The Sun. — 1832-03-24 (London, England)

MURDER NEAR WARRINGTON.  APPREHENSION AND COMMITTAL OF THE MURDERED MAN'S WIFE.  Since the trial and execution of William Heaton at Lancaster for the diabolical murder of Thomas Ratcliffe at Barton Wood, near Warrington, some extraordinary disclaques relating to the barbarous crime have been made by several of the friends and relatives of the murderer, from which it appeared that there was every ground for supposing that Ratcliffe's wife was implicated with Heaton as an accessary to the murder of her own husband. It appears that immediately after the condemnation of Heaton, a man named Joseph Lawson, Heaton's brotherin-law, who had given evidence favourable to the convict at the trial, intimated to Mr. Foulkes, of Manchester, the Attorney for the defence, that the wife of Ratcliffe was equally criminal in the affair with Heaton, for be (Lawson) bad himself heard her urge the unfortunate man to put her husband out of the way. Mr. Foulkes, on hearing this statement, recommended Lawson to go to the proper authorities and disclose all he knew on the subject. Lawoon took the advice of Mr. Foulkes and communicated informstion, touching the guilt of Ratcliffe's wife, to Davis, an officer from Lambeth-street (now deputy constable of Warrington), who apprehended Heaton in the first instance, and he, under the directions of the Magistrates of Warrington, proceeded to Barton Wood for the purpose of making further inquiries, in order to ascertain whether there were any substantial prounds to found a charge against the unfortunate Ratcliffe's wife. Upon arriving at Barton Wood, Davis received such information, both of a new character and in corroboration of Lawson'estatement, as warranted him in apprehending the woman, who was still living in the house occupied by herself and her murdered husband. The disclosures made to Davis went also to shew that an illicit intercouse had for a considerable time existed between Ratcliffe's wife and the murderer, and that her dislike for her husband, and partiality for the latter, had prompted her to conspire with Heaton, to take the life of her husband. From the evidence adduced against Heaton at his trial it appeared that the deceased Ratcliffe was an infirm cripple, but the murderer Heaton seemed a hale athletic countryman. Heaton, subsequent to his condemnation, confessed his guilt to Mr. Row'ey, the Reverend Chaplain of the gaol of Lancaster, but did not in any way implicate the wife of Ratcliffe. It will be recollected that, at the trial, a potato fork, spotted with blood, was produced by Davis in evidence against Heaton. The fork was not found is Heaton's dwelling, but in that of an acquaintance of his, who said at the trial that the spots of blood were not upon the fork the day previous to the murder, when he put it away, and that it had not I ern used by the witness, or any of his family, since his so placing it by. This witness, about the time of the murder, was not in his own house, but had gone to fetch his wife from somewhere, leaving the door on the latch. Heaton having been seen in the neighbourhood of the witness's house alluded to during the time the witness was out, the circumstances led to the supposition, bat the murderer had taken the fork from the house, with which he went and perpetrated the murder, and then re• placed it. Such, however, it has turned out, was not the case, which shows that implicit confidence should not be placed in circumstantial evidence, be the links ever so strong. Those who read the confession of Heaton, as given to Mr. Rowley, will remember that he strenuously denied having murdered his victim with the potato fork, but said that lie had committed the deed with a hedge hook and afterwards threw that instrument into a pond, or pit, of water, the situation of which he described. The pond alluded to has since been dragged, and the hedge-hook Beaton described was found. The woman Ratcliffe, immediately after her apprehensi was placed in a postchaise, and conveyed by Davis to the gaol at Warrington. On Wednesday, she was taken before the Warrington magistrates, when she underwent a long examination, the result of which was, that she was fully committed to Lan,easter Castle for trial, from which her guilty paramour bas just been released, by the forfeiture of his life.