The Sun.
London, England, 1856-12-06 00:00:00

DOUBLE MURDER IN YORKSItIRE,

ROTHERHAM, FRIDAY NIGHT.
Another of those terrible crimes which, unhappily,
have become so common since the adoption of the ticket-
of-leave system wee this morning discovered to have
been committed at the village of Bolton-upon-Dearne,
about eight miles north of Rotherham. The victims are
Luke White, aged 61, and Elizabeth, his wife, aged 60.
The aged couple resided alone, White acting as post-
master, of the place, and carrying on the business of a
druggist and grocer. The house is in the village street,
and consists of a shop with a parlour behind, and also a
kitchen on the ground floor. The connection between
the shop and the house is by an inner door in the right-
hand corner of the shop into a passage ; that passage
runs along the back of the shop, and thene along the side
of the parlour to the kitchen. Along one side at the
end of the shop is the counter, with an opening in it at
the angle opposite the door into the passage; the kitchen
is the room in which White and his wife ordinarily lived.
White has for some years been a local preaoher among
the Wesleyans, and of late has been in the habit of sitting
up reading until 11 or 12 o'clock at night. He usually
closed the shutters and his shop at dusk, leaving the
door unfastened till about ten. During the evening a
lamp burnt upon the counter, and when any cust3mer
came in he would go from the kitchen into the shop
carrying a candle. He was last seen alive a little before
10 o'clock on Thursday night by a girl named Swallow,
who cared to purchase some candles. On Friday morn-
ing the shop was not opened as usual, and a woman
Downing, who wanted to purchase some articles,
tried the door and found it unfastened. On walkilig
into the shop she was horrified to find White lying dead
in a pool of blood at the opening of the counter,
which communicates with the intNr door. A candle-
stick stood upon the counter, with the candle burnt
down to the socket. The old man's spectacles lay among
the blood on the floor ; the oil-lamp on the counter had
burnt out. Mrs. Downing raised an alarm, and Mr. J.
Davy and others came in. It was found that White had
been struck about the head and face by some heavy instru-
ment, which bad inflicted some severe cuts. He appeared
to have been struck down just as he reached the counter
and set down the candle. Passing into the house, the body
of Mrs. White was found in the passage just outside the
kitchen door. She lay with her head towards the shop,
and a candle and candlestick lay separated, as if they had
fallen from her hands. Her death had also been caused
by frightful wounds on the head and face, which had
bled profusely.
On examining the shop a cupboard was found to have
been broken open, but whether anything had been taken
from it was not apparent. White was in the habit of
keeping his money in a canvas bag 'in his shop desk,
which was found unlocked and the bag empty. There
were no marks of violence about it. On examining the
pockets of the old mad a sovereign in a leathern purse
was found in his right hand trousers pocket, and 16s. 2d.
in the left hand pocket. There were no appearances in
the upper rooms of the house of the drawers, &c., having
been ransacked, but all were found unlocked. White's
brother is not aware whether there was any considerable
sum of money in the house.

The constable, whose name happens to be the same as
that of the deceased, though no relation, states that he
called upon the old man during Thursday evening and
found him sitting on the sofa with a rug about his shoul-
ders reading the Bible ; he complained of the cold.
When the murders were discovered the Bible was found
open on the table and the rug thrown back on the sofa,
as if the old man had arisen from the position in which
the constable saw him to go into the shop. The surmise
is that, on hearing some person enter the shop, the old
man went there and was struck down by the assassin as
soon as he had placed the candle on the counter. His
wife, alarmed by the noise, was no doubt going with
another candle to the shop, when the murderer met her
in the passage, and killed her with the same weapon
which had destroyed her husband. No instrument likely
to have been used by the murderer has been found about
the premises.
So far as is yet known no strange person had been seen
about the place. The county coroner, Mr. Badger, will
commence an inquest to-morrow.
Within three or four miles of the scene of this tragedy
a cattle dealer, named Whitaker, was a few,weeks ago
waylaid, murdered, and robbed of about 2001., and as
yet no clue has been obtained to the perpetrator of the
outrage.

STATE OF TRADE.

MANCHESTER, DEC. 5.

The improved demand for gray cloths noticed in the
earlier part of the week in consequence of better advices
from India and China, continues, and shirtings are 1
higher, and iu some cases, sellers are asking 3d. per
piece advance. Other departments of the market have
been somewhat strengthened, and heavy domestics for
home use are in rather more request, and more inquiry
has been experienced for long cloths. Narrow T cloths
are also more sought after. Medium qualities of 32-inch
T cloths are also in better request. The demand for
printing, cloth is moderate. The better demand for yarns
from 16's to 30's suitable for China and India ; mule
yarns have caused more uniformity in prices. Medium
counts of cops for home consumption are also in more
demand and firmer in price.

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.

Miles
opened,
1856.

NAME OF RAILWAY.

Receipts.

18b6. 1855.