The Sun.
London, England, 1842-01-05 00:00:00

ANOTRER MuRDER ar BURNLEY

croplA, ; •,t (1,
has again been tbrovvn i:a,o <c btaic of considerable ex-
citation, by a cruel outrage perpetrated upon a disabled
old man, and from which his death resulted. William
llugdale, the deceased, was nearly 70 years of age, and
very infirm.

On Friday an inquest was held at the Turf Inn, Burn-
ley, upon the body of the deceased, before Mr. John
llargreave, one of the Coroners for the Northern Divi-
sion of the County of Lancaster.
Several witnesses were examined, and below we give
that portion of their evidence which throws light upon
this unhappy transaction -
Ellen Nuttall, of Burnley, deposed to the following
effect :—The deceased William Dugdale was a cripple,
who resided in a Cellar in Eastgate. About half-past
twelve o'clock on Sunday morning the witness, who
lived in the adjoining cellar was awakened by a loud
knocking at the door of the deceased. She heard the
door open, and the wife of the deceased exclaimed that
they were all about to be murdered, and desired witness
to get up. The witness got up and went into the area
fronting llugdale's dwelling. This area is entered by a
flight of stone steps from the street., Witness saw at
the top of the steps two young men, who cast
• ashes in her face, and then ran off. The deceased
went up the steps and there met two lads, younger than
the men witness had originally seen. The boys inquired,
" Hare they broken'-your windows ? " Deceased re-
plied, "You must go down and see." Witness then re-
entered her cellar, and immediately alter Sarah Dug-
dale called out, "They are murdering my old man."
Witness had previously heard a noise like that of a per-
son falling down the steps. She then went out and found
the deceased sitting at the bottom of the flight. The
young men who threw the ashes were standing on the
steps. One of them wore a white hat, the only article
of his dress that was distinguishable ; the-other had a
broad-lappelled coat and a black hat. The man in the
white hat said to his companion, " Run, run !" and wit-
ness saw no more of them or the boys. She assisted the
deceased to his cellar, who appeared seriemsly injured. lle
got worse, and suffered much pain until eight in the morn-
ing, when he expired. Upon laying out the old man
the witness noticed a black mark on the small of his
back, and a lump at the back of his head.
Sarah Dugdale, widow of the deceased, stated that'he
was 68 years of age. On Sunday morning there was a
violent knocking at her door, and upon the deceased
partially opening it, it was violently pushed by the
young men before mentioned. After confirming the
evidence of the previous witness, Mrs. Dugdale said that
she returned into the cellar upon hearing her husband
tell the boys they must come and see if his windows
were broken. As soon as she had entered, the deceased
fell to the bottom of the steps.andi she thought that he
had been thrown down: With assistance she removed
her husband to the cellar, when he said he did not think
he should last till morning. The deceased told her that
one of the young men took him by the waist and another
by the legs, and threw him down the steps. Medical
assistance was sent tbr,_. but none arrived while the de-
ceased was living. The boys, whose names were Ben-
jamin Sagar and Thomas Stuttard, told the witness that
they saw the young men lay hold of and throw her hus-
band down the area, but declared they were unacquainted
with the offenders.

After other confirmatory evidence as to the declaration
made by the boys of their being present at the outrage,
Mr. Conflate, surgeon, stated, that upon a post mortem
examination of the body, he found that the lungs had
been ruptured in such a way as to cauie death. Such a
rupture might be caused by a heavy fall, especially in an
individual who-41 lungs had been previously affected, as
was the case with the deceased.

The Jury, after a long deliberation, found a verdict of
" Wilful murder against divers persons unknown, and
against the boys Sagar and Stuttard, as aiding and
assisting."• The Jury, no doubt, believed them to be
acquainted with the guilty parties.
The boys were then committed, -upon the Coroner's
warrant, to Lancaster Castle.

DREADFUL MURDER AT
MANSFIELD.

An account of this atrocious deed has already appeared
in The Sun, with the admission of the prisoner that it
was he who had perpetrated the act. An inquest was held
on the body of the deceased, when the father and mother
deposed to the visits of the prisoner to their daughter,
Mary Allom, but which they had discountenanced in con-
sequence of his irregular and passionate habits.
W. Metham, constable, Mansfield, was called up about
twelve o'clock on Thursday night by Wtn. Allow. Got
up immediately, and went down with him to the pri-
soner's lodgings. Prisoner came down partly dressed in
his coat and shoes. Witness said he wanted him; and
there was a woman at the door, who said, " Oh, Sam,
what have you been doing ?" He answered, " I have
been doing nothing." Witness then told him he wanted
him on suspicion of murdering Wm. Allom's daughter,
and that he must accompany witness. He said he would,
and made no resistance. When they had gone about
100 yards, he said, " Mr. Metham, I am the murderer.
I intended to destroy myself, but my heart misgave
me ; and I am pleased I have not done it, as I ought
to suffer publicly as a warning to others." Wit-
ness said, " What was the reason you committed
this crime ?". And he answered, "He wanted to have
the girl, and her mother was not willing, and as he
could not have her, he was determined no one else
should." lie said- that he had dune it with a knife,
and Median] would find it nigh to her ; and so it was, in
blood at her side. Went down to the premises, and un-
locked the shop door, and went up stairs with four others,
and there saw the unfortunate girl lying nearly on her
back, inclining towards the right side. In Going to the
lock-up the prisoner said that " she died almost iinme-
diate!y, and that he stayed with her for some time after
she was dead." Her throat was cut in four places, and
she lay near to a pool of blood. He fancied she had
been dragged away from the pool of blood by the marks
on the floor. He produced the knife, which was a com-
mon shoemaker's knife, with clots of blood on both haft
and blade. 'l'be deceased's necklace lay in one of the
wounds ; her hands and gown were bloody; and the pri-
soner's trousers were slightly spotted with blood on the
front part. He believed prisoner was of sound mind.
The prisoner, being cautioned, was then asked if he
had anything to say ? Thdeprisoner rose from his seat
and said, " I decline for the present," and then resumed
his sitting. In answer to the Coroner he said, "My
name is John Jones, and not Samuel Moore. I live at
Mrs. Wragg's, Lister-lane. I am a cordwainer, and 24
years of age. I have, lived in Mansfield four years." He
then declined answering any more questions.
The room being cleared the Jury almost immediately
returned a verdict of " Wilful murder against John
Jones," who was fully committed upon the Coroner's
warrant to take his trial at the next Nottingham Assizes.

WRECK OF THE SUSANNAH, OF

STOCKTON.

One of the bodies of the unll)rtunate crew of the Su-
sannah, of Stockton, baying been washed ashore on the
Coatham sands on Tuesday last, an inquest was held
the following day at the Lobster Inn, Gaitharn, by Mr.
John Page Sowerby, Coroner, when the following evi-
dence was produced :—Thomas Carter, of ltedcar, sea-
man, deposed that he found the body in the water. He
appeared to have been drowned some time. Thomas
Previll recognised him as being one of the crew on board
the Susannah, of Stockton, which sailed from that port
on Saturday, the 13th of November last. On the follow-
ing day Previll saw the Susannah wrecked off Coathara,
when all hands on board were drowned. Thomas Faith,
being sworn, said, that on Monday, the 15th of November.
hist, he collected a quantity of the wrecked wood of the
Susannah, of Stockton. A great portion of the wood
(part of the above vessel) which came on shore was
quite rotten, and not worth taking off the sands. He
has been Sand-bailiff for 15 years, and it is his business
to collect all wreck that is washed on shore within the
manor of Kirkleatham ; that during that period he hadcol-
lected a very large quantity of wood from wrecked ves-
sels, but had never before seen any so rotten as that from the
Susannah. The fore and mainyards came on shore ; the
foreyard was in a rotten state, and broken in two.
Thomas Thwaites, of Coatham, house carpenter, attended
the sale of the wreck, and purchased part of the fore-
yard ; that he took •his rule, and pushed it three or four
inches into it, and found it rotten from one end to the
other. George ‘Vatson, ship carpenter, said, he was
brother to Ralph Watson, the late captain of the Susan-
nah, of Stockton. The Susannah was an old vessel, not
In a fit state to go to sea with ; that the vessel would be
in great danger in a gale of wind with such a fore-yard
as it had ; that it is so rotten as to render it unfit for
sea; that the safety of a vessel depends greatly upon the
fore yard.
No further witnesses being examined, the Jury imme-
diately returned their verdict to the effect, that the de-
ceased, being one of the crew of the brig Susannah, of
Stockton, was drowned, being washed from the vessel
whoa she became a wreck on the 14th November last, off
Coatham ; and at the same time presented to the Coro-
ner the following—viz., " That the Jury cannot help ex-
pressing, in the strongest terms, their unqualified indig-
nation at the conduct of the owners and manager of the
brig Susannah, for allowing her to sail in a state so totally
unseaworthy."

DESTRUCTIVE- FIRE IN MAN-

CHESTER.

About nine o'clock last evening a fire was discovered
in a large warehouse which forms part of Bateman's-
buildings, in Blackfriars-street, in this town. 'The pre-
mises, which are in the occupation of Mr. Finch, calen-
derer and maker-up, and Mr. Thorp, calico-printer, are
situate close to the River Irvvell, on the Manchester side,
about midway between Victoria-bridge and Blackfriars-
bridge, and consist of a building six stories in height.
Owing to the retired situation of the building, which has
no frontage into any principal street, it is probable that
the fire was burning some time before it was observed by
any one. The hands employed on the premises had left
work at the usual time.

Four of the engines were on the spot in ten minutes
from the time of the alarm being given at the police-
yard. The whole of the building was then in flames.
In the amazingly short space of half an hour from the
arrival of the engines the flames were brought under con-
troul, and the manner in which the communication with
the adjoining buildings was cut off is matter of the utmost
astonishment. About ten o'clock the flames began to sub-
side, and by twelve were quite extinguished.
The amount of the loss, including the building itself,
will probably not fall short of 5,0001. -The different parties-
are understood to be insured. The engines contin,ed to
play on the flames till about tw..lve o'clock, when they
appeared to be completely extinguished.--Manchester
Courier of Saturday.

COMMENCEMENT - OF TIIE MACKEREL
FISHERY. —Last week one of the Hastings. boats, being.
the -first on the•southern coast, put off,to fish for mac-
kerel, and succeeded in catching 200, which readily sold
at the high price of 4/. 10s. par hundred.