Stockton Herald, South Durham and Cleveland Advertiser. — 1874-01-03 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

APPRETIENSIO ; OF WILLIAM. JON-. THE INQUEST. On Friday, an inquest was held in the Magnett's Arms, Carlin Flow, near Brotton, In Cleveland, before Mr A. Buchanan, coroner for the East Lang. burgh Division of Yorkshire, and a common jury, on view of the body of a woman, name unknown, who is supposed to have been murdered on Christmas Eve. The whole of the affair is wrapped in mystery, but from what has transpired it appears that the woman was a tramp well known in the district, and was of dissipated habits. She had been accustomed to boast that she was well-to-do, and she had been heard to say that her husband lived at Hull and allowed her sufficient to live upon as long as she kept away front him. Oa Christmas Eve she was going round the villages carolling, and being I well known—though tie one knew her name—she is supposed to have collected a fair share of money. Borne say she had over £lO in her pocket. On Xmas . morning, a man named Womersley was passing along the road from Brotton to Carlin How, when lie found a jacket hanging on a gate, and on looking into the field he saw marks of blood.. He communicated this to the police, and they made a search. In the field they found a little box such as the womaa was known fo,carry, with a doll, an orange, a bonnet, a handkerchief, earl some tobacco. A large quantity of blood lay on the grass, and there were marks of much struggling. Following the footmarks, the police arrived at the mouth of a pit belonging to the Lofthotise Ironstone Company, some hundred yards off. Here were traces of blood, and the cage was bespattered with blood and brains. On going down the shaft, the police found the body at a depth of seventy feet. It is suppoeed that two men -had found the woman going along the road intoxicated, and had taken her into the field for the purpose of violation; but .on her resisting their efforts they had illtreated her, and finally conveyed her to the pit bank and thrown her in. Only sufficient evidence was taken by the coroner to warrant him in signing the usual document for interment and the depos.tions of the: persons who found the body, and the inquest was adjourned till nett Friday morning. On Friday, P.C. Tiplady and P.C. Simpson apprehended a man named William Jones, a miner, living in Skinnergrove, on suspicion of having a share in the outrage, and he will be confined till the magistrates have heltrd the ease; but the police have as yet no evidence to connect him or any one else with the affair. Hs denies having been from home on the night in question. When found ak the bottom of the pit the woman's neck and jaw were broken, one tooth was knocked out, and both her legs //ere smashed by the fall. Her face was all marked with Mood. Another accnunt states the victim is a woman about 45 years of age, unmarried, but with a family, a native of Ruuswick Bay, near Whitby, who during the past few weeks has become well known in all the villages in Cleveland, by her going from plaee to place singing the familiar " Bless the master of the house," &sc. It appears she was at Carlin How on Christmas Eve in company with several ironstone miners, about twelve o'clock atnight, and screams were heard shortly after this time by some of the inhahitante of the place, but as screaming and yelling are pretty. common at Christmas time, these were not considered as at all indicative of foul play. Nothing more was heard or known until Christnias .morniog, when a ccuple of workmen employed by the Lofthouse limestone Company went to their work,"and at the bottom of a newly-sunken shaft or pit near Carlin flew they discovered the ghastly , remains of the woman horribly- mutilated. The will be  signing I