The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1888-02-11 00:00:00

SHOCKING TRAGEDY NEAR

BARNSLEY.

A shocking affair took place at Monk Bretton, near
Barnsley, late on Saturday night. Dr. William Henry
Emeris Burke, a medical practitioner, had, it appears,
spent a large portion of Saturday at a public-house
known as the Norman Inn. At ten o'clock at
night he went home and fetched his wife and daughter,
a little girl aged nine years, named Alice. They re-
turned with him, and sat in the inn parlour until
nearly eleven o'clock, when Dr. Burke suddenly drew
a revolver from his pocket. Hereupon Mrs. Burke
ran screaming from the room. She returned, however,
almost immediately with a police constable who chanced
to be near at hand, but on entering the room they found
that the child lay dead on the floor, shot through the
left breast. The revolver had been let fall upon the
hearthrug, while Dr. Burke lay upon a seat at the
side of the room. He exclaimed, "It's missed," and
it was found that he had shot himself in the breast.
Shortly after midnight he was conveyed to the
Beckett Hospital at Barnsley, and next morning
the bullet was extracted from his body. It is
believed that his wound is not dangerous. Dr. Burke,
who has lived at Monk Bretton shice 1877, has
property in Galway. During the evening he had
asked for a sheet of paper, and had written a hasty
note to his wife. This is in the possession of the
police, but the contents have not been made known.

THE INQUEST.
The inquest concerning the death of Aileen Burke'
aged nine years, who was shot dead by her father at
Monkbretton, Barnsley, on Saturday night, was held
by Mr. Taylor, coroner, at the Pheasant Inn, Monk.
bretton, on Monday. Mr. Carrington, solicitor, repre-
sented Dr. Burke. Katherine Jane Burke, mother of
the deceased, identified the body, and said that on
Saturday night her husband came in after nine
o'clock, and said he would take the deceased to the
pantomime at Barnsley. The child was in bed at
the time, but she got up, and the three of them got
into a trap; and her husband drove to the Norman
Inn, where they entered the best room, and Dr. Burke
THE MURDERER'S WILL AND LAST LETTERS.
called for a bottle of champagne. The deceased was
sitting on his knee, and she (Mrs. Burke), seeing that Mr. John Cooper stated at the inquest that on the
her husband had had too much to drink, left the room 31st January, Derby came to his shop and asked him-
and spoke to Police-constable Elmslie, who was in self and a Mr. Ritson to sign a will, which he would
the passage. While talking to the officer she heard the not allow them to read. He seemed to be in a normal
report of a pistol, and on entering the room saw her condition, and purchased some syrup of chloral. The
child lying dead on the floor, and her husband lying will was read. It said: "(1) I give, devise, and be-
on a long settle. Her husband was attended by queath to my father is., and to my two brothers,
Dr. Sadler, and subsequently removed to Barnsley. William John and Alfred E. Derby, and to my sister,
George Taylor, landlord of the Norman Inn, deposed Sarah Jane Derby, a like sum; (2) I bequeath to Mr.
that Dr. Burke had been in his house in the afternoon• Edward Brooke, chemist and dentist, the sum of £2O,
a few hours before the occurrence. Some slight alter- in addition to £6 I owedhim ; (3)lbequeathto my sister
cation appears to have arisen with respect to the Caroline the whole of the residue of my property, of
change given for the champagne, and he heard Mrs. every description whatsoever, including my interest
Burke say, You are to give me the change," and also under the will of the late John Derby, of Magherafelt,
exclaim, .." You coward ! " During the after. and Derry-Garden, Ireland."
noon witness had seen Dr. Burke 'kneel at the The following letter from the deceased man to Mr.
table and write with a pencil. Dr. J. Blackburn Brooke was read :—" Mr. Brooke,—l could not go
who made the post-mortem examination, stated without saying good-bye. You have always been
that death was instantaneous, the ball having kind and considerate with me, and even much more
passed through the child's heart and lungs. Police-. so than I deserved. You know, my boy, how three
constable Elmslie corroborated the evidence given by years ago my money, health, and friends went all at
Mrs. Burke, and deposed to finding the revolver on the once; my hopes were crushed, my life became a
floor of the apartment. It had six chambers, four of misery. Barely supported, I struggled hard for a
which were loaded. The jury, without hesitation, re. while against the horrible feelings which possessed
turned a verdict of wilful murder against Dr. Burke; me, and I thought that leaving Cross-lane and taking
and the coroner made out the usual warrant of corn. a good holiday would set me right; but it was
rnittal on the capital charge against the doctor, who only a temporary benefit; I became worse
was still in the Barnsley Hospital, making satisfactory instead of better. A year ago, as I told
you, my attention was attracted by the railway
progress towards recovery,
rails, and that certainly roused me more than I
had thought possible, and so far a good thing for
me. My greedy brothers and sisters have taken care
that I should not benefit by it. I have found out my
idea was not a new one, and that in fact it was acted
upon several years ago by one company, and there-
fore was not patentable. My dear friends did not
know that I only learned it about a fortnight ago. I
was disappointed, of course, but very little compared

NEGRO AGRICrIATCRAL INTELLIGENCE.—"I say,
Sambo, does you know what makes the corn grow so
fast when you put the manure on it ?" "No, I don't
hardly." "Now, I'll just tell ye. When de corn
begins to smell de manure, it don't like fumery, so
hurries out of de ground, and sits up as high as pos-
sible so as not to breathe de bad air."

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