Denton Examiner, Audenshaw, Hooley Hill and Dukinfield Advertiser. — 1876-04-08 (Denton, Greater Manchester, England)

THE CHILD MURDER IN BLACKBURN.  The excitement consequent upon the discovery of the mutilated remains of the child Emily Holland on Thursday week is in no manner abated. Indeed, on thacontrary it becomes more intensified. The exertions of the police have been most eommendande, but as yet they have failed to recover the missing head and arms of the unfortunate girl. The constabulary in neighbouring Wanda have also exhibited considerable vigilance in their endeavour to bring to justice the perpetrator of this horrible deed. From the description given of the man in whose company the deceased was last seen it was generally believed at first that the murder was a tramp. Consequently tramps in all parts of the country have been subjected to a strict examination. At Accrington, Preston, Bolton, Toihnorden, Clithere,, Orruskirk, and at Blackbarn, tramps have been apprehended who bore in any manner some resemblance to the description of the person wanted, and whose appearance laid them open to suspicion. In one or two instances there was a very close likeness. In the ease of the man apprehended at rodmorden, he bed with hind a large carving knife when arrested, and his posses sion of that article be accounted for by a statement that he found it on the highway. Neither he nor auy of the other persons apprehended were identified as the man with whom the deceased was last seen. An opinion ix now being generally expressed that the murder was not oommitted in a field in any of the suburbs, but that the derd was effected indoors, and not far from the spot where the girl was last seen alive. This view of the matter is strongly supported by the opinions of the medical men who have made a post-mortem examination of such of the remsina of the deceased as have ben discovered. The result of their examination showed that the stomach of the girl contained food in a partially digested state, and that this food, which was partaken of at about one o'clock, would only require about five hours at the outeide, to be fully digeeted. As the girl woo seen nearly four hours after baying dinner, the contents of the stomach go to establish the belief that within half-an-hour or an hour as most of the time when Holland was loot seen alive she had been outraged and murdered. The medical examiners are of opinion that the murderer first cut the throat of his victim, altar gratifying his passion, and that when death had taken plane sae was carved into pieces. They are alas of opinion that. the disemberment had been effected by no unpractised hand, but by one who has some skill in amputation. The girl was not seen in any of the outskirts of the town, or in any of the roads leading thereto, and no evidence is to be found of the commits' of tlie murder in any of the tields 0r places of seclusion in the neighbourhood. This, coupled with the fact that the girl was sharp, shrewd, and intelligent, and not likely to be induced to go with the stranger to the outside of the town, leads many to the conviction that the scene of the murder and the brutal mutilation is to be found not tar distant from the spot where the suspected murderer first accosted the girl. The result or the inquiry by the police, it is believed, will lead to the identification of the man who had the appearance of a tramp as the Black• burn murderer. 'line police, however, continue to search every likely and unlikely place of conceal. merit in the neighbourhood where the murdered girl see decoyed away. Suspicion having fallen ou rue house of a barber, named Fish, of Burley. street, tne olice have twice visited the place and made a minitLe, examination of the occupants and everything the dwelling contains. The police arc -natistied-of—the groundleseneeitot the_ suspicious ; but there in a crowd constantly standing in front of toe door. Our Oldham correspondent, writing on Monday night, says: A man is in custody in Oldham who is suspected of being the perpetrator of the outrage and murder of Emily Holland, at Blackburn. lie was brought up oil a charge of an indecent nenault on a child at Oldham, and remanded till Wednesday, on the applieation of the Chief Codamble. When appieneuded he admitted that ile had come from Blackburn, and certain evidences about him led to the suspicions of the police, who are in communication with the Blackburn authorities.