The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1866-11-03 00:00:00

MURDER AT ROCHDALE.

On Monday, at the Rochdale Police.court, Bridget
Illineworth, Mary Leaney, and Thomas Heape were
charged with causing the death of Sarah Malone, on the
20th instant. The case has been three time before the
coroner and a jury, and the contradictory evidence
given by the witneases canned suepicion, and now, from
confession made by a person named Hannah Smith,
the case has assumed the serious character of murder. ,
The prisoner keaney is a native of Preston, and a
short time ago she was imprisoned for damage done to
scone goods, the deceased giving evidence against her
at the time.
The first witness called at the inquiry was Dr.
Corn; who stated that, on Saturday night, the 20th
inst., he went to the house of Bridget Illineworth, and
found Malone in bed, insensible, and =Raring from
compression of the brain. She hal a cut on the left
side of her head, an inch and a half in length, and
'going through to the bone. She died shortly after.
The persons in the room dated that the deceased
Dad fallen against the grate. He examined the grate,
and found it covered with dust, and no way disturbed.
On Wednesday, he made a post-martean examtealion,
end found a lathe slot of blood in the *till tinter Che

wound. A -Ohrtion of the blood was of -Old date,
caused by violence, and the other of recent date. As
she was intoxicated and excited, the external wound
canoed death. Smith, who has been reviling
.at
Illingworth's house, in Concert Tavern Yard, with
the deceased and Leaney. said that shout eleven
o'clock at night, on the 20th inst., while she, the
prisoners Leaney, Illingercrth, and Heaps, were seated
in the house, the deceased came home with a man.
Ilbngworth gave her a candle, and they went up
stairs. She heard 'he deceased rewiest the man to
leave her, awl Leaney went up and orchired the
man down. He came down, and left. After drinking
a quart of beer, Leaney and Heaps went up stairs,
and came down in about ten minutes. Heaps
left the house, but returned. Illingworth sent Lowrey
upstairs for the candle, and Leaney called out for Heaps
and Illingworth to come upstairs to assist to lift the de-
ceased into bed, as she was lying on the hearth-stone.
As they were lifting the deceased, illingworth found
a pool of blood on the floor, and a wound on the side
of the head, and the doctor was sent for. A short
time after, when she (the witness) was standing in the
street close to the door, speaking to a man, Illingworth
and Leaney were alone in the home. She heard
Rlingworth ask Leaney how the deceased had receivel
the wound. Leaney replied that when she and Heaps
went up stairs, the deceased was on the bed asleep and
would not remove. and she struck her on the head
with the iron candlestick. She then went into the
house, and Leaney and Illingworth told her that she
was not to tell any person that a man had been up with
the deceased. She said that she would mention it if
she was asked, Leaney and Illingworth replied that
if she did they would beat her. They agreed to tell
one story at the inquest, but at the second inquiry they
decided to say that they saw a man go up with the
deceased. What she had now told the magistrates was
nothing but the truth. The Chief Constable stated
that he had a person named Millo in custody for
neglecting to support his wife and family, and as soon
as he had been taken into the cell, the prisoner Heaps
said he was the man that went upstairs with the de.
ceased. The witness Smith did not recognise him as
the person, and Mills stated that at the time he was
in the Infirmary; therefore he wished him to be re-
manded so that he might make inquiry. The pri-
soners and Mills were remanded.