The Stockton Examiner, and South Durham and North Yorkshire Herald. — 1879-06-07 (Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, England)

DETERMINED MURDER IN BIRMINGHAM. A determined murder was perpetrated in Birmingham on Saturday morning by a hawker, named John Ralph, who first cut the throat of a young woman named Sarah Alice Vernon, and then threw her body .nto the canal. The facts, as far as they can be ;leaned, reveal a miserable story of connubial unhappiness and the evils arising from association with bad ximpany. The deceased woman was twenty-five rears of tg,a, and the daughter of Mr. Paget, a respectable plumber and zinc manufacturer. Before she had reached the age of seventeen she secretly married a jeweller named Vernon, and up to Friday she continued to live with him. Between the two, lowever, occasional differences appear= have arisen, Ind about six months ago it came to the knowledge A her husband and parents that deceased had formed very undesirable intimacy with a hawker named Ralph., a man twenty-eight years of age, who ohained a livelihood by hawking fancy baskets about the streets. The parents did their utmost to dissuade the ieceased from keeping up the acquaintance, but their Aforts in this direction appear to have been quite =availing, for the unfortunate woman was subseluently seen in Ralph's company more frequently lan formerly. On Friday night the deceased was met by several of her acquaintances, and she then mmplained that Ralph was following her about. She mould not get rid of him, she said, for wherever she cent he went too. Ralph appears to have joined ler, and the two walked off together in the direetion if the place where the tragedy was subsequently inacted. Shortly after two &clock, Police-constable Benton was passing over the canal bridge, when ho was accosted by tho man Rilph, who said he wished k give himself into custody for throwing a woman .nto the canal. The officer called to his assistance ;wo other officers who were on duty in the locality. Ralph pointed over the bridge towards the spot, where no said the woman would be found, and on the ifficers proceeding down to the towing path, they saw the body of Vernon floating upon the surface of he water. Dr. Burton was summoned, and in the meantime the body was taken out of the canal. It was then discovered that the unfortunate woman had s terrible gash four inches long in her throat, and a punctured wound beneath the right ear. Her hands Were also fearfully cut, as if she and her murderer Pad had a desperate struggle together for the possession of the knife. Ita.ph was taken in custody to ;he station and formally charged with the wilful murder of the deceased. Though cautioned in the prdinary way, he replied readily that "he did throw ler into the cut," and when questioned with respect Is the wounds upon the body, he simply answered "Welt, we did hare a knife. I had some bread and leese, and she had a knife to cut it with." When in examination was made of his clothes no blood stains were discovered upon them. The knife with which the woman's throat was cut has not yet been discovered. Though a violent struggle apparently took place between the prisoner and the deceased, there are no indications of anything of the kind having occurred on the towing path of the canal. Later on in the day, he was taken before the magis. trates and remanded for a week.  Sir Ivor B. Guest has given notice to the tenants on his Dorsetshire estate that ho will allow an abatement of 20 per cent, on the half -year's rent due Lady-day last. An avalanche has fallen on the village of Fontana, Tessin. The cliiir•h, mairie, and several houses have been destroyed, a family of six perishing in one of them.  Chief-inspector Harris, of Scotland Yard, has been promoted by Sir Edmund Henderson,