Denton and Haughton Examiner, etc. — 1880-02-14 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

CHESTER MURDER CASE.  THE POLICE AT FAULT IN TFIE MAN The Ob-serv---er-,-it-r-enTh;;;;;;ale—a;tiWe, 'comments very strongly on the way in which the police, by the arrest of Heald or Haild, who has got his discharge, allowed themselves to be drawn away on a false scent, and have thus lost all trace of the real murderer of the girl Jane Roberts. It sive The case is one in which there ought to have been comparatively little difficulty. Jane Roberts was murdered by some one who planned her murder beforehand, and deliberately carried out his scheme. He knew the habits of the household. Robbery was not his object, for robbery was not even attempted, although the only person remaining in the house to offer any resistance to its being plundered was Mrs. Greenwood, and it need hardly be pointed out that a burglar so desperate as to commence by killing a young girl in the full prime of her life and strength, would hardly be debarred from his designs by any such resistance as might be offered on the part of a lads advanced in years, and so week as to be confined to her bed room. Thus then, the inquiry narrows itself to the single issue, who was there who had any interest in the unfortunate girl's death? To ascertain this it was simply necessary to inquire into the circumstances of her life for the last few months, and this ought to have been an exceedingly simple last. Girls in the rank of life of Jane Roberts have seldom any secrets; instead of making a secret or any attentions which a man may pay them, they rather make it a practice to discuss their matrimonial prcepecte freely with other girls in their own position of life. Above all, they treasure up lettere and other such relics with an almost superstitious care. If the police have carefully searched the unfortunate girrs effects and have made inquiry among those who might be called her more intimate friends, they could hardly have missed the clue for which they are still in search. No one, of course, can blame the police for keeping to themselves such information as they may have. But it certainly looks as if the search had not been by any means diligently pursued. No evidence was given at the inquest as to whether the poor girl's boxes had been searched. The postman was not called to say whether he had been in the habit of delivering letters to her. None of her relations were invited to state whether they could suggest any possible explanation for the crime. Above all, one most obvious inquiry seems to have been entirely omitted. The medical man who examined the body deposed to the cause of death. As to that, doubt was out of the question. But the one fact which would have let some light on the case he apparently had not been instructed to ascertain, and the jury were not told whether the deceased had up to her • death been a girl of good character, or whether there was reason to suppose she bad been party no an • intrigue. We may exclude the idea of theft as the motive of the crime at once. Neither can we assume , it to have been a mere piece of reckless and irrespon, sible brutality, for there can be no doubt it was caret fully planned. This being so, the range of motives I which could have led to an act PO desperate is very I singularly narrowed; and the police, if they had any i tact, would have known at once in which direction to • prosecute their investigations, instead of wasting time , by circulating broadcast a letter obviously written in a • simulated handwriting.