The Express.
London, England, 1858-09-24 00:00:00

SUSPICTID WIPE MURDER AT NANCIIASTER.

Yesterday evening an inquest was commenced at
the offices of the Coroner for Manchester, Edward Herford,
Beg., on the body of Suaannah Reed, who had been found
dead at an early hour in the morning, under circumstances of
grave suspicion that she had been murdered. George Read,
the husband of the deceased woman, was present in custody.
The eiater of the deceased, who works in a cotton factory,
stated that she had gone to work at the factory that mornkkg
at six o'clock. At a quarter to twenty minutes put
eight o'clock, having left tie Sectary to have breakfast, ahe
was paring the cottage of the prisoner, In Back LeVerer4
and looked through the front window. She saw the
(her sister) lying with her body and feet on the stairs, and
her head on the cottage door. She lay se if she had
fallen, or bean ported dewnetairs. Witness trod the door,
but it wee fest. She enoseeded in forcing it apse, and found
that her sister was dead. There wee blood open the floor.
Supposing prisoner to be up stairs, witness tolled to him, sad
said, " Oh, George, what have you done r' He replied that
he had not done It ; she (deceased) had done it herself—ohshad hanged herself en the banisters over the stairs. There
was a cord round her neck. Some neighbours true in and
advised witness to call in the police, and she bead a police-
man in Ford-street. The rope round the neck wea • short
one, and would not he long enough to tie round the rail of
the banisters. Wirer did not see any piece of rope on
the banisters from which that round the neck of deceased
could bare broken.

Mr. J. Elliott, jun., home-surgeon of the Manchester
Lifirmary, said he had made • pose mortem eciamina,ion. On
the right side of the forehead, about an inch above the eye,
there wa lacerated wedge-shaped wound, from which au
immense quantity of blood was Sowing. On dissecting back
the integuments, he found the surrounding tissues infiltrated
with coagulated blood for a space of about four inches
dimmable. The wound was about an Inch acmes, and Wi-
en-inch the other way. It might have been caused by a
blunt Instrument, or by falling against a sharp corner.
Mr. Superintendent Anderton here rated that there was
no instrument found such as might have caused the wound.
There was a chimneypieoe close by the plane where the body
was found.

Elliott resumed—lt might have been calmed by the
chimneypieoe. The wound penetrated to the hese, which
was not f raired or indented. On the right cheek was a
recent bruise about an inch long and half an inch wide.
Above the right eye were also romans of a bruin of old date.
He found a cord (produced) tied tightly round the neck, with
a single knot in front of the windpipe, and corresponding to
it was a livid mark entirely round the neck, about an inch
below the shin, sad also en indentation found on opening the
windpipe. Had doomed suspended herself, the rope would
probably have slipped up close to the chin, instead of re-
I =Ming where it was found.
The surSsavidence was not concluded when our
report wee ed.
It appears the prisoner bad returned from four yews'
penal servitude last Whitsuntide, having been convicted for
robbery. lie hae had three children by the demand, two of
whom are in the workhouse. The third child was kept by the
wiles sister. The prisoner had does little or no work since
his return, and on the day before this occurrence he had
drawn upward. of 41., due to him for work done whilst under
matinee of pthal servitude. With this money both be and
his wife had been drinking on Wednesday night, sad he was
not sober when taken into custody by the police yesterday
morning.