The North Cumberland Reformer. — 1891-03-05 (Carlisle, Cumbria, England)

ESTI. ' •SHFD 1863.  Mr. Baxter has eencluded the inquest concernie-; the murder of Frances Coles, the lalt, Whitechapel victim, the proceedinga taking p:ace at the Work his Lads' Institate, Vvlitechapel. Mr. Matthews appeared on behalf of the Trettairy, while Mr. Lawle,3 represented the accused luau Sadler.—Detectivesergeant George Butcher, of the Criminal Investigation Department, produced plans of the locality affecting the ease. Hc said there were eight mod:a of gettiuw away from the archway where the body of the murdered woman was found.—John Johnson, deputy at the Victoria Lodging-house, Upper East Smithfield, said that about a quarter past one on Friday morning, the 13th inst., Sadler came to the house and wanted a bed. Witness refuted, as he was drunk. After abusing hint, Sadler went away. There was a scratch on his face. He returned in the evening, and his head had then been bandaged.—Thomas Johnson, saamau, said that he bad been taken to Leman Street Police Station, and there identified Sadler as the man he had seen leaving the Sailors' Home, Well Street, after having sold a knife to a man named Duncan Campbell on Friday morning. In reply to Mr. Lawless, witness said that he saw other men pick out Sadler before he identified hint. On another day witness was taken to the Thames Police Court, and there saw Sadler. When he saw Sadler at the Sailors' Home he was going out. Detectiveinspector Moore deposed that when formally charged on Sunday, the 15th inst., Sadler said: "The old man has made a mistake about the knife. I never saw him before." When being removed to the cells he added, 'Make it as light as you can, gentlemen." Ellen Calloran said that about halfpast one on the Friday morning she and the deceased, Frances Coles, met a man in Commercial Street. He spoke to witness. He was a short man with a moustache. It was not Sadler,whom witness had seen earlier that day. Witness refused to go with the man, and he then spoke to the deceased, who consented to go with him,and walked away with him towards the Minories. Witness advised her not to go with the man, but Coles said she should.—Answering Mr. Matthews, witness denied that she had said this happened at three o'clock. —William Friday, carman, said that at about ten minutes to two on the Friday morning he saw a man and woman together in Royal Mint Street, about fifty yards from Swallow Gardens. He was going to speak to the woman, as he thought she was Kate McCarthy; but he found it was someone else. The woman was dressed in black, and had a crape hat Kate McCarthy, who was called, said she was talking to a man named Fowles at the time referred to by the last witness. She saw Friday pass by.— Thomas Fowles corroboratei witness. This concluded the evidence; and, after an adjournment for luncheon, the Coroner proceeded to sum up. After narrating the circumstances connected with the discovery of the murder, and the connection between deceased and the accused man Sadler, the Coroner asked a quertion whether Sadler was guilty. He pointed out that the statement made by Sadler, although it inverted the order of some events, was corroborated by witnesses, and bore the impress of truth so far LIA a drunken mau could remember. The condition in which the man was seen after the event with blood on his face and hands carried with it a suspicion that he might have been engaged in the commission of a murderous attack, but the wounds which he was known to have sustained earlier in the evening sufficiently disposed of that. With regard to the alleged sale of a knife to Campbell, the Coroner said that it had not been proved that there were bloodstains on the knife. It might be added that Campbell appeared to have been rather imaginative, not to say mystical. In favour of Sadler's innocence it was noteworthy that Sadler and the deceased had not been proved to have been together since about midnight, or half-an-hour later. At considerable length the evidence for and against Sadler was carefully sifted, it being pointed out that if Dr. Oxley's opinion was sound, Sadler,at the time of the murder, was physically incapable of committing the crime, even if he had desired to do so. The jury returned a verdict of " Murder against some person or persons unknown," and added that the police had done their duty in detaining Sadler.