The Sun. — 1851-02-07 (London, England)

SUSPECTED MURDER OF A WIFE BY HER HUSBAND, AT TODMORDEN. Great excitement was caused in York on the morning of Tuesday last by a rumour being spread abroad that a gentlemanly-looking man had been apprehended by the police on a charge of having murdered his wile, at Todmorden, by administering poison to her. The report was verified at noon, by the prisoner being taken down to the Guildhall, where, before the Lord Mayor and I'. W. Wilson, Esq., he was charged, by the name of John Cooper, with having, on the 2d of January last, murdered his wife, Jane Cooper, by the means above stated. Little or nothing, however, transpired there, for the accused had been brought up only for the purpose of Mr. Chalk, the superintendent of the York police, asking fur a remand until Thursday, which was granted; the prisoner, who asserted his entire ignorance of the crime imputed to him, having a request of his also complied with, viz., that he in the meantime might be allowed to consult with a professional adviser. It is stated that Cooper was formerly head assistant at Lincoln Grammar School, and that since then he has resided at Stanfield-hall, near Todmorden, which is on the Yorkshire side of the border between that county and Lancashire, where he conducted a boarding-school for young gentlemen. He is about 30 years of age, and married a Miss Ripley, of Tockwith, near York. His own parents reside at Kirk Hammerton, near this city. He has been married about four years, and has two children—one about six weeks old, and the other about two years. In the latter part of December last his wife gave birth to their second child, and she died on the 2d of January last. The remains of the deceased were brought to Bilton to be buried among her relatives, and Cooper had remained in this neighbourhood since. Some three or four days ago a suspicion arose that Mrs. Cooper's death had been caused by some foul means, and this suspicion resulted in an application being made to the coroner, J. Wood, Esq., of this city, who on Tuesday last opened an inquiry at Bilton, which stands adjourned until Monday next. The result of the inquiry, as far as it went on Tuesday, was, that the coroner issued his warrant for the exhumation of the body of the deceased, with a view to an analysis of the contents of the stomach. With respect to the apprehension of the husband, we find that police-sergeant Heap, trent Todmorden, came to York on Sunday last, it beeing supposed that Cooper would arrive on business on the following day. The superintendent of the York police was consequently communicated with, and he having taken steps to search for the accused, it was fonnd that be had arrives at York, and that be had taken up his residence at the Black Swan Hotel, in Coney-street, where he had represented himself as a clergyman wishing to obtain a marriage licence. On Monday evening Cooper attended one of the Wesleyan chapels in this city, and, having been followed about from place to place by an officer in undress, he was finally apprehended between ten and eleven o'clock at night on a warrant issued by the Lord Mayor. As in all such cases, a motive for alleged murder has been sought for; and the one assigned is that the accused has been on very intimate terms with the daughter of a Wesleyan minister at Alford, in Lincolnshire, to whom he was anxious to be allied.  ST. MARYLEBONE BANK for