The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle. — 1868-03-28 (Stourbridge, West Midlands, England)

THE LONGDEN MURDER.  At the Shrewsbury Assizes, on Monday, John Mapp, aged thirty-five, was charged with the murder of Catherine Lewis, at Lonadem on tire 2,hid December last. The court was crowdol, arid considerable interest was manifested in the case owing to the peculiar circumstances of the crime. The following are the brief particularsof the murder:— On Sunday morning, the 225 d of December last, the girl Catherine Lewis, who was only nine years of age, went from her father's house at Isingden to that f a friend, a Mrs. I ravis, about half a mile distant. She remained there until evening, when she went to charel. A little before eight o'clock she left the chapel with the intention of walking straight home. The prisoner, who was a farm labourer employed near the Lewises, was with her at the time, and so was a girl named Jane Richards. Richards left them in Long-lane, at a turning which led to her master's house. The prisoner and Catherine Lewis then walked on, the list-named being never afterwards seen alive. Her parents were not anxious about her, as she was in the habit of staying at the house whhh she had been visaing. The prisoner went about his work as usual the next morning, 4 and was seen engaged in spreading manure in a field in the Long-lane, where Catherine Lewis was last Frain alive. In the same field, at the same time, there was a boy named John Aston, who Ivan driving the plough. About eleven o'clock this lad was looking in the hedge for a whipstock, when he found a straw hat covered with blood. Ile called to the prisoner, and showed him the hat. The prisoner said he knew nothing about it, and wanted the lad to bury it in one of the furrows. Instead of doing so he flung it over the hedge into the lane. There it was found some hours after ; when an old woman picked it up, and took it straight to the house of the girl's mother, to whom she exhibited it suddenly, and as it was, covered with congealed blood. The mother, saying, "That's my  Kate's!" fell to the floor in a fit. Then Use girl's father was called, and he, having seen the hat, ran off to the friend at whose house the girl was supposed to be. He learned that she had net been there all night, and, anxioua, he returned home by the Long-lane. He saw the prisoner at work in the field there, and asked him if he had seen his daughter. Prisoner stated that he had on the previous night, but that she had gone straight home. Mr. Lewis began to look about, and at last reached a small disused hovel, in a field near, which he entered. There he found the body of his child, tying in a bin. She was lying on her back, and the shawl which atm had worn on the Sunday was stuffed in her month, as if it had been a gag suddenly improvised. When the shawl was removed the head was found to be almost severed from the body by a deep cut across the neck. The police were communb cated with, and a minute search was made. A trail, which showed how the body had been dragged from he field in which the prisoner WU at work, was discovered and followed. It was found to lead to a spot where the prisoner bad spread the manure rather thickly. This was removed, and a small pool of blood was found there. From that time the evidence, all circumstantial, leading to the suspicion that the prisoner was the murderer, rapidly increased, and he was apprehended. He was found to have in his pocket a small brooch which the girl had worn the night before. In his house a pocket knife, stained with blood, was found, and the coat and trousers which he haf I worn on the Sunday were also stained by the same dye. The knees of the trousers showed that the prisoner must have been kneeling for some time on damp ground. The defence was that no possible motive could be aesigned for the committing of so diabolical a crime. It had been proved that the girl had not suffered outrage before death. After the judge had summed up the jury retired, but almost immediately returned with a verdict of „ '"  Guilty. Sentence of death was pronounced with the usual formality. The prisoner, who had all along been rather unconcerned in demeanour, evinced no emotion upon hearing the sentence. He left the dock proclaiming that he was innocent of the crime.