The Express.
London, England, 1857-10-03 00:00:00

THE MURDER OP 4 CHEWIER !ARMEE.

The inquest on the body of James Henderson,
farmer, of &emboli, Cheshire, who wee abot whilst In bed,
sa Wednemley morning, wee opened on Thanday seating,
by Kr. Johneon, coroner, Stockport.
Mr. W. P. Roberta, attorney, watched the cue for the pel-
lagra, Jams Henderson, ton.

Jane Handouts am daughter of the deceerd, end
remitted with my briber at Hardy's farm. Ha wee 60 years of
sge. Two sons end two &tighten, including niymV, lived
at home. There wen she three men servante a boy, and
• woman. All .4,4 in to. hotme, except two of the men,
who sloe In the granary. My father slept alone for the last
maws, in enrol tho front bedroom.. My brother Jamie
slept alone In the other front bedroom, and he had dome es
fora fur menthe. I slept in one of the back bedrooms on
the mos door, lath. kit of my fathers, and mat to that et
my brother Jamas. My mother aid a married slain (Mr•
Harlem) slept in smother beck bedroom on the erne door to
the right of my &the's. My brother Thomas slept in one
ci dm aWc., where then were two beds. The granary ad-
joined the boor, but then was no internal communication
with it. I and my author want to bed shout twelve o'clock
on Tuesday night, and at that time all the other inmates of
the house had retired erupt my brother James. I want to
bed as mom se I got into my room, and fell sale* in about
tan seinutos. I did not hear my brother James go to bed.
Whin I want upstairs I saw to. kitchen door (the ons en-
tering from the north) locked and barred. I did not look
at the front (du southern or main) door. My mother gene-
rally looked to the doors. The front door was usually
opmad every day, but I cannot say whether it was opened on
Tuesday. My brother James frequently stopped op after
the others reading and entice ; and when I went to bed on
Tuesday night he was writing in the sitting-room. My
father went to bed between nine and tan o'clock on Tuesday
night. I woe awoke about two o'clock on Wednesday morn-
fag, sad the first thing I heard was the noise of footstep. on
the stairs. I hand several footsteps, and immediately after-
wards! board any brother Jana* open his door and fire. I
am quits tome that I heard him open him door. I only heard
one, report. I did not go out of my room; bat shortlLarg
, ward. my brothers end too two servants who were
in the granary and the one who slept with my brother
Thomas in the stile entered my room and told me that
my father bad been shot. I cannot say how long it was
she I hired the report that they mina to me, but it was
shortly afterwards. I got up immediately and went into my
tother'a room. I him lying on his back with his had
on the pillow and his arne outside tha clothe.. He was in
the same pennon that he morally slept. He was severely
wounded the face. When I went into his room my
mother and two brothers and the man servants were thus,
end my married enter followed ma. My brother Thomas
had on hie trousers, but nothing elm, and m brother lemon
was in his night shirt. The house was es by therms,
and my brother Thom.. told me that the kitchen door we.
found open. They found no trace of any robbers. The
sitting-room door, which we. not locked at night, was open,
and my brother James'. desk had been broken open, and
111. 10.. taken from it. I never saw the money in the
desk, but my brother Junes told me that it had been left in
it the night before. A drawer belonging to the cupboard
in the kitchen Ina also opened, but nothing was mimed
from it. A "collie' dog was kept in the hon.., and my
brother Thomas told me that on Tuesday night it slept Mb&
bedroom. Scrutinies it slept in Thomas's bedroom, and
sometimes in Janos's. It does not make any alarm at
stranger. except when out of doors.

Jens Haideiste—l am the widow of the deossawl. I went
to bed about twelve o'clock on Tuesday night. bly daughter
lone went up Matra with me, but I slept with my married
daughter Jewry,
_who had gone to bed before ms. The de-
ceased went to bed about nine o'clock. I left my son James
in the sitting room. Hennaed the outside kitchen door
before I went to bed, and I knew that the front one was also
fastened. I fell eating shortly after I went to bed, and I
afterwards woke when I heard my son Junes coming up
stain, but I cannot say how long it wee after I left him down
stain. I fell asleep again shortly after he went into his room,
and I did not wake till I beard the report of a gun about
two o'clock in the morning. The next thing I beard was
James opening his door and firing a gun down the stairs.
There wee not mere than half a minute between the ern
and second shots. I next heard sounds as of persona run-
ning down the atairs, either in their stockings or with some-
thing over their shoe.. Directly afterwards I heard James
calling to his brother Thomas in the attic to come down
stairs immediately, is there were robbers in the hones. I
and my daughter got out of bed and held the door, km in(
that the robbers might came into our room. Afterwards m
two sons came Alto my room. Thomas had on only his
trousers, and James was in his eight-shirt. After they went
down stain they fired two other shots from the kitchen door
in order to frighten the robbers.

Mr. Roberti, for the prisoner, here applied to have the in-
Wiwidadjenraed, en the pomd that be was not eufficiently
to troee-eaasbe the witness... He also applied
that at the next sitting the prisoner might be mount.
The Comer said that Its intended to take the evidence of
6U the lathier at the house to-sight. As yet. nothing had
been Mated tamthig dkactly to implicate the prisoner, and es
ems es eaythlag wee
_even that affected him, he would
the inquiry. He was always anxious that a person
:rtrrasebarged with a criminal offence should be present
when the masses was given against him, but he did not see
that ha could order the seemed to be brought before the jury.
Mr. Reddish (clerk to the magistrate* for the Stockport
division) said be thought there would be no objection cm the
pert of the magistrates to allow the prisoner to be prams
at the inquiry, when anything wee proved that affected
him; but at present there was nothing that Implicated
him, and he could not see bow the inquiry could be adjourned
et this stage.
-••-- • -

Mts. Henderson, in reply to Mr. Roberts, Mated that bur
SOD wee sow is custody on the charge of murdering his
Whir ; but he wee a good and kind son both to her huabend
mil to ►melt.

Mr. Roberts renewed his application for en adjournment,
tut the coroner decided upon 'Ain further evidence.

Thomas Henderson—l am son of the deoeaaed. I went to
bed in the attic on Tuesday about half-past eleven o'clock.
I was disturbed by the report of file-woe about two o'clock
on the following morning, and I immediately jumped out of
bed sad awoke the servant man and the boy. I heard my
brother pt oat of bed and walk am if to get h 6 gnu and than
fire. As soon as I could get a light I and the man went
half way down the chairs leading to my father's room. I
bawd the second shot in about half a minute after the first,
and then ray brother James called out that there were
robbers in the houae. lem not ewe whether be celled
before or after the second Idiot. I cannot recollect. While
I wee standing on the landinF, half way down the garret
Rake, James went back into he room and reloaded the ewe.
It wee a double-barrelled gun ; but one of the barrels had
been discharged the morning before, when my brother shot
at • sparrow in the pear tree by the side of the house. I
know that he shot at • sparrow becsuae I maw him do it. I
distinctly beard him ramming both barrels while I was
en the stars; and as soon as he came out of his mem,
h• and I and • man went down stairs. I wet lint,
cieffying a candle and a wick. The outer kitchen
door was 'Wading open; it was !atoned the night before
with • lock end • wooden bar. The bar was resting
Pett the wall. and not broken, so that it must have been
ere. The lock wee not injured, and the key was in
the thee.
inside. We did not look at the window. until we
had knocked up the two Irishmen who elept in the granary.
Noss of the windows had been broken or interfered with. I
looked tato the lobby, sod saw that the front door was
feeptased. In the sitting-room we found that my brother
Jaame's desk had been broken open, and 14/. 10.. belonging
to him taken from it. I never maw the money, but he told
me that be bad left it there. We next went up stairs into
ow father's room, into which we had not gone before. We
found him lying on his back, with his bald upon the pillow,
anti his firma folded across his chest, as if he had been asleep
when he was shot.

After his evidence had been reed over, and before ha
signed it, the witness stated that after his brother Bred he
beard footsteps on the stairs, and they appearod to be those
of three or four persons, who had somettimg on their shoes.
Adler be and his brother had been into his father's room his
brother gave him the gun, and he went and discharged both
the barrels at thn bark door. Previously to this he hod tees
to him mother's and sister's room, and
told theta that Us
father was dead. AU this occupied about • Toner of ea
hour. The powder and shot were mmeebees ll* la the
attains room and sometimes in Jamas bedroom. He read-
Imisdhearing his this Jam say that his brother Jana hid

Bred one of the bomb of the gun at a 'Farrow, and killed ft
on Tuesday morning and he (Thomas) afterwards saw the
dead bird 111 the kitchen.

Jessy Eariero—l am the wider Edward Erlaro, a brier,
of Woodford, end daughter of the decreed, at whole hoses
at Bramhall I lived. 1 with my mother, and on Tues-
day night I retired to rent
batwaea eight and nine o'clock.
I woe asleep when my mother came to bed. I was awoke
about two o'clock the next morning by the report of fr-
ame. Immediately afterwards my brother James opened
his door and shouted, but I sin not sure whether he fired I
think he did. Between the Bret and second report. I heard
footsteps in my father'sroom, and they sounded as if the per-
sons had something on their shoes. After the Nord shot I
heard footsteps going down thereby.
This was the lest witness examined, sad the coroner ed.
journed the inquiry to Tuesday next, at ten o'clock.