The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-10 00:00:00

THE MURDER AT STOCKPORT.

The inquest on the bodies of the two children, John
and James Higham, whose bodies were found in the
the canal at Reddish, near Stockport, on Monday, and
who are supposed to have been drowned by their step-
father, Thomas Moore, on Friday last, was opened on
Tuesday at the Navigation Inn, Heaton Norris, before
Mr. W. S. Rutter, county coroner. Moore was pre-
sent in custody, and defended by Mr. Vaughan, solicitor,
of Stockport. The prisoner was proved to have led the
children down a street leading to the side of the canal
on Friday, and then tnrned back and gone with them
towards a place called the Ash, on the Manchester-road,
near which the bodies were found. The children were
not seen afterwards. The prisoner afterwards dried his
clothes at the house of; a woman named Walton. In
the evening he told his wife he had been at work, which
was not true. The inquest was then adjourned, and
resumed on Thursday, when the following evidence was
given :

W. Rae, the secretary to the Middle Hill-gate Bene-
volent Burial Society, held at the Old Admiral public-
house, said, I don't know the prisoner. I remember
the deceased, James Higham, being entered a member
on the 2d of February, 1845. John was entered on the
17th of June, 1848, and their mother has paid the money
for them regularly. She and her first husband had been
' entered as members in 1848. There are three branches
of the society, and Jarnes was entered in two of them
for 71. 125., and John was in one for 3/. 12s. I don't
know whether Moore knew they were members ; he
never paid the money.
Robert Taylor, residing at Lark-hill, near Stockport,
said,—l am collector to the Temperance Burial Club,
and brother to Mrs. Moore, the mother of the deceased
children. Both the children were members. I find
from the book of the society that John was entered July
Bth, 1849, and James, the eldest, on the 29th of August,
1852, and 61. each was payable at their death. The
prisoner knew that the children were members, and was
himself entered on Sunday week. I called at the house
for the subscriptions, which were paid by the mother.
Esther Partington said,—l am the wife of James
Partington, a maker-up, living in King-street, Stock-
port. I have known Thomas Moore for several
years, and saw him last Friday near Hanover-
chapel gates, on Lancashire-hill. I don't know what
time it was, but it was in the forenoon. I stopped him,
and asked him what he was doing up that way, and he
said he did not know. He had two boys with him whom
I had seen once before, and I asked him if they were
his. He said, they were not his, but he was taking
care of them. He said he had been out of work a few
days. He then went with the boys up Lancashire-
hill, and I went home. I had seen the children pass by
our house with him and their mother once before, about
three weeks ago. I had not seen them before then.
One of the children was marked with the small-pox, and
the other was rather lame. It had been raining a little
before but was fair at the time I spoke to the prisoner
on Friday. He might have had an umbrella, but I did
not see one. It was soon after breakfast that I started
for Lancashire-hill. I was on an errand for my mother.
I had not an umbrella with me, and it had not been
raining sufficiently to wet any one through.
Benjamin Beresford said - I live in Portwood. I
am a roller maker, and have known the prisoner
some time by sight. About a quarter to nine o'clock
on Friday night I was opposite the new weir, about
half a mile from Portwood, when I met the prisoner.
He asked me if I had seen the two children I had seen
him with the other day. I had seen him with two
children on the previous Friday night close to the
bridge. I replied that no children had gone up that
" brow." He said, "My wife let them out about ten
o'clock this forenoon while I was at my work." I said it
was very strange that she could let them out, as she
was at work and he was playing. He said he sup-
posed they had got into the water again, for he found
them drowned in the weir hole the week before. I said,
" If you have any doubt about their being in the water
come round the river side with me." I took hold of
his jacket as I spoke, and he immediately sprang away
up the " brow," without looking at the water. I saw
no more of him. I told my wife when I got home
that I had seen him there the week before, and that
I believed he was then going to do something
with the children. When I saw him on the previous
Friday he was coming towards the weir from Portwood,
with a child in each hand. When he got on the bridge
over the cut which supplies a mill he left hold of one of
the children and stood looking into the water for more
than a minute. He then laid hold of the children again,
and came to the cut-side. When he saw me he walked
away with the children. I afterwards overtook him on
the " brow" side, stopped, stared at him, and went on
' home. I suspected he intended to do something with
the children, being there so late.
Elizabeth Evans, wife of Samuel Evans, porter,
of Chimney - hall - street, said, —I saw the prisoner
on Friday with two children. I think it was about
2 o'clock in the afternoon in Chimney-ball-street.
One of the children was lame, and that caused
me to notice them. Some time afterwards I saw
him going in the same direction without the children.
I did not see his face the first time. He was
going towards the canal side when I saw him the second
time, and I did not see him any more. There is a road
along the canal bank. He might have an umbrella
with him, but I did not see one. The children had
dark clothes on. I never saw the prisoner before Fri-
day. It was not raining when I saw them, but it had
rained that day.
John Lee, police-constable, said, I apprehended the
prisoner last Saturday about 2 o'clock in the afternoon.
I told him I had a warrant against him for neglect of his
family. He said, "Very well. I had rather go with you
than be where I am." I took hiin to the police-office,
and told him he was charged with taking away two chil-
dren from the street in which he lived, and I wanted
to know what account he had to give of them. He said

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then
he emt:o ump r
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Burtonstreett:o r
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where
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m a corner,remained
till 5 o'clock at night. He said he went to Heaton
Norris at a quarter before 1 o'clock to wait for his din-
ner at Mr. M'Clure's mill, and remained here till half-
past 2. He said he sent the elder boy home with an
umbrella, and left him in Marsland-street, Portwood,
to tell his mother to send him his dinner at Mr.
M'Clure's mill at 1 o'clock, but the dinner did not come.
This concluded the evidence.
The coroner, in commenting upon the evidence, ob-
served that there were several discrepancies between the
prisoner's statement and what appeared to be the truth.
The jury would have to determine whether the evidence
they had heard was sufficient to justify them in return-
ing a verdict of wilful murder against the prisoner, or,
if not satisfied with the evidence against him, ,th
would say that the children were found drowned. ey
The jury, after deliberating about five minutes, re-
turned a verdict of " Wilful murder" against the pri-
soner, Thomas Moore, who was accordingly committed
to take his trial at the next Liverpool assizes.