The Cotton Factory Times. — 1902-12-19 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

DEATH OF THE WCAVER AND HIS VICTIM.  Much consternation was caused at Burnley on Sunday morning when it became known that a terrible crime had been enacted by a man named Walsh, who is a tramping weaver. It appears that a girl, v,,,ed ten years, named Florence Constantine, at 11 30 on Sunday morning went to see Maggie Walsh, a playmate, who is about the same age. On looking through the window of the only occupied house in 3, Clock Yard, she was horrified to see her little playmate lying on the floor with her throat cut, while the girl's father was lying by her side, also bleeding profusely from a wound in the throat. An alarm was raised, and P.C. Jowett quickly arrived on the scene. On entering the house the officer found that the man's throat was cat almost from ear to ear. The girl was lying with her feet under the slopstone with her head to the fireplace, and the wound in her throat was about three inches in length. As soon as she saw the constable the little girl staggered to her feet, and approached P.C. Jowett with outstretched hands. He assisted her to a chair, and she lay with her head over the slop. stone. A medical man was quickly summoned, and upon the arrival of Dr. Whittaker he attended to both daughter and father. The horse ambulance was requisitioned, and the pair were conveyed with all speed to the Victoria Hospital. The child wee very scantily attired, and in a terrible condition. Her head had been much battered with a hard instrument, presumably a poker; and her hands were a perfect mass of bruises, while, in addition, there was a large wound across the fingers. The man is a tramping weaver, and it is stated that he originally came from Blackburn. For the last few days be had been despondent on account of being unable to secure employment. The tenant of the house in which the tragedy took place is Mary Ann Edmondson, a widow, and she had taken charge of Maggie Walsh a few days previously out of friendship, as Mr. and Mrs. Walsh used to reside in the 'same yard. On the morning in question Mrs. Edmondson went out to work about 6 30 a.m. to do some cleaning, and at that time the girl was in bed. The girl succumbed to her injuries shortly after seven o'clock on Tuesday morning. It appears that William Walsh had been drinking heavily of late, and had been somewhat strange in his manner. For a long period he had been living with a woman named Starkie, who recently died, and the real name of the murdered girl was Maggio Starkie. When the girl's depositions were taken she explained fully the horrible crime. She told about her father entering the house and sharpening an instrument on the slopstone, which turned out to be a razor. The man afterwards seized is poker and inflicted several blows on his daughter's head. He next attacked the girl with a razor, and a struggle ensued, in which her hands were terribly cut. Her strength, however, was no match to that of her father's, and she was overpowered and her throat terribly gashed. She fell to the ground, and the man afterwards used the razor on himself, cutting his windpipe, but the jugular vein was left untouched. Walsh died in Victoria Hospital on Wednesday, having survived his victim by about 20 hoar& The input was held yesterday (lbw:a:lay).