The Sun.
London, England, 1862-08-12 00:00:00

FURTHER PARTICULARS.

CHESTER-LE-STREET AUG 10.
; •
A most horrible murder has taken place in the
little village of Hobbletrot, about three miles from
this town during the night, the victim being an old
woman 83 years of age.

The murdered woman is named Ann Halliday.
She occupied a small cottage on the Witton Gilbert-
road, the cottage in which she resided possessed only
one room, with a loft above, the latter being very
little used for any purpose ; the room beneath being
used by the murdered woman both as a day room
acid as her sleeping apartment. Next door there
was a similar cottage, occupied by an Irishman
named Cox, his wife, and their young child. The
nearest house to them is called Broadmires, which
is about 100 yards from them, and to that extent
nearer Chester-le-street.

It now becomes necessary to state the circum-
stances under which the, poor old woman came to
be living by herself in the cottage at Hobbletrot.
She was a married woman, but had for a number
of years been living apart from her husband. Her
husband, Mr. William Halliday, now living at
Broadmires, near the scene of the crime, formerly
carried on business as a publican and butcher, at
the sign of the Shoulder of Mutton, Chester-le-
Street. His wife was most respectably connected,
and is still remembered in that locality as having
been a remarkably fine-looking woman in her
younger days. Her separation from her husband,
we are informed, was caused principally by her in-
temperate habits; from all we can learn, however,
it appears that her conduct had much improved
with advancing. years. After the separation her
husband placed her in the cottage at Hobbletrot,
providing liberally for her wants. Mr. Halliday
afterwards left Chester-le-street, and went to re-
side upon his own property at Broadmires, where
he opened a public-house. Although the intercourse
between them does not appear, so far as we can
ascertain, to have been on the footing of man and
Wife, yet he seems to have taken a warm interest
foruiero welfare, and to have ministered to the com-
a 11,3! her declining years. The dreadful nature
pressieuend
has naturally made a very serious im-
lived in Zen him. The unfortunate woman had
iettaineottage inoffensive years, as already
stated,
hag on good If a most life, and keep-
would have :e'er! with those around her. She
Mast person supposed to be
such a crime.
pp
likoelnytofall
Saturday a7el,,et:.;:liheto
been at a tea party Which unfortunate woman had
A. had been held in the im-
It4Z r spending the even-
imn egdiiantecinueiei gt hebnoiu:l;
who had assembled togetherunort her neighbours
left for home, reaching it at an eirlie occasion, she
circumstances which afterward. t"r
asc,hoF . From
pears that she had retired to rest at
hsepirusual timeed it ap-
-t .
Sunday I°'O
About three o'clock on rum-- n •
or hus-
band was roused from his sleep by a kno..,
door. Mr. Halliday's fi .._rst supposition at hi
Was that
some one wished to obtain a drink. He looked „at
and saw the Irishman Cox's wife standing at
the
door. He asked her what she wanted. She merely
,
replied, " That old woman up the road i
s very bad.
He asked, " What old woman ?" when she again
"
answered, " That old woman up the road. This
was all he could learn from her; but having an un-
defined impression that all was not right he aroused
his housekeeper, an old woman, and told her to go
and see what was the matter. She got a neigh-
bour to go with her, and they set off for the cottage
of the murdered woman, accompanied by the Irish-
woman. When they reached the house they found
the door open, and the Irishman, Cox, standing
outside. They went in and found Mrs. Halliday
dressed in her night clothes lying on the floor.
1 They immediately attended to her, but were horri-