The Sun.
London, England, 1828-07-22 00:00:00

MYSTERIOUS OCCURRENCE.

A very strong sensation has been this week cleated
in Blackburn, by the death of a young \woman named
Ann Morris, who was drowned in the Leeds and
Liverpool canal, near that place, under circumstance:,
which induced a very general suspicion that site had
been murdered by a soldier named James Hughes.
The deceased, a very fine young woman, about
18 years of age, worked in Messrs. Feilden, Throp,
and Townley 's factory, was at a wedding party held
on Tuesday evening, at the Castle inn, in Black-
burn, and remained there until about three o'clock i►►
the morning. There was a dance on the occasion,
and Hughes, who is a bugle-player in the 67th Re-
giment of Foot, was present, and played on his.
bugle for the dancers ; having, we believe, obtained
the permission of his commanding officer to do so.
It is not known that the deceased and he were pre-
viously acquainted, nor was he observed to speak to
her on the occasion. About three o'clock the de-
ceased left the Castle Inn, in company with two
other young women, and went towards her lodgings.
Before the two women left the deceased, they had
all agreed, that, as it was late, they would not go to
bed, but would merely change their clothes, and they
I:ll:irkeett 0 the civil
power.
would then be ready for the commencement of wolk
in the factory ; and the two having agreed to fall on
the deceased when they had put on their working
dresses, went to her lodgings, but it appeared she
had not changed her clothes, and they found her
crying in the yard. They inquired into the cause
of her grief, but she did not return any satisfactory
answer. All three then went out together to have
a walk before they went to the factory ; and as they
passed through the street they met James Hughes,
the bugleman, who spoke to the deceased, and after
some conversatien, walked with her into the field:,
leaving the other two, who saw no more of het.
The deceased and the soldier were afterwards see►►
by two or three persons proceeding towards the
canal, the soldier having his arm round her neck or
her waist. They saw the soldier put his arm round
her neck, whilst she appeared to be struggling to get
away, and escaped from him once or twice, on which
he followed her and again put his arm round her
neck. One of the men called out to him to let the
woman alone; but, from the distance which inter-
vened, it is probable that he was not heard, for
neither the soldier nor the woman looked toward,
him. The men then resumed their journey towards
redf
t forwardh e two into jacket,
menhowsmtorh,al vdtepahi wrapped
:ye Pawrrsianannh. ~,,c1 principally
(a)nf
fl
,Yti course
Blackburn, and for a minute or two did not look
towards the place where they had seen the soldier
and the woman ; but when they had proceeded a
short distance, one of them turned his head, and he
then saw the woman floating in the canal, and the
soldier apparently leaving the margin of the water.
The man immediately apprised his companion, and
they both saw the soldier pass under one of the rails
which fence off the towing-path, and without making
any alarm, or calling for assistance, run down the
the first
within it, and .
(bworhnic;h and
are
r e called
s ph
oe
t: aonvda. reached srbre
bugle
otvgtheil d
1 Ddeauiprr
canal.eseceta theer ds 1 1 towards'attention
t,%he.eleirytlitobanottnitldhC of
bank,adjoining ".h
fikehl d . is
s H considerably
th e
then
Nven
t)fieu,:enhvdteagetrrpeorduutalhnpl
pulled
Ndbo‘a,Ofir jolt.,
letiffeet
aqueduct
that passes over the river Darwen, and
great speed along the turnpike-road towards Black-
fhhoeirmt
himself
f last
to time.cap just soon enough to
woman, w
er. Of course h© was immediately de-
liveredcieirqcuuemststwanacses heldNv h uponiwhich
the
certainlyb o body i
Capt. Ilarpour, his com-
hBsre;earslnrtveiedl
nnihendreeindsrvioent
day, and resumed yesterday, when, we believe, the
above facts were proved in evidence; as were also
deal to exonerate the prisoner from oi
tended dM 7ae dgnoe:d"
the serious
charge made ' against him, and to render it not it im-
probable th l
at tle young woman had committed
suicide.
somAtel

At seven o'clock last evening, the jury returned
verd►ct of " Wilful murder against the soldier,"
who was committed to Lancaster Castle to take his
t rial.—Alanchcatcr Guardian.

There are few examples, we believe, in the
memory of man, of a storm of wind and rain such as that
just past. On Saturday morning early the rain came on,
and continued pouring copiously, and without intermission,
till Monday afternoon. And this inundation or phanome-
non, as it may be called, has not been confined, it seem,,,
to the west of Scotland—a coast proverbial for wetne..
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