The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-09-09
AN ATROClOUS CRIME.
The Calcined Bones Of a Woman
and Child Found.
RAE ANDERSON WAS ANDREW MRAB

The Crime Charged Against the
Manager of a Warehouse in Blr-
mingham, Who Had Been Lead
ing Double Lifc-A rNystery Prob
ably Solved.
4 LONDON, Sept. 9.-An Aug. last a
horrible discovery was made near the
railway station at Althorpe, in the
county of Northampton. The headless
and armless body Of woman was found
in sack, secreted in 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 backwards,
and the body was thrown forward SO as
to occupy the smallest possible space,
with quantity of lime thrown in. The
body was wrapped in coarse canvass,
which in turn was placed in an old sack.
1t was fully clothed except as to the
feet. Decomposition had so far pro-
ceeded that it was impossible eSen to
guess at the cause of DEATH TIE head
and arms had been cut off by "a person
possessing some anatomical knowledge.
DIR. Culverhouse, who examined the
remains, concluded that they had be-
longed to full grown woman of slight
build, about five feet five inches in
height The clothing indicated that size
had not belonged to the poorer classes.
The linen was fine and well made. It
was suggested that the body had been
brought to Althorpe by train or other
wise and deposited where it was found.
Vt IA Tho y,lo 1nl 10
tion of the victim as Annie Pritehard. of
Birmingham, whose friends had not
heard of her since March, when she left
Birmingham, telling them that she was
going to Liverpool to marry a man
named an Anderson, an engineer. The
police traced the girl to Northampton,
where it was learned she had held inn
moral relations with man known as
Rae Anderson and that she had given
birth to child in June.
Result of the Investigation.
The police searched long time for
Anderson, but could not find him. They
finally concluded that Anderson was an
assumed name, and in this they We're
right, for they soon learned that Rae An
derson was none other than Andrew Nc
Rae, the manager of warehouse in
Birmingham. He was at once arrested
u
was soon proved, had been living Il double
life, having Il wife and family living in
Birmingham while at the same time he
was supporting and cohabitating with
the Pritchard girl in Northampton.
A search was made of his office, and in
the fireplace We're found the calcined
bones Of what had apparently been
baby and the arms of woman All the
facts were brought out at the coroner's
inquest. Tho most important evidence
against McRao was given by man vino
testified that II month ago the prisoner
employed him to remove from the ware
house quantity of lime. The move
ments 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 took
trap out of Northampton and drove
toward the spot where the body was
found covered with lime and the police
theory il that the trap was used to con-
Vey the body to where it was found.
Trying TO Cover Up the Crime.
Other evidence was advanced at the
inquest pointing TO the belief that the
girl and her baby were murdered in the
house occupied by the victim and her
paramour i'll Northampton. McRae then
sawed off 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 ont to the ditch by the roadside
after placing them in the canvas with
lime and dumped them where he
thought the lime would eat up the evil
dence OF his crime.