The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-06-16 00:00:00

THE MYSI'EItIOUS DROWNING CASE AI
BRIERLEY MU.

On Wednesday Mr. E. B. Thorneycroft (deputy
,orone.r) resumed tee enquiry into the d-ath of
Aary Ann Millw ird (12), the daughter of Isaac
‘tillward, Potter Street, who was found dead in
,he canal, under suspicions circumstances. The
,nquiry was held at the Waterloo Inn, Mill Street,
Brierley Hill.
Mr. Addison appeared for the parents of the
ceased girl, and Welch, the man accused of
having eralicpii the death of the stir'', was present
n cultody of Superintendent Woollaston.
The evilence of the mother given on the occasion
if the opening of the inquest was read over. This
was to the effect that the girl suffered from fits.
and alw ,ys had one at the change of the moon.
ihe was of weak intellect, and was away from home
ill day on the Sunday before her body was found.
la conseqne ,ce of what she heard she saw Welch,
who denied :hat he had seen the girl or .en in her
company. The police afterwards twat Welch u
the station, and there again witne.s asked him
,reouut for the disappearance of the girl, lie said,
•' I have not been with her; I have been to the
lvation Army at Scourhridge, and had 2d given to
[no. ' Witn es afterwards wandered the streets all
eight eeking her daughter, and the next morning
•the hea-d that the b-dy hail been found in the lock
if the canal

By Mr. Addison. Welch said on the Sunday
night "I never saw your daughter after hilt-past
two in the afternoon, and Oat was at the end n
Dean Street."

Mr. George Ashmead, surgeon, repeated his
vidence. which showed there had been no ex' ernal
mjury death, and the girl was well nourished and
l.trge f r her age. The poet 'nee en: examination
shmed marks which came after death. The girl's
).iy showed n., signs of violence and she was chrt,te
D ath was du- to suffocation by drowning. Wit-
ness ,-x,trdned the toly on the day it came on t of
he wat ratlo 30 a.m , and he rigidity had not
vcr. -rue oeuy nut pro'mbly been in tee
water eight hours.
George Lao we, the locktuan, said there was a road
:cross the lock which many persons passed over.
de found the body in consequence of the impossi.
hility of closiqw the lock gates.

By a Juryman : Witness found the body with a
,ke, and let it go back into the water till some one
came.

Coroner:iu The next time you find a body in
the water pull it out, dead or alive; you will incur
to rei,-onsibility,
Annie Hall (12) stated that on Sunday week, at
three o'clock, she saw the girl Millward and Welch
together. Millward said to her, lam going with
lesus, ' and then left to follow Welch. who is so
iick-named in the neigaotirh, od. She added as
she was going away, that he had promised to give
ger money and sweets.
John Wooldridge (80), a chainmaker, Bretton
Lane. sail he saw Welch and the girl Millward t 0.4.0
.4.0 her from six o'c'ock till after seven He saw
tlie, girl first, awl s4e, appeared to be confused, so
fnuch so that he spoke to her, and whilst he was
loin tr) Welch cane up. All three sat down on
zhe grass near Dennis Park. and •aiked for an hour.
Nu girl wis ed 0 go, and Welch. said "We shall be
mine by nine o'clo k, The pair then went away
-owards Stourbrido, which was in a contrary
'irection to their homes.

A `3Cdfi'tdOrtierliti, 610.170th-I.°M Ailkwy—Ligne,
bud the pair hiti their hands clasped and were
4winging th..m together.
John tineleon (13), gave similar evidence:
John Deeley, purliler, Quarry Bank, said he saw
Welch at 10.5 p.m, on Sunday night in the Cuckoo
Fields, awl he was walking away from Brierley
ELM. There was a young girl two yards behind
him, and th,-! pair were walking 81,)wly.
Sarah Jone Palmer, single woman, who was with
the last witnr-ss corrobor .tod,

Superintendent aVollaston said the man Welch
ind the parents of the girl were in his office at
deven o'cl ck on Sun lay night. Welch denied
hat he had seen the girl since half-past two, at thc
rod of Dean Street. ()wing to the excited state of
mblic feeling, he ke t Welch in the lock up during
the night, but let urn go after the girl's body waB
ouncl; there being no marks on the ho :y, and a
nalv a little girl could speak of the pair having
ben together. On the TuescLayevening he app re •
hende i Welch, ant charged him with causing the
loath of the girl, and he replied, "I am innocent of
the crime."

Police-constable Yates said that at one a.m. on
Nlonday he saw Welch in the strtion and asked him
.ehat he was brouglt in for. Tie prisoner replied,
t-tomething over a girl, There is only Judge, and
f she is found she will most likely be deal, and that
,ill prove I am telling the trtth."• About nin,
a.m., on the same day intirnaatim was brought to
thil station that the girl had hen found in th-
e teal. Welch at one, said wi..niss. "1 told you ant.
would be !outid drawned. That proves I know
n-thing about it; and now I sat at
The prisoner was then cantionsd by the Coronor,
and asked if he desired to give tvidence. He said
h di 1. on oath, and, taking the Testament in his
han I, he sail, "As true as t ii is a hook in my
hand, I am itmocent of the girl being drowned
He was then duly sworn, and sad he went to the
Salvation Army last Sunday w ek, at twenty past
two o' lock, and found the doors closed. He saw
\lra Nl+ ward's girl, and told 'ler the doors were
ant open. The girl said she wonA return and fini-h
her dinn-r, and he went on nfter a minute or two
towards Sbnithridge, having cha ng d his mind. He
went by tine gasworks to StourhiLe alone. After-
wards he returned towards Bri?tley Hill, and saw
Arooldritige about five o'clock talki ce to Millward's
zirl. He asked her what tirou.ht 'her there, a.d
in -ited Wooldri hie to smoke. Aft r some co iver-
sation he tol t the girl to go which way she liked,
and after she went away he stepped with Wool-
dridge talking five minutes. He did not see the
,rirl again.

The Deputy Coroner summed up, asking the jury
to depend entirely on the evidence, and not upot,
wh,bt they had heard outsine. me girl was R"bje"l
•0 fits, and the medial evidence was that the girl
'al no marks of videace upon her, and that death
w,s due to suffocation by drowning. On the other
and there was a suspicious cUltirence in the state-
a-nts of the witnesses and the voluntary statement
if the prisoner as to the time he lef the girl
After a private consultation the jury returned a
•rdict of " Found drowned," but heh there was
,to evidence to show how she was drowned.

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