The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-10-08 00:00:00

MURDER OF A WOMAN BY HER HUSBAND, AND
SUICIDE OF THE MURDERER.

It this week falls to our lot to lay before our readers the
details of one of the most distressing and shocking occur-
rences which is to be found in the annals of crime,—an oc-
currence, the bare thought of which cannot but impart a feel-
ing of terror and dismay to every mind. As soon as we heard
of the circumstance, we took pains to obtain the fullest parti-
culars of the barbarous and bloody tragedy.
On Thursday evening last the villages of Raiford and
Tarleton and the neighbourhood were thrown into a state
of intense dread and consternation, by the report that a man
named Robert Dawson, a labourer, in the employ of Sir T.
I). Hesketh, Bart., of Rufford Hall, had murdered his wife,
Phoebe Dawson, and had afterwards put an end to his own
existence. The report, unhappily, proved too true, as the
following circumstantial particulars of the tragical event will
show. The wretched man resided, with his wife and five of
his children, in a cottage, in the hamlet of Holmes Wood,
in the parish of Rufford, about twelve miles from Preston.
On the evening in question, Dawson came home about nine
o'clock when his wife was undressed, prepared to go to bed,
all the children at home being at the time asleep, in a bed
adjoining the one in which Dawson and his wife usually slept.
He enquired for some senna, which he had requested her to
send for to Ormskirk, by a neighbour, and on her acquaint-
ing him that she had forgotten to send for it, high words, and
ultimately a violent quarrel ensued. From the appearance of
the wounds, and other circumstances, it is highly probable
that there had been, on the part of the wife, stout resistance,
and that a severe struggle took place. before the wretched
murderer accomplished his horrid purpose. It is most likely,
indeed, that they had been quarrelling, and perhaps fighting,
for some time, and that the husband had somewhat gradually
worked himself up to a state of infuriated rage, nothing short
of madness.—The children were awakened by the scuffle, and
they gave an alarm, when a sister of the murderer entered
the house, followed immediately by other persons, relations
and neighbours of the deceased. When these persons enter-
ed, which was about half-past nine o'clock, they were affrighted
by the horrid spectacle of both husband and wife walking
about in the kitchen or " house" part, with their throats cut.
Dawson, alarmed, it is supposed, at his wife's approaching end,
a :d his own wound not being sufficiently deep to cause death, .
escaped during the consternation and went immediately and
hanged himself in the shippon adjoining the house, with a cow
tie. When Mr. Barron, surgeon, of Tarieton, arrived shortly
afterwards, the woman was not quite dead. She was per-
fectly sensible, knew her relations and friends, and told her
mother that the quarrel was simply on account of her not
having sent for the medicine to Ormskirk. The poor crea-
ture asked for something to drink, and some water was given
to her, but as not only the windpipe was cut, but also the
passage to the stomach opened, the water ruu out of the
aperture down her neck, The bed on which she lay was
completely saturated with blood, and there were several cuts
on her chin, and on the lower part of her thrc at, inflicted,
it is supposed, in the course of the struggle, anti before the
mortal wound was given. Her right eye was also black, and
much swollen as if from a blow. Search being made for
Dawson, the miserable man was found suspended in the out
house, as already mentioned, and quite dead. The age
of the man was about 37, and that of his ill-fated wife about
40. They have left behind them 7 children, the eldest of whom
is a girl about 16 years old, and the age of the youngest is
about 18 months. The unfortunate woman was at the time
in a state of pregnancy. They had resided all their lives in
the neigbourhood, the father and mother of Dawson occupy-
ing a farm near the cottage in which the appalling tragedy
occurred. Dawson has also 5 brothers and 2 sisters. The
mother of the murdered woman lives in the neighbourhood.
She has left 6 brothers and 3 sisters. Her father (whose name
was Caunce) was killed about two years ago, at Rufford, by
falling from a cart. The unfortunate couple had previously
borne good characters, and she is spoken of by her neigh-
bours as having been a woman of a very mild and patient dis-
position. Dawson was a favourite servant with Sir T. D.
Hesketh, Bart. as a proof of which, we may state, that when
a short time ago, he was sick, he was visited by the worthy
baronet, and although he had an allowance from an Odd
Fellows' Society, of which he was a member, Sir Thomas
kindly paid him his wages during the whole period of his sick-
ness. He was an active member of the Wesleyan Method-
ists' Society, and had frequent prayer meetings at his house.
He had also been, for about two years, a member of a tem-
perance society. They had as his wife had recently asserted
to a friend, lived very comfortly for the last six or seven years ;
but we are informed that at the early period of their matri-
monial career they had frequent quarrels, and were supposed
to live very unhappily. The neighbours do not speak of the
murderer as having been a passionate man, nor was he at any
time subject to insanity or melancholy. An inquest will be
held on the bodies this day at Mr. Worthington's, Hesketh
Arms, Rufford, before Mr. Palmer, coroner. We understand
that the bodies of the ill-fated pair are to be interred on Sun-
day next, at Rufford. The transaction, as may well be im-
agined, has excited an intensely painful sensation throughout
the whole neighbourhood, and scarcely anything else is talked
about.—Preston Chronicle.