The Warwickshire Herald. — 1889-10-03 (Birmingham, West Midlands, England)

BRUTAL MURDER AT BURY.  On Thursday afternoon a shocking and mysterious murder was discovered to have taken place in Bury. , The body of a man named George Gordon was disoovered in a wardrobe in a furnishing establishment in Bolton-street, belonging to the Gordon Furnishing Company, of Strangeways, Manchester. Gordon, who was 30 years of_ age, came to the branchestablishment at Bury on Wednesday, and as he did not return his father visited the town on Thursday, and got the police to institute a search. Nothing was found at first, but the father observed a wardrobe in the back-room, and requested that it should be opened. The shopman, William Dukes, said it was sold and had to go to Rochdale. The father insisted on its being opened, and Dukes said he had not the key. It was then broken open, and the body of Gordon was found inside doubled up. The head was battered in, there were several wounds about the face, the throat was cut, and one of the eyes was almost gouged out. Simultaneously the old man and his son Myer made a wild rush at Dukes, and, as a constable afterwards put it, had it not been for the interference of the police, "the coroner would have had two bodies to sit on instead of one." The police, after a severe struggle, rescued Dukes, and marched him off to the station under a strong escort. He protested he was innocent, but in his pocket was found the missing key of the wardrobe. Jn the cellar, too, the flags had been reznoved. Some earth had been dug, and there was every indication that an attempt had been made to dig a grave, a spade being found lying beneath a flag, as if the work of dining had been interrupted. It is stated that when Dukes was first asked about Gordon he said that he had gone to Burnley. Gordon was a Jew, and Thursday being the Jewish New Year, his parents were anxious that he should be at home. The murder has caused the greatest excitement in the locality, especially on account of its brutality. Nothing is known as to the cause, but it is thought that Gordon came for money due to him. It is also said that the books at the shop are missing, and that a hammer and chisel stained with blood have been found.  The preliminary inquiry by the magistrates took place on Friday, when the prisoner Dukes was placed in the dock and formally charged with the crime. The chief evidence against him was given by a boy named Tootill, who was in the employ of the Gordons at their branch shop in Bury. He spoke of the visits of the deceased to the shop, and stated that during the afternoon of the day on which the deceased called at the shop and saw the prisoner, the latter sent him and another boy with some furniture to Prestwich. They could not find the house to which they had been directed by the prisoner, and when Tootill returned to the shop Dukes told him to go home, as he intended to shut the shop at an earlier hour than usuaL Tootill did so, and next morning assisted the prisoner to put a lock on a wardrobe and drag it from an upper room into the kitchen. When next he saw the wardrobe it was lying flat in the kitchen and the body of the deceased was in it.—The prisoner was remanded. The coroner for the Bolton district (Mr. S. F. Butcher) also opened his inquiry on Friday into the death of Gordon, and after evidence of identification had been given by Mr. Meyer Gordon, the brother of the deceased, the investigation was adjourned.  The French Government has convened a congress to consider the subject of Sunday observance in its relation to the health and social welfare of the people. The arrangements have been made by the Ministry of Commerce, and M. Leon Say is the President. The subjects for discussion are: 1. The necessity of weekly rest. 2. The practice of. weekly rest in various occupations. 3. Agitations in favour of a weekly rest day. Addresses on the advantage of the Sabbath to families, to morality, to the well-being of the working classes, and its value for , securing a rood understanding between employers and employed will be delivered. The French Government has invited the co-operation of a number of gentlemen acquainted with the subject from various countries.