ran back stud an slam was raised Several
oersona thou entered the eh:wilier, and an awful spec-
tacle pres-itted itself. The heal tI the poor woman lay
•in one of the beams of the loom, about 8 inches front
lie floor, nearly sev.red f tim, bwly. In another
corner of the roots ley the body of the hnshand full
• ngth on the floor, with his th,oist cut from ear to ear.
It was evidelt, from the appearanoe oof the place where
W,-(14411 we, 1011,111 that there hail been a severe
'Toggle. The wo train on the worn .11 were 4-f a most
,hsstle description. The rszor with which the deed
YHA o mmitt• d vectra t I have F. ell inserted in the
laser j and deawn hack ward to the vertehrm.
gines c t•ie fl--h boon under the chin
is he el only hangs t i the Seely In or, inch or two if
beh and erley -blew in the nape of the re The woo-
o.oto hid oat, too her In inol to prior, et her no ck, and in the
tett4J-le the fiteting• r was tiloowt revered from the
fatal, and a fistful gash was cut sc•oss the back of the
.1141. !ler 114 p r lip WWI also out. Tne husband
c--ice to have out Vs throat with lite saute raz fr with
eltich he hind I iutelier. ii lox wife, an- I then to have
Wien to the fl sir on his hack. 801 l bodies lay in
ps In id 1110041 ;iii fact, the whole room b--re a tonst
doleona septet, blood 11, ing flplitikleil every a here.
l'he event as mac re olilv he iniagineol, created the
go retest consteroa' I at tho u4ltout the whole district.