The Sun. — 1855-11-21 (London, England)

THE MATFEN MURDER.-COMMITTAL OF THE PRISONERS.  NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, Nov. 20.—The adjourned in• quest on the body of Dorothy Berwicke, the old woman who was barbarously murdered at Waterloo, near Matfen, Northumberland, on the 21st ult., was brought to a close yesterday, when the prisoners, James Conroy, Michael Allan, caias Anderson, and John Simm, together with Conroy's wife, and three other women, the mothers and sisters of Michael Anderson, were fully committed for trial at the assizes. It appears from the evidence that all these persons were together at West Harle, a village six or seven miles from the scene of the murder, on the previous night, and that they occupied a barn in that village. After the murder was discover( d suspicion fell upon them as the perpetrators, and a diligent search was instituted. A hazel stick, with a hammer head attached, and a stick of mountain ash, were found in the house of deceased. They were newly cut ; and the male prisoners, who are besom makers, and go about with carts, having been cutting sticks from some trees in a neighbouring wood, the sticks so found in the house of deceased were compared with the trees from which cuttings had been made, and were found to correspond. Conroy's residence was at Waterloo, and the door of his neighbour's house was found tied with a rope on the morning when the murder must have been committed, evidently to prevent his leaving the house, and obtaining a knowledge of the horrid deed that was being committed. On searching the barn at West Hark, where the prisoners were supposed to have slept, a halter was discovered, which was first claimed by "Tibby" (Anderson's mother), but Conroy's wife insisted it was hers, and then Tibby Anderson said hers was left at Conroy's house ; but on searching the house no halter could be found, which induced the suspicion that the missing halter was no other than the rope used for tying the neighbour's door. A leather strap had been used by the murderers for confining the arms of the deceased while they strangled her. A few days before the murder, Michael Anderson was seen to fasten his stocking with a leather strap similar to that found on the arms of the deceased ; and when the prisoners were taken no leather strap could be foand upon any of them. Another suspicious -circumstance was the finding of three silver Spoons belonging to the deceased, marked " W. B." They were found in a field adjoining the road leading from Waterloo to Matfen. Some days before this discovery, and after the murder the female prisoners were seen sitting under the hedge side, near to where the spoons were afterwards found. On the 2d instant Joseph Mundy, the station master at the Crampington station on the North Eastern Railway, happened to be at a public-house near the station, where he met with Tibby Anderson and another of the females who were not then in custody. The old woman made a most extraordinary statement respecting the murder, the object of which was to exculpate the men in custody, and fix it upon some other person, but showing at the same time that she was intimately acquainted with all the circumstances. This woman, it appears, when the party was at West Hark, borrowed a candle and some lucifer matches from one Patrick O'Callaghan. The body of the deceased was disfigured with droppings of candle grease, and matches, which appeared to have been ignited, were tfohuend iniolkn.htoleueseflooofr doef. the p ceaseda r, .rloTuhe tphre was and osing ftrhoemmwto have estll bearieendugruiinletyof the m the night,udr, must arnedretur havenedthiotohmere. It has not been ascertained whether the prisoners slept in the barn.