The Sun.
London, England, 1853-09-07 00:00:00

MURDER OF TWO CHILDREN AT STOCKPORT.

The police authorities at Stockport have been en
gaged since Saturday last in investigating the circum-
stances connected with the disappearance of two chil-
dren, whose dead bodies we re found in a canal on Mon-
day, and the result leaves very little doubt that they
have met their death by violence.
The names of the children are James and John
Hinham, the former eight and the other four years old.
Their father died four years ago, and about two years
subsequently their mother was married again to a man
named Thomas Moore, and had by him one child, now
deceased. This man was employed some time ago at the
mill of Mr. M'Clure (late Alfred Orrell), cotton spinner,
as a stripper and grinder, but since then has not been
in regular employment, and has been generally absent
from home. In May, 1852, he was imprisoned for a
month for neglecting to support his family, but in the
November following they had again become chargeable
to the union, and a warrant was then issued for his
apprehension, which did not take place till Saturday
last. His wife has supported herself and children for
some time by working in a factory, but during the re-
cent turn-outs was compelled to resort to begging for a
subsistence ; and whilst so engaged met with her hus-
band as he was coming out of a mill at Hyde, where he
said he was at work. She had recently been living with
her father, James Taylor, of Marsland-street, Portwood,
and on Friday last came home at noon, and prepared
dinner, but her children did not come in before she re-
turned' to work. Shortly after six o'clock in the even-
ing her husband came in, and began to scold her be-
cause she had not sent him any dinner. "How should
I know where to send it to ?" she asked. He replied
that he was at work at M'Clure's, and had sent one of
the children to her to fetch his dinner. He seemed to
have been at work, as his clothes were covered with
fragments of cotton, but on inquiry it appeared this was
not the case. His wife was very much distressed at
the absence of her children, believing they were lost,
and she and her husband went out in search of
them. Between nine and ten o'clock that even-
ing Moore went to the police-office and stated that
the children were missing, and gave a description
of them, requesting that inquiries should be made.
On the following day he was apprehended under the
warrant which had been issued in November, and
Mr. Sadler, the superintendent of poliC.e, asked him
some questions respecting the disappearance of the
the children, which he did not answer satisfactorily,
and so excited suspicion against him. In the evening
placards were posted about the town and neighbour-
hood containing a description of the children and offer-
ing a reward for their discovery, as it was suspected
they had met with foul play. All the rivers and ponds
were dragged, but without success, until about twelve
o'clock on Monday morning, when the bodies were both
found in the Manchester and Ashton Canal, near Shaw-
cross or Whitehill bridge, at a place called Reddish, a
short distance from Stockport on the way to Manches-
ter. Their stepfather was at that time undergoing an
examination before the magistrates at, the Stockport
Court-house, and was remanded till Saturday.
It has since been ascertained that Moore was seen
between nine and ten o'clock on Friday morning lead-
ing both the children towards the canal, near the place
where the bodies were found. About an hour after-
wards he went to the house of a widow named Eliza-
beth Barton, alias Walton, with whom he lodged before
his marriage, and asked her permission to dry his
clothes, which were wet through. It had been raining
a short time before, but the man was so thoroughly
drenched as to excite her curiosity, and she asked him
how he had got so wet. He told her he had been helping
a woman to lift a can on her head by the liver side, and
had fallen back into the water whilst doing so. She had
asked him, he said, to go and dry, himself at her house,
but he preferred coming to Mrs. Barton's.
The motive which prompted the prisoner to the com-
mission of the crime is only too obvious, the eldest boy
being entitled to 4/. in the Old Admiral Burial Society,
to 3/. 12s. in the Branch Admiral Society, and 4/. in
the Temperance Club ; and the youngest to 4L in the'
Old Admiral Society, and 41. in the Temperance Club,
making 191. 12s. is all. It is said that the prisoner
made an attempt to drown the children in the river
Thame about a month ago, but they made their escape.
Whenthe bodies were found on Monday there were no
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PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY OF GREAT BRITAIN.—
Yesterday a numerous meeting of 'the members of this
society was held at the Institution in Bloomsbury-square.
A discussion of about three hours took place upon the
subject of the determination of the administration to
enforce certain bye-laws, and terminated with a vote of
confidence in the council.

THE ELEVEN OF ENGLAND V. TWENTY-TWO OF BIR-
MINGHAM.—This grand cricket match having, as already
stated, been commenced on the Small Heath ground,
near Birmingham, on Thursday, Was resumed on Friday
and Saturday, and brought to its conclusion on the last-
mentioned day. The Eleven were vanquished by six
wickets.