The Northern Guardian. — 1898-03-21 (Hartlepool, Cleveland, England)

SHOCKING MURDER IN NEWCASTLE.  A YOUNG WOMAN KILLED IN HER LODGINGS.  A shocking murder was committed in Newcastle on Saturday. The victim was a young woman named Annie Irving, 27 years of age, lodging with a Mr and Mrs Thompson, at 10, Cannon Street, Newcastle. Mrs Thompson and her daughter on Saturday evening, returning home from shopping, were horrified to find Irving lying net inside in a pool of blood and with her face battered beyond recognition. The wounds on the bcdy had evidently been inflicted with a ceralrake v-hich was found in the fender smeared with blood. From the appearance of the place there had beeu desperate struggle. The woman had tried to get out at both the front and back doors, fur marks of blood were found on each. She had also been thrown on the grate. The left arrn was severely burnt from the hand to the elbow. The neighbours do not appear to have noticed anything unusual. The police, late on Saturday right, .apprehended Alec Thompson, the dead woman's landlord, on suspicion. Thompson is a man of about 37, and has been employed as a labourer in the cartridge factory at the Elswick Works, lie was formerly in the army. Another account saps the victim was a single woman named Annie Irving, 27 year of age.. Irving was employed as a glass blower at the felieon and Swan Electric Works, and since October has had lodged with Alexander Thompson, his wife, and daughter at the house 10, Cannon Street. Accompanied by Miss Thompson, who was also employed by the firm of Edison and Swan, she oceeded to her lodgings at one o'clock on Saturday afternoon. After dinner she desired to remain in the house for the afternoon, and Mrs Thompson and her daughter went out to do some necessary shopping. What transpired after that can only be conjectured. At 5.45 p.m. Mrs Thompson returned home, and was confronted with a sickening sight On the floor of the passage leading from the front door to the kitchen lay the mutilated body of Irving, while all around the prime was covered with blood. She immediately sort a boy to Scotewaod Road Police Station, and two officers went to the house and had the body removed to the Dead House at St. Lawrence. Shortly afteiwarcle Alexander Thompson returned to his home, and upon the strength of a statement made by a neighbour living on the opposite sid? of the street, he was immediately arrested on a charge of having caused the ycung woman's death, and was taken to Scotewood Road Police Station. ?hie neighbour state; that shortly after four o'clock she saw accused leave the house. The horse in which the tragedy took place is a downstairs fiat, and a woman living upstairs has also mede a statement to the police that she heard an uprcar going on downstairs and cries about the time the tragedy is said to have been committed, bue thinking it was merely a little quarrelling she did not take any further ectice. The woman's head was shoelciugly injured, presumably by a coal-rake, which was found in the kitchen covered with blood. A terrible gash had been made in her left temple, while the lobe of the left ear and the lips had been cut through. She Ilad receiv'ed injuries, to cause which great force must have been used, behind one ear and at the back of her head. Her left arm was very much burnt, and the appearance of the house indicated ehat there had been a determined struggle between the woman and her assailant. Near the tire was a good deal of blood, and it is ecpposed that there the struggle commenced. It is also surmised that The poor woman had fallen against the fire and thus received the burns to her left arm, and that afterwards she endeavoured to crawl to the front door to seek assistance, but bad fallen before she could reach it. P. is stated that from a medical examination of the body there are tiumibtakable signs that the unfortunate woman was -first criminally assaulted and then murdered. What appears to be blood , was also found on the clothin,e of the accused man, When arrested the man made lei statement.