The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1868-12-19 00:00:00

HORRIBLE MURDER.

An Inquest has been held at haddoley-Buser, a village in
North Warwickshire, to inquire la,, the circumstances con-
necte.l with the death id a IVMM, eny twenty-three ears of
age, named Harriet Atkins.
The evidence went to show that the husband
of the deceased, Michael Atkins, is a miner,
and lives at Badlenley-Ensor, a village some
three miles from Atheretone. On the night of Friday
last the prisoner was seen drinking at a public-
house in the neighbourhood, but proceeded in
the direction of his home at a little after ten
o'clock. A few minutes later the report of a gun was
heard by several persons residing in the village.
Among those who heard the gun discharged was a man
named Bedford, who happened to be standing talking
to a friend some short distance from the prisoner's
cottage. While conversing together the prisoner
Atkins came up to them saying, "Have you heard a
gun go off?" Bedford replied that he had, when
prieoner remarked, "Oh, I hope it is not in
Harriette ! " lie asked Bedford and his friend,
a Mr. Day, to go with him to l,ii house. Day
accompanied him thither. When they got to the
house Day found the prisoner'i4 wife lying upon the
floor in a pool of blood. tihe never moved, but appeared
tube quite dead. A gun wa.l hanging up on two nails,
about lift. from the floor. Prisoner, who seemed to be
a little affected, took down the gun and broke it in
two parts. Many of the villagers came flocking to the
house almost immediately afterwards, together with
the police, to whom the prisoner declared that he had
not shot his wife. At the same time he admitted that
he and his wife and their little child were the only
persons present when the deed was done. The pri-
mmer was at once taken into custody, and lodged in
the lock-up at Atherstone.
Mr. Allsworth, surgeon, in conjunction with Dr.
Mousley, proved ha, Mg made a post mortal' examina-
tion of the body. They found an irregularly-fornied
circular opening, about an inch in diameter, under
the left angle of the month. The hole went upwards
and backwards towards the left temple, and terminated
under the left ear. There were wadding and shot in
the wounds. The lower and upper jaws, and
also the cheek-bone were broken: and the
soft parts very much injured and torn. The
injuries were such as would cause immediate
death. In their pinion, after receiving such a wound
deceased could not possibly have placed the gun where
it was found. They believed that the muzzle of the
gun could not have been more than twelve inches
from the face of the deceased when the shot was fired.
The whole charge went into the deceased's face.
After hearing the evidence, the coroner summed up,
and the jury almost ininiediately afterwards returned a
verdict of " Wilful murder" against the prisoner,
who was formally committed to take his trial at the
ensuing Warwick <V BIWA.
The prisoner, who is about twenty-three years of
are and of a very youthful appearance, did not seem
affected in the slightest, and was altogether unmoved
when the verdict xf the jury was communicated to
him. He has only one child, a little girl about two
years of age; but the poor woman lost her life while
on the very verge of her confinement, as it is believed
that she would have given birth to a child on the very
night of the murder.

OUT AND IN.
Gone is Dizzy ;
From the busy
Cares of State repose he can.
In comes Gladdy,

Who of Paddy
Means to make a loyal man.

Sing ye, Johnny
Bull and Swaney ;
Loud hurrahs of triumphs shout.
Onward, ever,
Britons, never
March we to the right about—Punch.

WRECK of an AUSTRALIAN PASSENGER
SHIP.
The total loss of the Gossamer clipper ship, bound to
Adelaide, from London, has already been notified by
telegraph in the papers. Further particulars of the
disaster unfortunately show the loss of life to have
been even greater than was at first anticipated. The
Gossamer, a China tea clipper ship, of 735 tons register,
Was built in 1864, by Mr. Stevens, of Glasgow. She
was owned by Messrs. Potter and Brown, of Liverpool,
and was despatched from London last week for
Adelaide, Australia, with a general cargo. She left
the Downs on Wednesday in charge of a London pilot.
On Thursday, during a strong S.W. breeze, the
Gossamer was working her way down Channel in the
pilot's charge, the captain, who had only been three
weeks married, and who had been on deck all the pre-
vious night, being below with his wife. Midway
between the Bill of Portland and the Lizard there is a
promontory which stands far out in the Channel which
has three principal heads—Start Point, Prawle Point,
and Bolt Head. Approaching the centre of these
headlands the mate told the pilot what he thought;
but the plot, it is said, still kept on the starboard tack,
the ship having to put into Plymouth to receive ims-
sengers. When within half a mile of the shore the
; pilot gave orders to put the ship about; but owing to
the Hood tide, and the wind setting on shore, she
missed stays. The captain rushed on deck and two
anchors were let go, but they would not hold, and the
ship was driven on to the low racks some hundred yards
from the shore, and soon began to break up. The
coast guard were soon on the spot with the rocket
apparatus, and by its means a umnber of lives were
saved ; several of the crew, 'however, jumped over-
board to endeavour to swim to shore, and these were
nearly all drowned. The captain and his young wife
both perished. A black man, one of the crew, and a
note& swimmer, offered to take the lady on his back,
but uaf.mtunately the offer was declined, as the sailor
swam ashore with ease. Shortly afterwards a tre-
mendous sea washed the poor young lady overboard,
and, her husband springing into the sea after her, both
were drowned, their bodies being washed ashore two
hours afterwards; and five other bodies have also been
recovered.
. _ . . . . .

---
The Goasamer had on board in all thirty souls, and
it was definitely ascertained that seventeen onlyAad
been saved, and that thus thirteen had perished.
Large quantities of the cargo have been washed ashore,
and Lloyd's agent front Dartmouth has taken charge of
the wreck, and in this office he is assisted by a body
of coast guard and police, who have had enough to do
to hold the pilfering propensities of visitors in check,

At the inquest, on Monday,' the jury viewed the
bodies, which were identified as those of Captain
Thompson and Barbara his wife; Gulliver, second
steward; Sherry, Moore, Capman, and Walstreana,
able seamen; and J. Dyker Thew, an apprentice.
Captain Cawkitt, of LiverpoA, represented the owners I
and underwriters; and Mr. Square, solicitor, Kings-
bridge' watched the proceedings on behalf of the pilot
Grant. The first witness called was Peter Merrifield,
the chief officer on board the Comamer, who deposed
to the circumstances attending the wreck. He said
he thought the pilot ought to have tacked or wore the
ship about noon, or half-past twelve o'clock in the
afternoon, at the latest, or set more sail on the ship to
force her faster through the water. It was in the
opinion of the witness manifestiy necessary for the
safety of the ship that the pilot should have adopted
one or otber of the three courses he had mentioned.
I He did not think she would have struck if she had been
I tacked or wore at noon. Ile believed the pilot was
sober. The inquest was then adjourned.

The ship was mostly insured with underwriters at
Liverpool, and the cargo, worth about £40,000, is
insured partly in Liverpool, and partly at Lloyd's.