The Express.
London, England, 1867-08-09 00:00:00

THE SUSPECTED MURDER AT LIMEHOUSE.

At the inquest yesterday, after our report left,
Elisabeth Johnson said for the bast eight years she had
lived with the last witness as his wife. On the IVedner
day morning she and Deen were called into the cottage
by Wiggins and his father. Mrs. 'Wiggins was standing
on the top of the stairs. Witness said, " How bas this
happened ?" and she said, " Agnes has out my son's throat
andthen her own." Witness went into the room. Agnes
was lying on her beck. Her chemise was torn. It looked
as if it had been torn in a scuffle. It had more that ap-
paktum than not. Agnes was stiff. Wiggins had his
hands to his throat. He ran out of the room. The knife
was on the table. Mrs. Wiggins's bands were dripping
with blood. Witness washed her hands and arms in a pail.
Inspector Brady said that he had gone to the house of
the man stated to be dying, at 83, North-street. He said,
"My name is Conrad Long. I was ill in bed, and I did
not hear anything or see anything. There is always •
noise in this street, but I heard nothing unusual on that
night. At half-put five o'clock I beard several persons
call out that • young woman had been murdered. I cot
up and looked out of the window and I saw Wiggins sitting
on • chair in the street. Williamsi and others were with
him. Old Mr. Wiggins walked down the street calling
out, " Murder, Murder!"
The Coroner—l am very glad we have got that state-
ment. . _

Thomas Allwand, a labourer, proved hearing John Wig-
gins say, on the morning in question, that is wife had
cut his throat and then her own. He said that he was
lying on the rug in front of the fire when she cut his
throat. Ha said that be went to hie father's apartments,
and when he found the blood coming he put the hiuniker-
chiaf on.

The Coroner—Did he say he had the handkerchief on
when his throat was cut
Witness—No.

The Coroner—There la a discrepancy here.
Sarah Martina said that her cottage was at the back of
Temperance-cottage. At ten minutes to 2 o'clock wit-
ness heard a cry of " Murder." The first words she heard
were, " You old —, you are murdering me !" Witness
nexheard, "They are murdering of me ! " The cry of
murder was then repeated. The church clock then struck
two. The cry of murder seemed to come across the canal.
It was a female's voice. It was a woman's voice that said,
" You old bitch, you are murdering me !"
Coroner—l wish to direct your attention to that word.
Witness—lt was bitch. I then heard, " They are mur-
dering me !" I thought the words were frightful ones.
Inspector Brady said that the distance between the two
houses was forty-oue yards.
The witness said that she had heard frequent cries and
quarrels from that direction, but never before heard the
cry of murder. She want to her window when she heard
it, and looked out. The window was open. The cry came
from across the water.

Police-constable John Tucker, 4i5 K, said that he eim
on duty in Henry-street at two o'cleck on the morning in
question. He heard cries of murder coming from the
direction across the water. He latened and went along
the canal towing path, and there was no light or sound.
All became quiet, and witness returned to his best. It
was about ten minutes to two o'clock when he heard the
first cry of " Murder."
A. juror—That confirms Sarah Martha's evidence.
Mary Ann Wiltshire said that she did reside neat door
to the deceased. She had some up from beyond Gravesend
to give evidence. She knew the deosased well. She used
to say that she wished Wiggins was kinder. Witness
never saw her the worse for drink. She never drank more
than a pint of beer. On the Saturday afternoon previous
to her death witness heard her screaming. Wiggins said,
" I will kick you, I will." 'Witness .went in, and then
she saw Wins kicking 'her under the bladebone
and on the back of the bead. She had thrown
the tea things at him. Witness pulled Wiggins
off her, and told him that he would yet be merry for what
he did. She said frequently that she had asked Wiggins
to marry her. That seemed to work upon her mind. She
said that she was unhappy, and that she would go to ser-
vice and see better days yet. She never spoke or seemed
to think of suicide or anything of the kind. There was a
bruise under her bladebene, and she said that her head
was so sore that she could not comb it. She never was
the wane for drink, for if she had been witness must
have sees it.
By Mr. Young—The cause of the kicking was that the
deceased bad delayed out to buy a looking-glass when
Wiggins sent her to buy a chop for his dinner.
Elizabeth Hampton, 75, Lower Eastfield-street, wife of
Wm.Hempton, a lighterman, said that the deceased was a
friend of herlodger s. The,day before her death she called at
her bowie. She was very low spirited, and said, " I've
been after Jack with some bread and meat." See said she
felt very miserable. She said she bad got If.
on his watch, to buy under-linen and a cotton dress to
go to service, and that Wiggins would not forgive her.
She said that she felt she could make away with herself,
because Wiggins would not forgive her. Witness said,
" You love your slater ;" and she replied, " What a
stupid thing I am. I do love her—every hair of her
he She then laughed, and said, " I'll go into service,
and I'll see happy days yet." She had never said Wiggins
and she would never want anything much longer. She
had bought under-linen and a dress.
Thomas Brown, Eastfiehl-street, a lighterman. said
that he was with Wiggins on the Tuesday night. He had
• " little drain" to drink. That was just as much as a
working man ought to take. (Laughter.) Ile was not
sober, but he was not drunk. He did not allude to Ames
()ekes. He went home at • quarter to one o'clock on the
Wednesday morning.
By Mr. Young—Wiggins took a pint of beer home. He
said he wee going to take it to his wife.
Fanny Wiggins, wife of George Wiggins, a lighterman,
and the brother of the prisoner, said she went into the
room in which the decemed was, and, in company with
her sister-in-law, turned the deceased over en the bml to
lay her out. She then tore the chemise in trying to get
it from ander her.
Dr. Horton (recalled) said that be did not notice
whether the chemise was torn when he first saw the de-
ceased's body.
George Banister, 12S K, said that on the morning in
question he saw Dean coming up the street, and Deen
▪ " You are wanted there has been murder."
Witness went Into deceased's room, and a policeman
went for the doctor. Wiggins had a Guernsey shirt on.
The deceased was lying on the rug with a sheet covered
over her. Upon turning the sheet down, witness saw the
chemise torn to within twelve inches of the bottom of it.
It looked as if it had been torn in • struggle. The knife
produced was found by witness lying on the table. (It
was a blunt table knife.)
The inquiry wee further adjourned.

THZ DIOCFAZ OF CHESTER. —The Rev. Robert
Henry Croy, M.A., incumbent of Kirkby, Lancashire,
and the Rev. William Pollock, M.A., vicar of Bowdon,
Cheshire, have recently been collated by the lord bishop
of the diocese to honorary canoaries in the cathedral of
Chester.

THE TRADE OUTRA,H4 AT ntiEFFIELD.
Mr. Overend Overend and his 00-examiners—Mr. Chance
and Mr. Barstow—have just made a report to. the Tr.ales
Union Commissioners of their inquiry into the Sheffield
on They say :
The furl subject which engaged our attention was
that of rattening. Battening is a mode of enforcing pay-
ment of contributions to and of compliance with the
rules of the union. The wheelbands, thole, and other ma-
terials of a workman are taken and held in pledge until be
haa satisfied the society by payment of his arrears, or by
submitting to the rides which he has infringed. At first
it was dm3ed that the unions connived at this practice.
but we had not proceeded far with our investigation before
it waa admitted on all hands that ratteoing had been for a
long time prevalent In the grinding trades and in all trades
connected with them. It is fair to the unions to say, that
in the majority of asses where the demands of the union
have been complied with, and a payment of a small sum
for the expenses of rattening has been made, the property
taken has been restored. Battening is always done in the
interests of the union, and very commonly by the direc-
tion of the secretary, who negotiates with the party rat-
tened for the restitution of his property. In some cases
a member of the union, without express authority, rat-
tens another member who is known to have incurred the
displeasure of the society, and takes his chance of having
his act adopted by the union. Recounts is seldom had to
the police to recover property so taken away, but applica-
tion is almost always aiesk to the esieretary of the union
immediately the loss of tools, &a., ie ascertained. The
practice of rattening is well known to be illegal, and per-
' sons detected in illegally taking away property have fre-
quently been convicted and punished. The excuse offered
by the unions for this system is, that in the absence of
legal powers rationing affords the most ready means of
enforcing payment of contributions and obedience
to the rules (of the 1011011. limy articles of
Sheffield manulatiture require for their comple-
tion the labour of various classes of work-
men. For example, the manufacture of a saw requires
the work of the eaw-grinders, the saw-maker., and the
saw-handle makers. All these workmen form separate
branches of the saw trade and are in separate unions..
They are, however, all aintreated together for mutual
support. In case of default any member of any of tin,
branches, or in case of a dispute with the masters, ao
the grinders' feels are most easily abstracted, and as
• stopping tho grinding stops the whole saw trade, the
course commonly adopted is to rattan the grindses.
although the &slante may be with the sun:oaken or
saw-handle =Aare, and on the matter being arranged
the other branches indemnify the ganders for their
loss of time and for expenses incurred. An attempt it
often successfully made to saddle the whole cost of the
rattening, as well as the cost of supporting the men
while out of employment, upon tie masters, even where
he is no party to the dispute, oc, the ground that her
ought to have compelled his workmen to comply with the'
rules of the union. The system of rattening generally
proved successful in effecting its object. If, however, the'
person rattened continues refractory, be commonly re-,
ceives an anonymous letter warning him of the conse-
quences of his obstinacy. If this waning is dirregarded„
recourse has been had to acts of outrage, the nature ot
which will be understood from a perusal of the cases
actually investigated by us."
A number of cases, as they affect each union, are taken
in the order of time of their occurrence. With regard to
the Saw-Grinders' Union the examiners say :
" The fact of these outrages having been done in the
interest of the trade was well known to the union, and
although in one or two instances individual members had
protested against them, yet nothing like an investigation
bad been demanded, nor had there been any general vote
of condemnation of these acts until the case of Fume-
hough occurred, when public indignation was aroused, and
then the outrage was denounced, and a reward was offered
by the union for the detection of the offenders. The
whole of the above offences were coneet ted by Broad-
head, and sums amounting to nearly 21)01. had
been taken by him out of the funds of the union to
pay the parties who committed them. Although these
acts were not proved to have been directly authorised
by the union, there must have been a knowledge, or at
all eveuts a well-grounded belief, amongst its members
that they were done, not only in the interests of their
society, but through the agency of some one or more of
their governing body, and we report that all the above
outrages were promoted, encouraged, and connived as
by the Saw-grinders' Union ; and that the Hereford-street
outrage was promoted and encouraged by the Saw-
grinders', Saw-makers', and Saw-handle Makers' Unions.
The following members of the Saw-grinders' Union have
been engaged in the concerting or perpetration of out-
rages :—Broadhead, William ; Clark, Dennis ; Copley,
Joseph ; Creches, Samuel ; Dean, Phineas (dead) ; Hal-
lam, James ; Pearce, George ; Shaw, George ; Smith,
Elijah (dead) ; Taylor, John (deed)."
In conclusion the examinees say;
" We have now given an outline of all the cases of im-
portance which were submitted to us for investigation.
Mr. Thomas Thorpe, managing clerk to Mr. Albert Smith,
clerk to the magistrates for the West Riding of Yorkshire
and borough of Sheffield, prepared for us • list of cases
supposed to be connected with trade.; unions, and which
had been brought before the justices within the last ten
years. It comprised, in addition to the outrages men-
tioned in this report, Ilk cases of ratteniug and 21
cases of sending threatening letters. A very small
proportion, however, of the persons rattenel give
information either to the police or to the jus-
tices. Most of the outrages we have investigated were
brought before the justices, and although in several cases
large rewards bad been offered for the detection of the
perpetrators, the offenders have with two or three excep-
tions remained unknown up to the period of the inquiry.
We believe that there are about 60 trades' unions in Shef-
field, of which 13 have promoted or encouraged outrages
within the meaning of the Trades' Union Commission Act,
I lOW. We have to report that there has not occurred
within& the last ten years any acted intimidation. outrage,
, or wrong promoted, encouraged, or connived at by_ any
; association of employers. We point to the year lAA as
the one in which outrage was most rife, and we notice
with pleaaure that it has diminished since that time.
During the course of our investigation matter, con-
nected with trades' unions (such as the number of
, apprentices allowed to each workman, and the class from
I which they may be taken, the remuneration of labour, the
restrehits exercised upon voluntary action, and the rules
and general policy of trades' unions) have frequently been
brought before our notice. These, however, are questions
for the consideration of the Royal Commialion sitting in
London and we purposely avoid making any observation
upoe them. At the conieseneetsentrof our inquiry, and free
qnently duruag the course of it, we explained the provokes
cithe Trtides Union Commission Act, 14.7, with ngsrd to .
the powers conferred on us id mating certilleates of indem-
nity to without.' who should by their evident* inculpable
themselves. We are convinced that the most mate-
rial diseloures made to us were so made in reliance
on our promise of indemnity made in conformity with
the act of parliament. Had no such indemnity
• been offered, we are satisfied that we should
never have obtained any clear and conclusive evi-
dence touching the most important subjects of our inquiry,
' and that the system of crime which has now been diszlosed,
.ftlvlVeredell al;
we have
wgranoulted
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ifirein
canated un
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nesse, whom we believe to have made a full and true dis-
closure of all offences in which they have been implicated."