The Sun. — 1861-11-26 (London, England)

THE MURDER NEAR CARLISLE.  The inquest on the body of Jane Emmerson, aged 72, who was barbarously murdered at the Botcherby level crossing of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway on Thursday night, was opened at Botcherby on Satwrday, by Mr. Carrick, the county coroner, and a respectable jury, The jury having viewed the body, the coroner proceeded to examine the following witnesses : John Parker, station master at Carlisle station, identified the body as that of Jane Emmerson, who was gatekeeper at the level crossing of the line between Botcherby and Durran-hill, where the line crosses the turnpike road. Wm. Blaylock, a platelayer on the line, who discovered the murder on his way to his work, and who knew the deceased well, described thus the state in which he found things at the crossing : He found the first gates lying back against the road fence, leaving both the railway and the road open; one of the gates on the other side of the line was in its proper position across the road, but the other was wide open. Four iron pins, each about two feet long, are used to keep the gates fast. Two of these were in their places, one was lying on the railway, and he did not see the fourth, as it was nearly dark. There was a large cobble stone lying near the south gates. The body of the woman was lying between the gates and the cottage, a little way from the line. She was lying with her head to the cottage, and a great deal of blood had streamed from her mouth. She was quite dead. Witness went and called upon ' two men for assistance. They went to the porch door, and found that a nail which the deceased used to put above the sneck to fasten the door when she went out, was nearly out. There were marks on the door as if some heavy instrument had been used to break it open, a pate was broken in the porch window, and the window looking east in the garden was also broken. Some of the drawers in the room were pulled out, and letters and papers were strewn upon the floor. The bed scented as if it bad never been used, but the pillows were turned over, as if some one had been searching for something. In the garden they found, stained with blood, a hedge slasher (a billhook used for trimming hedges), lying in front of the window. They took the body into the house. It was quite limber ; it was not stiff. There is a wooden cabin near the crossing gates, on the opposite side from the cottage, into which the deceased usually went when any trains were coming from Newcastle. She put two lamps there after dark, one showing up the line and the other down. After the last train from Carlisle had passed she would take one of these lamps away, and afterwards use it as a hand lamp when she was moving about, and she went to the cabin to remove the other lamp and close the gates across the line when the last train had passed from the east. Both these lamps were found under the body of the deceased. There was a small socket lamp found in the house which had not burnt out. A pickaxe, the handle of which was stained with blood, was found under the bed, and the marks upon this corresponded with the marks on the drawers and on the door.  George Hind, a workman on the line, said he had been going through the gates to his work shortly before midnight. The gates were disordered. He saw no light, heard no noise, and passed down the line without touching the gates or seeing anything further.  The Coroner said they could proceed no further that day. 'The case was one of a very brutal character, and involved in very great mystery at present, therefore it was their duty to adjourn to allow the police to inquire fully into the circumstances. The inquest was adjourned till Monday week. It has beim ascertained that, in addition to the money stolen from the drawers, some spoons and linen were also taken away. The murderer is still at large. 'The police deemed it necessary to interrogate two men, one of whom is a tramp, as to their whereabo ul s on the night of the murder, but their answers being perfectly satisfactory they were not detained.