The Sun. — 1860-11-16 (London, England)

THE MURDER 1N THE COUNTY OF  DUREAM.  GATESHEAD, THURSDAY  Circumstances have just come to light which fully establish the facts given in The Sun last week that the poor man John Baty, found lying dead and robbed on Tuesday morning week,had been cruelly murdered by the person who left a public-house with him on the night of the murder. The person who left the public-house with Baty was a Lancashire pitman, named Thomas Smith, employed in the neighbourhood. It seems that a young man named Edward Armstrong and Smith had been in a row with the police at Blaydon, on Monday, the sth inst., the night of the murder ; and that subsequently Armstrong saw Smith in Baty's company at Winlaton. They were in Mrs. Parker's, the Crown and Cannon. Armstrong was there with his father-in-law, William Oliver, but they both left at about ten o'clock, before Baty came. Armstrong then went home with his father-in-law, who was very drunk, and remained there all night. The next morning, as soon as the news of Baty's death became known, Smith the " Lankie," went and saw Armstrong, and asked him to have a walk out of the village, and consider what they had best do to evade the police and get out of the affray they were both in at Blaydon the night before. Wallring along thefields to the west of Winlaton, Armstrong remarked to Smith that he had new clothes on, upon which Smith told him what had occurred. Smith said that he knocked Baty down to get his money. That he never intended to kill him, and when he left him he did not expect that he was dead. That as soon as the news of his being dead reached him he had determined to be off, but upon second thoughts he had half decided to remain and confess the matter, as while he had intended to rob, he never meant to kill the unfortunate man. The recital of this tale rather alarmed Armstrong, who felt desirous to leave his companion. He did so on his way to Barlow, Smith having on at the time Baty's clothes; his own being bloody, he had thrown them away. . This is the substance of Armstrong's tale, and there can be but little doubt !but it is correct. Armstrong presented himself at the Gateshead police-court on Tuesday to answer the assault charge, but for some reason or other it was not gone into He last night surrendered himself to the police at. Biaydon, and is now in custody. There must have been more than one person concerned, and the police are understood to have a clue to two other men in Winlaton against whom there are strong suspicions. Smith is said to have been one of the men that suddenly disappeared from the Hobson's just after Mr. Stirling's murder, and left their wages behind them. Stirling was shot,, and Smith is a great poacher. If the police are active, and their proceedings are conducted with a reasonable degree of intelligence, all the persons implicated in Baty's murder may be secured.  The remains of the poor man Baty, were interred in Blaydon churchyard on Sunday. He was well known and much respected in the neighbourhood, and several hundreds of people attended his remains to the grave. A universal wish was expressed that a subscription should be started for his wife and family, who are now left helpless.