The Express.
London, England, 1862-09-09 00:00:00

THB DOUBLE MURDER AND SUICIDE AT

BRADFORD.

Ou Saturday Mr. Jewison, corouer, resumed
and concluded his inquest ou view of the bodies of Mary
Ryan, aged twenty-two years, and her two children, Patrick
Joseph and Mary Ann Ryan, whx, as the 3rd in., were
found drowned in a milldam in Frederick-street, Brad-
ford. A large crowd of people asembled in front of
the Britannia ion, Dryden-street, where the inquest was
held, and where the bodies of the deceased were still lying.
The following additional evidence wait taken :
Sergeant Joteph Bolton, of the Bradford police force,
said—About half-past five o'clock on Wednesday evening
last, in consequence of information that Vary Ryan had
been found drowned in a mill-dam in Frederick-street, and
that her two children were missing, I assisted to search the
dam, and in it were found, in my presence, the dead bodies
of both the children. The bodies were brought to this
house. I saw no marks of violence upon either of them.
I afterwards examined the pocket of Mary Ryan, the
mother, and found in it 24d. and a "charm."
• Richard Mitchell, annuli-nen for Mr. James Gellemore,
Frederick-street mill, said—On Wednesday last, about 20
minutes before 5 o'clock, I saw some article of dress floating
in the mill dam. I got a piece of wire, made a hook at the
end of it, and drew the article to the aide of the dam, and
then I saw the body of Mary Ryan. She was quite dead.l observed no wounds upon her person. I did not know her
before. I have known her husband, James Ryan, more
• than two years, and have been in his compsuo regularly at
a public house once or twice a week. I never saw him
• drunk.

Catherine Claret.odf Ebenezereourt, Bradford, said—
I lived near the , Mary Ryan, and was acquainted
with her. She left her home early on Tuesday morning,
owing to a quarrel with her husband. She went to her
mother's house, stayed there all Tuesday night, and on
Wednesday came to Mrs. Costello's, Ebenezer-court, where
I bad some conversation with her. She was crying. Mrs.
Costello went out, and then decested said, "Oh, dear, I've
a good mind to drown both myself and my children." I
said, " How can you say so? Yon can go to the workhouse
with your children, and the guardians will make your hus-
band_ pay." She replied that she ought to have gone the
day before, as no applications would be taken 0= Wednes-
day, it being the board.day. Directly after this she went
away, saying that her youngest child was very cross, and
her mother would scold her for being no long absent. She
went towards her mother's house in Croft-street, and took
with her her eldest child, and a Chair, which her husband
allowed Mrs. Costello to take out of his house, and give to
her. This would be about half-put one o'clock in the after-
noon. I have not seen either Mrs. Ryan or her children
since. Whilst I was in Mrs. Costello's house Mrs. Ryan's
husband passed. by, and gave the elder child sixpence and
some copper coin. I thought the money was intended for
the mother. She refused it, and said, " I want the
bed." Her husband took the money back again, and said
she should not have the bed until the rent and other debts
were paid. He afterwards sent his wife sixpence and some
old cloth that bad been cut up to make into waistcoats.
Mrs. Costello brought them to her. He declared to Mrs.
Costello that he would not take his wife back until he had
pad what be owed. Both he and his wife were obstinate.
She said, "I dare not go back ; I am afraid he'll murder
roe." Her right eye was discoloured. She said her husband
had made it so. When I had this ooaversation with her
she seemed quite rational. I never saw her in a passion
except once, rather more than • fortnight since, when
she and her husband bad been quarrelling, and she came out
of their cellar and broke three of four squares of glass in
their window with stories. He had been striking her at that
time, and she had then a black eye. About 5 o'clock on
Wednesday afternoon last I heard that Mrs. Ryan had
been taken out of • milldam in Frederick-street ; the dam
is about 300 yards off Ebenezer-court.
Bridget Hayes, mother of the deceased woman, said—
My daughter came to me on Tuesday morning, and brought
herr two children with her. Her left eye was black, and
she complained of pain in her right shoulder and hack,
caused, she said, by her husband having kicked her. She
told me she begged like a cripple for mercy—begged that
he would not kill her entirely. I have seen him bat his
wife in my own house. I remember her breaking the win-
dows. She came and told me on that occasion that she bad
had had a hard struggle to get away from her husband, who
had been beating her, and that when she got out of the
house she took up two stones and threw them at tbe win-
dow. She stayed with me last Tuesday night, and went
back about eleven o'clock next mm ning, to ask her husband
for the bed, and with the intention cf leaving him the
elder child. I cannot tell how long she remained away.
She bad no dinner at my house; she was not in the house
when my own family got dipper. When she returned on
Wednesday, she brought both the children back with her •
she was crying ; she told me her husband had sent out 6d:
for her, that she had demanded the bed, and that he said
he would not give it to her until his debts were paid. I
did not tell her I would not take her in. She said she was
afraid to go and try the door of the cellar where she and her
husband lived, lest be should murder her. Be was always
drinking and spending his money, and taking from the de-
ceased what she earned. The deceased told me her husband
came home at two o'clock on Tuesday morning, and got
through the window without awaking her. I was not in
my house when she left it on Wednesday for the last time.
I last saw her alive about two or three o'clock in the after-
mos. James Ryan, her husband, has threatened to kill
both me and his wife. He has struck me as well as the
deceased. On one occasion he threw • stone through a
window at her. He deserted her, and was away in Lanca-
shire eight weeks. The deceased was afraid her husband
would do her some harm. On Wednesday she was terrified
about it. I sometimes thought her mind was disordered.
James Ryan, tailor, • tall, dark-viaaged man, husband of
the deceased woman, and father of the two children, gave
the following testimony—l know nothing as to the cause of
the death of my wife except my calling her, and she may
have taken it to heart. On Monday morning last 1 went out
of the house, and did not return until 2 o'clock on Tuesday
morning. I went out with the intention of buying material
for some work, and I met with • party of men belonging to
my own trade, and we went down to Kelly's beer-house, in
Cioft-strest. When I returned home at two o'clock on
Tuesday morning I lifted up the window, got into the
house, and looked into the oven where my supper was
generally placed, but there was no supper for me. I touched
my wife, who was asleep in bed, awoke her, and asked for
my supper. She told me I might get it where I bad been
all the day and night. I told her I had not been in im-
proper company. We quarrelled, and I struck her with my
open band on the left side of her bead. She then began to
cry. I raised my hand over her and threatened to strike her
again if she did not give over crying. She gave over crying,
and I went to bed to her without my supper. She got up
at half-past seven on Tuesday morning, and cleaned the
house and the children, after which we had some further
angry words, and she took the children and west away.
She told the neighbours I had been accusing her of improper
in..imacy with a man. 1 may have said something about a
man to her, but cannot repellent. If I did, I never thought
there wan anything wrong about her in that respect. On
Wednesday she came to Mrs. Costello's, • few doors from
my place. I did not say I would not receive her. I told
Mrs. Costello to tell her to come home with the children, as
she had nothing to fear. I gave the elder child 9d. at Mrs.
Costello's ; that was all the money I had. I sever threat-
ened to murder my wife, and never sharpened a knife for
that purpose. I never in my life struck her with my closed
hand. She had not black eyes when she was alive. The
last time I saw her alive was about half-past one on Wed-
nesday, when she left Mrs. Costallo'a. I had taken back
GIL which I gave to the child, and I gave the 6d. to Mrs.
Costello to give to my wife at that time. I never spoke to
her on Wednesday, and cannot say what state of mind she
was in. The witness went into a long explanation of fre-
quent quarrels between himself and his late wife, and
blamed his mother-in-law, Mrs. Hayes, for some of them.
The Coroner made some remarks upon the evidence, after
which the jury were left to consider their verdict. After
they bad deliberated about a quarter of an hour,
The Foreman of the jury (Mr. Wardman, of the Junc-
tion inn), said they were unenimously agreed upon the fol-
lowing verdict :—" That Mary Ryan drowned herself and
her two children, and that she was of sound mine! at the
time, but acting under • fit of violent Fusion."
The coroner said that was a verdict of fob de se, and ex-
premed his approval of it.
The body of Mary Ryan, the mother, was buried at the
towns expense, in the Undercliffe Cenietery, at a late hour
on Saturday right, without Christian rites, as is usual in
such cases. The funeral of the children took place at the
same cemetery on Sunday.

FORGERY AND FLIGHT 01 THZ ALLEGED FORGER.
A farmer named James Robertson, tenant of the farm of
North Mains of Letham, on the edits of Mr. Hay, of
Letham Grange, has been wanted by the police for some
time on several charges of forgery. There are four distinct
charges against Robertson, and on Sunday week the procu-
rator•ftsoil from Forfar, with a poem officers.
of offirs. visited
North Mains of Letham to apprehend Robertson, but found
that both he and his wife had gone away on Friday. The
bills forged are as follows :—One drawn by Robertson
for 1001., and bearing to be accepted by James Smith,
farmer, Drowandub. near Arbroath, and David Warden,
farmer, Lour, near Forfar, discounted in the British Linen
Company's bank at Arbroath ; one for 501., drawn on, and
bearing the forged signature of, George Simpson. corn-
dealer, Arbroath, discounted by Robertson in the office of
the Dundee Booking Company at Forfar; another for SOL,
bearing the forged names, as acceptors, of Alexander Harris,
Mains of Collistoo, and James Smith, Drowandub, die.
counted in the Royal Bank office at Arbroath; and a fourth
for 45E, drawn on, and bearing the forged names
of, David Forbes, cattle dealer, Douglas Muir, and
discounted by Robertson in the National Bank office at
Forfar. Robertson sold cows at Glasterlaw market on the
Wednesday previous to his flight, and be and his wife were
afterwards trued to Glasgow, and it is supposed he had
gone thence to Liverpool, and sailed for Arnoricia on the
Saturday. From both of these porta steamers nil for Ame-
rica on that day. A meeting of his creditors wu held in
Arbroath on Saturday, and it was found that his debts
would amount to about 1,8001., and that hie aloe* com-
prising almost solely the stock and cropping on his farm,
would reach about 8001. The meeting ordered sequestration
of his effects to be immediately applied for.—Arbroath
Guide. _ _

Sovas Kuwerwersow Istrintww.—Daring the week
ending Sept. 6, the visitor bare been as follows :—On
Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday, free days, open from
10 sae. to 10 p.m., 32,486 ; on Wednesday, Thursday, and
Friday, students' days (admission to the public &i.), open
from 10 a.m. tdl 6 p.m., 5,412 ; total, 37,808. From the
*penis. et the somesson, 3,232,126.

THE POLICE COURTS.