The Sun. — 1868-03-04 (London, England)

MUCKING' M URDLIC.  One of the most bloody and atrocious murders that has been heard of in this country since that committed by Rush, perhaps, was committed on Monday night at Todmorden by a weaver of checks named Miles Wetherall. It seems tsat for some time past Wetherall had been paying his addresses to a servant-maid living at the parsonage (the Rev. Mr. Plows's), and in consequence of his visits the girl had been discharged, and went back to York, where her parents lived. On Saturday and Sunday Wetherall went to York, on a visit to her. On returning he appears to have resolved on taking fearful vengeance upoti her late master and mistress, and upon the housemaid, who was supposed to have told of his visits to her fellow-servant. About half-past ten o'clock on Monday night Mr. Plows, who was preparing to retire to his bedroom, heard a noise at the back door. Ire went out by the hall door and proceeded to the hack of the house, where he saw Wetherall with a hatchet in his hand, and who iminediately snapped a pistol at him, lint it missed fire. Wethcrall next attacked Mr. Plows with the hatchet. but Mr. Plows closing with him, they went backwards struggling into the lobby of the house, through the backdoor. The noise alarmed the servants, and the housemaid, cook, and nurse came to see what was the matter. Some of these seized Wetherall by the hair and clothes to hold him back. The result was, that Mr. Plows escaped by the front hall door, but not until he had received two long scalp wounds at the back of the head and another at the top of the head, several vertical cuts on the forehead, one ear torn from top to bottom, and other wounds. The women also got out of his way for the time, but having locked the front and back doors, the housemaid sought shelter in the dining-room, and for a time kept him at bay by placing her back against the door. Wetherall,however, managed to get his right arm through the door, and discharged a pistol at her, shooting her dead. He next went into the kitchen and armed himself with a poker, and proceeded upstairs to a bedroom in which Mrs. Plows was lying, and where she had recently given birth to a child. The nurse told him he could not go there, but he told her not to mind, as he had finished those below, and forced his way past her. Stripping down the bed-clothes he fired at Mrs. Plows, but the ball did not take effect. He next attacked her savagely with the poker, inflicting some severe scalp wounds, breaking her nose and otherwise injuring her. Whilst in the act of striking another blow at her his arm was arrested by a man named Stansfield, the church organist, who had seen Mr. Plows, and who was accompanied by two other men. By these men he was removed, and given over to the police. It appears that he was armed with three pistols and a hatchet when he went to the house. He behaved with remarkable coolness when in custody, remarking, " I have done it—l meant to do it, and am only sorry the pistol (that aimed at Mr. Plows) did not go off better." The lobby of the house was marked with blood like a slaughter-house. The housemaid was found dead behind the dining-room door. Mr. and Mrs. Plows are lying in a precarious state.