The Warrington Examiner. — 1875-02-06 (Warrington, Cheshire, England)

THE FATAL BRAWL AT NORTHWICH.  The inquest on the body of James Darbyshire, who was fatally stabbed in Crown-street. Northwich, on the night of the sth ult., was resumed on Thursday, at the Drill Hall, Northwich, before Mr. Dunstan, coroner. T;.e hall was crowded by persons anxious to get a glimpse of the prisoner, Mark Ledward, who was apprehended at Burslem, Staffordshire, on Tuesday, and who was brought to Northwich on Wednesday, by Sergeant Dutton. Mr. Cooke, of Middlewich, watched the case on the part of the prisoner. Wm. Hitchen repeated the evidence he gave at the former inquiry, and in reply to the Coroner, he said he could not swear to Ledward as being the man, but he was very much like him. He would not say he was the man.  James Derbyshire, father of the deceased man, repeated his former evidence. Jane Darbyshire, after repeating her evidence with respect to the fatal affair, said: lam quite sure he is the man I saw with the knife.  Thomas Hitchen identified the prisoner as the man who had the knife on the night of the affray. Rd. Stubbs also repe ited his original statement.  Ann Ilitc%en stated that on the night in question she heard her son cry out, " Tom, Toro," and on going to where her son was, she saw a man with a whitehandled knife, walkiug backwards with Derbyshire. Dr. Williams repeated his evidence with respect to the cause of death, and in cross-examination by Mr. Cooke, he stated that he did not examine.the contents of the stomach of the deceased. He accounted for the wound being triangular by the abstraction of the knife, and the contraction of the skin. He thought it scarcely possible for a person to receive such a wound, and within two minutes to say he had not been stabbed.  Sergeant Tanburan, of Madeley, Staffordshire, stated that on Tuesday last about one o'clock he visited a beerbouse, at Longport, Burslem, Staffordshire, and saw the prisoner sitting in the house drinking. He asked him his name, alai he replied, "Jones." He then asked him if he was working in that neighbourhood, and he said he was, on asking him where, he said that he was working on the railway, and in reply to further questions, said that he had worked for Mr. Button for two or three mouths, that his house was at Penketh, in Lancashire, and that his friends resided there. He took the prisoner outside the house, and charged him, on suspicion, with being the man wanted at Northwich, on a charge of murder, he said "All right I'll go with you." He took prisoner to the Police Station, and having cautioned him, he said " write to Penketh to get some one to come to prove my innocence." Cross-examined by Mr. Cooke: Prisoner seemed quiet in n y presence. He found no knife upon him. Inspector Dutton's evidence having been read, he stated further that in consequence of a telegram, he went to Burslem and found the prisoner in custody. Not knowing the prisoner, ho asked him his name, and he replied John JoneF, and that he ea', e from Penketh by Warrington. He examined his neck, and was satisfied by a mark that he was Mark Ledward. He said to prisoner, "Your name is not Jones, it is Mark Ledward, and you are wanted for a murder at Northwich." The prisoner trembled very much at hearing this. Subseqnently P.C. Hayes arrived from Over, and identified the prisoner as Ma!k Ledward. The following morning he (Dutton) brought the prisoner to Northwich, and there read to him the warrant charging him with the murder of James Darbyshire, on the sth of January. He replied, "I know nothing about it."  The Coroner summed up, and the jury, after a deliberation of about half an hour, returned a verdict of manslaughter against Ledward.