Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-09-09
FIVE DETECTIVE WORK.


The Discovery Of Murderer who Had
Apparently Hidden All Tracks.
On August Z last . horrible discovery was
made near the railway station ct Althorpe, in
the county Of Northampton, England. The
headless and armless body Of = woman was
found in a sack. secreted in a ditch by the side
Of the main road from Northampton to Rugby.
Attracted by the smell some laborers found the
bag covered with rank vegetation. The feet
had been tied together and then pressed back
ward and the body was thrown forward 40 as to
occupy the smallest possible space, with . quan-
tity Of lime thrown ip. The body was wrapped
in coarse canvas. which in turn wss placed in
an old sack 1t was fully clothed except a. to
the feet. Decomposition had so far proceeded
that it was impossible even to guess ut the cause
of death.
The head and arms had been cut off by a
person possessing some anatomical knowledge.
DIR. Culverhouse, who examined the remains,
concluded that they had belonged 70 u full
grown woman of slight build about Ave feet
five inches In height The clothing indicated
that she had not belonged to the poorer classes.
The linen was iine and well made 1t was sug-
gested that the body had been brought to
Althorpe by train or otherwise and deposited
where 1t was found. Part of the chemise led
to the Identification Of the victim as Annie
Pritchard of Birmingham, whose friends have
not heard of her since March. when she left
Birmingham, telling them that she was going
to Liverpool to marry q man named Anderson,
an engineer.
The police traced the girl to Northampton.
where il was learned she had held immoral re-
lations with man known as Rae Anderson,
and that she had given birth to a child in June.
The police searched long time for Anderson,
but could not find him. They finally concluded
that Anderson WAS assumed name and in
this they we're right, for they soon learned that
Rae Anderson was none other than Andrew
McRae. the manager Of O warehouse in Biz
mingham. He was at once arrested and
charged with the murder. McTae, it was soon
proved. had beea living double life, having
wife and family in Birmingham, while at the
saue time he was supporting and cohabiting
with the Pritchard girl at Northampton.
A search was made Of his Office and in the
fireplace was found the calcined bones OF what
had apparently been a baby and the arms Of
woman.
All the facts were brought out at theacoroner's
inquest. The most important evidence against
McRae was given by man who testified that a
month ago the prisoner employed him TO re-
move from the warehouse quantity Of lime.
The movements Of the prisoner have been
traced by the detectives and they found that
at about the time the murder is supposed to
have been committed McRae tool trap out Of
Northampton and drove toward the spot where
the body was found covered with lime. and the
police theory is that the trap was used TO con-
vey the body to where II was found.
Other evidence was advanced Mt the inquest
pointing to the belief that the girl and her baby
were murdered in the house occupied by the
vicNm and her paramonr in Northampton.
McRae then sawed of the girls head and arms,
and took them. with the body Of the baby. to
Birmingham, where he cremated them. Being
unable to dispose of the trunk and lower limbs
by means Of FIRE, and being forced to get rid Of
them, McRae carried them out to the ditch by
4 al.,l IA A.
with lime, and dumped them where he thought
the lime would eat up the evidence of his crime.