The Express.
London, England, 1861-04-17 00:00:00

THE WILFUL MURDER
_OP A CHILD BY TWO

BOYS.

A child two-and-a-half years old, named
George Burgess, whose parents reside in Sageleystreet,
Higher Hillgate, Stockport, has been murdered by ruff°.
cation in a brook of running water, by two boys, one named
Peter Barrett, aged eight, and the other of the name of
Jaimeßradley, about the same age, residing in Middle
Hillgate.
It appeared the deceased was playing on some vacant land
near its own house, early in the afternoon, when the two
boys, without any previous acquaintance, took it awav with
them about half a mile, towards the suburbs of the boiough,
to a place called Hampshaw-lane, and thence into a foot-
way to a brook of water at a secluded part of some fields
behind the barracks. They were seen to drag the child
along the place naked, but the circumstances did not attract
more than a passing notice. One of the boys got a thorn
out of the hedge and beat the poor little fellow on the
boot and legs in a merciless manner, until they got to
the water, where, having deposited the clothes hither up
the stream, they absolutely forced him into the brook heed
foremost, and beat him about the head and body until he
was dead, and left the body there. The next day (Friday)
at noon, the body was discovered, but there wan no evidence
forthcoming to show how or by what means it came there.
Two boys had been seen with the deceased in the neigh-
bourhood on the afternoon, but the deed could not then be
fixed upon any particular individual. A coroner's lamest
was held on Saturday, and, after receiving some pre-
liminary evidence, it stood adjourned till yesterday even-
ing (Tuesday). In the meantime the two boys, Barrett
and Bradley were apprehended. The coroner's jury re.
assembled at the White Horse, Harnpshaw, last evening.
Police-countable Morley mid be went to the house of
the prisoner Bradley, in company with &wrath, on
Saturday evening, and charged them, in the presence
of BroMey's father, with being in company with a little
boy, in Hampshaw.lene. on Thursday. and they mid
they were. Bradley then said, in answer to the question
where they went to, "That they went on dowo Love-
lane till they got to a hole with somehmter in ; that they
both undressed the child, that Peter pushed it into the
water, and then they commenced beating it on the back
and head until it was dead ; and they did not leave it until
it was dead." No threats or promisee Were made to induce
either of them to confess to the crime ; and on comparing
the clogs of Bradley and the shoes of Barrett with marks in
the soil, near the brook, they exactly corresponded. The
evidence of the surgeon (Mr. Nosey) was to the effect that
the wound at top of the head bad produced congestion of
the brain, aol consequent insensibility. The immediate
cause of death was of course "death from suffocation" by
immersion in the water. Neither the parents nor the pn-
ewers, who appeared very indifferent to their awful sites-
tion, asked the witnesses any questions. The jury returned
a verdict of "Wilful murder' against Peter &matt and
James Bradley, and they were committed for trial at the
next Chesiro assizes.

POST-OTTICE (140NZT ORDER•OFFICZA) DEFA I.l' A -
Tiows4.—A parliamentary return allows that losses and de-
falcations have occurred in the money order-offices of the
United Kingdom to the amount of 5,96fi. mince 1841.
Thirty-one offices are returned defaulters ; one (Barnet) in
the considerable sum of 2,704/., and another (Jersey) in the
sum of 1,1351. The defalcation of lowest amount is
V. Oa. 10d., ha a Perthshire office. These losses and dotal-
cations, it seems, have formed no charge upon the public
revenue, but have been made good from time to time out of
the proceeds of unclaimed money orders.
THE SIMPISCTZD MURDER AT ROCHDALE. —On
Monday John Warburton, the man who is suspected of
hevir.g caused the death of Ellen Garside, by drowning in
the Rochdale canal at Lock Bridge, on or about the lot
April. was again brought up at the Rochdale Police Court.
Mr. Superintendent Pickering applie l a screed time for a
remand, and again stated that he, besides being able to
prove an improper connection between the parties, in the
neighbourhood of Manchester, under the mooned name
of Roberta, could also prove that while the dammed was
at Mauchader, Warburton several times carne to Rochdale
to console the husband for bin loss, adding that be was
very greatly surprised at deceased's conduct, for he never
thought she would do such a thing as leave borne. The
remand was granted without opposition until to-day, when
it is expected that the cue will be gone into.