Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-05-30 00:00:00

THE MURDER AT LEDBURY.
LEDBURY. Friday.—After the despatch of our parcel:
yesterday afternoon, the witness Dew added that he thought
t'iat he went to bed at about half-past ten o'clock. He
rose on the next morning at• between seven and eight
o'clock. "Left' home at nine o'clock, and_called at Mr.
Badsey's, the baker, in the Horse-lane, about 200 yards
from Mr. Masefield's offices. Whilst he was there, Powell
(a witness examined at the first inquest) came in and said :
" Oh, Mr. Dew, I am almost afraid to tell you what has
happened; poor Mrs. Baker is murdered." Found Jones,
with others, at Mrs. Baker's back-dOnr. Wlien in the
lower offices smelt fire, but, as he had been told that the
premises had been burnt and the deceased set on fire, did
not think it necessary to make a remark. Jones did not
s2ezn more agitated than the rest of the people at the house.
Jones borrowed from him a shilling on Saturday week, the
14th inst. On Wednesday, the 18th inst., got -ft
worth of stamps from Jones, from whom he had before
bought some. (In a third compartment in Mr. Masefield's
money-drawer, Mr. Masefield kept postage and receipt
stamps, but on the morning after the murder found very
few there.) Tendered Jones a shilling as payment, but
Jones said he owed him one, and did not take it. Had
not often before bought stamps from him, and never to
the amount of a shilling Bought the stamps from Jones
on Wednesday (the day after the murder) in Mrs. Baker's

c, ',Om. They bad borrowed money from one
another. On one occasion Jones borrowed as much as £1
from him. Should be surprised if so much money as a few
pounds should be found in his (Jones's) possession. Used
to lodge in the same house with him, but left because he
smoked tobacco. Knew that money was kept in Mr. W.
Masefield's drawer in Mr. Woodward's desk. Since the
death of Mr. Baker, Jones had managed Mrs. Baker's
accounts, and was on•intimate terms with her. Had seen
him take a glass of gin and water in Mrs. Baker's room,
when she had company, but did not know that it was his
habit to drink gin and water with her at night. Some of
Mr. Baker's tools were kept in the drawer in the kitchen,
but he had never seen there the pair of pincers produced (a
roughly-made pair of strong pincers, the nipping end being
shaped like a bow, abour an inch and a half in diameter.)
Jesse Pressege deposed, that he was an under gardener, and
lodged in the same house with Jones. Went to bed on the
night of the murder as the clock was striking ten. His
bedroom was near to one of Mr. Masefield's offices ; so near
that oftentimes he could hear that persons were walking
across it, or conversing there. On that night, however,
having been ill the night before, he slept soundly, becoming
unconscious in ten minutes after he lay down. Got up at five
on the morning after the murder, and went to his work.
Returned at eight o'clock to his breakfast. Found Jones down
at that time ; and because of the circumstances being of so
unusual occurrence, said to him, as a joke, "We shall have
a change in the weather." Jones did not reply, nor did he
that morning seem agitated. Heard at his work that Mrs.
Baker had been murdered. Knew nothing of the keys
that had been produced by one of Mr. Masefield's sons.
Jones had had a latchkey for more than a fortnight. Had
borrowed money of each other. Jones borrowed from him
2s 63 on the Friday or Saturday before the murder, and a
shilling on the day before the murder. In lending Jones
the shilling, he said, " It is a goodish bit to your pay. Haw
s'Aall you manage if you have got no money now ?" Jones
replied that he had got money, but did not wish to break
into it. Jones repaid hint the 3s 6d on the second day
after the murder. On the Tuesday night neither heard
Jones come home nor any noise during the night. On
going down Cabbage-lane
~to his work, on Wednesday
morning, saw nothing on the ground. John Burden, one
of the jurymen, deposed that he was a tailor, and had a
garden adjoining Mr. Masefield's property, which was also
bounded by Cabbage-lane, one of the two thoroughfares to
the parish church. Whilst passing down that lane at about
a quarter before eight o'clock, on the mornitr, after the
murder, he picked up the packet of small silver coins
viously adverted to. The external wrapper was white
within which the coins were enclosed in three
smaller parcels of the same kind of paper; excepting, the
three sixpences and a half franc, the whole 7s _lld
xone p_

envy and threepenny pieces

.. s - garden, biit thought that, if it had been
,nroWn, the paper must have bursted with the fall. -The
parcel was opposite to Mr. Plaisted's garden, which was on
a line with Boycutt's. Jane Adelaide Cole, barmaid at the
Bell Inn, deposed to Jones leaving that inn a few minutes
after ten o'clock on the night of the murder. On the
'ruing he passed the house between eight and
On his return, which was in a few minutes,
larked upon his being abroad at an unusually early
Jones then went in, and called for half a pint of
She remarked that he looked ill. He replied that
:..ply had any rest all the night. Ile usually looked
.e morning. Jones took away the brandy in a soda-
ottle that he brought with him. On leaving, Jones
I shan't see you again to-day ;.1 have a harbd day's
it we 1,- before me." At seven in the evening Jones called
e
A - , emed worse, and much agitated. He had brandy
an.
- water then, and took away with him a black pint•and-a-
half bottle. which hc.rnra h. 1.4 I._ L_ L • , . . -

r. Boyeutt

following

nine o'clock

hour.
brandy
lie 5119 r
ill in tt

water, and afterwards made to flavour with gin. After
calling more than once in the interim, Jones went to the
Bell again on Friday evening, when he took home with him
another half-pint of brandy. On Tuesday last, he said on
leaving, " Most likely I shall not see you for some short
time, for they have made inquiry into this matter. They
have accused me of 'this horrid deed ; but I know-."
Witness did not hear the rest of the sentence ; but the
servant girl, who stood nearer to Jones, said" that it was,
" that lam innocent." Thought lie had paid her as much
as 7s 9d for spirits and ale sines the murder. Jones
always seemed to have plenty of money. William Cadle,
the butcher from whom Jones bought the joint of
veal on - the morning atter the murder, deposed that
Jones did not seem excited that morning Jones
paid him his account quarterly. The, last quarter's
account was paid on the 4th inst., when Janes had a bank
note in his possession, and also gold and silver. coins
Police-superintendent Tanner produced a large clasp knife,
which at one time had evidently been used by a glazier, in
a drawer in Mrs. Baker's premisel. Mr. Baker had been,a
plumber and glazier. In young Mr. Masefield's desk he
found the pair of pincers before described. Both the knife
and the pincers he had reason to believe had belonged to
Mr. Baker, and thought that it was with the knife that the
drawer was opened in Mr. Masefield's office. Produced also
the cord having a slip noose with blood on. it, which had
been found near to the body. Likewise produced a wax
taper and a lucifer match, both of which also had been
found.near the body. Laid also on the table an ordinary
box of lucifer matches that Mr. Williamson, the detective,
found in Jones's room. Tendered at the same time a
bludgeon, French polished, with a string through the stalk
to secure it to the wrist, which was found in Jones's box,
locked up: also produced a pocket book, found on Jones's
In that book there were entries of almost every
' fo the several public houses since the murder, but
relating to previous dates. The Coroner

here informed the jury tli

djournm

intendant Tanner Showed him a letter by Inspector Glossop,
of tlie Birmingham Detective Force, in reply to one which
Tanner had very properly sent to the police authorities
of Birmingham. Inspector Glossop's letter said that
Jones had been an inmate of the Birmingham workhouse,
and whilst there became the father of a child by a female
pauper. The .mother was yet in the workhouse at Bir-
mingham, but the child was dead. That woman, he
thought, could afford some information respecting Jones's
antecedents, which the writer thought were not very
creditable. That in addition it would be found upon
examination that the. artificial limb was of so costly a
description as to occasion considerable surprise how a person
•T 1 1 ,
possessed of IL The
it, but he had stated

letter was n

Williamson deposed that he wai
•opolitan Detective 'Force, and haC
the instructions of the
kfter Jones.

comp. down from Lon;"
Metropolitan Commi-
was arrested he
the absence of Superintendent fanner
you have now got the right ne
honed him that what he said r 1;
I i writing, t, ,
-'l'. used as .ll
Jones then said, " Then I'll remain netitr.;'
Jones -aid this he did not think he
the contrary, :with much seriousness.
Jones on a warrant signed by 8.4' 8.
posed that in Jones s
magistrates. . „
tendent Tanner recalled : De
he found li) in gold, 5i in silver, eta possessio,
five receipt 'stamps, and certain minur postage stamps,,
silver coins. lhis
being the end of the evidence producellvltlle coroner dressed the the jury. He gave them, lie said' '
that: there was not the slighest evidence iii tialte al opinion
l.weghele of the
testimony that had been given against
person
directly as the murderer. The deceased seem°nrtto have
been murdered by some one with whom she was oe
intimate friendship, who had gone into the house wietrlrin of
her
ready consent, sat down at her table and drank gin
water with her, and afterwards struck her on the head and
with
a bludgeon, which felled her insensibly to the ground.
Hating done this, the murderer, in his (the coroner's) opi-
nion, .then strangled her with the rope that had been
produced, afterwards dragged her upstairs,. and sit
her .on fire. This done; the murderer seemed to have
gone out at the door by which he had entered, and turned
the key upon him. The surgeons, they• would remember,
deposed that strangulation was the cause of death. After a

said in Boyeut

" I suppose

Witness -eau

be taken down

evident

When

poke jokingly, but,
_on

They apprehended