The Sun.
London, England, 1855-10-24 00:00:00

THE MURDER NEAR MATFEN IN

NO.RT.ffUMBERLA.ND.

NEWCASTLE-ON-MTN, Oct. 23.—The greatest excite-
meat prevails in the neighbourhood where the horrible
tragedy was committed. The name of the deceased is
Dorothy Bewiok, or, as she was called by her neighbours,
" Dolly of Waterloo," after the name of the village
where she resided. In the cottage nearest to that occu-
pied by the deceased—to whom it also belonged—lived
a man named James Conroy, his wife, and a family of 1
children. They were in the habit of going about the
country with a horse and cart selling brooms of their
own manufacture. Conroy left his home on Wednesday
last, saying he was going to the Heather Fell ; and on
Saturday morning before the murder his wife also wert
away, saying she was going to join her husband at the
Heather Fell, and leaving her children, as was her cus-
tom whan she went from home, with the inmates of a
neighbouring cottage, Barnard and Elizabeth Dobbin.
Conroy's wife had a led horse with her when she went
away. There was a halter round its neck, by which she
was leading it. Neither of these parties have since been
heard of, and suspicion rests upon them as being impli-
cated in the murder, from the fact that Conroy had a
dispute with the deceased a short time ago, and was
under notice to quit his cottage at Michaelmas term.
He had also a dispute with William Robson, the brother
of the deceased, and was heard to threaten that, " I
will look after you." The cottage of the deceased, as
already stated, was ransacked in every part, and the
perpetrators of the deed had taken the precaution to
screen the whole of the lower windows with quilts and
sacking inside so that they might not be seen from the
outside. They had besides fastened the door of the
cottage occupied by Dobbin and his wife with a rope or
portion of a halter outside, so that they could not get out
should they have overheard any noise during the night.
The murderers—for there was evidently more than one

engaged—had thus guarded as much as possible against
detection, and when they left they retired by the back door,
drawing it close, but unfastened. The discovery of there
being anything wrong was made by a daughter of Dob-
bin, who was sent as usual to "Dolly's" cottage for
milk. She returned and said she found Dolly's door
open, and had shouted, but could not get her to hear.
Dobbin himself then with a like result, and he being
afraid to venture into the house went and gave informa-
tion to a person of the name of Matthew Laing, ah o
met Mr. John Harrison, of Muckleridge, riding past
Upon his pony, and told him .Harrisonand Laing then
went into Dolly's cottage, and found her body ly a; a
the state already described on the floor of an upper
room, only a few yards from the bed, and with only her
chemise on. Her cap strings were fastened across her
mouth to prevent her calling out, and she was bound
hand and foot. The rope with which her feet were tied
resembled the shank of a halter. A stick was found
placed against the house wall, which had evidently been
used as a walking stick. The leathern belt and buckle
with which her hands were fastened will probably be
identified, as well as the other articles found, and which
must have belonged to the perpetrators of the horrid
deed. Three men have been taken into custody by the
county police, who have shown great activity in the
matter.
The inquest on view of the body of the deceased was
held yesterday afternoon at the Crown and Thistle, Mat-
fen, in the parish of Starnfordham, before Mrßeed,
coroner for the county, when
John Harrison, of Muckleridge, farmer, was sworn
and examined. He stated how he had met Matthew
Laing, and went with him to the cottage ofthe deceased,
and described the state of confusion in which he found
the furniture, and likewise the deceased. A pane of
glass bad been broken in the lower room, and the mur-
derers might have effected an entrance in that way.
There were two windows in the low room, both of
which were darkened, one with a quilt, and the other
with a quilt and sack. An oaken sapling was found
outside the window about a yard long, which had evi-
dently been used as a walking-stick. The back door
of the horse was open. Deceased was 66 years of age.
She lived upon her own property, and let the adjoining
cottages, which also belonged to her. The tenants were
genes ally disorderly tramps, earthenware dealers, broom
maker 3, and people seeking harvest work. Their beds
were mostly of straw.
Barnard Dobbin, of Waterloo, labourer, was the next
witness examined. After detailing facts already related,
he stated that he went to bed about ten o'clock on Sa-
turday night, having barred his door, there being no lock
upon it. When he got up in the morning he found the
door fastened outside with a rope, resembling a halter,
which was put round the sneck, and through a staple in
the post. Had great difficulty in getting it open so far
as to put a knife through_ to cut the rope. He then
described what subsequently took place, with respect to
his daughter going for the milk. Ile had seen Conroy,
who occupied an adjoining cottage, on the Wednesday
previous, when Conroy told him he was going to the
Heather Feil. Conroy 's wife went away on Saturday,
leaving the children at his home, and neither of them had
returned since. He was in his cottage one day lately
when he overheard Mr. Wm. Robson, the brother of the
deceased, and Conroy quarrelling. They were using
high words. The deceased was there also, and she ap-
peared to be very angry. On Mr. Robson going away
he said to Conroy, " I will look after you,' on • which
Conroy answered, "Take care I don't look after you."
Conroy was to leave his cottage at Michaelmas. When
Mrs. Conroy.went away on Saturday morning she had a
horse with her • she was leading it by a halter. Saw the
deceased last alive about 8 o'clock on on Saturday night,
when he assisted her to fasten the pigs in the pig-house.
Elizabeth Dobbin, the wife of the last witness, corro-
borated his evidence; She also overheard the quarrelling.
At this point the inquest was adjourned till the sth of
November.

TIIE TREATMENT OP THE POOR IN
ST. PANCRAS.

---
Yesterday at a numerous meeting of tae parochial
authorities of St. Pancras, held in the Court-house,
King's-road, Camden-town, the following report was
presented by Mr. WALIMIGIUNE, the surgeon to the
workhouse :

" Some months have now elapsed since, at my re-
quest, the attention of the board was directed to the im-
propriety of converting the receiving wards into places
of temporary accommodation for casuals admitted night-
ly, and I very much regret that no steps have as yet
been taken to remedy the evil in the female ward. There
are many serious objections to appropriating these
wards to such a purpose, apart from the danger of
crowding in such a confined space so large a number of
individuals, the majority of whom are in the most abject
poverty—in a filthy condition—covered with vermin, and
frequently suffering from a loathsome disease. The ave-
rage number admitted nightly is, adults, 50 ; children,
15. I desire more especially to direct your attention to
the fact that patients are frequently admitted moribund,
and therefore incapable of being removed with safety to
the sick wards, and their detention in a small apartment
filled with the individuals I have described is highly im-
proper, and would, I firmly believe, in many instances
hasten dissolution. To these wards all classes are taken
on their admission, and amongst the number in many
instances are persons who have been many years contri-'
butors to. the parochial rates, but through adverse cir-
onmetancee, over which they had no control, are reduced
to the deplorable necessity of becoming recipients of that
to which they had formerly contributed. Now, if there
be'ene'claSs more than another upon which extra care
and attention should bebestowed it should be Chia, which,
in addition to the sting of poverty, has to endure the,
'depressing influence of bodily suffering, the natural con-
CoMinittant of disease. I desire now to place before you
the admission of an individual belonging to the class I
.haye alluded to, in a dying condition, forced by an
impervious necessity to separate from relations orr
whose love reliance could be placed for support and
•comfort. In the last moments of life compelled to
leave a home endeared by Many
happy associations, to
seek a shelter in a building against which a natural anti-
pathy must ever exist—the mind tortured by painful re-
collections and the contemplation of that from which all
sentient beings shrink back with instinctive terror—the
termination of existence—suddenly ushered into the so-
physical pollution, and to have their last me-
. oiety of beings who, in point of kindly feelings, are far
picture for contem-
plation, the brute—compelled to breathe an atmosphere of
catnd blasphemous
and
dturbed thinedeoebdscesnesajdest
expression.me n moralts ad
would not be allowed
plation,
criminal gaols, and if .not Promptly and
to exist in our
leadthe most • -
• and ilslahisstaiste of things that
mayto
effectually remedied
a moral-but a legal responsibility. In'
involving not only
have qtlischarged my duty- The medical man, in the.
1 avocations; makes no distine-
again directing your attention to the existing,evit
•exezcise of his professional
'
ti on between rich and poor, and holds as sacred a trust
:she life of the humble inmate of the parish workhoase,
as the lordly owner of the broad domain. I can
-only say. that I sincerely hope andtrust
ip
having for its object the welfare of that the report,
the really o...eserving
poor, may meet with a mere favoura reCCtion than
the board has been in the habit of be-atowing on former
'ones- (Signed) " SAMUEL WALDECRAyz.
"St. Pancras Infirmary, Oct. 23, 1855."
'A long discussion ensued upon the reading of this re-
port, in which most of the directors took part, and ou-
deavoured to show that Mr. Waldegrave had exagger-
ated the evils arising from the present system.
The rnedical.officer, however, was firm, 'and said that
no personaL consideration would ever induce him to
swerve front his duty. Ile would add to what had been
stated in the report that the receiving wards were in a
filthy state, swarming with vermin night after night,
and that the nurses who had charge of tbe sick were
decripid and incompetent, and in many instances
drunkards. It was also elicited that the children's ward
was in a very unsatisfactory state, and upon personal
inspection it was found that as many as 100 individuals
slept in a species of attic or loft, ill-ventilated, and
unwholesome, and that as many as nine children slept in
one bed.

A committee was appointed to inquire into the alle-
gations contained in Mr. Waldegrave s report.

Hors.—From the best information we are able to pro-
cure we are inclined to believe the duty will fall between
335,000/, and 365,000/,—.Kottith, Ga2ate. -