The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-14 00:00:00

Murder and Attempted Suicide.

PRESTON, Thursday.
Between 5 and G o'clock this morning a dreadful tragedy
was perpetrated by a man named William Berry, miller, of
29, Ormskirk-road, in this town. Since Whitsuntide the
man has been in a desponding state, partly through business
affairs, and to some extent through certain family matters,
He seems to have been jealous of his wife, although, it is
believed, he had no reason whatever to be so. On Monday,
Berry and his wife took lodgings in Ormskirk-road, and
their children, two in number, were removed to some of
their relatives. Early this morning the woman was heard
screaming, and it was subsequently discovered that she had
been stabbed in several places about her breast, and that

her throat had been cut near the centre. Her wind' ipe ;vas
cut completely through ; she.bled very profusely, and died
about half an hour after she was found. It seems alto that
Berry made nn attempt upon his life. He was found sitting
on a bed in his lodgings, with his throat out, and the latest
_ _ _

reports are to the effect that he is not likely to su,vive.
The following evidence has been prepared by the police,
preparatory to the official inquiry, which will be held to-

morrow :

Edward Leach, of 29, Ormskirk7road,_says,—About ha

past 5 o'clock this (Tuesday) morning I heard a scream in
the room where the deceased and her husband were sleep-
ing. I immediately got out of bed and went to their room
and saw the deceased at the window. Her husband was on
the side of the bed, and I seized hold of him. Directly I
took hold of him ho made a stab at his own throat with a
pocket knife. He made several stabs at his threat. He
said, "Let me do it quietly, Ned."
Henry Ashworth, a brewer. said,—l was in Bishopgate
this (Tuesday) morning, at half-past 5 o'clock, when I heard
a woman screaming. I immediately ran into Ormskirk-
road, where I saw the deceased, and got hold of her. Sho
was bleeding from the throat. I put one of my hands to
her throat, and placed the other round her waist, and then
called for assistance. Soon afterwards I got her into the
house. I asked her who had been doing this—cutting her
throat. She made an answer and said "My husband."
She never afterwards spoke. _ .

Matthew Etherington, provision dealer, of 22, Walker-
street, says—This (Tuesday) morning at half-past 5 I was
in Ormskirk-road, when I saw Henry Ashworth, tho last

witness, holding the deceased. She was bleeding very pro-
fusely from the throat. I helped Ashworth to get her into
the house. We got two bandages, and placed them around
her throat. We afterwards went upstairs, and I got hold
of the deceased's husband,
George Goodier, of 23, Everton-gardens, says—While I

was in Tithe Barn-street at half-past 5 o'clOck this morning
I heard cries of " Murder I " I ran up the street, and into
Ormskirk-road, and saw the deceased standing at the door
of the house No. 29 in that street. She said "Dear me, he

is killing more upstairs," I went upstairs with a policeman;
and saw her husband.

Police-constable Dilworth deposes—At 530 this morning
I was in Lancaster• road. I heard cries of " Police, police,
make haste." I immediately went into Orruskirk -road, and
found the deceased lying on her side at the door of the house
No. 29. I asked where the men was, and some person said
upstairs. I went into the room and found him in a stoop-
ing position, Edward Leach had hold him. I seized the
man's arm, and took a pocket knife out of his hand. The
knife was covered with blood.
Inspector Hornby said—l arrived at the scene of the
murder about half-past 5 o'clock, along with Inspecter
Wray, I found the deceased lying on the sofa. I imme-
diately went upstairs. I saw her husband sitting on the
bed. His throat was cut. Inspector Wray gave me a
handkerchief, and I tied it around the man's throat. Wray
and I then sent for doctors, and at 6 o'clock Mr W. 11.
Spencer, surgeon, arrived, While I was in the room the
deceased's husband said to me, "That's you, liornby ; I
know you." I said, " What made you do this, Will?"
He answered, "It was through some men being in the
house last night." I mentioned the name of a man named
Wilkinson, a miller, as being one of them, and he said
"No." While we were at the house Mr Superintendent
Dunn arrived, and made all necessary inquiries.
This morning Berry was visited by Father de Pietro. Ile
expressed his sorrow to the rev. gentleman for what he had
done, and said that he know he had committed a murder.
The deceased, as we have already intimated, was the
mother of two children, and she was expected to be shortly
confined of a third.

HOW SPIDERS FLY.—Although spiders are not
provided wings, and consequently ars incapable of
flying, in the strict sense of the word, yet, by the aid of
their silken filaments, numerous species, belonging to va-
rious genera, are enabled to accomplish distant journeys
through the atmosphere. These aerial excursions, which
appear to result from an instinctive desire to migrate, are
undertaken when the weather is bright and serene, parti-
cularly in autumn, both by adult and immature individuals,
and are effected in the following manner. After climbing
to the summits of different objects, they raise themselves
still higher by straightening the limbs; then elevating the
abdomen by bringing it from the usual horizontal position
into one almost perpendicular, they emit from the spin-
ners a small quantity of viscid fluid, which is drawn out
into fine lines by the ascending current, occasioned by
the rarefaction of the air contiguous to the heated
ground. Against these lines the current of rarefied
air impinges, till the animals, feeling themselves
acted upon with sufficient force, quit their hold of the oh.
jects on which they stand, and mount aloft. . . . The
manner in which the lines are carried out from a current of
air appears to be this. As a preparatory measure the spin-
ning manimuloo are brought into close contact, and viscid
matter is emitted from the papilla) ; they are then separated
by a lateral motion, which extends the viscid matter into
fine filaments connecting the papilla) ; on these filaments the
current impinges, drawing thom out to a length which ie
reaulated by the will of the animal, and on the mammule3
being again brought together, the filaments coalesce and
form a compound line.--"Qhn „M,relcwai( s //wary of
Spiders,